The United States of America is founded upon a basic belief in “justice for all” as its unique quality above all other nations. It is hailed as a nation of possibilities, where miracles can happen and even the poorest peasant immigrant might manage to find tremendous wealth and prosperity on her shores. However, for most of America’s history, there have been entire segments of the population that have not found this kind of hope or promise. The Native Americans, who were present for centuries before the promise was made were already well acquainted with the great land they lived in and took care to treat it well. With the advent of the white man, though, they discovered the tremendous injustices that could be committed by one people against another. For most, there remains a strong undercurrent of resentment and dismay over what has happened to their beautiful land. Others, such as the Africans who were brought to America against their will, endured centuries more of hardship, gross abuse, and suffering beyond imagining only to discover that they, too, once granted freedom, were still unable to receive justice. These sentiments are evident in the speeches of Michael Dorris and Martin Luther King Jr.
In “The Myth of Justice”, Michael Dorris argues that there is no such thing as justice in the world despite America’s great claims to offer ‘justice for all’. Speaking to his normal readers, Dorris wrote this paper as an attempt to define his beliefs and the beliefs of America a little better. He uses rhetorical questions to bring his readers into closer identification with his ideas when he asks, “Do I need examples from real life to prove my point? Read the newspaper. Look at world history. Examine your own family. People got what they deserved, right?” (466). He provides several examples of how justice simply does not exist in our society and illustrates our tendency to constantly blame God for times when bad things happen to good people but chalk it up to justice when people actually get what they deserve in some way. He uses religion as a form of metaphor in which we consistently hope for justice but rarely actually expect to find it. From here, Dorris indicates that there are basically two types of justice, contextual justice, and real justice. Contextual justice is what we often mean when we discuss justice because it is the only type we really possess. In this form of justice, those who have enough money are able to essentially purchase their way clear of all wrongdoing through a set price placed on the severity of the crime. This is true even when the crime is murder through the ability to afford very clever attorneys and through other means. If you can’t afford this type of defense, then you are placed in jail to do your penance, but this does not serve justice either as the man who kills the working farmer has removed a working farmer from the family’s land and gone away to jail while the family, having received absolutely nothing, continues to struggle to survive with one less person, and perhaps the most knowledgeable person available to help. Real justice, the type that Dorris says simply does not exist in our world, would replace this farmer with someone who could work the land and do all the things that the farmer used to do and still be able to live peacefully and happily with the family that has lost their father, husband, etc.
Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered what has become known as his “I Have a Dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial in front of 250,000 civil rights supporters in 1963 in an attempt to bring black and white people together for positive change. In this speech, he outlined his vision of a future in which black and white and Native Americans and all other colors might live together in harmony and peace, in which everyone might have a chance at a bright future through education, job opportunity, and hard work. He is begging for the equal chance for black people to achieve the same status as white people, to “transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” Throughout the speech, he uses the literary device of metaphor in helping his listeners understand the true nature of concepts such as gradualism, which was, in effect, little more than a tranquilizer to keep the black people pacified while still subject to oppression. Through allusion, King strives to lend credence to his claims by quoting important figures from history including the Bible and Abraham Lincoln. By frequently repeating an influential phrases such as “I have a dream”, “Now is the time” and “Let freedom ring”, King attempts to reinforce the main points of his speech that action must be taken if justice is to be found and freedom is to be accomplished in America. The justice that King seeks is not pure and exact but is instead based on a more realistic conception of human nature and a sense of fairness in the attempt to provide the same opportunities to every member of society regardless of their skin color.
In both of these speeches, the author insists that justice has not been served in America. Perhaps it is because of the differences in their cultural backgrounds that they have such different approaches to the topic. While Dorris insists that there is no such thing as real justice because the land that the Indians knew can never be restored to its former glory and there are no other means by which to repay the tribes for what they have suffered, King asserts that justice will be served if black men and women are provided with the same opportunities for growth and success in the future with no concern for repayment of past misdeeds.