In our class activity we held a mock trial to decide whether Fëanor and his sons were morally responsible for the Doom of Mandos and the tragedy of the Noldor. I was part of the defense team, meaning my job was to argue that even though Fëanor's and his son’s actions were extreme, they were not entirely unjustified.
At first, I didn't see how Fëanor or his sons could possibly be seen as innocent but after looking at the evidence more closely, I began to understand their situation. They were bound by an Oath that essentially held them hostage and disobeyed it could bring terrible consequences upon them.
While I don't believe that killing is right, I can understand where they are coming from and why they did what they did. The jury's decision to find Fëanor and his sons guilty of the Kinslaying of the Elves wasn't a big surprise. Although their actions were somewhat justifiable, they were still crimes and terrible ones to say the least.
Ultimately, this activity helped me see how complex moral responsibility can be and that its important to understand the full picture of an event before judging what happened.
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