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Similarities Between Antigone And Civil Rights

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Most Americans don’t realize the effort that was put into achieving civil rights for African Americans and how hard it was for them. Antigone’s circumstances are similar to those of the civil rights movement during the 1950’s. In the play, Antigone, by Sophocles, Antigone had to sacrifice her life for what is right, the same way Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks sacrificed to make a change. There are parallels of similarities between Antigone and the civil rights movement because of civil rights activists like Rosa Parks that risked their lives for the greater good just like Antigone did. The civil rights movement during the 50’s and 60’s was a movement to help African Americans obtain their rights. There were many peaceful protests to …show more content…

Antigone is punished for burying her brother, Polyneices, and wishes for justice. Creon punished her unfairly, thinking that it was an act of rebellion as opposed to an act of kindness. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks both tried to help the movements and lead peaceful protests in order to make a change. Their sacrifices really helped start the revolution. Antigone had been punished for her innocent deed, hoping that people will soon side with her and do the right thing after she has made her sacrifice. Antigone discusses with Ismene her opinion on her sacrifice, “I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death, It will not be the worst of deaths -death without honor.” (80). Antigone is accepting her death if it means her sacrifice will be used for the greater good. Rosa Parks was also arrested and made a sacrifice, starting the bus boycotts and sparked a revolution. Antigone’s deed was innocent and while she was punished, her sacrifice was for the greater good just like Rosa Parks. Martin Luther King Jr. also did a lot of work in organizing peaceful protests and spent a majority of his life fighting for civil rights. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated for his ideas, which also helped start a new revolution. Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. both made a sacrifice to help the future of America, but were punished because of their different opinions. Even though they were punished, they were able to help start a revolution and helped give African Americans rights. All three of these individuals fought for something greater and sacrificed a lot for their opinion and

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881 Words | 4 Pages

King stated that he was “compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town” (King 21); likewise, Antigone was compelled to perform own duty to her family. The actions of Antigone and Martin Luther King, Jr. were aimed to spur tension within a community that would eventually cause the subjugators to confront the issue. Indeed, King’s work was able to catch the eye of political leaders at the state and local level, just as the city of Thebes ends up quietly supporting Antigone and enraging Creon. In both cases, neither figure sought to provoke anarchy, but instead aimed to bring light to corruption that was already boiling in a pot

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Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez were both people whose roles greatly influenced history to the way everybody is able to see it today where African Americans and Hispanics have more rights then they did in the 1960s. Martin Luther King fought nonviolently for the civil rights movement and change the way African Americans lived to a better way of living. Cesar Chavez also fought nonviolently for the civil rights movement but with Hispanics and Chavez worked to change the way farm workers were treated. Martin Luther King was a civil rights activist who joined the movement in 1957 and eventually became the leader of the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King was able to use nonviolence by using his ability of persuasive speaking to influence

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She has a heroic and courageous personality. Throughout her quest to bury Polyneices, Antigone encounters many hindrances along the way. The death of her father Oedipus led to her greatest disputant being given power, her Uncle Creon. He would show her no mercy for breaking his laws, until it is too late. Even when her sister Ismene states “Our own death would be if we should go against Creon And do what he has forbidden!

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She defies Creon’s law because she is trying to honor her brother and preserve the God-given rights of a proper burial after death (Leshak). Even though she recognizes death as the consequence for her action, Antigone fights the struggle of the individual and still feels the need to bury her brother. She does not only feel the need to bury Polynices because he is her brother, but there she strongly feels that is is her moral duty to due so in order to please the Theban gods and will only be found “guilty of the holiest crime”. Another reason that Antigone’s civil disobedience is symbolic is because she is a woman. Creon states that no woman will rule him as he lives and since Antigone loves the dead, she will join

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In addition, Antigone has her own struggle, faceing her uncle King Creon, by herself. Moreover, Antigone was declared the death penalty, on behalf of giving her brother funeral honors. This is a very unruly move, because her brother is considered a traitor to the king and people, which ultimately means he shall not be buried. However, it shows King Creon that Antigone would do anything to modify the law, as well as risking herself, just so her brother has a proper funeral. To emphasize, Antigone responds to King Creon, “ If I die young, I say I’d gain something” (Sophocles 20).

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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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These characters Martin Luther King Jr. and Antigone both bring justice to those who were treated unfairly. Antigone was upset by the fact that only one of her brothers was given a funeral. She

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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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51 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.

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Antigone was justifiable in her action to disobey the proclamation that Creon created. Creon is immoral in the condemned burial of Polynices. Antigone is moved by her religious perspective, family ties and passionate aspects to go against the law of the land that makes her actions just in what she did rather than unjust. The Gods’ law was more crucial than any mortals law. Antigone’s view on the gods being of a higher power made her decision non-defiant since she only broke a mortals law not the gods.

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INTRODUCTION: Open your argument to the audience and give them reason to listen on. I. Hook (Opening Statement): Get your audience’s attention! Consider a quote from the story. Are there any circumstances in which the law should be ignored?

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In conclusion, Antigone’s action towards Creon‘s Laws corresponds to the four steps of nonviolent campaign that Martin Luther King used to protest in Birmingham. In case of Antigone, an unjust law was passed in the city that restricted her right as a woman to bury her dead brother. She noticed the presence of injustice when, one of her brothers was given a proper burial over the other, which contradicted to the laws of the gods, and decided to break the law by burying her brother. For Martin Luther king, a segregation laws was passed that restricted blacks in Birmingham to vote. King saw such laws as unjust and protested against it.

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552 Words | 3 Pages

In the play "Antigone" by Sophocles, Antigone rightfully decides to bury her brother, Polynices, but when the king, Creon, finds out, she does not repent for her actions. She is a woman that stands for what she thinks is right, which in this case is that Creon is wrong for condemning the burial of her brother. She shows braveness with her actions because not all people have the courage to risk their own lives so that their brother can rest in peace. For instance, Ismene states "What? You 'd bury him – when a law forbids the city?"

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837 Words | 4 Pages

In the play, Antigone, Sophocles reveals a story of a character who responds significantly to an injustice. After a war between brothers’ Eteocles and Polyneices, both brothers are slain, but Creon, Antigone’s uncle, refused to bury Polyneices due to him fighting against the city. Antigone, the main character, decides to bury her brother against Creon’s orders, resulting in a conflict between the already cursed family. With the unjust refusal from Creon to not bury Polyneices, Antigone decides to stand up against this injustice, even if it means losing her life. Sophocles writes about a stubborn Antigone who believes she is following God’s law, in order to create justice between the cursed family and solve the unjust created by Creon, to

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1113 Words | 5 Pages

She was outraged when she found out that her brother Polyneices was going to be left to rot and be eaten by animals, because he was a traitor to the city. Antigone believed that her brother deserved a proper burial even though he tried going against the city unlike her other brother Eteocles. She asks Ismene (her sister) to join her in this act of rebellion but Ismene does not want to get in trouble for going against her kings orders so Antigone does it on her own. Creon feels disrespected and punishes Antigone for not following his rules. He seals Antigone while she is alive, inside a tomb.

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