Judgments and Justification as Portrayed in the Reader

A detailed Summary of Judgments and Justification as Portrayed in the Reader

Throughout history mankind has always been faced with judgments. According the Oxford English Dictionary, judgment means "the mental ability to form an opinion" (AHD, 454). We are forced to make decisions based on our "mental opinions." Then, one's actions are based on 'mental opinions' which are judged by other people. Then there is the inevitable justification of these actions by other people or the person themselves. According the Oxford English Dictionary, justify means "to demonstrate sufficient legal reason for (an action taken)" (456). Once those actions are justified, they are considered morally and legally acceptable and are therefore are left alone. However, many times in a person's life, some decisions based on judgments are not justifiable. That is what causes conflict and separation among people. Often this disparity in perception on judgment leads to crime and punishment. This is very apparent in young children. If a younger brother bothers his older sibling, the older sibling often cannot understand why. So he or she feels that the younger sibling's action is not justifiable. Since it cannot logically be justified, the older brother or sister usually decides to punish the younger sibling by hitting hi

"Judgment" The American Heritage Dictionary. 1994 ed.

In conclusion, it has been discussed that judgments and how a persons actions based on their judgments lead others to perceive them in different ways. However, if certain actions based on judgments are morally unacceptable, and cannot be justified, then the person must suffer punishment, whether or not they are at fault. Both Hanna and Antigone were falsely accused because their actions were not justified properly in the eyes of those who judged them. They may have committed crimes, but when looked into carefully, it is evident that their judgments were based on self-beliefs and were not, including Hanna, meant to hurt anyone else. So judgments are made, one must be sure that we look into others' actions before they make their own judgments.

This goes to show that Antigone's actions were based on her beliefs that a person who has died must be paid his or her respects. However, Creon's actions were based on a threat which was Antigone's testing of his authority. So Creon did not justify Antigone's actions because he did not want to. He did not want his power tested. The bottom line is that there was justice in Antigone's judgments that led to the crime that she committed by burying her brother.

And this whole concept is what underlines both Antigone, by Sophocles and The Reader, by Bernard Schlink. In both stories, judgments arise and decisions are made based on those judgments. When those judgments cannot be justified, they are sent to be judged upon by a higher authority. This is all due to a difference in opinion which leads back to whether those unjustifiable decisions were considered a crime that deserve punishment. The focus of this paper is to point out some decisions based on judgments that could not be justified. It is also a discussion questions the possibility of justification in these judgments.

Why not? Our own brothers' burial! / Hasn't Creon graced one with all the rites,/ disgraced the other? Eteocles, they say, / has been given full military honors, / rightly so- Creon's laid him in the earth/ and he goes with glory down among the dead. / But the body of Polynices, who died miserably/ - why, a city-wide proclamation, rumor has it,/ forbids anyone to bury him, even mourn him. / He's to be unwept, unburied, a lovely treasure/ for birds that scan the field and feast to their heart's content. (1308)

When a person thinks of Antigone, his or her first thought is usually, "Oh yes, I know her, she was that tragic hero." This shows that Antigone did something right, and was falsely accused because one, heroes do not ever do anything wrong, and two, something tragic or uncalled for happened to her.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2759
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English