Introduction of This Blog

     Can human beings truly forgive? Is justice indeed justifiable? The purpose of this blog post is to delve deeper into the human mind and perhaps explore why we do certain things, like have the need for justice, and why sometimes it is not possible to truly forgive someone else. Are some actions so heinous that they are indeed unforgivable? If something heinous is done, why would someone even care or seek justice for the effected person or persons? Perhaps the answer lies within human nature itself. I recently read chapter one of V for Vendetta by Alan Moore for a writing composition class. In the chapter, an oppressed world run by a dominating government is shown. A young girl prepares to sell her body on the street while the voice of Fate, or a man pretending to be Fate, narrates current happenings over the radio. The girl, suitably "equipped" for her new night job, approaches a man in order to get a commission. However, the man turns out to be a Fingermen, or a policeman, for the oppressive government. Thinking the man would kill her, the girl begged for her life. The man had something worse in mind. Some cronies of his appeared and they were going to have their way with her before killing her. This is not very policeman-like behavior, so who is the real criminal?
     To kill a sixteen year old girl after doing something so awful...surely justice would be done for such a heinous act. But that is the thing. In the world of V for Vendetta, these policemen clearly do what they want. They do not fear justice or retribution, nor do they feel they need forgiveness for anything they do. This is a plausible reason for why they believe they can get away with raping and killing a young girl. However, before this tragedy can occur, a masked stranger in a cloak appears. He saves the girl by spraying tear gas out of his long cloak...and ignites it, burning some of the Fingermen alive (Moore 13). He escapes with the girl. The girl is surprised, as this masked and cloaked stranger came seemingly from nowhere and owed her nothing. His response was "Were you never taught the Rhyme? Remember, Remember, The Fifth of November, The Gun-powder and Plot. I know of no reason why the Gun-Powder treason...should ever be forgot" (Moore 14). Directly after the stranger said this, the Houses of Parliment exploded. He had hurt the government directly. He had destroyed a symbol of power and rule for them single-handedly. But why? Why would a human being do such a thing? I send a message to the oppressive government surely, but what if innocent civilians were hurt in the process? Is it justifiable? Is it worth saving the life of a prostitute, only to kill more people in a large blast? Is one person truly morally better than another?
     Oppressive governments ruin the freedom of people, but violently striking out at them may not be the best answer. However, in the world of V for Vendetta, it very may well be a potent and effective message. Could the masked stranger truly cause the government harm, get their attention, and eventually change their ways? Would past sings be forgiven, annihilated, or brought to true justice? In the mind of the stranger, blowing up the Houses or Parliment was clearly worth it. Future blog posts will delve even deeper and explore as to why this may be the case. Justice. Retribution. Forgiveness. Obedience. These words all have different meanings for different minds; perhaps some more than others.