Sandra Lyubomirsky's Under A Certain Little Star

Forgiveness is defined as the pardoning of one’s wrongs, while justice is defined as administering the proper punishment or reward for one’s action. William Shakespeare’s play, “The Tempest”, is about a sorcerer named Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, and his plot to restore his dukedom using illusion and manipulation. Prospero wants to get revenge on his brother, Alonso, because Alonso took his dukedom from him and exiled Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, onto a faraway island. He eventually “forgives” his brother, only after reminding him of his treachery and gaining back his dukedom. The poem, “Under a Certain Little Star”, by Wislawa Szymborska, is a collection of apologies made by the speaker of the poem. The speaker asks for the forgiveness of abstract items and items that are incapable of understanding or speaking back to the speaker. “Understanding Forgiveness”, the informational text published by PBS, psychologist Sandra Lyubomirsky differentiates forgiveness and justice. …show more content…
The speaker apologizes to the dead hoping that they will forgive her for not remembering them. However, the dead have departed and cannot hear her apologies, nor do they care. The speaker cannot do anything to justify the situation because they are no longer alive. Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky tells PBS in the informational text, “Understanding Forgiveness”, “Forgiveness is not justice… You may pursue your rights for justice with or without forgiving someone and if justice is denied, you can still choose whether or not to forgive” (PBS 10). One is able to pursue justice without the intention of forgiving, but one is also able to forgive without the need for revenge. Many people believe that justice must be pursued so that the wrongdoer will not continue to do