Draco was a lawgiver in Ancient Athens who was ultimately
known for the extremely harsh nature he created and condoned for the punishment
for crimes. No matter theft or murder, nearly
any law broken resulted in death. Mere
debt was punishable with enslavement-- I imagine we’d all be in pretty deep
trouble in Athens. This legal code was referred to as Draconian and it is still
used today to describe the most oppressive and harsh of law systems. This code is said to be one of the most
comprehensive original sets of written laws, in spite of its cruel nature.
Luckily for the Athenians, when Solon became a part of office
he repealed Draco’s sadistic laws and created his own that more appropriately
matched each crime. This statute of law
was long standing, lasting well into the 5th century and serving as
a foundation for all the laws that followed.
In the article I read, it claimed that Draco’s laws were so
severe that some claimed it was written in blood. I find this extremely intriguing. While it’s highly unlikely the man literally
wrote the code of laws in some poor citizens blood (although I’m not sure I’d
put it past him), I think that this is more a representation of what these laws
meant for and did to the people of Athens.
They were written in the blood of the people and were created to draw
more. Generally writing in blood is
associated with dark, demonic behavior and I’m sure this was not the prettiest
of times in Athens.
In relation to class right now, I think that this could abstractly
relate to reacting appropriately to your audience. Draco went completely overboard, giving every
crime no matter the severity an equal punishment, when it would’ve been far
more intuitive to understand and match each crime with a punishment that was equal. Understanding is vitally important in all
forms of writing.
Boom. Bonus points for Miss Super.
ReplyDeleteA question for you all to ponder using this post: are there times where extreme punishments are appropriate or should all systems attempt to fit punishment to the crimes?
In my opinion, it would make sense for all systems to fit the punishment to the crime committed. There is a difference between a shoplifter and a murderer. Although these crimes are both worthy of consequence, the level of punishment is completely different.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lauren, there should be different consequences for the severity of the crime. I personally believe that harsh punishments should only be given if the person who committed the crime is a repeat offender after being given a second chance to correct themselves and their life choice. I think every person should have a second chance, meaning first time criminals should have to take many hours of courses/community service/ etc. to try to whip them back into shape. If they fail to learn, only then should they be severely punished. Idk
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Lauren and Phil. Giving every crime no matter the severity an equal punishment seems kind of crazy. I get that breaking the law, no matter the severity, is going against the system and shouldn't be tolerated, but if not all systems attempted to fit punishment to the crime then you could be talking about punishing someone in debt the same way a serial killer would be punished. Which would be horrifying.
ReplyDeleteI believe that all systems should attempt to fit punishment to the crime because that is the most just way to deal with the situation. In addition to this post about Draco and Solon, I do agree with the part that understanding your audience is very important. However, I believe that the different systems these two individuals used stems more from the time they lived in and differing ideologies. For example Draco and Solon must have had very different mindsets and ways to govern rules. Also, during that time, the justice system was much more harsh so it fit during that era.
ReplyDelete