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Similarities Between Antigone And Martin Luther King

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Both Antigone and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. can be viewed as rebels. Despite strict laws being enforced by their governing bodies, each chose to challenge authority in favor of their moral compasses. By objecting to the laws set in place, both Dr. Martin Luther King and Antigone fought for what they felt was truly right and just in each of their given situations. Although each character’s circumstances and actions seem to differ greatly, Dr. King would agree with Antigone’s choices to question authority in order to uphold mutual respect and honor for all individuals, as well as religious values, despite the laws set in place. Religious beliefs were Antigone’s driving force in opposing the law of Creon. She states that no mortal (in this case, …show more content…

For Antigone it seems that obeying the law and failing to provide her brother, Polyneices, with a proper burial would be more agonizing than any punishment she would face from Creon. Antigone would rather take a stand and risk her life than sit idly as justice fails to be served. Similarly, religion was also a central force in Dr. King’s life; he has served as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and has participated in the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (King, 1). Dr. King would agree with Antigone’s decision to oppose the law in favor of religious beliefs because he has done so himself. He believed that all men under God should …show more content…

King would not only agree with Antigone’s choice and methods for opposing the law, but commend her for it as well. Dr. King was a staunch believer in nonviolent, direct action when it came to protest. Antigone did exactly this by quietly and stealthily sprinkling dirt on Polyneice’s body as his “burial”. Dr. King would respect Antigone for taking a stand civilly instead of being just another bystander or worse, a violent rioter. Both Dr. King and Antigone were incarcerated for their opposition to the legal system, but both chose to accept it full-heartedly and without shame. Antigone did not oppose her arrest or lash out violently as a result of it. Instead, she chose to maintain a sense of dignity and accept her punishment without harming Creon or the guards. Dr. King would approve of this choice, for he did not believe in violent action and chose to only participate in peaceful protest. If these two individuals were going to be imprisoned for anything, it was best that it be for something that they care so deeply for and were serving God(s) in the

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338 Words | 2 Pages

Sophocles’ play Antigone, and Martin Luther king Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail analyze the underlying truth concerning their moral situations tied in with the legal systems of their times. Antigone was faced with whether to follow her heart and go against her very own uncle, while King himself did not face any personal dilemmas but was providing the intended audience a choice, either to side with his methods or fall in to the power of their faulty legal system. In this paper, I will argue how both pieces face different moral and legal dilemmas in their own unique way which ultimately questions the jurisdictions set forth by those in power. Does law reflect morality? In this short play, Antigone is faced with the choice to either bury Polynecies

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1117 Words | 5 Pages

King is writing a letter to the clergymen, in response to them telling him that he should get the people to stop protesting the mistreatment, explaining the reasons why he feels called to protest and demand a change even if it's against the law. King writes “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here…… so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town.” (Paragraph 3) and “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (Paragraph 4), He continues to explain how and why it is important to continue the peaceful protests. Antigone is acting in response to a law decreed by King Creon after a war, where one of her brothers fought on the opposing side and was declared a traitor and not be buried, that is telling her she is not allowed to bury her brother which she finds to against both the laws outlined by the gods and what she morally believes.

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883 Words | 4 Pages

In the play "Antigone", there are distinct conflicts between Creon and Antigone. Antigone beliefs of the gods in high reverence. She feels that the laws of the gods should be obeyed above all others, especially when it comes to respect to a family. Creon, on the other hand, feels that all should obey the laws set forth by him, even if other beliefs, or religious, stated otherwise. Regarding for the laws of the city this causes Creon to abandon all other beliefs.

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1023 Words | 5 Pages

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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1113 Words | 5 Pages

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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1055 Words | 5 Pages

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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1005 Words | 5 Pages

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

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686 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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1786 Words | 8 Pages

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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1501 Words | 7 Pages

In the classic play by Sophocles, Antigone is a tragic story of the bold Antigone who defied her uncle, King Creonʻs, edict by burying her brother, Polyneices, who died attacking the city of Thebes, trying to take the power away from their brother, Eteocles, who refused to share the throne with Polyneices. Even though Antigone knew that going against Creon and burying her brother would not end well for her, she still choose to risk her life to do what is right. After being caught breaking the law, Antigone is appointed to be locked away, isolated in a cave until she dies, but she hangs herself at the end. At the same time, things for Creon are not looking good, as everyone around him seems to be against him in his decision for punishing Antigone. Everyone Creon cares about kills themselves from a curse that is put on Creon for not following the Godsʻ laws.

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710 Words | 3 Pages

Conscience vs. Society Everyone faces difficult choices throughout their life, and many of these choices are due to the pressures of society. Society is cruel and everyone, at some point in their lives, has been at the receiving end of that cruelty and felt the sorrow it brings. In Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone finds herself faced with the choice of doing what her heart says is right, and burying her dead sibling or following what society has decreed as the right thing to do and leave him “to be devoured by dogs and fowls of the air.” (Sophocles, page 12) Antigone’s sister, Ismene, faces the same choice though she is less willing to defy society in favor of family obligations.

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1407 Words | 6 Pages

These books or plays about people standing up to their government are not just entertainment, their inspiration. Antigone goes against the laws of the government, sacrifices her life in service of the greater justice and the laws of God. She could be compared to our modern heroes such as Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr., who both fought for civil rights. As a result, both murdered during their fights against oppression.

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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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534 Words | 3 Pages

I am Antigone. We both fight for the rights of others who cannot do so, like Antigone used her life to avenge and respect her fallen brother, Polyneices. Similarly, I use my privileges in society, such as white skin and moderate affluence, to benefit those who need it most in their fights for economic or social equality. The fight for justice holds its hardships as told by both our experiences: Antigone faced capital punishment for going against Creon’s decree, as I and others in the modern era face lawmakers against our purposes. Regardless, Antigone and I both hold strong with “the unchangeable unwritten code of Heaven” (17), using our advantages to help those who need it most, despite the backlash of placing morals and integrity over rules and regulation.

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1113 Words | 5 Pages

She does not understand why she is being treated so unjustly for trying to do the right thing. The chorus in the play tries convincing Antigone that justice is behaving in accordance to Creon’s laws but Antigone is stubborn and sustains to her convictions. Even though Antigone ends up dying she dies achieving her goal of wanting to bury her brother properly. Mostly everyone in this play goes against what the main character feels is justly because they want to follow the kings laws and they believe she is acting immorally. Antigone is not acting immorally, she is doing the right thing to follow the law of the gods.

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