Horrible Warnings – Oppositions of the Good Life Terrible examples sometimes possess greater value than good ones. Not only do these horrible warnings display clear distinctions as compared to the proper examples, but people can also obtain better understanding through negative demonstrations. In Antigone and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Antigone and Martin Luther King Jr. both define the good life as the courage of self-sacrifice for the betterment of others. While they provide the proper definition of the good life, there are also some characters or people in both texts illustrating the horrible warnings of what is not the good life. More specifically, Creon fails to acknowledge the unwritten human rights given by God, Ismene does not challenge the constricting stereotypes of gender, and the White Moderates were lacking the moral responsibility to address injustice on African Americans. Creon, Ismene, and the White Moderates represent the horrible warnings because they are unable to value …show more content…
Ismene adheres to the social identity as an obedient woman and is unwilling to battle the authority when confronting injustice. After Antigone shares her bold plan of burying Polyneices, Ismene pleads with Antigone not to violate the decree: “We must remember, first, that we two are by nature women and not fit to fight with men; second, that we are ruled by others stronger than ourselves” (Blondell 22). Ismene is completely convinced by the social custom of that time, and she also tries to persuade Antigone to believe that women should be submissive to powerful and stronger men. As a consequence, Ismene fails to carry out her primary obligation to perform the funeral rites for Polynecies. Because of the cultural stereotypes of gender, Ismene is intimidated by the power of man that also prevents her from defending the natural rights of