Over the course of history and throughout works of literature, our society has come to know civil disobedience as an act that defies certain laws as a way of peaceful protest. Sophocles’ Antigone and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, are two works of prose that exemplify two different ways in which civil disobedience can be carried out. Antigone acted out of selfishness when defying the law of Creon and wanted self-satisfaction through her engagement in civil disobedience. Martin Luther King Jr., however, sought reform for all people and called on them to fight for freedom, not just for their own benefit, but for the benefit of the entire nation. While Antigone and King both defied the unjust laws to stand up for what they believed in, it was King who acted on morality, rather than instinct.
In Sophocles’ play, we come to know Antigone, an obstinate and stubborn girl who defies the law of Creon and buries her brother, Polyneices, by giving him a proper burial as that is what “is honored by the gods” (23). In so doing, Antigone’s action against the law can be seen, by some, as rightly justified and is therefore a good example of civil disobedience. However, I view Antigone’s action against the law of Creon as an act not out of morality, but rather, as an act done out of vanity and …show more content…
If Antigone was truly wanting to do what was right, she would have encouraged her sister that burying their brother is more than the right thing to do; rather, she gave Ismene an ultimatum that if she doesn’t help bury their brother she not only is betraying him, but is acting out against the gods. It is from this specific dialogue that I extrapolate that Antigone truly wanted to act alone so that the gods could view her in higher regard than her
In Sophocles’ play, we come to know Antigone, an obstinate and stubborn girl who defies the law of Creon and buries her brother, Polyneices, by giving him a proper burial as that is what “is honored by the gods” (23). In so doing, Antigone’s action against the law can be seen, by some, as rightly justified and is therefore a good example of civil disobedience. However, I view Antigone’s action against the law of Creon as an act not out of morality, but rather, as an act done out of vanity and …show more content…
If Antigone was truly wanting to do what was right, she would have encouraged her sister that burying their brother is more than the right thing to do; rather, she gave Ismene an ultimatum that if she doesn’t help bury their brother she not only is betraying him, but is acting out against the gods. It is from this specific dialogue that I extrapolate that Antigone truly wanted to act alone so that the gods could view her in higher regard than her