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Civil Disobedience In Antigone, By Martin Luther King Jr.

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Civil disobedience is defined as the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest. Antigone, written by the playwright Sophocles, depicts an act of civil disobedience when Antigone goes against what the King of Thebes; Creon, said because she believes that the action she will undergo is more important than the law. A similar action is carried out in “ Letter From A Birmingham Jail”, written by Martin Luther King Jr. Each of these pieces are prime examples of civil disobedience because they are both peaceful protest against the law. Going against the law or ones ruler is justified when they violate one 's moral code or beliefs.

The short play, Antigone, written in 441 B.C. by the …show more content…

The problem of civil disobedience. To some people civil disobedience may be given a negative connotation, I however do not receive that connotation. Civil disobedience allows one to convey their thoughts and ideas in a passive, nonviolent way. It can be used when one believes that they are morally right, and that others will agree with them. Antigone conveys this thought when she tells, “No one will ever convict me for a traitor.” (page 972) She cannot be …show more content…

Both Antigone and Martin Luther King Jr. wanted their own form of justice and to be heard. I believe that it was. Staying true to yourself, your family, and your god are the most important things in life and although Antigone’s actions were different than those of Martin Luther King Jr., they overall wanted to get the same message out and stand up for what they believe in. Although these were both acts of civil disobedience, I believe that voicing your opinion and taking action on issues that discredit what you believe in is often times more important than the

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Antigone told Ceron right to his face I won't obey your law because your law goes against the Gods laws. During that time

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King points that is completely hypocritical as we cannot expect some rules to be applied to and understood, while others are overlooked. King has channeled all these inequities into a large group of individual who wanted to gain support for the rights that they should be allowed. Antigone however addresses her concerns in a straight footed manner. Giving little regard for

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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

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Civil Disobedience In the dictionary civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest, but Thoreau and Martin Luther King have their own beliefs to civil disobedience. In Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” he writes about the need to prioritize one’s conscience over the dictates of laws. Martin Luther King uses civil disobedience as something that effectuates change in the government. Both Thoreau and Martin Luther King has similar yet different perspectives on civil disobedience.

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Although both Antigone, from “Antigone” by Sophocles, and Martin Luther King Jr. from “Letter From A Birmingham Jail” engage in acts of civil disobedience and fight for what they believe to be right, the way they go about these acts is quite different. Each of their reasons, actions, and consequences can be seen as opposites. Antigone refuses the help or involvement of others, which can be seen as a selfish act directly against the king while Martin Luther King Jr. involves the entire community to help the greater good. Antigone is a character who stands up for what she believes in to a point of direct civil disobedience toward the king, Creon. She puts the laws of the gods over the laws of her authority.

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Throughout history, there have been many individuals who have taken a stand against authority to fight for their beliefs. An example of a great historical figure is Martin Luther King, who advocated for the Civil Rights Movement which took place in the mid-1900s. In 1963, King was arrested and wrote the famous Letter From Birmingham Jail to explain and justify his methods of protest. A different, fictional, example of character who defied authority is Antigone from Antigone by Sophocles. Antigone goes against King Creon of Thebes’s orders and buries her brother Polynieces who had been denied a proper burial and labeled a traitor.

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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.

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In the Crito by Plato, Socrates argues against civil disobedience, seeing it as an unjust act. Contrasting this view, Martin Luther King argues for civil disobedience against unjust laws, and seeing it as a responsibility of citizens. Civil disobedience is the active refusal to obey certain law, commands or requests of the government. I will argue that the view of Socrates is superior to the view of Martin Luther King on the justness of civil disobedience. Using the argument against harm, I will show that even if a law is viewed as unjust, you must not repay an evil with another evil, as evident in the Crito while contrary to ideas presented by MLK.

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According to John Rawls, civil disobedience is a public, non-violent, and conscientious act contrary to law usually done with the intent to bring about a change in the policies or laws of the government. A political act in the sense that it is an act justified by moral principles which define a conception of civil society and the public good.” (Rawls, 1992) It refers to a professed and meanwhile an active rejection to comply with demands, commands or laws and legislation of government. Rawls also defines “civil disobedience” with basic features that it is a public, non-violent political act contrary to law usually done with the aim to strive for a change under the laws or policies by the government. Bedau claims that the occasion for civil disobedience arises when people are asked to obey laws or government policies which they consider to be unjust or immoral”.

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Civil disobedience is nonviolent resistance to a government’s law in seek of change. Civil disobedience is an effective way to bring about change because it is a harmless way of fighting an unjust law or idea, it can educate people about the cause, and it has been successful many times in history. First and foremost, civil disobedience is

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Civil disobedience is the deliberate action against an unjust law to invoke a positive change in government and society. Civilians have the right to refute these types of unjust laws to eliminate inequality and government’s unjust nature by following conscience before laws for moral guidance. As demonstrated in Antigone, this is depicted by the daughter of Oedipus, who disobeys Creon’s law for the greater good because of the laws unjust nature. In Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau, a naturalist, promotes this concept as well through his philosophical standpoint of the flaws of the government. Lastly, in Dr. King’s letter he qualifies the idea of civilians disobeying their government through non violent campaigns to stand up against

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