WebLog 2

Social justice is basically the view that everyone deserves equal opportunities. In Le Guin’s short story the people of Omelas are all faced with the option to live freely and happily in return for one persons suffering, or to leave Omelas because they can’t bare the thought of one person suffering for everyone else. The people of Omelas feel no guilt, as stated in the story, so the fact that there is a child suffering as no affect on them what so ever. Which is completely opposite from the whole idea of social justice due to just the fact it is based on everyone having equal opportunities. The suffering child is locked in a basement and malnourished, and all of the sorrow and anger of the town in put on its shoulders. Therefore the people who continue to live this way and be selfish have no care for the idea of social justice. On the other hand there are the people who leave Ophelias. After seeing the suffering child they feel the guilt, and can not bear living there life in complete happiness knowing that there is one child suffering for them. They understand that it is not fair.