In thinking about A Lesson Before Dying, how would you answer the following questions?
1) What is a human right?
2) How would you define justice?
3) What is the relationship between justice and self-esteem?
Post your response to one of the questions by Monday at 3 p.m. Explore the question and dig deeper than the superficial. Keeping in mind these are difficult questions and there really is no right or wrong answer. With regard to writing, there is more meaning in the journey, than the destination. Be sure to respond to another classmates' response, if you are not the first to post.
51 comments:
Justice is fair treatment for all. Justice is treating people reasonably with no bias according to race, religion, or gender. Justice is moral equity and justice says that everyone should have equal opportunities and rights. Justice is not only found in court situations but at workplaces, restaurants, and other public places where everyone wants and deserves to be treated fairly.
Justice comes up in some of America’s most important documents and sayings. For example in the Bill of Rights the seventh amendment say that everyone has the right to a trial with a jury but this doesn’t mean the trial is going to be fair. The pledge of allegiance is another example of where justice comes up in our lives “With liberty and justice for all,” is one of the first couple lines that shows our country wants to incorporate justice into its values and morals. This doesn't always work because in some situations justice is not seen.
In A Lesson Before Dying a fair trial was not shown because everyone in the small town knew the outcome of Jefferson’s trial before the jury even went and made a decision. This was because Jefferson was a black boy and the jury was twelve white men who weren’t giving Jefferson the justice he deserved. Jefferson was guilty because he was at the crime scene and he was black, so now he is being sentenced to death.
1. A human rights are right that we are born with that no one can take away.
2. Justice is an attempt to make things right. In A lesson before dying that community is trying to get justice for the murder of the clerk.
3. Self esteem is feeling good about yourself, and most people feel very good when justice has been served
Human rights belong justifiably to every person. They are constantly being questioned and unfortunately, not everyone has those rights that they deserve. The people of our country all deserve their own rights.
Justice is an action taken upon human rights. Justice is doing the right thing and protecting the rights of the people. Justice is always needed whenever these human rights are violated.
Self esteem is when one feels confident in themselves. One's self esteem is gained knowing that their rights our protected. Justice protects our rights and is therefore a main part of each individual's self esteem.
Kendra, I really like your views on justice and it's connection to the story. It was also interesting reading your thoughts about its impact on our country.
Human Rights are the fundamental rights in which no other human being should have the right to take away like the right to live.
Justice is our attempt to even up when someone has done something wrong. Justice is the way in which we impose consequences.
Self esteem is the feeling when you feel very good about yourself. That feeling is achieved when you feel like you have made justice.
Ben- you might want to go into a little detail about what human rights are not how they can be denied from us.
Human rights are natural rights. They're rights that every human being is born with. However; these rights can be taken away if you are willing to commit a crime that would take away another person's human rights. For example, the right to live.
You are born innocent and free, and your rights that you obtain depend on the choices you make.
I strongly believe that if you intentionally take someone's life, you deserve to die. That is what justice means to me. Self esteem is gained by possessing those human rights and knowing they're protected by justice.
Kendra- I liked how you used US documents as an example of justice. That connection effectively supports your claims.
A human right is an unalienable right. It is something that others should not be able to take away. John Locke said that "life, liberty, and property" were natural, or human, rights. These are the things that you as a human being are entitled to. When you are born, you have certain rights that nobody can take away from you. If they do take away one of your rights then their rights can also be taken away. If you kill someone and the judge and jury see fit to have you killed, that is justice. You took away somebody's right to life, and as a consequence you lost your own right to life. Justice is the way that people are punished for crimes and other wrongdoings that they commit. Justice is not "an eye for an eye" as some people believe is should be. In the case of the death penalty it is, but that is because somebody has taken something away that they had no right to take away. The relationship between justice and self-esteem depends upon the person you are talking about. If you are the lawyer or person who brought someone to justice then you might feel good about yourself. If you are the person being brought to justice and you believe that you are innocent then your self-esteem may go down. You will have been told in no uncertain terms that most people believe you to be a cheater, criminal, murderer, etc. This would negatively effect your self-esteem.
Sumner- I agree that if you take away someones right as a human then you forfeit whatever right that may be. I also agree that your rights depend on the choices you make.
Human rights are something everybody has without question. You remain having these rights unless there is a reason to believe they should be taken away from you in cases you committed a crime.
Justice is the act of being fair or making equal. If someone breaks the law and gets caught it is only fair that they pay back for what they did with jail time or in the books case death for murder.
Self esteem is gained by Justice, or finding the right it what may have been wrong.
Ben- I liked your views on Justice and how it related to self esteem, good job.
Justice is the concept and delivery of fairness, equality, and universally identical treatment for all humans. Justice comes in its best and most legal form in a court, but it can also take place anywhere else. It can happen in any situation in which the verdict made was fair and unbiased.
"A Lesson Before Dying" perfectly demonstrates an example in which a verdict was made by racial bias; thus, it was unjust. The jury consisted of all white men, and because the accused was an African American, they paid no regard to the his pleas or the evidence presented, and made an uninformed and unfair decision.
Erich,
I liked your definitions/interpretations of human rights and justice, but I think your definition of self esteem could use some work.
Aditya
Human rights apply to every human being on this earth. It doesn't matter what they look like, their sexuality, what life they have lived; everybody is given the same set of rights. It's comforting to know that even as the poorest and weakest link of the foodchain, you will never become a hopeless slave or sold to another person. It's human rights that gives us hope, knowing that nobody on this earth can take those rights away from them. They aren't priviledges that people should always give thanks to. They are what is expected, and what every person is entitled to.
Justice, as a definition, is what is right and fair. The word "justice" always reminds me of something I saw on a TV show once. I flipping through channels one night, when a middle aged woman popped up onto the screen talking to her son. She said, "The rules matter, Malcolm. Rules say we get paid time and a half for the night shift. The rules say trespassers are dealt with by the police. You can't just pick and choose what rules you want to follow, or the whole system breaks down." In a nutshell, justice is following and maintianing the moral code set up to minimize chaos in this already chaotic world. In a smaller sense, standing up for an innocent kid being bullied in the lunch line, or telling your friend you aren't comfortable with them copying your homework, those little things are justice. Everybody has the power to bring justice to the community, but unfortunately it takes a lot of courage that most of us don't feel like we have.
If somebody has a high self-esteem and confidence, they are more likely to take the social risks that tag along with justive. Justice is all about taking risks for what you know is right. Often times I look at a situation and think, "Hey this isn't right, and I have the power to change it." But it takes the feeling of confidence to stand up for your morals and opinions that often times causes us to instead sit back and watch unjustice play out. The ideal combination of confidence and courage would allow us all to make astonishing changes to things we never expected to have control over.
aditya-
I liked that you related back to the book. Your definition of justice is a little bit generic though- what does justice mean to YOU. good start though!!
Human rights are the rights that you are born with, not rights which are given to you. They are the rights no one should be able to take away from you
Justice is when the right thing happens. Its not only in the courtroom but everywhere. Doing the right thing or making the right choice brings justice.
The relationship between justice and self-esteem is that when justice is or isn't served, it can change the way you feel about yourself, which is self-esteem
Kendra- I like your views on what justice is. Nice job using a quote as well
Human rights are a set of rights everyone on the planet are born with. They are rights that cannot be taken away from you and apply to everybody. In the ideal world people of all races, religions, and sexual orientations would be able to live equally and all share a fair balance of human rights. But as we all know this is not often the case. We live in a society were people of all shapes, colors, and backgrounds are unjustly denied their basic human rights for no apparent reason. Many people seem to take their human rights for granted as many people and worse off countries do not have the basic human rights we enjoy here in America. The entire globe should be able to have equal access to their human rights and I’m sure sometime in the future that will be a reality. But for now we can only hope and pray for the people who lack human rights.
Sumner- I really liked how you made a connection between human rights and murderers. It was a great example to use and made your thoughts on human rights much clearer.
Justice, to me, is when a person gets what they deserve. Justice can be a reward for doing something positive, but in the court of law it is a punishment based on a crime that has been committed. The degree of the punishment is based on the degree of the crime. In our country, as shown in A Lesson Before Dying, can feel right to some, but wrong to others. Is it really justified to kill someone who killed another? Are we just stooping down to the level of a murderer? Do we tell society that killing people is wrong by killing people? Some people may say so. But what if they don’t arrest the right person? What if the wrong person is sentenced to their death and there is nothing he or she can do about it, just like Jefferson? Juries, lawyers, and judges don’t always know the true story of what really happened. When deciding whether or not to impose the death sentence on someone who possibly committed murder, all people involved in the decision should consider that there might be an error. And would they do this to their own child, mother, father, brother, sister, or any other relative if that relative were being accused? Would they make the decision to have them killed? On page 8, Jefferson’s lawyer says, “We must live with our own conscience.” I know that I could never live with myself if I new I helped kill a man, even if it was considered “justified” by the court. Give them life in jail, but don’t take their right that should never be taken away. Even criminals still have the right to live.
Henry- I really liked how you made a very personal connection to human rights and what they really mean to you. I completely agree with what you are saying.
Justice is supposed to be what is right and fair. However right and fair can be two very different things. For justice to be effective it has to be fair and based on some sort of standard (laws), but it also has to be somewhat flexible. If justice was only based on fairness then killers should be killed, rapists should raped, and thieves should have their most precious items stolen from them, but that is not how it works. Instead we sometimes kill killers, but generally they have to kill multiple people or in an unusually bad way. As for thieves and the rest we just put them in jail, which is not particularly "fair". As i said earlier, for justice to be truly right it also has to be flexible. For example if a child is brainwashed and he grows up and kills someone as a result of that, who should take the responsibility for the death? The person who did the act or the person who created the killer?
Henry- I really like how you talk about the "ideal" world versus the actual world. I also like how you talked about human rights spanning lots of demographics and your hopes for the future.
Human rights apply to every human. They are a set of rights that people are born with and that can't be taken away. Race, gender, religion and other differences among people don't influence these rights. They are the simplest most basic rights but they are the most important and everyone deserves them.
Justice is treating everyone fairly. Justice is used to protect the human rights of every person. It is treating people equally without bias but also holding them accountable if they do something wrong.
Justice and self-esteem are related. If you are being treated unjustly then you are likely to have low self-esteem. For example, if a person is being oppressed because of their race, like slaves, their self-esteem could go down because they are being treated as if they are inferior and they are constantly being told that they are worthless. Their self-esteem could also be affected if they were wrongly accused of something and they were treated unfairly because of that.
Human rights by definition are opportunities and assurances promised by the global economy to every human at birth. No matter where in the world you live or what your race is, or what your social class, there are some things that everyone should have. These rights are not available to many people across the globe. An example of a right everyone should have is the right to better themselves. Everywhere in the world, people need to be allowed to take opportunities to better educate themselves or find themselves a better career. If we condemn these people to the lives they are born with, we are taking away their right to self-improvement. If we take away someone’s right to live arbitrarily, we are taking away a human right. If we throw someone in prison with no proof of guilt, we are taking away a human right. In modern day America, it is sometimes hard to imagine losing the rights we so often take for granted. But even here in the United States we violated human rights not so long ago.
Justice is what defines right and wrong in a community. Everyone has a slightly different view of what justice is. That is why trial by jury is regarded as a pretty fair way of deciding guilt. The basic idea is that by selecting a pretty random group of people, there will be less biased in the jury than if the same people always made the decision. However, in A Lesson Before Dying, the jury is naturally biased against a black man. This is a perfect example of injustice in a court system.
Justice can impact one’s self esteem. If one is treated in an unjust manner, their self-image might suffer. Going back to the human rights discussion, if someone was denied their rights long enough, it would be easy to convince them that they were undeserving of such rights. I believe that Jefferson because he seems to believe that he is a “hog” does not realize that he is entitled to the same rights as any other human being. His grandmother understands that and I think that is why she wants him to be educated before his death.
Eileen- I like the fact that you talked about self esteem going down when people are wrongly accused. I think that is very pertinent to our story and you do a nice job of explaining how racial oppresion could lead to that. nicely done!
Human rights are something that every human being is born with. No one has the authority to take these rights away from us because the rights are inalienable. We all have the right to life and to means that are suitable for the proper development of life; these are primarily food, clothing, shelter, rest, and social services. Therefore a human being also has the right to security in cases of sickness, inability to work, old age, or in when anyone is deprived of the means of subsistence that is not their own fault.
Justice is the responsibility we have to respect human rights. We must treat others fairly and reasonably. Justice allows everyone to have a fair say in social, political, and economic institutions of society. Justice is responsibly fulfilling our obligations and sharing goods that are for all. Without justice, a society could not function. It would be filled with theft, fraud, and disregard for others and their property.
Self esteem is term that reflects someone's overall evaluation of his or her own worth. Justice affects someone's self esteem. Being fair to someone else helps their self esteem. However, if we are not just and don't honor their human rights then their self esteem will be negatively affected.
Kendra-
I really like your thoughtful input about justice and how you connected it to ALBD.
Justice is whether or not something is right or fair. Different people have connotations with the word justice because of religious backgrounds, law, and up bringing. What I think is wrong could be very different from the next person. When I think of justice I automatically think about punishment and court. It is hard to punish someone because people have different opinions. That is why when you go to court there is a jury so it is not one person and their own believes determining your fate. Justice is very complicated because there are so many determining factors.
Nathalie- you had some really good opinions on human rights. I agree with you, Americans do take their human rights for granted.
Human rights, as defined, is "fundamental rights, especially those believed to belong to an individual and in whose exercise a government may not interfere, as the rights to speak, associate, work, etc.". This means to me that people have the freedom to express themselves in who they want to be, and how they act. People should have the right to be what person they choose to be, and make the choices that they want to.
Justice, as defined, is "the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness". To me, justice is the meaning that you show of yourself when you express yourself. You can't do what you want without some justice.
Self esteem is what makes a person feel good about who they are and how they act. It makes the person become more confident. When you have justice, you gain self esteem and confidence.
Noah- You did a really good job explaining your take on human rights, justice, and the relationship with self esteem.
Human rights are rights that you are born with, that all american citizens have. Justice is a form of law or keeping things the way they should be. Also just doing the right thing to do. Self esteem is how people feels about themselves. It relates to justice because people feel good about themselves when they do the right thing.
It was painful to read as Jefferson was convicted because we know he is innocent, that he was left standing in the middle of a circle of dead men with a bottle of whiskey in his hand, simply because he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. The story makes us want to jump into the pages, place ourselves in the courthouse, and testify what we know to the jury. This is because we read about an unfair trial, and it was obvious that justice was not properly administered. The entire jury was composed of white men, and the accused was colored. Even if reasonable doubt was presented, the jury’s bias was too strong to consider it. After the trial, “the judge commended the twelve white men for reaching a quick and just verdict.”
After reading, I would define justice as the fair administering of the law, based on the bill of rights that is upheld for all people, no matter how different they may be.
Ben-
I really like your thoughts on Justice just add a little bit more detail on the human rights.
Hailey -
You have really good definitions of human rights, justice, and self esteem, but you could include what parts of Jefferson's story led you to your personal definitions.
Justice is when everyone is treated fairly, and there are equal consequences for wrong actions for all people. This seems to never have been fully accomplished. People are constantly being treated differently based on religion, gender, and race, even though there are laws saying that this shouldn’t happen. In A Lesson Before Dying, Jefferson is treated differently based on race. He might not have the same punishment if he was white. When justice is used, I believe that respect is, too. In order to treat someone fairly, you need to respect them first. The jury showed no respect for Jefferson and had already made up their minds before the trial had even started because they didn’t respect people of Jefferson’s race. There are laws protecting these things from happening now, although they haven’t disappeared. People will still discriminate against others and form bias opinions based on a person’s race, gender, and religion.
Claire-
I thought you gave a good description of the scene that Jefferson was in. I wish you had given a little bit more information about how you think this relates to justices.
Justice is the promise that all people can live happily so long as it doesn't disturb others, if it does it is only fair to the people being disturbed by ones actions that that person is disciplined so that their harmful actions won't be repeated.
Human right is simple, every person can live and be happy without the threat of someone else taking their freedom of life and happiness from them.
Self esteem ties into justice because people can only be maid inferior if they allow for it. If a person is told that they are powerless and inferior, it is only true if they believe it. If a person allows for injustices to be done to them, they will keep happening and it is up to that person get the confidence to stop that themselves.
Claire- good job referencing the book and making it relating it to the question. It gives a different perspective on the meaning of justice in our society.
1. A human right is an irrefutable part of the tacit code of personal well-being. Human rights are not only necessary in maintaining a respectful way of life to others, but also to oneself.
2. Justice is the state of prominent benevolence in a situation. Justice is what separates wrong from right; justice regulates social standards and expels negativity.
3. Self-esteem is rooted in justice, but the inflation of ego isn't. When someone feels good about their self, the natural thing to do is to share the positivity. When someone's ego inflates to the point where they don't care about anyone else, justice is no longer present.
-------
Teddy, it was interesting to read your thoughts on self-esteem, and how self-esteem can only be determined by oneself. It's all in the person's own mind.
To me, a human right is just that. It is a right that all human being has, regardless of skin color, intelligence, or gender. A human right is something that a human can rely on in all situations. A human right applies all the time to all humans, thus being a comfort. A human right should be something that a human can be dependent on.
Justice is something similar to human rights. Justice too applies to everyone in all situations. The difference is that justice is about treating people the way they deserve to be treated. Treating someone with justice involves no opinion and no bias. In the word of justice, everyone is equal and receives the same treatment in every different situation.
Justice is very much related to self-esteem because someone who is treated justly usually has higher self-esteem. When someone is treated justly it makes them feel good about themselves. They know that everyone else is being treated the same way they are. In another way, this could bring someone's self-esteem down, if they think they are better than a certain person or group of people. If both of these people or groups are treated equally, the person who thought they were superior could not think they were superior anymore, bringing down their self-esteem.
Teddy — I liked your definition of justice. When people live happily but are disturbing others, this is not justice.
Human Right is a right that all human beings have. It's natural rights in which people are born with these rights and they can't be abolished by any hierarchy. In America our laws are supposed to be shaped around human rights such as people have the right to run their own lives as long as they aren't interfering with others natural rights. People have the right to vote on governmental representatives, but not all countries are like this. Some countries laws don't take in account people's natural rights. Many people in the past have disrespected other's human rights by beating them, or putting them through slavery. Also people depend on these human rights in order to succeed in life.
Ethan, I agree with your thoughts on human rights. They are applied to everyone and that it should be a comfort to people.
By definition, human rights are commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being. But i believe it is more than that, human rights is about everyday decisions, and enjoying life simply because you are human. Human rights are not a privilege as much as a responsibility. Your human right is dignity, and the right to show it. It is to be treated with respect and equality. Human rights ensure that you can be yourself, for example — freedom of speech. Human rights are not just for yourself, but the right that you give others.
Claire -
i really like how you use the book so much to prove your point, it makes it all the more affective. You could add more to you definition/opinion about justice.
In my opinion, human rights are something that every person is entitled to have. The issue of human rights is different from privileges that most americans joy, but somehow the line drawn between them is lost. the time honored saying life, liberty, and property deals with the controversial question, 'what do i have a right to, and what can be taken away?'
Pertaining to the story, The idea that Jefferson was to be executed is appalling. those opposed to the death penalty say taking his life is taking away one of his core rights as a human being. while Jefferson did not kill anybody, other murderers put to the death penalty have taken another's life, essentially disrespecting the victim's right. is it fair to let them take a life without giving one in return?
Human rights are set in motion in order to preserve a person's well being. without the set of moral guidelines outlined in human rights, there would be ouch higher crime rates and a lesser value of life.
Nath- i really liked how you outlined human rights in such a complete way. you showed a very sound understanding of the topic.
In my opinion, human rights are an irrevocable privileges that all humans should have, and are necessary to have a good quality of life. So to take away someone's human rights would be malicious.
Justice is a standard treatment of people who have committed crimes. In A Lesson Before Dying, Jefferson is not giving justice because he is proven guilty just because he is black. Justice is standard treatment of all people, disregarding race.
Because justice is suppose to be the same for all humans, I could imagine that not being treated justly would make someone feel less than a human being
Jonathan, I feel like you have good ideas, but you should expand on them. give more details or examples
In theory, Human rights are something that every living human being is entitled to. It should be that every person has equal rights to do as they please and will not be discriminated from anything. Everyday, people are denied their basic rights as humans and as a whole hurts the public. People strive to gain power and step on others to get there. They feel that they are better than others, and thus the others don't have to same right to do the things they want.
Justice is a concept that is so misinterpreted. It should be when someone is judged fairly. The justice system in the US is very bad because it gives power to a select few how use that power for personal gain and not always true justice.
Self esteem is a result of misused justice. It is when power is abused for personal gain. Justice is about being treated equally and fair where as Self-esteem is totally personal. It has no relation to the outside world. One is personal and justice is about the the public.
A human right is something that a human deserves or has the ability to obtain. Human rights are things that anyone can enjoy and are meant to provide equality to all regardless of race, religion, sex, or social class. In order to have human rights, justice must be in the equation. Justice is a mixture of equality and doing the right thing. If the court makes the right decision in letting the innocent person leave or the guilty person be punished then that decision is a just one, following the ways of justice. Justice is an invisible law in the minds of the good that provides equality and can consist of human rights. The relationship between justice and self esteem is that they both have to do with what one does and doesn’t deserve. If the situation is just then the person who is receiving equal right will be happy and their self-esteem is high. But if their human rights are declined, and the case is in just then their self-esteem will be low.
Sophie – I found your points about how human rights are more than just rights, they’re responsibilities very interesting. I also liked your point about how human rights aren’t what you have; it’s what you let other people have.
A human right is something that all people should have. The idea behind a human right is that no matter who you are, where or when you were born, or where you live, this is something that you deserve. The Declaration of Independence states that among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; the United Nations has a universal declaration of human rights. The theme of declarations of rights is that all people are entitled to them.
The problem with these declarations is that at many times, and in many places, these rights are unknown or unprotected. The United States, up until recently, violated its own stated right to liberty. Some are of the opinion that the right to pursuit of happiness is still not universal in this country.
In the book A Lesson Before Dying, these rights are all violated. The pursuit of happiness and even liberty of the African-Americans are denied. Jefferson has his right to life violated by the biased legal system of the United States at that time. I don't know yet, but it seems like human rights could be a central theme of the book.
Max,
I like how you talk about justice as it relates to human rights. Justice and self esteem seem like they are important in relation to that topic.
-James
A human right is something we are all theoretically born with in this country. No matter where you come from, what you look like, or who you are, you will have the same guaranteed rights as everyone else. The purpose of the government is to protect these rights, and should they fail, they will be overthrown by the people. However, even though these rights apply to us all, they are not always applied fairly.
Justice is the idea of equality and fairness. Our judicial system follows and upholds the laws of the country. Justice could mean providing a fair punishment, upholding one’s beliefs, or fighting for what is right. This idea is often misinterpreted because of what people’s idea of fairness is: should one break the law, what is the fair and equal punishment? Justice is also seldom shared among ourselves because sometimes we are afraid to stand up for what is right.
Self-esteem is how one perceives oneself, or in other words, how you feel about yourself. We feel good about ourselves and safe when we know we have justice and human rights. When our rights and justice are taken away, we feel bad about ourselves and our community. When someone has good self-esteem, they have a better chance of not being afraid to uphold the idea of justice.
Molly-
I really liked how you connected self-esteem to justice by saying we are more likely to take the social risk of promoting justice.
Post a Comment