In today’s times, one cannot go outside without hearing news about bullying, poverty, and hate crimes. These are all examples of modern day social injustices. The Berkley Social Justice Symposium defines social justice as, “ a process, not an outcome, which (1) seeks fair (re)distribution of resources, opportunities, and responsibilities; (2) challenges the roots of oppression and injustice; (3) empowers all people to exercise self-determination and realize their full potential; (4) and builds social solidarity and community capacity for collaborative action.” In other words, social justice is the state of maintaining equal opportunities and privileges for everyone while on the contrary, social injustice is the exact opposite. The most defined
…show more content…
Negligence is the failure to take proper care in doing something, and Victor Hugo shows the reader just that. For example, while describing Gavroche, the narrator says, “When these poor creatures are men, the milestone of our social system almost always comes in contact with them, and grinds them, but while they are children they escape because they are little”(Hugo 220). Society will let kids suffer when they are abandoned by their parents, and this shows the negligence of French children in the 19th century that Hugo is trying to demonstrate. Social injustice is a merciless idea that would go as far as to attack children with its mischief, implying that no one is safe from it. Hugo also shows us negligence placed upon the elderly when, “hardly any …show more content…
In the beginning, the priest had told the brigadier that, “[the silver] had been given him by a good old priest with whom he had passed the night,” (Hugo 33). The priest defended Valjean and gave him candles, showing compassion, sympathy, and impartiality rather than discrimination and prejudice. Later, as Father Madeleine, Jean Valjean employed everybody with the slogan, “Be an honest man! Be an honest woman!”(Hugo 51). Jean Valjean hired everyone, including women, indifferently as long as they were honest. This shows social justice at its finest because Valjean is a victim of social injustice and still chooses to give everyone a chance at a job, regardless of age, class, and gender (which is significant because women were not considered equal in that era). Valjean was exceptionally sympathetic to Fantine when he told her, “I will pay your debts, I will have your child come to you, or you shall go to her,” (Hugo 76). Valjean has shown unbiased treatment towards a woman and a prostitute rather than giving in to common mistreatment towards them. The novel talks about, “a little boy of eleven or twelve years age…. Strangers had clothed him in these rags out of charity. Still, he had a father and a mother. But his father never thought of him, and his mother did not love him….His parents had thrown him out into life with a kick,” (Hugo 219). After being thrown into life by his
Negligence is the failure to take proper care in doing something, and Victor Hugo shows the reader just that. For example, while describing Gavroche, the narrator says, “When these poor creatures are men, the milestone of our social system almost always comes in contact with them, and grinds them, but while they are children they escape because they are little”(Hugo 220). Society will let kids suffer when they are abandoned by their parents, and this shows the negligence of French children in the 19th century that Hugo is trying to demonstrate. Social injustice is a merciless idea that would go as far as to attack children with its mischief, implying that no one is safe from it. Hugo also shows us negligence placed upon the elderly when, “hardly any …show more content…
In the beginning, the priest had told the brigadier that, “[the silver] had been given him by a good old priest with whom he had passed the night,” (Hugo 33). The priest defended Valjean and gave him candles, showing compassion, sympathy, and impartiality rather than discrimination and prejudice. Later, as Father Madeleine, Jean Valjean employed everybody with the slogan, “Be an honest man! Be an honest woman!”(Hugo 51). Jean Valjean hired everyone, including women, indifferently as long as they were honest. This shows social justice at its finest because Valjean is a victim of social injustice and still chooses to give everyone a chance at a job, regardless of age, class, and gender (which is significant because women were not considered equal in that era). Valjean was exceptionally sympathetic to Fantine when he told her, “I will pay your debts, I will have your child come to you, or you shall go to her,” (Hugo 76). Valjean has shown unbiased treatment towards a woman and a prostitute rather than giving in to common mistreatment towards them. The novel talks about, “a little boy of eleven or twelve years age…. Strangers had clothed him in these rags out of charity. Still, he had a father and a mother. But his father never thought of him, and his mother did not love him….His parents had thrown him out into life with a kick,” (Hugo 219). After being thrown into life by his