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art as a catalyst for social change
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It is not an exaggeration to say that society is an irreplaceable factor when it comes to developing a person’s potential to its fullest. Indeed, a considerable number of features considered characteristics of our kind could have only been developed within the boundaries of society and are found nowhere else in the world of living organisms. However, society may not always be the best platform for the development of one’s individuality. Sometimes people are not treated in a correct manner, which gives rise to social injustice. Art, in numerous forms, has been reflecting this unpleasant phenomenon for many centuries. In the movie titled The Shawshank Redemption, by director Frank Darbabont, the idea of social injustice is illustrated through shattering events that occurs to inmates.
The biggest manifestation of this negative social phenomenon is the tragic event in Shawshank, which serves as a base for the plot: the murder of the main character’s wife and her lover. It is obvious that Andy Dufresne, the protagonist, is innocent, but the court does not decide in his favor. In other words, the system of justice makes a sorrowful mistake and ruins a man’s life. This shows how the governmental machine is able to have a profound negative influence on an individual (Dorling 13). I can relate a similar, less severe personal experience. Once I was accused of breaking a window in the neighborhood. I did not do it, but I could not convince my parents of the truth. We had to buy a new window and I was negatively looked on by others, though the fault was not mine. At certain points, I could clearly see myself in the character of Andy Dufresne. Indeed, it is very terrible and unjust when a person is accused of what one has not done, and is puni...
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...ng their duties. How can one think of social justice when one of its pillars is rather shaky?Shawshank presents one final aspect of social injustice
As can be clearly seen from the examination that has been performed, The Shawshank Redemption shows different aspects of social injustice. It puts a great emphasis on the idea that law enforcement agencies may be highly corrupted and might not be trusted to do their jobs.
Works Cited
Dorling, Daniel. Injustice: Why social inequality persists. Bristol: Policy Press, 2010. Print.
Kallen, Evelyn. Social inequality and social injustice: A human rights perspective. New York Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Print.
Levy, Barry. Social injustice and public health. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.
The Shawshank Redemption (the movie), 1994. Director Frank Darabont. Screenplay based on the book by Stephen King.
Crime and deviant behavior surprisingly helps increase “social activity” among various different people within a society. Therefore, crime and deviant behavior brings “people together in a common posture of anger and indignation…when these people come together to express their outrage over the offense…they develop a tighter sense of solidarity than existed earlier” (Erikson 4). For example, in the Steven Avery case, the people of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, all had very strong feelings of Steven Avery and his family, and as a result they were seen as deviant people in their own hometown. Those feelings towards him, and his family, would be a critical factor when he was accused of the horrendous crime (Making). Based on their feelings towards the Avery family, the society in which he lived developed the overall concept of us versus them (Erikson 11). Therefore, another concept that arises as a result of crime and deviant behavior is public temper, which is described as a “mutual group feeling” (Erikson
Stereotypes within our society have shaped the way we perceive each other. Throughout the book Punished by Victor Rios, a lot of stereotypes were not only reinforced but also used against a lot of the boys. A lot of the boys presented throughout the book had never actually committed a crime but they were treated as if they had. These boys were constantly labeled and categorized, like folders into a filling cabinet or a bin. Sure Oakland, California had a lot of gang-infested areas but that does not mean everyone in that area is part of a gang or is committing a crime. Thus, this book really demonstrates how one can be perceived or labeled as a criminal due to his or her surroundings and how these stereotypes can destroy one’s chance of freedom.
The movie Shawshank Redemption depicts the story of Andy Dufresne, who is an innocent man that is sentenced to life in prison. At Shawshank, both Andy and the viewers, witness typical prison subculture.
Wainryb, C., Smetana, J.G., & Turiel. E. (2008). Social development, social inequalities, and social justice. New York, NY: CRC Press.
“Social Equality” by Gunnar Myrdal speaks of the issues of social equality and how an equal so...
The correctional system is based on helping offenders become part of society and not commit any crimes. Many prisons begin the correcting criminals since they are inside the jails, but many prisons do not. Prisons provide prisoners with jobs inside the prison where they get very little pay close to nothing and many have programs that will help them advance their education or get their high school diploma. There are various programs prisons provide to prisoners to help them get a job or have a skill when they are released from prison. In contrast, prisons that do not provide programs or help to prisoners rehabilitate and enter society again will be more likely to commit another crime and go back to jail. The Shawshank Redemption prison did not
McKay, S. (2010). Where do we stand on inequality? Reflections on resent research and its implications. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice. (18), 19-33.
"The Poverty Of Equality." American Spectator 45.3 (2012): 26-30. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.
Social inequality is a situation in which you can find differences between individual groups in a society from the perspective of their social groups, social clubs or social status. In some parts of the world, there are different social groups that have the same property rights, voting rights, freedom of expression, health and education. Research shows that inequalities persist ...
Social inequality refers to inter-relational processes in our society that has an adverse effect on limiting or harming a specific group’s social status, social class, and social circle. The way in which people behave, socially, through racist or sexist practices and other forms of discrimination, at the grass roots, gets down to affect the opportunities of the minorities, that the wealthy individuals can generate for on their own. This can be seen in almost all the levels of economy, ranging from state to the global economy.
To be institutionalized means to gradually become unable to think and act independently due to having lived for a long time under the rules of an institution. An example of this would be a veteran in the military, unable to adopt a civilian lifestyle after spending so much time service. In the case of Brookes Hatlen, he had been “institutionalized” in that he had been in prison so long that the only life they he knew was the one within the prison walls. Having served as the prison librarian for over fifty years, Brooks has no idea how to live in the outside world when he is released. The world had changed rapidly and entirely in the time Brookes was in prison, and he has no role to fill in it. In the prison he had been secure; he had a job
We live in a world full of many societal issues. The aspects that determine whether one will have a successful or unsuccessful life is due to their characteristics such as race, gender, and social status. In the book Is Everyone Really Equal, Ozlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo’s exigence is to express the following issues and to encourage the reader to work upon changing the world through social injustice, oppression, power, and community.
Walzer, Michael. Spheres of justice a defense of pluralism and equality. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1983. Print.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Human Development Report (2000) Human Rights and Human Development (New York) p.19 [online] Available from: [Accessed 2 March 2011]
Capeheart, L., Milovanovic, D. (2007). Social Justice: Theories, Issues and Movements. USA: Rutgers University Press