Justice Essay

Justice is used a lot but for a word that is so commonly used, its exact meaning is still up in the air among many people. A common definition used is “the fair treatment of people”, this definition of justice implies that everyone should be treated fairly and equally under the law. But a big reason why there is such a debate about the actual meaning of the word is that people don’t always agree on what they deserve and if they are treated fairly. A perfect example of this would be from the play “Antigone”, which was written by Sophocles. Both of Antigones brothers were killed in battle but only one was given a proper burial, King Creon declared it illegal to give the other brother .a proper burial. The other brother was left on the battlefield and was guarded to prevent anyone from burring him. He was not treated fairly or equally, which is complete injustice. In order for there to be justice, both brothers would have to be properly buried. Creon realizes he made a mistake and is exiled so in a way there is justice. An example from history would be the trial of Leo Frank in Atlanta, Georgia. Donald E. Wilkes, Jr, a professor of Law at the University of Georgia called the trial “Leo Frank was the victim of one of the most shocking frame-ups ever perpetrated by American law-and-order officials”. Leo Frank was falsely accused of murdering a young girl named Mary Phagan, largely to the fact the he was from the north and was Jewish. He was sentenced to life in prison, but was kidnapped and lynched in the town of the victim. He was given a posthumous pardon in 1985. Both of examples prove that not everyone is fairly treated. The claim “Justice is blind” is often not the case. Based on the prolific history of blatant unfairness with justice the definition is often closer to the definition of injustice.