Legal Justice And Moral Justice In Benito Cereno By Herman Melville

As stated in his final speech, the Address of John Brown, the incidental effects of his main goal was completely unintentional and wasn’t his main focus. He believed that he should be rewarded for taking a heroic stand in helping the slaves rise up and become equal with the rest of society. He applied the word of God in his address by stating “All things whatsoever I would that men should do to me, I should do even so to them” (Brown, 1). With this statement, he justified that the crimes he committed were not in fact crimes to him at all, but work he believed need to have been done. His main point was to get people to see that slaves are still human and the injustice acts placed upon them should be returned. With all of his plans, he didn’t have much concern to the risks that may come out of its execution. Although he didn’t strictly believe that he had to kill people in order to complete his job, he had no regrets. If it got his point across, then he would take those matters. His address to the Virginia Court proved his will and determination in his work as well his honesty in what he’s done. As stated before, Brown inspired many people like him including Fredrick Douglass. Douglass saw that Brown was not trying to spark a full blown war, but instead wanted to get support from active slaves and anti-slavery supporters to overthrow slavery for good. Brown lighted

What is justice? Is it a fitting punishment for a crime? Or a court or officer of the law? Is it the law itself? It has many definitions and interpretations, depending on various people. Some interpret it very simply, saying that it is fairness in every situation. Others give the word more complication, saying that it is doing what is morally right and fair. Oxford Dictionary defines it as many things, including, “Just behaviour or treatment...The quality of being fair and reasonable.” Black’s Law Dictionary defines justice as, “The constant and perpetual disposition to render every man his due.” All are various meanings and interpretations of one, single, word, that has been explored in many books and novels, including one by Harper Lee. In her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the characters of Atticus and Mr. Raymond to show the meaning of true justice and how it transcends prejudicial divisions.

He wanted to show his authority and how he was superior to the natives. The natives were forced into slavery and made to do whatever their captors told them.This reflects back to Stowe’s novel. In “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” the slaves, like the natives, did not have any choices. African-Americans did not get to choose slavery or not, they were born into it. The only way an African-American could be free is if he or she was born in a state or territory where slavery was banned or if they got papers saying they were a free man, which was rare. Slaves were often hunted down if they ran away. Slave owners rarely treated their slaves decently, just because they did not believe they deserved the same quality of life as them. The slaves were sold like cattle. The slaveowners would take the slaves and put on a show to buy or sell their slaves. They demoralized them, only because their skin color was different. Just like how Christopher Columbus treated the natives, slaves were often beaten if they did not cooperate. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Tom is whipped out of frustration for his unbreakable belief in God. The theme of these two incidents is that Columbus and the Americans believed they were better than the natives or the slaves. This is just one example of how Stowe supported ideals of American exceptionalism from earlier period in American literature.

When you present an argument in a piece of writing, readers want to hear facts that support said argument. The readers want hard evidence and facts to support whatever you are trying to get them to believe in. In “Rough Justice”, by Alejandro Reyes and in “Time to Assert American Values” the authors described what happened to Michael Fay and give their opinion on the matter. In the article, “Rough Justice” by Alejandro Reyes, the author uses logos and unbiased writing to have the most sufficient and relevant argument.

Although there were many hints that Melville was spinning a web of deceit in the novella, the quote that best captures the most crucial clue in the text is Captain Delano witnessing Babo attempting to stab Benito Cereno: “Glancing down at his feet, Captain Delano saw the freed hand of the servant aiming with a second dagger—a small one, before concealed in his wool—with this he

Delano's first description of Babo compares him to a "shepherd's dog." (p. 41) Not only did Delano compare him to something that was not human, but the assertion that Babo was a "shepherd's dog" is important to understanding Delano's obsession with hierarchy and possession. Delano must understand everything in terms of its relationships and its place in his hierarchy. Delano describes the San Dominick as "a Spanish merchantman of the first class, carrying Negro slaves, amongst other valuable freight." His first reaction to the fact that there were blacks on the San Dominick was to classify the blacks as "valuable freight." He describes the black mothers as "Unsophisticated as leopardesses; loving as doves.." (p. 63) After Captain Delano discovers that the blacks have mutinied, they are no longer dogs but wolves: "Exhausted, the blacks now fought in despair.

A law is said to be just when it is ordained for the common good, does not exceed the power of the lawgiver and any burdens put on the subjects are done proportionally and equally and aim for the common good (Aquinas in Dimock, ed., 2002, p.20). In comparison an unjust law can be contrary to the human good and additionally opposing to the divine good. A law can conflict with the human good in one of three ways; either through its end, author or its form. A lawmaker issues an unjust law according to its end when he “imposes on his subjects burdensome laws, conducive not to the common good, but rather to his own cupidity or vainglory” (Aquinas in Dimock, ed., 2002, p.20). If a lawmaker imposes a law that favors the leader but at the same time imposes unfair burdens on the whole of society, it can be assumed that he is working for his glory and selfish desires.

Within The Eumenides by Aeschylus, one of the main themes is Justice. Justice is a virtue perfecting the will, which enables one to give others their due. Justice involves punishing actions that are wrong and defending what is right. According to the play, justice is essential for order in society, for everyone must be given their due. Without justice, there would be a lack of order and peace.

Captain Delano is shown as a bit of dense character for his inability to see the truth of what happened on the San Dominick. When he meets Babo he is amused at how well he takes care of his master, Captain Cereno, he stays along side him linked by the arm. He even thinks to himself how great it is to have such slave that appears to be more of a friend or companion than a manservant ( Nixon 369). While aboard there are many things that Captain Delano sees which rise his suspicion, however he chooses to disregard or forget them as the story progresses. He sees a young slave boy hitting another young Spanish boy, to which he tells Captain Cereño hoping to get him to do something about the situation, but Captain Cereño dismisses the incident.(9, left column) In return Captain Delano also dismisses the incident and continues on with Captain Cereño. He gives all his trust to Captain Cereno, because to his belief and understanding

The term justice is used in some of America's most treasured and valued documents, from the Pledge of Allegiance, to the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence. Everyone wants to be treated justly whether it's in the courtroom or the local bar. Most people would feel confident giving a definition for justice, but would it be a definition we could universally agree to? Given that justice is a very common term, and something we all want, it's important to have a precise definition. For hundreds of years philosophers have argued, debated, and fought over this topic. Justice can clearly be defined as the intention to conform to truth and fairness. This is true justice.

He argues that Melville wrote a moral tale, not an abolitionist story. At the end of the essay, Schiffman contradicts himself by proclaiming that Babo's head being "unabashed" as Benito Cereno, the slave trader, "follow[s] his leader" is an indictment of slavery.

Progress is key to living life, but if one is advancing through life with the motivation of revenge, then, in actuality, he or she is truly regressing. Revenge is an extremely corruptive trait. It causes people to do uncharacteristic things that normally would not be done. The perception of right and wrong is blurred and one takes inadvertent actions that may cost friendships, possessions, and even lives. Revenge is often a major motivating factor in the characters that are in the works written during the Dark Romanticism period. One of the most celebrated and influential American authors in history, Herman Melville, was born on August 1, 1819; his reputation was not quite

One of the main concepts in both Plato's Republic and Hobbes' Leviathan is justice. For Plato, the goal of his Republic is to discover what justice is and to demonstrate that it is better than injustice. Plato does this by explaining justice in two different ways: through a city or polis and through an individual human beings soul. He uses justice in a city to reveal justice in an individual. For Hobbes, the term justice is used to explain the relationship between morality and self-interest. Hobbes explains justice in relation to obligations and self-preservation. This essay will analyze justice specifically in relation to the statement ? The fool hath said in his heart, there is no such thing as justice? Looking at Hobbes? reply

Justice, as one definition in the Oxford-English Dictionary, is the quality of being just or right as a human or divine attribute; moral uprightness; just behavior or dealing as a concept of principle. Those that deserve justice can be both good and bad people, but sometimes outside forces affect whether or not that justice is served, or if it is served in the right way at all. Two classic novels, To Kill A Mockingbird and The Great Gatsby both show how justice can work in both directions, even though both books have characters that did not get what they deserved in the end.

Within two classical works of philosophical literature, notions of justice are presented plainly. Plato’s The Republic and Sophocles’ Antigone both address elements of death, tyranny and immorality, morality, and societal roles. These topics are important elements when addressing justice, whether in the societal representation or personal representation.