The structures of their lies is very similar, so is all that differs the subject of the lie? If so, is the difference in their choice to lie or what they chose to lie about?Īfter the Bear realizes he has seen his hat, he runs back to the Rabbit and yells, “YOU STOLE MY HAT!” This introduces a new conflict, the recovery of the hat. Furthermore, we can discuss any differences between the Bear’s denial and the Rabbit’s. Was it okay for each of them to lie? By asking this, we can establish with the students a baseline of moral rules: lying, stealing, and killing are wrong. Most of the discussion for this story will stem from questioning the morality of certain actions, which are lying, stealing, and killing. We also know that the Bear lied about not having seen the Rabbit, because they spoke to each other. We know that the Rabbit lied about not having seen the hat, because it was wearing the hat when talking to the Bear. If the hat simply fell and the Rabbit found it, did the Rabbit do anything wrong by taking the hat? On the other hand, assuming the Rabbit stole the Bear’s hat, was it okay for the Rabbit to steal it? It should be noted that there is only ambiguity in the hat and the disappearance of the Rabbit. We can easily ask questions like, “what if the Rabbit did not steal the hat?” and discuss what might change if this were the case. The ambiguity this creates frames hypothetical discussion nicely. Because these characters feel the need to deny actions even though no one has accused them of committing the actions, they paint themselves suspiciously. They are mentioned only in statements of denial, from which we may infer that they actually happen. While the common reading of the text is that the Rabbit has stolen the Bear’s hat, and the Bear has eaten the Rabbit to take its hat back, none of these are stated outright. This book lends itself to discussion with its ambiguous nature. Read aloud video by Shon’s Stories Guidelines for Philosophical Discussion

The bear jumps up and runs back until he meets the thief and recovers the hat. As soon as the bear starts describing the hat, he remembers where it has seen the hat: on the head of a rabbit. He wanders around and asks all the animals he encounters whether they’ve seen it. One lies.Ī bear has lost his hat and wants it back. Questions for Philosophical Discussion » Summary When a bear loses his hat, he asks all the animals about it.

I want my hat back by jon klaasen