Gordon Complex Personhood

Shelby bases his theory and principle of justice on John Rawls’s theory of justice. He states that the first principle states that each person has an equal claim to basic liberties. Basic liberties here include being treated fairly by institutions because we each have to make a life for ourselves under the domain of these institutions. In his article Shelby argues that each since each individual’s life prospects are deeply shaped by the social structure around them, we cannot blame those in the ghettos for acting the way that they do. The second principle says that social and economic inequalities are just only if they are attached to offices and conditions open to all under conditions of fair equality and opportunity. Rawls has a second part to his second principle outlining that the least advantaged of society are to be the ones that receive the greatest benefit overall. Shelby

Murrin, J. M., Johnson, P. E., McPherson, J. M., Fahs, A., Gerstle, G., Rosenberg, E. S., & Rosenberg, N. L. (2012). Liberty, Equality and Power (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.Last Name, F. M. (Year). Book Title. City Name: Publisher

My College Writing class has opened my eyes to several different kinds of reading which I never thought I would or could read. It never occurred t me that I could learn another point of view, even think strategic in regarding poverty, power, liberty, equality and justice. Two of the readings have really stood out to me: Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martian Luther King, Jr and Shakespeare’s Sister by Virginia Wolff, in which both of these readings feature a sense of freedom, equality and calmness. These senses are equally important to each other, without one you can’t have the other. Nothing in life can be maintained until you have freedom, equality and calmness.

Through the study this term of the central text, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and related texts, films Rabbit Proof Fence by Phillip Noyce and In the Name of the Father by Jim Sheridan, my understanding of the concept of justice, or what constitutes justice, has altered considerably. We all think we know what justice is, or what it should be. In Australian colloquial terms, it is the principle of a “fair go” for everyone. In a perfect world, everyone is treated fairly. No-one is subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, sex or disability. But the reality is that the world we inhabit is far from perfect, human beings are by their very natures

In every culture, there are the strong and there are the weak, the oppressor and the oppressed. Sometimes they are of the same race and sometimes not, but they all rely on a difference in power. Socrates, Frederick Douglass, and WEB Du Bois each experience this power differential through the course of their lives. Socrates experiences this through his experience with the jury of Athens and his trial; Douglass through his life as a slave and his eventual escape. Du Bois experiences it through being a black man in the time of Reconstruction and being well of in comparison to other African-Americans at the time. Each man’s unique perspective on equality can illuminate why authority is so instrumental in the development of equality.

     There have been many writers who dedicated much of their work towards representing the voices of the oppressed. Among them are Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry David Thoreau. Although these authors were dedicated to the same cause they approached the subject from their own perspective, reflecting on an issue that was relevant to their position in life. Their literature was used to address, or in some cases attack, problems within society such as race, equality, and gender. The voices of Stowe, and Thoreau were used as an instrument in representing the injustices of those who had no one else to protect them. Oddly enough, this protection was from the very

Many societies strive to make every person as equal as possible to the next, believing that this makes everything fair for everyone. In all truth though, society cannot function in this way; no matter what, there will always be someone or some group that has more power than everyone else. Equality should only concern the important issues, such as equal rights for all races and each gender. Both the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell and the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. are the quintessence of inequality and prove this point; all equal societies do not work. There are many similarities the book Animal Farm shares with the short story “Harrison Bergeron”, one

The one in which appears similar to today's society. Everyone thought Equality was cursed, but many people think and sometimes act the exact same way that Equality acted throughout the novel. When faced with being outcasted, people tend to be depressed. But, Equality persevered and was able to do great things for the better of his fellow man, even when they treated him like he was nothing but a peasant; a street sweeper. Just because society treats others who do not follow their trends like people who are weird and outdated does not mean that they can make a difference. It is because of innovators like Equality that the world even has a society to begin

Fair does not always mean equal. Fair and equal are not the same this can be illustrated in the similarities and differences between Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut and Martin Luther King Jr's “I Have a Dream speech.”

The short story ‘Harrison Bergeron’, Written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and the novel ‘The Giver’ by Lois Lowry both share a theme of forced equality and uniformity. Both stories take place in dystopian worlds. Woven throughout both of the stories are, authority is forcing egalitarianism onto citizens because they want an indefectible civilization. In the short story Harrison Bergeron, the world is ruled by Handicap General were in The Giver the world is ruled by the Elders, so that the community would be equal. But in both stories the protagonist goes against the community to break the peace and gain freedom and demonstrates how the authority always doesn’t know the best.

“What is equality?” one might ask. We all have different views on specific topics and can describe what something truly means to one’s self like in the 3 text, “I have a dream,” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (published; 8/28/1963, genre; narrative and argumentative), “If we must die,” by Claude Mckay (published; 1919, genre; narrative and lyric), & “Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (published; October 1961, genre; satirical & dystopian science-fiction short story). In all 3 texts the authors are giving their touch on equality. Equality can convey being treated the same when a colored and a white man/woman are next to each other as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr says. You can also see equality as Mckay who thinks it’s being on the same level of strength and worth as a white man being in the shoes of a colored man. Or equality can be being exactly the same in every way as anyone around you in every exact way in Vonnegut’s eyes. All these 3 authors have a particular view on how to answer “What is equality?” and we can compare their ideas.

People can not put on the news without seeing at least one story about social inequality or injustice, if everyone knows about these inequities why are they not being solved? Inequities are not limited to America, social inequity is a global problem making it extremely important to raise awareness of the topic. Inequities such as racism and sexism impact teenagers in America, but to counteract this persecution authors can use various genres of literature to promote tolerance and reduce the effects of inequities. Racism and sexism violates people’s rights in schools, the workplace, and almost every place in the world. Through the words of authors, society can learn the harmful effects of these inequities, and learn how

Equality is something we humans crave for when we are in a time of hardship. When we are being discriminated against, we feel the utmost pain and the need for freedom. Discrimination has lingered since the beginning of time, and ending it is impracticable. A French novelist, Honore de Balzac proclaims, “Equality may perhaps be a right, but no power on earth can ever turn it into a fact.” Here, Balzac is acknowledging that an individual is born a free man and is just as equal as any other man. But, an individual will never be fully equal as they desire. Some parts of society will try to act superior to a certain quality of someone’s life, like their race, religion, culture, etc. This statement proves to be valid in Khaled Hosseini’s novel,

A society with unequal power will cultivate unequal cultures, values, and lifestyles. So social inequalities must be minimalized instead of being ignored. She speaks of "rough equalities" that render more useful than equality in absolute terms.

Inequality is a theme that runs throughout all of history. Harper Lee uses the theme of inequality in her book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Tom Robinson must deal with inequality when he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit because no one will trust a black man over a white man. The Cunningham family must face discrimination because of their lack of money. Scout even faces inequality when she tries to play with Jem and Dill. The theme of inequality is a strong one in Lee’s book, and her use of inequality doesn’t only define racism, but also discrimination based on wealth and gender.