Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
the theme of justice in o.j simpson case
philosophies of kafka work
the theme of justice in o.j simpson case
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: the theme of justice in o.j simpson case
Themes of law and justice are represented in numerous variations in Franz Kafka's The Trial . Most noteworthy are the themes and relations presented in Chapter 9 of the novel. Here, the reader experiences the parable "Vor dem Gesetzt" or "Before the Law." This parable represents a social construction present almost everywhere. Human beings seek out acceptance into various societal constructions and the law is no different. Humans, and specifically Joseph K, attempt to reach a state of understanding in different aspects of life and The Trial expresses the desire to understand and be accepted into the law. The parable acts a justifier for the themes of the book. Although after reading the novel, one could deduce that acceptance and understanding was a theme, the parable works to draw the reader towards this idea. There is a one-to-one relationship materialized when the parable and the story of Joseph K are separated into distinct sections. Each element of the parable "Before the Law" represents an element of Kafka's The Trial through which the story of Joseph K is told. By comparing the separate and distinct sections and explaining their relationships to aspects of the story, law and justice, even as skewed as it is portrayed in the novel, can be understood.
Before the themes of law and justice can be understood, the terms must be conceptualized in order to have a codified definition during the reading process. Law in this sense, not only represents or means the overarching authority through which society is governed, the codified set of rules and guidelines which govern society, but also must be understood as a form or distinct entity that can be understood and achieved. Without this understanding, the messages of the parable se...
... middle of paper ...
...g the law are coterminous and combined. A person either understands both or none at all, they do not exist separately. The novel cannot exist without the parable and the parable on its own does not represent the overall idea of the combination of the two. Humans seek out acceptance into various social constructs and the law is no different. Understanding the parable means that the reader understands this journey and recognizes where the characters went wrong in both stories. Each element of the parable "Before the Law" represents an element of Kafka's The Trial and both are necessary in understanding the overall message of the novel. One should not look at The Trial as a story for only or completely for entertainment Rather, it should be viewed as a social commentary on how the law, and the people it governs, functions and how to determine what is law and justice.
Unlike typical short stories that give a clear overlook of who the protagonists and antagonists are in the beginning of the story, Franz Kafka’s “In the Penal Colony” needs to be critically analyzed in order for the reader to determine the characters’ roles. Each entity in the selection possesses versatility that enables him to switch from left to right at any point of the story. However, the accumulation of versatility would not be possible if it isn’t for a certain object in the story. In the translated selection of “In the Penal Colony” by Willa & Edwin Muir, they call it “the apparatus”. This apparatus as mentioned by the speaker is composed of three essential parts – the bed, the designer and the harrow.
The story of Gregor Samsa and his metamorphosis is one of sorrow, but more a story to unveil the cruelties of Humankind. Kafka’s brilliance and understanding of human nature can not be fully grasped by quickly reading the story, but instead divulging into the hidden messages Kafka inserts within the text.
Commonsense justice represents the citizens and what they think what is right and wrong; just and fair. The bias that jurors have inside themselves, they are taking those emotions to the jury box as they are about to judge the “defendant and the law.” What the citizens feel the law should be is what they think. (Norman J. Finkel, 2000). Instructions for jurors were “rewritten using psycholinguistic principles” which [illustrated] that their comprehension improved.” “Commonsense justice and jury instructions,” adjacent on an “instructive and reciprocating connection,” continued to demonstrate the studies of how citizens interpreted the instructions. (Norman J. Finkel, 2000)
Politzer, Heinz. Franz Kafka: Parable and Paradox. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1962, Pp. 37-41.
To begin with, I find the story Outside the Law quite interesting that is told by the priest to Joseph K. in the cathedral. One reason why this story is interesting it represents how people can be deceiving. Usually most people are deceiving in many ways. Some includes lying and lack of honesty. As the priest describes the story Outside the Law, Joseph K. learns that a man is being deceive by a doorkeeper. The man has an interest in the law, so he takes the initiative to ask the doorkeeper if he can be allowed into the law, but is quickly denied and told maybe later. Throughout this story, the doorkeeper is being deceiving towards the man. He’s giving false hope to the man by encouraging him to try and bypass the doorkeepers in order to gain
...are confronted with the question of moral absolutes, we are forced to wonder when and to whom justice truly applies. Hopefully, we will look at our world and our ideas of right, wrong and retribution in different ways, ways that will enlighten and enrich our lives, and the those of the an audience of readers 2,000 years from now.
The ideal society we would all be considered equal, but reality often defies this idealism. When we think of police officers, we think of people working hard to keep us all safe, but this may not always be the case in today 's society. This is demonstrated in an opinion piece published in the Miami Herald, entitled “Need a ‘big, bad dude’? White criminals need not apply” by Leonard Pitts Jr. The article opens by discussing the shooting of African-American man Terence Crutcher, where the police officer who shot him stated it was due to him not obeying her orders and reaching inside his SUV for a weapon. However, the video of the shooting shows that this did not happen. The article also goes on to discuss other African-Americans shot in recent
When first reading Franz Kafka’s Before the Law, one might think the story is both straightforward and complex. The plot is so undeniable that it obviously challenges further description. It includes a man attempting in vain to gain entrance to a coveted door; he uses whatever remains of his life holding up for authorization which is never conceded. Although the action is logical, its setting is not in the least identical with our existence. Nor do we distinguish the characters. The man from the country has been contracted to the embodiment of a relentless craving, the doorkeeper is restricted to the capacity of an impediment, the personality of the Law remains covered up. However, once we acknowledge the sort of actuality characterized by these confinements, the story represents no issue. Yet it is clearly meant to be a parable. This is proposed by its context in The Trail. Some mechanisms used in a parable are effectively distinguished (no names, the central plot, the point made at the end). Although the subtle elements of the plot are crystal clear, the story all in all positively calls for understanding. If it is an anecdote it must “signify” something. What then does it mean?
Abstract: Franz Kafka’s TheTrial is a story of a man namely Joseph K., who is persecuted by unknown forces, even though he is innocent, arrested and executed; without ever his crime being revealed to him. Kafka creates a world for K. that is unlike anything else. He is instructed to appear at several court hearings, which are held in the most unofficial of places, an apartment. It seems that everyone knows about K. and his accused crimes but himself. In The Trial, the entire Austro-Hungarian court system is parodied through the eyes of Joseph K. Kafka places Joseph K. in a world where law is obsolete and disorder thrives.TheTrial portrays the helplessness of Joseph K. in the face of unknown
In "a view from the Bridge", justice and law are not presented as being synonymous.
While these categories might be helpful for a reader to delineate between the objective or thematic point context of the parable, the author. Like Capon (2002) states that the interpreter must come to biblical interpretation with a “willingness to hear and respond appropriately” (p.24). From this perspective, Snodgrass (2008) adopts eleven rules for interpretation. These include:
ii Kafka, F. The Trial. Translated by Willa and Edwin Muir. Introduction by George Steiner. New York, Schocken Books, 1992, 1.
Consequently, the accused must participate in these corrupt practices to afford any chance at a favourable verdict. Thus, the judiciary may serve to create a sense of justice but in actuality only creates an unjust trial for the accused. Individuals charged by the court lack the appropriate information to understand the ambiguous law Kafka portrays, perpetuating injustice toward the accused. Early in the novel, Josef K holds the opinion that, “There is nothing hanging on the verdict of this trial, and that, whatever the verdict I will just laugh at” (71). The ironic nature of the quote becomes apparent when the novel ends with Josef K’s dying at the hands of men of the court. However, this quotation also reveals the lack of understanding Josef K has for the system. Nobody at any point explained clearly what the penalties are for being found guilty or what hangs in the balance. As a result, injustice is perpetuated toward the accused as they are not given the means necessary to defend themselves from the absurdity of the court. Additionally, the justice system is
Law is a tool in society as it helps to maintain social control, promoting social justice. The way law functions in society and its social institution provide a mechanism for solutions. There are many different theories of the function of law in relation to society in considering the insight they bring to different socio-legal and criminological problems. In the discussion of law’s role in social theory, Leon Petrażycki and Eugen Ehrlich share similar beliefs in the jurisprudence of society. They focused their work on the experience of individuals in establishing meaning in their legal relations with others based on the question of what it means to be a participant in law. Jürgen Habermas presents a relationship between law and morality. From a certain standpoint, law is a key steering mechanism in society as it plays an educational role in promoting conducts, a mean of communication and it
The Trial is Kafka’s exploration of the most extreme consequences of denying one’s own guilt and thus one’s own humanity. In some senses, it serves as a warning, or a sort of parable of its own, and in others it is simply an expression of anguish. The story serves to warn against thinking so highly of oneself that we only interpret infractions of the outright law as guilt. If we are to be truly innocent and humble beings, we must recognize our own innate guilt as human and accept it. If we do not, we will constantly be obsessed by our “state of apparent acquittals."