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It’s a cold December day in 1773 as the Sons of Liberty prepare make history. The Sons of Liberty march up the docks of Boston to make the ultimate act of defiance against the newly established laws and taxes implemented by the tyrannous British. The British sought to tighten their tyrannical control on the colonies with unfair laws and taxes, however the Sons of Liberty weren't so willing to be forced to follow these limitations. In revenge, they dumped 92,000 pounds of British tea into the ocean. This was an active representation of civil disobedience. The Sons of Liberty refused to follow these unjust laws and protested by dumping the tea into the harbor. The act of civil disobedience has three important parts to it in order for it to
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Creating change and prompting a change makes up the final part of what makes an act an act of civil disobedience and Antigone illustrates this. Antigone is able to create change in Creon. Antigone makes this change when Creon realizes his act was wrong and he would make it right. Creon says this “and I will set her free. Now I believe it is by the laws of heaven that man must live (Sophocles 156). Creon finally realizes that he was wrong and Antigone’s act made him realize this. Antigone was able to create change through her action, and thus making her act a civil disobedient …show more content…
Antigone enact this civil disobedience as a way of fighting and refusing to follow an unjust law made by and unjust King. The people of today can learn from Antigone. We the people today can take the courage and strength from Antigone and look the injustice in the eyes and fight back. We can take action like the Sons of Liberty and start a movement against the injustice and unruly laws. We can look to Antigone and partake in civil disobedience in order to make a movement to prompt change for the better in our world today. Today we are all called to enact on our own civil disobedience when we are faced with injustice and unfair laws, we are called to make a stand and a declaration to stand up for what we believe
On the night of December 16, 1773, Samuel Adams and other people from the Sons Of Liberty got on three ships in the Boston Harbor and threw tons of tea overboard. This was unjustified because it was destruction of private property. They didn’t own the ships, Britain did. They also betrayed the crown that was protecting them. Lastly, their protest was too harsh.
Creon thinks that the people will think of him as a liar if he lets Antigone free. Ironically, the people want Antigone to be set free and honored. His hamartia, his fear of losing power, becomes so immense it corrupts him. He even declares that, “...The city is the king’s-that’s the law” (Antigone, Line 824). Little did he know that peripeteia will come rushing forward and make his life
She dares to challenge the arrogant tyrant Creon by expressing her points bravely and furiously, trying to warn him that women do not always have the obligation to do what men command; she dares to protest the balance between duty and law, “…for it was not Zeus made such a law; such is not the Justice of the gods.” (Antigone), making her decisions in an equitable way and promise to find the real justice so as to give respect to her brother, Polyneices’ burial. Even though in the end Creon tries to give Antigone a lesson by putting her to prison, Antigone did not escape, for she understood that her action and pride would bring about these consequences, and she did not regret for doing this. In addition, we can also observe women power by seeing Creon’s words and behaviors. Creon’s hubris as a men affects how he thinks about women, he considered women as secondary creature.
Those who engage in civil disobedience do so knowing that they may be punished for it. In Boston Harbor, a group of Massachusetts’s colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians board three British tea ships and dump 342 chests of tea into the harbor. The colonists’ main complaint was that they were not directly represented in the British Parliament. Therefore, any laws the British passed on taxing the colonists were illegal under the British Bill of Rights of 1689. Seemingly, this taxation without representation would render the laws unjust.
Because of this, it shows the audience Creon's pride in his decision making. Comparing Antigone's reverential faith and Creon's pride and self-assurance, a clear contrast can be made, Antigone’s faith leads her to do things against Creon ’s rule due to her beliefs, while Creon implements and enforces these rules due to his self-assurance. In conclusion, Antigone is a major foil in the Greek tragedy of Antigone against Creon due to her unyielding religious faith, causing her to go against Creon, and Creon’s exceptional self-assurance, causing these rules to be made and punishments to be carried
Creon thought he had the most power over everybody but it turns out that the Gods were the ones with the power. In the play Antigone, Creon is a tragic hero which advances the play when he interacts with Antigone by acts of injustice, free choice and weakness. To begin with, Creon was unjust when he Punished Antigone for burying her own brother. “So she [Antigone] must die- that
And because of this he is trying to show Haemon that he did the right thing. Creon is saying that if a man can do what is right and not let things get out of hand in his house he has the right to continue to rule the state. But if a man flaunts authority and lets things get out of control in his own home they have no right to lead, and he will never allow that to happen. So by doing this to Antigone he is keeping his house in order thereby keeping the state in order as well. Later we can see Creon using emotion as well to try to persuade Haemon that he did the right thing.
Antigone is a Greek tragedy which presents questions of what one should do when one is presented with the dilemma of behaving according to one’s morality and values or behaving according to the law. There is no absolute good nor absolute bad, instead, the world is composed of a complex combination of both. Ergo, Antigone’s rebellion against the law cannot be classified in either of these extremes. However, she weighted the advantages and disadvantages of her planned action and smartly selected what was of greater value for her. Although the law should be obeyed to maintain order and security, sometimes is should also be questioned and broken.
Antigone and Martin Luther King Jr. are both very important figures when it comes to discussing the topic of civil disobedience; both fought for what they believed to be right and against the injustice of the state. Antigone went against the edict of the king and buried her brother and Martin Luther King Jr. broke the law to try to end segregation and racism in America. Even though some similarities can be found between the two, ultimately they went about civil disobedience in very different ways. Antigone’s method was personal and selfish and she took an extremely defiant and rash stance while martin Luther King’s approach was more analytical and thought out. It is for these reasons that I believe King’s method was more successful and is the
We can see this direct disobedience when Antigone says “nor did I think your proclamations had such strength” (38). This statement highlights her disregard for authority, her carelessness, and her inability to follow the rules set before
In Antigone, it is evident that both Creon and Antigone made mistakes in spite of the fact that they had right intentions. Creon attempts to uphold the law in order to maintain structure and be what he considers to be a just leader, however, Creon’s mindset remains too rigid and his actions don’t adapt in light of the circumstances. Antigone wants to stay loyal to her family and save her brother’s soul, yet she isolates herself and shows disrespect for the law. Creon does not allow Antigone any grace for her actions because he explicitly adheres to the laws of the city.
Antigone Essay When unjust laws exist, it is up to us for to decide if we are satisfied to be under such obedience or if we should either go beyond the bounds of moral principle if we find it to be a justifiable reason. Many, such as Henry David Thoreau, express that we should rather put our priorities in front and break an unjust law for it is the fault of an inequitable government who should provide for reform. If the law is unjust to such an extent, then we should go beyond and disobey that law. The boundaries of law should not be followed if it comes to the point if we wonder if we are treated as humans or subjects. We are loyal to the government, but if the government is not loyal to us, then we should take it as an leeway to break the law.
Creon is now faced with the decision to uphold the law or pardon his family. Despite Creon’s right decision to uphold the law, his family perishes at their own hand. Creon’s decision to punish Antigone is a right decision and is one that any good leader would make. He is not an evil man but one who is looking out for the state. While Creon is also looking for the respect of his countrymen, all those who disobey the law must pay
Laws have maintained the order and stability of society from old days of ancient civilization to today’s contemporary society. As law-abiding citizens, we allow the laws to be enforced through punishments and consequences; however, when these laws threaten ethical values and justice, they are challenged in a non-violent method known as “civil disobedience.” In Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone challenged the political authority of Creon in a defiant act that related the struggles between her duty as a citizen of Thebes and her loyalty to her family. In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” written by Martin Luther King, Jr., King protests racial injustices and systemic racism throughout the South and laments the need for civil disobedience to be used
The search for justice is never ending. Justice may be delayed, denied, or postponed, however, the search is timeless. To be just is to argue for fair rights for all. It is to be someone that will help the people of the community. However, many times justice is not sought and not given to those who need it most.