Code of Conduct

The Mockingbirds

By Daisy Whitney

Wow, I can’t believe its already Thursday, and I have another blog to write tomorrowL. I’ve had to work a lot this week and I have so many assignments this week I’ve been staying up late just to read my book. Its relaxing though, to say the least. So when I first started reading this book, I thought I was going to be instantly attracted to it, and wouldn’t be able to put it down, unfortunately, that isn’t the case. I think the reason is that I’m still trying to comprehend what really is going on in the story, and how its set up. This book would be easily understood if it were a movie, but hey, I’m still reading it right?

The Mockingbirds in Themis is basically a court system ran by the students, for the students. Whenever somebody comes to the Mockingbirds for justice, a trial is heard, and it will “punish” the accused if found guilty in some way or form. In the Mockingbirds, they needed to revise the code of conduct to include date rape, the original code was written broadly. The students at Themis Academy then votes on the revisions.

One day when Alex gets back to her dorm, the poll to the revisions for students to vote is under her door. It states:

Sexual assault is against the standards to which Themis

Students hold themselves. Sexual assault is sexual contact

(not just intercourse) where one of the parties has not given

Or cannot give active verbal consent, i.e., uttered a clear

“yes” to the action. If a person does not say “no” that does

not mean he or she said “yes.” Silence does not equal

consent. Silence could mean fear, confusion, and inebriation.

The only thing that means yes is yes. The lack of yes is a

No.

Alex got a yes for the date rape to be revised into the code of conduct, and I am now eager to hear the trial!