The story of Antigone deals with Antigone’s brother who’s body has been left unburied because of crimes against the state. The sight of her brother being unburied drives Antigone to take action against the state and bury her brother regardless of the consequences. The concept of the Greek afterlife was far more important and sacred than living life itself. Everything they did while they were alive was to please the many gods they worshipped. They built temples for their Gods, made statues to symbolize their Gods, and had a different God to explain things that we now say are an act of mother nature. Antigone percieved her actions to be courageous and valid, and Kreone, the King, percieved them as blasphemous. The entire story focuses on deciding who’s right. The question arises, "Did Antigone take proper action?" Was it right to go against her Uncle Kreon’s wishes and go ahead and bury her brother that was to be left out for the vultures? Would it have been better just to leave the situation how it was? The fact is, Antigone did the right thing. She was acting out of divine influence so to speak. Since divinity and humanity are shown to be colliding forces where divinity out weighs humanity in ancient Greece. Antigone was justified in her actions.
Antigone was following divine laws, or walking with divine shoes, while Kreone followed the laws of the state. Her brother’s afterlife was so important to Antigone that she was willing to give up anything to ensure her b...
The main conflict in the story Antigone is between the king of Thebes, also the antagonist, Creon and Antigone the Protagonist. When Antigone's brother dies in war Creon does not want to bury him, But Antigone feels its her brothers rights bestowed on him buy the gods to be able to be buried and that it would be disrespectful not to. For example in scene one page two Creon says "He’ll be left unburied, his body there for birds and dogs to eat, a clear reminder of his shameful fate.That’s my decision." As you can see here Creon thinks he has the authority and makes the laws about what is going to happen but really that is divine authority. Another example is in scene two page three when Creon is interrogating Antigone, Antigone says "Yes. Zeus did not announce those laws to me. And Justice living with the gods below sent no
It is hinted in the novel by Atticus that “He likened Tom 's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children,” (Lee 244). The literal image appears in the end of the book when Tom is shot and killed as he tries to escape from prison. As Atticus Finch doubts himself in how to proceed with the problematic death of the drunk, liar Bob Ewell, Lee decides to use this moment to incorporate her ultimate image of good in the world. “Atticus looked like he needed cheering up. I ran to him and hugged him and kissed him with all my might. ‘Yes sir, I understand,’ I reassured him (Lee 280). This almost playful dialogue between the characters shows that even after innocence appears to be lost, they still hold value for what is good and they are still able to display this kind of affection and concern for one another. The death of Tom Robinson is still an event that readers are trying to cope with almost sixty years since To Kill a Mockingbird’s publication. Tom Robinson seemed to be one of these mockingbirds; a man who did nothing wrong and yet found himself persecuted by those he tried to live innocently
I can relate this book to my life in many ways; it was easier for me to relate to this book because were both 18 year old girls who want to live life the right way. Also I don’t want to live life trying to be like everyone else, so this was really encouraging to me. A part that helped me was the part about confidence and how important that is. Its important to have confidence in your faith because say you get in a situation you can protect your faith and stand up for what you believe. Another part that I can really apply to my life was how when people were talking about her she didn’t even beg to know. Personally whenever I hear that someone was talking about me, I really want to know what they said! This helped me to learn that why fill my brain with negativity sinful gossip, because that’s not what Jesus would do.
Antigone is a powerful character, strong-willed, determined and at times self-righteous. She is contrasted by her sister Ismene, who is weak and powerless. Though Antigone is a powerful character, she has no real political power and is dominated by one man, Creon. Creon is both the ruler of the state as well as the patriarch of her family. Antigone was raised by Creon’s house after her own father went in to exile. Antigone is betrothed to Creon’s son, Haemon, further cementing Creon’s power over her. There is one aspect of life that Antigone does have legitimate power in and that is her family, especially her blood line. In ancient-Greek culture the women’s place was in the home, she was responsible for household things and often wasn’t even allowed to leave the house. It is because of this responsibility that Antigone needed to bury her brother Polynices even though it went against the decree of Creon. Antigone also had the gods on her side. It was an unwritten rule of ancient Greek society that the dead must be buried, otherwise bad things may happen. This rule, because it was unwritten and therefore innate, was protected by the gods, specifically Hades, the god of the underworld and family.
Mockingbirds do no harm to anything they just sing. The two characters in this book that represents this symbol is Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley. Tom Robinson is a “mockingbird” because he is wrongfully accused of raping a white girl. Through the prejudice of the people in Macomb he later convicted and killed, even when he never did anything to Mayella Ewell. Boo Radley is also another great example of a “mockingbird” because no accepts him throughout the town which forces him to hide in his home. He had rumors spread about him how that he was a bad guy. But he was nothing but kind to the children and even saved their lives (Dave).
It is evident that Holden Caufield has specific moments where he can recall and apply them wherever he is in life. His unleashing of children and their ability to explore the world without assistance has helped him transition to the real adult world. His fascination with ducks has made him realize that nothing is ever permanent and no one can always be there for when ever one falls. Lastly, the passing of a loved one can be times of despair but learning to grow and fight the internal struggle can help bring ease. Holden has really transformed from an egoistic individual to a genuine gentleman, he has grown from his experiences and is able to tolerate more pain. The reality has struck Holden no matter how distorted the outside world is to him, maturing is inevitable and using these moments will always be something for him to live for.
This action of honoring a past family member is an action that many perform and is widely accepted. When discussing the issue with her sister Ismene, Antigone points out that King Kreon “has no business keeping me from what is mine” (48). As his sister, Antigone deserves the right to horror the rights over her loved one and give Polyneices a proper burial. Regardless of the actions Polyneices performed, the end result justified the means at no matter the cost. Antigone states that “I shall bury him. To me it is fine to die performing such a deed” (71-72). Despite the edict that the King issues against burying Polyneices, Antigone forgoes any consequences that she faces and makes the decision to act on her brother’s behalf. This sense of obligation is what drives her to go against the King. She goes as far as saying that she is willing to die performing this deed because she knows that it is the just thing to do. Antigone does not feel the need to cooperate with King Kreon because he is not the one she needs to please. She explains
Antigone definitely values the gods over men because she wanted to honor her brother because of family duty and respect to the traditions of the gods. She disregarded the human opinion of Kreon in favor of the gods. As she once stated to Kreon “I didn’t suppose your decree had strength enough, or you, who are human, to violate the lawful traditions the gods have not written merely, but made infallible.” (Lines 555-558) Sophocles inclusion of this statement would certainly give credit to Antigone’s side considering the people of the time valued the traditions of the gods highly and would disagree with those who opposed it. Kreon often disregarded the rules of the gods or their warnings. Aside from originally violating the traditions of the gods with his dishonoring Polyneices’ body, he also tried to ignore Teirsias’ prophetic warnings and accused him of being bribed until Koryphaios also said he should follow Teirsias’ advice. However, even when he did listen to him, he incorrectly followed his plan and his son died because of his mistakes. In the end Antigone was dead and Kreon was alive, yet Kreon was miserable because his last son and his wife died because of him while Antigone died bravely and willingly because she believed she would be rewarded after death. Kreon’s disregard for much of the gods’ warnings and traditions was displayed much more negatively than Antigone who
Antigone had good reasons for her actions. She did obey the rules of her gods, which were that any dead body must be given a proper burial, with libatations. This would prevent the soul from being lost between worlds forever, along with wine as an offering to the gods (page 518- side note). Nor could Antigone let Creon's edicts go against her morals (lines 392-394). She chooses to share her love, not her hate (line 443). She couldn't bare to see one family member be chosen over the other because of what a king had decided was right, which she contravened. Why condemn somebody who stood up for what they believed in and is now dead for it anyway? Bringing homage to the family was very important to Antigone (line 422-423).
She believes that no mortal, like Kreon, has the right to keep her from her own. Even if this leads to Antigone dying during the burial, she still will not disgrace the law of the gods. Antigone believes that Polyneices deserves to be buried. Antigone states, “Kreon buried our brother Eteocles with military honors . . . but Polyneices, Who fought as bravely and died as miserably” (prologue. lines 15-18). Antigone speaking these words to her sister Ismene, makes her point of view very clear. To Antigone it did not matter which sides her brothers were on because they were both family and worthy of respect. When Antigone was faced with being confronted she defended herself and told him, “your edict, King, was strong, but all your strength is weakness itself against the immortal unrecorded laws of God” (scene 2. lines 59-61). Antigone’s loyalty to the gods is crystal clear. Antigone will not bargain herself and twist to a King’s law even if it means disobeying the law of the gods. She is obviously making an proper demand based on family devotion and the gods’
In Antigone, her brother Polynices, turned against his own city by attacking his own brother just so he could become king. On this day, both brothers died. One, Eteocles, was given funeral honors, but the other, Polynices, was not. This decision was made by Creon, Antigone’s uncle and the current King of Thebes. Creon said “He is to have no grave, no burial, no mourning from anyone; it is forbidden.'; (Pg. 432; l. 165) He also announced that anyone who should attempt to bury him would be put to death. After hearing this decision, Antigone said that Creon couldn’t do that and that the Gods would want Polynices to have a proper burial, therefore Antigone promised to her sister Ismene that she would be the one to defy Creon and bury her brother; and she didn’t care if the whole city knew of her plans. After being caught in the act, she was taken to the palace and when asked by Creon why she did it. Knowing the punishment that would come from it, she replied by saying that she didn’t think Creon had the power to overrule the u...
This is the Crux of the theme, the conflict between the law of King Creon, and the law of the gods. In fact, according to Greek belief, Creon would have been ordained by the gods to be king, and thus, should not his law be their law as well? This is the hurdle that Antigone has to face; should she abide by the law of Creon and leave her brother to rot, under penalty of death? Or should she disregard Creon's edict, follow the law of the gods and bury her brother? Creon is a brother to Jocasta, and thus next in line to become king after Etocles is killed in battle. The king is believed to be the chosen of the gods and to rule in their stead. Why then would the king attempt to punish Polyneices after death and so blatantly violate the rules of the gods? However, Creon is the king, and the penalty for disobeying this law of his is very real and very brutal, death.
Antigone welcomed death at the time of burying her brother; she was not concerned with the consequences. She saw her actions as being true to the gods and religion. “I myself will bury him. It will be good to die, so doing. I shall lie by his side, loving him as he loved me; I shall be a criminal but – a religious one.” (Antigone, lines 81-85) To Antigone, the honor of her brother, and her family was all that was important. She may be going against Creon, but if her actions were true in her heart then the gods would see her in a good light.
Antigone begins the play by expressing her willingness to die while burying her brother. Like any revolutionary or individual defying the law, she is certain her cause is not only good but worth dying for. However, at the same time, Antigone acknowledges her plan as foolish, perhaps because she may likely die as well. This would not be the worst of deaths, she argues, because she would die honorably. Surely this honor will not be from Thebes or Creon, whom she is disobeying, but most likely from an even greater source...the gods.
Monopolies have a tendency to be bad for the economy. Granted, there are some that are a necessity of life such as natural and legal monopolies. However, the article I have chosen to review is “America’s Monopolies are Holding Back the Economy (Lynn, 2017)” and the name speaks for itself.