Injustice in the Pursuit of Justice: A Human Paradox

Categories: Antigone

"Justice resembles the kingdom of God; it is not without us as a fact, it is within us as a fantastic yearning." The notion of justice highly resonates to what was mentioned in this quote by George Eliot. We all desire to reside in a world that is reasonable and simply but it is simply beyond human's ability since there are constantly 2 sides to every occasion and there is never total justice for both. Every specific strive to have justice for different objectives and those in power frequently make use of the system of justice to mask their wickedness.

In this prevailing civilization, there is no doubt that laws are imposed by people at the top of the social hierarchy. People of authority will establish laws that seem to be unbiased and fair in their eyes, thinking that this is in the best interest of the country, but in actual reality it is far from that. An example of such a scenario exists in the Ancient Greek disaster, written by Sophocles, "Antigone".

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In the play the decree offered by the new king Creon only served himself as it makes it illegal for Ismene and Antigone to burry and honor the bro, Polynices for the very last time.

Creon desired to have the sense of control over the city of Thebes, thus implementing the law without contemplating the views of the member of the family in addition to the citizens as it was stated by the chorus stating "But he that, too rashly bold, walks in sin".

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"I do not defy them; however I can not act Versus the State. I am not strong enough". Ismene, as much as she wanted to honor the bro, she might not. Creon regardless of understanding the value of an official burial for the Greeks, he chastised Antigone and Ismene for breaking the law.

It is hard for leaders to really apprehend the privation of the individuals them. Therefore, laws that are introduced are primarily to the advantage of those in power. The system of justice enables the bulk to develop the terms of justice and the principles of the minorities will typically be dealt with as less significant, or totally neglected. This can be seen in lots of societies with questionable issues. Euthanasia is a fine example.

The majority in Rusia,United Kingdom and Australia agrees that euthanasia is wrong and laws to punish those who assist others in suicide were instigated . In the case of Terri Schiavo who was a 41-year-old disabled woman in Florida was severely disabled for over 15 years, and been diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative . Due to the money and status this family had, they were able to carry out euthanasia but there were many cases where people were left to suffer and die naturally because they were underprivileged.

Power and money governs the system of the world. Therefore, justice, being a fragment of the system, attends those of influence. In the political realm, authorized professional who are part of the formation of legislations are also those who have the power over the final verdict. The ultimate judgement in a court should be carried out by professionals who are chaste and neutral and not those who are a part of the making of the laws because their mind sets will bound to be influenced and skewed to their own likeness.

This was shown in “Antigone” where the law was essentially created by Creon but he too had the highest power to decide whether Antigone and Ismene was going to punished or to be exonerated. And because Creon was so obsessed with the law that he created he made a very bias move by not looking at this situation from other perspectives but instead said “ Take them, and keep them within- The proper place for women”. If the power of making the final decision was given to other people instead of Creon, Antigone and Ismene’s fate could have been altered.

Indeed justice will place those in power as the priority if the people who judge had only one outlook. “Justice is sweet and musical; but injustice is harsh and discordant”. However, as much as human beings, especially the government aspire to be just and nondiscriminatory, it is impossible, because, justice is never an end to itself. Impartiality and justice is what we hope for but the truth is, nothing can gratify two parties and in most instances, the ones in supremacy will be at the winning end. This is an irrefutable, sad reality that we have no choice but to endure it.

Updated: Nov 20, 2023
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Injustice in the Pursuit of Justice: A Human Paradox. (2016, Sep 12). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/antigone-justice-essay

Injustice in the Pursuit of Justice: A Human Paradox essay
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