Explain what is necessary to establish a prima facie case of age discrimination.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Establishing a Prima Facie Case of Age Discrimination: Key Elements and Requirements
Age discrimination occurs when an individual is treated unfairly in the workplace based on their age. To bring a successful age discrimination claim, it is essential to establish a prima facie case. This legal concept serves as an initial burden of proof, requiring specific elements to be demonstrated. This essay will outline the necessary components to establish a prima facie case of age discrimination.
Introduction
Establishing a prima facie case of age discrimination is crucial when pursuing legal action against an employer. A prima facie case creates a presumption that discrimination has occurred, shifting the burden of proof to the employer to present a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for their actions. To meet this burden, the following elements must be established:
Membership in a protected age group: The first requirement is to demonstrate that the individual belongs to a protected age group. In the United States, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older from age discrimination. Therefore, the claimant must be at least 40 years old at the time of the alleged discriminatory action.
Adverse employment action: The second element is to show that an adverse employment action has occurred. This could include being fired, demoted, denied a promotion, subjected to unequal terms or conditions of employment, or any other negative impact on the individual’s employment status.
Similar qualifications or performance: The claimant must demonstrate that they were qualified for the position or had satisfactory job performance. This means showing that they possessed the necessary skills, experience, or education to meet the job requirements, or that their job performance was satisfactory compared to other employees in similar positions.
Circumstantial evidence of discrimination: While direct evidence of discrimination (such as explicit age-related statements) can be powerful, it is not always available. Therefore, a prima facie case can also be established through circumstantial evidence. This may include patterns of discriminatory behavior, remarks or comments indicating bias against older workers, or evidence that younger employees were treated more favorably.
Causal connection between age and adverse action: Finally, there needs to be a causal connection between the claimant’s age and the adverse employment action. This means demonstrating that age was a motivating factor in the employer’s decision-making process and that the adverse action would not have occurred if the claimant were younger.
Conclusion
Establishing a prima facie case of age discrimination is a crucial step in pursuing legal action against an employer for unfair treatment based on age. To meet this burden, individuals must demonstrate membership in a protected age group, an adverse employment action, similar qualifications or performance compared to others, circumstantial evidence of discrimination, and a causal connection between age and the adverse action. By satisfying these elements, individuals can create a presumption of discrimination, shifting the burden to the employer to provide a legitimate non-discriminatory reason for their actions.
