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How has literature changed
Fahrenheit 451 books symbolism
Interrelationship between literature and society
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Recommended: How has literature changed
Imagine living in a time where books have been banned and your only source of companionship was a screen on the wall. Or picture living in the city of Thebes, where you must risk execution by the king in order to give your dead brother the proper burial he deserves. These two scenarios precisely describe the worlds of Montag, from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and Antigone, from Sophocles’ Antigone, respectively. Though the ways in which Antigone and Montag challenge their world’s status quo are very similar, the motives and consequences behind their actions are very different.
One way in which Montag and Antigone’s challenge the status quo similarly is that they both break the law. Montag breaks the law by reading books: “They read the long
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71)). Antigone breaks the law by burying Polyneices against Creon’s orders:” Right away she spread thirsty dust with her hands, then poured the three libations from a vessel of fine bronze. And so she crowned the corpse with honor.”(429-431). Both characters commit illegal acts in order to challenge the current state of affairs. Another similarity is that both Montag and Antigone contradict their established roles. As a fireman, Montag’s job is to burn books and, more importantly, relish in the destruction of knowledge. While this may sound fairly simple, committing to this duty becomes increasingly more difficult as events unfold and Montag grows unsatisfied and conflicted towards his job: “I’m so damned unhappy, I’m so mad, and I don’t even know why…I might even start reading books” (pg. 64). His contempt towards book-burning profession grow so great that he’s willing to do the number one unspeakable rule of every fireman—read books. Montag’s growing inclination to read and waning interest to burn clearly contradict his supposed role as a …show more content…
For instance, Montag challenges the status quo by reading books and taking the time to live within the moment; he starts to notice the autumn leaves, taste the rain, and ask simple questions. Antigone, however, challenges the status quo by defying King Creon’s rules and challenging his authority. One character’s action is spent trying to change a lifestyle while the other is spent trying to confront a figure of authority. These are two very separate approaches. Another distinguishing difference between the Montag and Antigone is their motives. In Fahrenheit, Montag rebels against status quo because he yearns for a meaningful, fulfilling life, and the only way he feels that is possible is through books: “We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren’t happy. Something’s missing. I look around. The only thing I positively knew was gone was the books I’d burn”(page 82). The “missing” aspect is books, or attainable knowledge. Montag’s reasons for defying the norms are purely self-gratifying. Antigone, on the other hand, does not challenge the status quo for self gain. She dares to challenge the Creon and his law because of her brother: “I will bury him...call it a crime of reverence, but I must be good to those who are below” (72-75). In this dialogue, Antigone states that she will bury Polyneices’ body so he can have a proper, respectful mourning, even if it means
Once Montag witnesses the unethical extent that the firemen would go through to destroy the existence of books, he realizes how corrupt and unjust the societal rules were. “He looked with dismay at the floor. ‘We burned an old woman with her books” (47).
King, being calm and using negotiation and logic, and Antigone being demanding and defiant. Antigone has some flaws about her, but she also has some good traits about her. One is being willing to do anything for her family. She represents a strong woman in a male dominant society as King represented a determined man in a society full of racists. She was willing to risk her life to give her brother a proper burial because that is what she believed in. In the same, King was willing to go to jail to stand up for what he believed in. However, if Antigone had followed King's steps of civil disobedience, there might not have been so much
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Fahrenheit 451 share two main characters that are seemingly lost in the unknown. Both Chief Bromden and Guy Montag are protagonist in the respective novels. These two characters both have a false sense of reality; however, this is the only reality they know. Bromden and Montag have little sense of what the world they live in has to offer. However things start to change for both of these men when they start to receive guidance from their counterparts, Randle McMurphy and Clarisse McClellan. Both of these characters become the catalyst for the freedom and liberation that Bromden and Montag come to find.
Antigone holds her love of family, and respect to the dead, elevated beyond the laws of Creon, whom she believes, has no righteous justification to close his eyes to the honor of the deceased. In her determination to fulfill Polynices' rights, she runs directly into Creon's attempts to re-establish order. This leads to encounters of severe conflict between the dissimilarities of the two, creating a situation whereby both Creon and Antigone expose their stubbornness and self will.
Summing up, Antigone decides to express her discontent with what she considers to be the unethical new regime of King Creon by burying her brother's body. By taking this bold step, Antigone shows the strength that an individual’s actions hold in a democracy. Creon, with his stubborn attitude, shows how a democracy where peoples’ voices are not heard can be dysfunctional, and that laws should be made by taking other people into confidence and not on an individual basis. In the end, Antigone resolves to sacrifice her own life in the service of a greater justice. It is this kind of formidable resolve that changes the course of history, and that is something that we can respect equally in the 5th century B.C. and the 21st century A.D.
The texts Antigone and Wicked challenge conventional ideas about gender. Both Elphaba and Antigone demonstrate strong will and are figures of rebellion as they challenge the status quo in their patriarchal societies. The main characters in these books reject feminine constructs of leadership, challenge democracy, and deconstruct ideologies of maternity and male dependency through embracing the label as “the other” courageously.
There are many similarities and differences between Antigone by Sophocles and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The adults in both of the books have the difficult job of controlling the actions of the younger characters. Their decisions have a crucial effect on the outcome of the books, for the younger characters that they guide are the main figures in their stories. Antigone’s King Creon and Romeo and Juliet’s Prince Escalus and Lord Capulet share but also have unique strengths, weaknesses, leadership qualities, and crisis-managing techniques.
Antigone remains a static character at stage five throughout the story. Faced with people who do not agree with her decision, Antigone stands tall with what is morally right to her. Kohlberg’s Theory is not only universal but also helps readers understand a character morally. Choosing whether or not to bury her brother, Polyneices, or to follow the law given by Creon, does not derail her moral
In the beginning of the novel, Montag thinks he cares about everyone and their feelings. Once Clarisse steps into his life, this changes right away. She shows him that the world he lives in ignores people's feelings .They make games out of kill...
Antigone shows throughout the play that she is always thinking that she must do what is best for other’s and not just herself. She is willing to do what is needed to follow the law of the gods, even if it is breaking the state law.... ... middle of paper ... ...
The characters in the play Antigone all suffer a downfall of some sort. The major characters suffer the most, though. In this short essay, I will document on how the two main characters, Creon and Antigone, both inevitably become tragic heroes.
In the awe-inspiring play of Antigone, Sophocles introduces two remarkable characters, Antigone and Creon. A conflict between these two obstinate characters leads to fatal consequences for themselves and their kindred. The firm stances of Creon and Antigone stem from two great imperatives: his loyalty to the state and her dedication to her family, her religion but most of all her conscience. The identity of the tragic hero of this play is still heavily debated. This tragedy could have been prevented if it had not been for Creon's pitiful mistakes.
Although Antigone has a bad reputation with Creon, and possibly Ismene, for being insubordinate, she stays true to her values throughout the entire play by following the law of gods, not so that she could appease them, but because she admired its value of honor and respect to loved ones that have passed away. This devotion and determination to give her brother a proper burial shows the true essence of her being: that loyalty to family is in fact hold above all else.
The dilemma of identifying the true hero, or heroine, of Sophocles’ Antigone has tortured students for years. It is indeed a difficult decision to make. The basis for this decision is what the reader perceives to be Sophocles’ dramatic issue in this play. The dramatic issue of the play is twofold: Antigone is a fanatic who is driven by her religious fever to bury the body of her criminal brother, Polyneices, against the edict of Creon. In the second part, Sophocles shows how the new King Creon’s refusal to change his decision in the face of adversity is admirable, but at the same time his political morals end up destroying his family. His fall from grace is tragic, whereas Antigone's fall is welcome. In this manner, Sophocles sympathizes with Creon, and thus he becomes the hero of the Antigone.
The play “Antigone” is a tragedy by Sophocles. One main theme of the play is Religion vs. the state. This theme is seen throughout the play. Antigone is the supporter of religion and following the laws of the gods and the king of Thebes, Creon, is the state. In the play Creon has made it against the law to bury Antigone’s brother, something that goes against the laws of the gods, this is the cause of most conflict in the story. This struggle helps to develop the tragic form by giving the reader parts of the form through different characters.