GATTACA Discussion Questions Name

Pd _____ Date 4/4/21

1.
For each word below, write a definition based on each word’s usage in the movie:
a. de-gene-erate - It applies to someone who is borrowing or buying another
person's DNA.
b. valid - means that the person's sample corresponds to their personality type.
c. in-valid - means a person who was born from a 'faith birth' or who was conceived spontaneously rather
than by genetic engineering. Usually, it's someone who isn't officially enrolled with the organization or has a
genetic mutation.
d. faith baby - are infants born to parents who opt out of using reproductive technologies, leaving their
children's biology to chance.
e. genetic engineering - To avoid genetic defects and to produce healthy and beautiful children, geneticists
use reproductive technology to selectively choose unique genes in each parent.
2. If we were able to exclude the eccentric, the different, the misfits, and the weak, what would happen to
society?
All kinds of confusion will ensue if we split people who were deemed less than ideal. Perfect people,
for example, will revolt against the not perfect, attempting to expel them for no good cause. There will
be far too many issues arising from the fine and imperfect variations between them. This would waste
a lot of time and resources for policymakers because it would divert them from addressing Very
important global problems.

3. Compare Jerome and Vincent. What were their strengths and their weaknesses. In what ways were they the
mirror image of each other?
They were both driven to succeed and wanted to be at the top, but they were defeated. Vincent had always
wanted to go into space but was unable to do so due to his heart disease, but he persisted and gradually
turned himself into Jerome. Jerome was a champion swimmer who lost in a championship game and
finished third, walking in front of a car and having to use a wheelchair.

4. Was Jerome mentally ill?

I don't believe Jerome was mentally ill, but I believe he was depressed and suicidal, as he said in the film
when he threw himself in front of the car. He was in that condition, I believe, because he had lost the race
and believed he was no longer good at what he did.

5. Compare Anton and Vincent, the two brothers. How was Vincent able to beat Anton at swimming despite
Vincent's weak heart?
I believe Vincent won because he put all of his energy into swimming the farthest and not worrying about
returning here, while his brother Anton had only saved half of his energy to return, and he finally used up
all of his energy and had to be rescued by his brother.
6. Why is there such resistance to the new order imposed by this society? E.g., Vincent's girlfriend; the test
technician?
People are becoming increasingly annoyed at having their future decided solely by their genes,
particularly now that they are aware of the system's shortcomings and failures.

7. What do you think is wrong with the society portrayed in "Gattaca"?

It is inequitable! It’s a culture based solely on biology is bound to have flaws. The use of genetic
identification, for example, will be exploited. People with insufficient genes (such as Vincent) would be
unable to achieve their goals, as the film demonstrated.

8. Wouldn't every parent want to ensure that their child was perfect and had the attributes of physical
attractiveness, intelligence and athletic prowess to be able to do whatever he or she wanted in life? If so,
why is the society portrayed in this film so devoid of happiness, vitality and fun?
After the geneticist tells them which embryo has the best characteristics, the parents can pick the one
they want (e.g genetic diseases, gender, athletic ability, intelligence, physical appearance). Since this
new form of reproduction became the standard, it became more popular for parents to choose embryos
with the characteristics they desired for their child. Natural birth, on the other hand, had not fully ended.
Unfortunately, individuals who were born naturally were seen as being less suited to society than those
who possessed desirable characteristics. These individuals were dubbed "de-gene-erates." This prejudice
advanced to the point that employers performed genetic testing in order to select people with high-
quality traits.

9. What made Vincent able to qualify for the Saturn mission despite his physical infirmities and lack of genetic
perfection?
Vincent was only able to apply for the Saturn mission because of Jerome's genetically modified DNA, hair,
urine, and heartbeat. Every day, they had to take a blood sample from their fingertips just to get into the
house, which is where Jerome's blood was needed. Urine samples were often taken at work to see whether
they were genetically modified, so there was a need for urine. A check of their heartbeat was also necessary
at the GATTACA incorporation, so Vincent used Jerome's heartbeat.

10. If you were the president of a corporation that could hire genetically enhanced individuals, would you do
so? If you didn't, how could you compete with corporations that did hire only the genetically improved?
What are the implications of this for our future?
If I were the CEO of a company that could recruit genetically modified people, I would do so without
hesitation. This is due to the fact that I will not refuse any job. You could come whether or not you were
genetically engineered if you were good at what you do for my company.

11. Most parents will tell you that children are born with their own peculiar personality. This can be affected by
events in the child's life, but there is definitely a strong, if not overriding, genetic component. We may in the
future be able to modify these characteristics, just as physical characteristics and intelligence could be
modified. What are the implications of this?
 This would result in a world with little variety; everyone wants to be loved, amusing, social, and intelligent;
if we could change how an individual acquires these characteristics, the world would become monotonous.
We need diversity and various types of people; otherwise, the uniqueness of individuals being special will be
lost.

12. Some people have countered the vision of this film by saying that our strengths are inextricably combined
with our weaknesses. Do you agree with this?
Yes, I agree, but having an overwhelming strength often means having an overriding weakness, because it
takes away from other areas where one might excel.

13. Soon, life insurance companies, health insurance companies, employers, and the government will have the
tools to predict our future health. Is this too much information for them to have? Is there any way to stop
it?
If this is our future, it will be dreadful, and we will have a dreadful future. Health and life insurance
companies make their money by covering the medical bills if you get sick, so they don't give it to people
who are already sick. This is an excellent example of why they have way too much knowledge. Imagine
how much worse it would be if they rejected people with a history of diseases. I'm not sure if there's a way
to avoid it, but I believe that knowing that might be considered an infringement of privacy.

14. The character of the Director (the murderer) told the investigators that there was no indication of violence in
his genetic make-up. What were the screenwriters trying to tell us by this scene?
Even if a person is claimed to be genetically perfect and shows no signs of aggression, anything is possible
because genes are not the only factor that influences a person's behavior.

15. What were the screenwriters trying to tell us through the episode of the 12 fingered pianist? What is wrong
with engineering children to have 12 fingers if, as a result, they will be able to make extraordinarily
beautiful music?
It is not in our power to decide whether or not our children will be born with 12 fingers. You're pushing
them to do something and directing their lives for them in this way, and that's not how people should live.
People should have the freedom to choose their own life course.

16. What limits should be placed on genetic engineering? Should it be allowed at all? Should it be limited to the
elimination of disease and physical imperfections? Why or why not?
Genetic engineering, in my view, should be used to cure disorders and diseases that are detrimental to our
lives, rather than to make us genetically perfect from birth, depriving us of the independence we deserve.

17. Should we permit people to make human clones of themselves? What about someone who cannot have a
child?
 No, since clones are an unnatural method of self-replication, and humans were not designed to be
replicated through clones. Other options for those who are unable to have children include sperm donors
or adoption.

18. Should we permit people to make human clones of other people?

No, because if this power falls into the wrong hands, it could be used irresponsibly, resulting in global
anarchy.

19. If you would permit human cloning, would the clones have all the rights of "natural" people?
Of course, clones will still be humans like us, even though they were created artificially.

20. Was Vincent justified in brutally beating the police officer outside of the nightclub?
Vincent did something wrong, but he did so in a panic because he was afraid of his identity being
revealed, and he saw it as his only option. It was wrong, but in his panic, it was the only thing he could
think of.

21. Jerome committed suicide at the end of this film. What was the screenwriter's purpose in showing this end
to this character?
Jerome had an almost prosperous life before he was paralyzed, but he was sad. When he met Vincent, he
was granted a new mission in life: to provide for him. He fulfilled his purpose by ensuring Vincent's
dreams were realized, and he chose to die satisfied with that thought.

22. Is it true that you are more than the sum of your genes?
Yes, because while genes are what make up a human, they aren't the only thing that defines them.

23. Which did Anton have more allegiance to: his caste of genetically enhanced beings or his brother?

Anton understood how hard his brother had fought and how good Vincent had been in battling
his fate after gaining a better understanding of him. He sided with his brother after realizing
that genes aren't anything.

24. Were Vincent and Jerome friends by the end of the film?
Yes, because of their bond developed while living together during Vincent's abduction.
25. What was the role of alcohol in the destruction of Jerome's personality?
Jerome was an alcoholic who had a dirty mouth and was more abusive towards people when he was
inebriated. In several occasions, this backed him and Vincent into a corner, one of which was when Vincent
requested a urine sample for his interview.
26. Did this society, with its rigid requirements of genetic perfection, foster the ethical value of respect for the
differences among people?
No, but others, especially those who Vincent has affected, such as the company's doctor, Anton, Vincent's
girlfriend, and Jerome, were aware of this. This, I believe, is a first step toward the rest of humanity
realizing this in due time.

27. What is a caste system? Describe the caste system in Gattaca. Give some examples of caste systems in other
societies that have actually existed.
A caste system is a social classification system that divides people into groups based on their birth. In
Gattaca, the caste system is depicted as one that categorizes people based on their genes, with those with
defective genes becoming the social outcasts. Another example of a caste system is that which existed in
India in the past, with the Brahmins, or society's priests and scholars, at the top and the Dalits, or society's
outcasts, at the bottom, forced to work as street cleaners and other low-wage workers.

28. Was the society described in this film one in which fairness was a value? What problems were caused by the
failure of the society to promote fairness?
No, because assessing individuals exclusively on the basis of their genes isn't necessarily a reasonable way
to assess them, since there are other variables that affect one's upbringing. Outcasts like Vincent found other
ways to rise through the ranks as a result of the lack of justice.

GATTACA ESSAY

Write a paper that is AT LEAST 1.5 PAGES in which you THOROUGHLY address ALL of these questions.
Each question should be addressed in a minimum of one paragraph.
▪ What are the advantages and disadvantages to having a society like that portrayed in GATTACA?
▪ If we were able to exclude the eccentric, the different, the misfits, and the weak, what would happen to
society?
▪ What limits should be placed on genetic engineering? Should it be allowed at all? Should it be limited to
the elimination of disease and physical imperfections? Why or why not?
GATTACA Essay Draft
❖ Use this page for a rough draft or outline of your essay. Attach more pages if necessary.
❖ Then type (double spacer, size 12 Times New Roman font) your esay. ❖ After you type
your essay, staple this packet BEHIND your typed copy.

Gattaca described a future in which genetic engineering has developed to the point that we can
predetermine a child's genes in order to mold them into the genetic makeup we want. While this is an
incredible technical breakthrough with many benefits, it also has a slew of drawbacks. Gene manipulation
gives people the best genetic makeup possible, but it also takes away their right to choose what they want
to do for themselves, and it pressures them to follow the predetermined direction that you had in mind when
selecting their genetic makeup.
 Society has progressed to the point that we are separated by the quality of our genetic makeup as a result
of the advances in genetic engineering depicted in the film. In this kind of culture, if you had a genetic flaw,
you would be considered an outcast and discriminated against for the rest of your life simply because you
were born that way. If that kind of world became a reality, it would result in revolutions, rebellions, and a
global war between those who are considered outcasts and those who are considered insiders. Because of
the potential for chaos, genetic engineering's power and advancement should be restricted to only treating
diseases and birth defects that have a negative or harmful effect on a human.

It would be a waste of genetic engineering's potential in the medical field if it were not allowed, so it
should be developed but only for that reason. This is so that humans can always do what they want to do
without having to undergo genetic modification. This is so that humans can still choose for themselves what
they want to do without the need of genetic remodelling, and the developments in medicine could make it
possible for people to live longer from diseases such as cancer or AIDS, which are currently uncurable
diseases.