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Similarities Between Antigone And Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Civil disobedience is the refusal to obey governmental laws in order to do or change something (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Sophocles’ Antigone and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” both described civil disobedience within situations which they were the oppressed. However, Antigone and King engaged in civil disobedience in different ways. Antigone chose to disobey the law solely because of her religious views, she knew that her disobedience could lead to others’ suffering, but she was unwilling to abandon her plan, and her attitude toward the people against her was crude and stubborn. King, in contrast, based his disobedience more on logical reasoning and allusions, then he proposed a nonviolent action so his disobedience would not hurt others, and he respected those who were against him with his collected tone throughout the letter. Sophocles’ Antigone committed civil disobedience by burying her brother, Polynices, against King Kreon’s order. Antigone’s defiance was solely based on her religious views. Furthermore, Antigone knew that her disobedience would lead to the …show more content…

She believed that God’s laws were higher than man’s laws so she was ‘pleasing those [she] should please most’ (Blondell, 23). While arguing with her sister, Ismene, about breaking the law, Antigone demonstrated her determination to bury her brother because she knew that it was the moral thing to do, regardless of the deadly outcome. She was willing to perform the ‘crime of piety’ (Blondell, 23) – the crime that was ‘honored by the gods’ (Blondell, 23). To her, following God’s laws was the most justified even if it meant that she had to break man’s laws, because the God’s laws were ‘not for now or yesterday, but live forever’ (Blondell, 38). Her violation of the law only was to satisfy her faith in God, and to maintain the moral that she thought God demanded of her, but not for anyone else’s

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The two stories of “Antigone” and of “The Letter from Birmingham Jail” both have the main theme of Civil Disobedience. This is the emphasis on God’s law over Mans law, and both stories show this in different ways. However, one story is clearly better than the other. In “Antigone”, Creon has ordered that Eteocles, Antigone’s brother be buried with all the formal rites, but that Polynices, the other brother, be left unburied on the streets. Antigone thinks that this is unfair and inhumane, so she secretly does all the rites and “buries him”.

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She even says, “nor did I think your proclamations had such strength that, mortal as you are, you could outrun those laws that are the gods’, unwritten and unshakable, their laws are not for now or yesterday, but live forever.” (453-457). During their fights, both King and Antigone refused to back down even in the face of punishment, they believed their cause was important enough to incite civil disobedience and take whatever punishment was given, even death if

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“Given your definitions of religion and politics, where do you see parallels, and where do you see divergences, between the insights of King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and Sophocles’s Antigone?” When I look at King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and Sophocles’ Antigone, it is evident that concepts of religion and politics exist within these texts. Similarly, these pieces both contain elements, which I identify as my definitions of religion and politics. For example, King includes the rhetoric of religious figures (St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas) on the issues of just and unjust laws to justify non-violent law-breaking. In a similar way, this relates to my definition of the use of symbols and religious traditions, which shapes

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The theme of Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail and the play Antigone, both references an unjust in the writings a higher law is mentioned. That there is an injustice in both something that defies the higher laws, laws that are not implicated by men. There is a basis for Martin Luther King’s moral principle, it is due to his Catholic religion and reading of the bible. For the play Antigone has mentioned these Higher laws a multitude of times, the higher laws largely impact the actions that the characters take on the play. The higher laws, what the higher laws are, are laws that are not set by humans or any man at any point in time.

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In the text “Letter from Birmingham jail” and “Antigone” both express their thoughts and ideas. Both stories are about how they were treated different and poorly. Dr. King and Antigone showing us how they were treated and had to go thru for the most part. In Antigone she shows the determination that she is doing to bury her brother and not get in trouble. In Letter from Birmingham jail its shows how he is trying to make everyone have their right and be treated equally.

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Chris Iacono 1C70 Jim McCarthy 2 November 2015 Antigone and Martin Luther King: Civil Disobedience In Sophocles’ Antigone and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” both Antigone and Martin Luther King fight and disobey the laws established in order to help others. They show their civil disobedience in different ways, but are defying the laws for similar purposes; to preserve human rights. Both are following the idea that the individual has the duty to defy human laws when they contradict those of higher ideals (“Letter From Birmingham Jail About the History of Civil Disobedience”). They differ in that Antigone tried to reason with Creon, but when that failed she took matters into their own hands, while Martin Luther King used nonviolent campaigns

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527 Words | 3 Pages

Antigone’s Moral Development The play Antigone by Sophocles, is about a girl who faces a family conflict over her deceased brother. The protagonist is Antigone and she stays the same morally throughout the play. Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development helps people understand the stages individuals morally move through as they mature more. Because of Antigone’s decisions and ideas at the beginning and the end of the play, she is a morally static character through the story.

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Civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws in a peaceful, non-aggressive protest. You are seeking justice for a cause without having to become physically violent with the opposing party. Civil disobedience not only requires strength but one must be willing to make self-less sacrifices. Martin Luther King Jr is a well renown civil rights activist who is was known for his approach in nonviolent confrontations. Antigone was also some who stood up for injustice despite the repercussions of her actions.

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Civil Disobedience can be defined as violating the law or not following the rules set by society. Time and time again civil disobedience is shown through literature and historical events that impacted today’s society. Thoreau’s story called “Civil Disobedience” presented injustice in his society through personal experiences. Gandhi leads the Indian Independence movement, which promoted civil disobedience with peaceful actions. Citizens of any country have the power to disobey the government and set standards for society.

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In the Oedipus myth sophocles conveys a common theme that transcends into antigone as well. The oedipus myth does start the theme of fate and god’s law ruling over all;whilst fate is a big deal in the story, the main theme is that god's law rules over all. In “Antigone” Sophocles conveys that God’s Law is more important than Man’s Law by Antigone directly disobeying Man’s law so she could obey God’s law,by teiresias saying that creon should change his decision because the god’s don’t approve, and by Creon losing everything because he disobeyed God’s law. Antigone directly disobeys Man’s law so she can obey god’s law. Antigone proves that god’s law is more important than man’s law by earning the opinion of the people by following god’s law

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262 Words | 2 Pages

The strength of a family,like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other. With antigone going against her father wishes have turn her back on her own family.strength in family was a way to understand them.family can be more loyal than any army. In antigone she is stuck with the option of listing to the law or gods law. As she wants to bury her brother.

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The rights and social structure of women The play Antigone written by Sophocles, is a story about a young woman who breaks the decree law by burying her brother, and is being punished for disobeying the law. She thought what she did was right, even if it meant there was a consequence such as putting her life at risk. Creon, the recent new king of Thebes, and also the young girls, Antigone 's uncle found out that she broke the law and sentenced her to death. She is willing to do anything to carry on with her plan of giving her brother, Polyneices an honorable and proper burial.

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Antigone being representative of the divine law of the gods sacrifices her life to honor her brother and please the gods. Condemned at first by Creon, she is later exonerated for her actions while Creon suffers a harsher fate. He believes in human law and believes that a traitor should never be forgiven - thus explaining his decisions to condemn the burial of Polyneices, and sentence Antigone to death. In the end, Creon's failure to respect the divine law leads to his family deserting him for death and he suffers from the ultimate punishment of guilt. He becomes so blinded and infatuated with his rule and his pride that he fails to consider any other human laws, which could balance the inequality of his rule, and benefit the people of Thebes, demonstrating the detrimental effects of following human law.

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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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1360 Words | 6 Pages

Civil Disobedience is known as breaking the law because you don 't agree with a certain law or have a peaceful protest about that law or what you believe in. An example would be when Mahatma Gandhi walked miles to the Indian ocean as the citizens gathered more and more to fight for there Indian Independence. This occasion was called the Salt March. The reason for The Salt March was a March were all the citizens from India walked with gandhi to fight back for their Independence from the British, since it was taken away from the British.

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