Invisible Victims, Article Review Example

Part One: In “Invisible Victims: A Comparison of Susan Glaspell’s ‘Jury of her Peers’ and Herman Melville’s ‘Bartleby the Scrivner’” Robin West discussed individual suffering that the law did not cause, but is complicit in the process by which these harms become an accepted part of daily life (West 204). Use any the article by West and any 2 other works listed above in Works To Be Used to explain this point.

What is harm and what does it impose on the people it affects? There are certainties that define harm or the aspect by which it is implicated on people. For instance, a person might have been considered harmed if one or more of his rights have been jeopardized because of the doing of another. A person knowing his rights to life and the different aspects that come along with it is also noted for being able to understand when such right is being set aside by other individuals surrounding him. The consequences of situation usually affect the whole being of the individuals involved in the situation. To protect each person from being subjected to such matters, people are given the guidelines, the proper directions as to how they should use the law as a means of protection. However, like what Robin West mentioned in his research and discussion on ‘harm’, not everything that harms people is supposedly supported by the law nor are its victims protected from the occurrence of such harm. The categories between direct harm and created harm specifically determine the position of the law in the situation. For instance, West mentions the laborers and the harm that is imposed on them by their employers as they are working as hard as they could and yet they are being paid lower than what they actually need to sustain themselves and their families [as if pointing out that the money they get as salary is not enough to support their needs in buying commodities that they need for survival]. In this case, legal protection could be expected to be given to the unknown victims. On the other hand, the consideration over wives who suffer the harm of being subjected under a patriarchal setup of families cannot be addressed by the law as there are now concrete nor specific guidelines directed towards such harms. In this case, the culture and traditions are the ones that are to be given attention to. Helping these unknown victims of harm may need to be handled through a sociological than on legal approach.

This concept of explanation is supported by BetrtoltBretch in his story on the Jewish Wife, where he specifically gives attention on presenting the frustrations and psychological contentions that Jewish women have to deal with as they live under the direction of their husbands. Unable to become who they are and what they want to be, these women are expected to remain as wives, to keep their senses together even though they might be feeling particularly different especially when it comes to determining their real role and worth in life. Like these wives though, as admitted by Herman Melville, his employees were somewhat accustomed to the life of being oppressed and specifically depressed although they are willing to accept whatever it takes to earn a living. DO they go to the judge and tell of what they are going through? No, the fear of losing their job is much more of a nightmare to them than it is with the situations that they encounter at work.

Overall, the people whose harmful experiences have been kept at bay and whose lives have been put at stake, are willing to go through the situation, to keep their mouths shut and simply accept everything else. Somehow, they have realized that in order to survive, the existence of harm may be somewhat necessary on their part.