Judge Dee Character Analysis

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Dee Goong An, more popularly known as Judge Dee, was a well known magistrate of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). His popularity comes from his just perspective, which makes him a great magistrate. He addresses new cases with open ears and is determined to be fair at all times. He treats all people equally and relies only on hard proof to solve cases. With some help, he uncovers guilty criminals, using several techniques to find the truth. Going undercover and using torture to get people to confess, Judge Dee uses his persist approaches to make things right. He risks his job for the truth, and relies on his gut and experience to capture felons. Judge Dee's experience and righteous judgment to find the true criminals by proving them guilty, makes him an ideal magistrate of the time.
A magistrate is a judge who administrates the law and, in this case, uses Confucian and Legalist values, to enforce the combined principles. An effective magistrate is honest and fairly "decide[s] who is guilty and who is innocent (5)." A hard working judge, like Judge Dee, will find the criminal and continue to take cases on top …show more content…

This is to regulate the people and keep them from acting out. In both Confucian and Legalist values, punishment is used to discipline bad people for their crimes. For example, they use several forms of torture to keep the people in place. In one instance, Shao will not confess to Judge Dee and yells in protest against the witness. Judge Dee "ordered two constables to take the thin rattan and to beat Shao all over his body with full force as he was lying there in the screws (136)." Legalist values believed that the people should be punished for their wrongdoings. Torturing was a way to be punished, along with public shaming. The murders convicted are publicly executed at the end of the book, for publicity of the punishments. This may be used to shame and show people what might happen if they commit a

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