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LESSON 6

A. READING

A1. Read the following text, pay attention to the underlined words and be ready to discuss the text.

KEY VOCABULARY just (a) – справедливый, разумный

justice (n) – справедливость protect (v) – защищать harm (v) – наносить вред harmful (a) – вредный damage (v) – наносить ущерб, повреждать

code (n) – кодекс, законы, принципы

treat (v) – обращаться (с кем-л.) mistreat (v) – плохо обращаться prevent (v) – предотвращать, не допускать

disobedience (n) –

неповиновение

deliberate (a) – намеренный

Unjust laws

Laws can be either just or unjust. Just laws protect human rights, and disobeying just laws for personal gain or of personal disagreement is wrong because it may harm security of other members of a community. The Greek philosopher Socrates claims that someone who breaks the law is “a destroyer of the laws”. Since laws are pillars of society, breaking those laws damages society. But some people believe that certain laws are unjust and should no longer exist.

What is an “unjust law”? According to M.L.King, it is “a code that is out of harmony with the moral law…it is a law that degrades human personality”. Unjust laws are laws that compel some people to obey while not requiring others to do the same. These laws are often used by one group to mistreat another group. Some people think that unjust laws should not be obeyed. While it is better to prevent unjust laws from being made, there are

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many methods by which people can act to change them after they have been enacted. One of these methods is civil disobedience, the deliberate and public violation of an unjust law as a means of protest.

“An unjust law is no law at all”, said St.Augustine, providing the foundation of civil disobedience movement across the globe. During the 1960-70s there were a civil rights movement, an anti-war movement and other several movements in which people claimed that obeying the laws was harmful because the law itself was wrong. The chief theoretician of civil disobedience was Henry David Thoreau, and among its courageous practitioners we know such people as Mahatma Gandhi in India who, while opposing British colonial rule, set formal rules of non-violent civil resistance; or Jamaica singer Bob Marley who saw the injustices taking place in South Africa during 1970s and made his opinion heard through his songs which were very influential.

In the United States the famous leader of civil rights movement was Martin Luther King, who promoted non-violent methods for racial equality. He organized marches for black’s right to vote, fair hiring, desegregation* and other rights. He was arrested and in his famous “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” he called on all Americans to actively but peacefully oppose laws that were morally wrong. Most of the demands were later enacted into the US law. In 1964 King won the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1968 he was assassinated.

“An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice is in reality expressing the highest respect for the laws.” (M.L.King)

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desegregation – уничтожение системы разделения людей по расовым признакам

B. COMPREHENSION

B1. Answer the questions:

1.How many definitions of unjust law can you find in the text? Which one seems to you the best?

2.What may unjust laws be used for?

3.According to the text, what is civil disobedience?

4.Who was the chief theoretician of civil disobedience movement?

5.What famous activists of this movement are mentioned in the text? Have you ever heard about those people?

6.What were the most important merits of Martin Luther King?

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C. VOCABULARY

C1. Find in the text the following expressions:

1.для личной выгоды

2.столпы общества

3.наносить вред обществу

4.плохо обращаться с другими людьми

5.лучше не допускать создания несправедливых законов

6.дать основание для движения гражданского неповиновения

7.ненасильственное гражданское сопротивление

8.преднамеренное нарушение

9.движение в защиту гражданских прав

10.активно, но мирно противостоять несправедливым законам

11.большинство требований были узаконены

12.добровольно принять наказание

13.поднимать сознание общества

14.выражать глубочайшее уважение законам

D. DISCUSSION

D1. Discuss the questions below:

1.Do you agree that unjust law should be disobeyed? Why (why not)?

2.What may be the reasons for creating unjust laws?

3.Can you think of any other methods of changing unjust laws?

4.What would happen to the society if everyone who thought a law was unjust broke it?

5.Have you ever taken part in civil disobedience actions?

6.Can you give an example of an unjust law?

7.Give your comments on the King’s statement presented in the last paragraph of the text.

E.LANGUAGE STUDY. SPEAKING ABOUT JUSTICE.

E1. When we speak about justice or fairness we may say that something is:

FAIR (честный, справедливый) a fair decision, a fair judge (правильный, законный) fair demands, fair terms of a contract (безупречный) – fair name, fair reputation

JUST (справедливый, разумный) – just dealings, just punishment, just opinion

RIGHT (правый, справедливый) – do what is right, to be right RIGHTFUL (законный, правомерный) – rightful heir, rightful act, rightful cause

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RIGHTEOUS (праведный) righteous anger, righteous indignation

OBJECTIVE (непредубежденный, беспристрастный, объективный) objective opinion, objective judgment

IMPARTIAL (беспристрастный, справедливый) impartial opinion, impartial decision

UNPREJUDICED (лишенный предрассудков, непредубежденный) unprejudiced judge

E2. Think of some things that are just (unjust), fair (unfair), right (wrong) in your opinion. Give reasons. Example:

It’s unfair that old people are often discriminated against. They find it difficult to get jobs and some have to live in special homes because their children don’t want to look after them.

Write 5-7 sentences.

F. PHRASEOLOGY

F1. There are also some idiomatic expressions. Look at them and try to

F2. Translate into Russian:

1)Please, make a fair copy of this letter.

2)This might start further accusations, but we don’t care any more. We won fair and square.

3)A fair face may hide a foul heart (a proverb)