Law Day Essay Sample Two
Student Model
Celebrate Your Freedom
Justice: The Necessity
of the 21st Century
by Shea Leibfried 9th grade
2001
The gavel comes crashing down, as another black man is condemned to die. His infraction is not so important as his color, it seems, and the entirely white jury looks at him with disgust as they exit the courtroom, delighted to have another vile, sinister person imprisoned. It is likely that the man's race had a great deal to do with the decision. Don't be shocked, this happens regularly.
Steps must be taken to guarantee equal justice for all. People in power will inevitably receive better treatment and more leniency than the working middle class, despite the injustice. A prime example is O.J. Simpson. Because of his position, he was able to work around his predicament. The average male would be immediately reprimanded due to the sufficient amount of evidence facing him. All people must receive the same treatment, regardless of social standing. More background checks must be done on the jury members to assure that they have no previous contact with the defendant. A diversity of jury members (sex, race, religion) would make it much less impartial. If these things had occurred in the trial of O.J. Simpson, it may have had a much different outcome.
Until advancements have been made to ensure these things, the world will continue to revolve around the people generating the money, leaving the less fortunate without having the opportunity to better themselves. Unless we recognize these mistakes, we will continue to make the same mistakes society has made in the past.
Teacher Commentary
Again, low maximum word limits compel this
9th student to write meaningfully succinctly as she does so well.
Notice the rich and engaging language, the fluency of ideas, the depth
of ideas and the uniquely honed style. The level of thought, the
use of ready examples, and the structure of argument are all exemplary
for the amount of space allowed and the short time spent in class on this
assignment. The images are striking and the voice is appropriately
strong. Pertinent details and facts have been skillfully interwoven.