Similarities Between Martin Luther King Jr And Antigone

Civil disobedience is defined as the refusal to obey the demands or certain laws of a government/ occupying power. Without resorting to violence or active events of conflict, it is typically used in the form of a peaceful protest. Civil disobedience has been seen in historical context as a main approach and philosophy of nationalist movements in Africa, India, and also in the American civil rights movement. It can also be a useful tactic in labor, anti-war, and other social movements occurring in numerous countries around the world. In both Sophocles’ Antigone and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, the author describes two very different displays of civil disobedience. Antigone disobeyed “man’s law” and buried her brother. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the other hand, fought to change the law for the rights of a large group of people. For this reason, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s efforts were more admirable than the efforts of Antigone.

Civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws. Antigone by Sophocles has a majority of examples of civil disobedience. A few examples that stand out is when Creon does not believe Polyneices deserves a proper burial, but Antigone believes that is human right to have one. Another example is when everyone in Thebes believes that what Antigone has done is not wrong and stand by her. One last example of civil disobedience is when Antigone knows it is against the law to bury her brother, but she knows and does the right thing for her brother. Civil disobedience is displayed all over the country. There are many examples of civil disobedience throughout history, for example, when Rosa Parks refused to sit in the color section of the bus. Another example is when Saudi Arabia women believe it was their right to drive because men can, therefore why can’t they. One last example, the Palestinian women and children wanted to leave because of the way they were treated because of their religion. Civil disobedience is an important role in a majority of peoples lives. The examples of civil disobedience in Antigone and the examples in the articles are similar because Antigone and the articles have one common goal they believe and stand for what is right and just.

Sophocles’ “Antigone” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” are two works of literature addressing the concept of nonviolent civil disobedience. “Antigone” is the story of a young woman, who the play is named after, who buries her brother against the law, as he was a traitor. She was then incarcerated and sentenced to death by the king of Thebes and her uncle, Creon. “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”, as the name implies, was written while King was arrested in Birmingham for leading a public demonstration. The letter is a response to another letter sent by a group of white clergymen criticizing his work, and to a broader extent, is addressed to the church and those who are complacent in the segregation occurring during

The fight for the good life begins with a single event. A word out of turn, an act of protest and overall, a continuous support of ones’ morals. Throughout their life, one is ingrained with morals up until the final breath they take. Antigone violates Creon’s edict and fights for the rights of her brother Polyneices and goes against the word of the law. Martin Luther King Junior (MLK) fights against racial inequality and lobbies racial views with acts of civil disobediences. Both Antigone and MLK acted against laws they believed to be unjust. Their own life experiences and the morals they grew up with influenced where the fine line of right and wrong stands. In Sophocles Antigone and MLK’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, I am going to

Antigone’s acts should not be considered civil disobedience. The reason why is because her acts were non violent, all she was doing was burying Polyneices. Not hurting or threatening in any way. It was public in a way. There was no possible way that Antigone could’ve harmed anyone while doing this and she didn’t harm anyone during the play. If anyone saw her she wouldn’t care because she was doing it to pay respect to Polyneices. If she was trying to do it in private she would’ve try to hurt the guy who saw her burying the body of Polyneices.

From the monarchs of the ancient era to the democracy of today, order has been maintained by means of rules and regulations known as laws. Compliance with these laws is enforced through punishments ranging in severity according to the crimes committed to reduce violence and misconduct from individuals within a society. However, just as citizens consent to abide by the laws of the state in which they reside, one is compelled to preserve justice and condemn the unjust decisions of man when the social contract contradicts the laws sanctioned by God. Approaching this conflict between natural and manmade laws in a non-violent manner is called “civil disobedience”.

In Sophocles’ Antigone and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Antigone and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used resistance against powerful leaders to follow their morals and make a statement. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s approach towards the reconstruction of society’s cultural understanding of segregation by speaking truth to power used civil disobedience in a more public and large-scale approach, whereas Antigone’s use of civil disobedience defied the law in a much more private, small-scale way to do what she believed what was right. In addition to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s advocacy for equal treatment and Antigone’s dedication to obey the gods, they used their determination to refuse to obey the laws of the land in order to stand behind their own morals.

Martin Luther King, Jr. defines “civil disobedience” as a way to show others what to do when a law is unjust and unreasonable. As King stated in the letter from Birmingham, “Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.” When Negros were being treated unfairly, Martin Luther King, Jr. stepped in to show people how to peacefully protest and not be violent. The dictionary definition of civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest (Webster Dictionary). That is what Martin Luther King, Jr. did when nothing was changing in the town after the law for public school to be non-segregated. In

In Sophocles’ Antigone and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Antigone and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used resistance against powerful leaders to follow their morals and make a statement. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s approach towards the reconstruction of society’s cultural understanding of segregation used civil disobedience in a more public and large-scale approach, whereas Antigone’s use of civil disobedience defied the law in a much more private, small-scale way to do what she believed what was right. Compared to Antigone, Dr. King’s approach was more strategic and planned out. In addition to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s advocacy for equal treatment and Antigone’s dedication to obey the gods, they used

Exploration of Civil Disobedience in Sophocles' Antigone, King's Letter from Birmingham Jail, and Plato's From Crito

Civil disobedience is the purposeful violation of a law to show that it is unconstitutional or morally defective. In the plays, Antigone and Trifles, the female main characters commit an act of civil disobedience. The plays are respectively written by Sophocles and Susan Glaspell. Antigone, the main character of Antigone, protects her dead brother's honor as she disobeys the laws of King Creon. Mrs. Hale, the main character of Trifles prevents a neighbor from being charged with homicide as she breaks the law in front of two lawmen-The Sheriff and the County Attorney. Both characters' crimes are similar; however, their differences lie in how they handle their violations. Antigone

Antigone defies the law of King Creon to honor her brother with a proper burial. She willingly goes against the King to follow the law of the gods’ regardless of the consequences, doing what she believes is right. Similarly, Martin Luther King travels to Birmingham to march and protest the injustices towards Black people because he believed it is the right thing to do. Although Antigone was not afraid to die for what she believed in, Martin Luther King’s method of civil disobedience was more effective because Antigone failed to promote negotiations and just accepted her punishment freely. King believed that to properly have a nonviolent approach towards injustice you must be able to speak peacefully to gain understanding for negotiation. Urging people to create tension in the form of civil disobedience to promote awareness of the injustices.

Not only were many laws changed and created, but even more were broken in an attempt to better our once unjust society. Martin Luther King Jr., arguably the most influential leader of this movement, was an avid supporter of civil disobedience during this era. He participated in countless sit-ins and protests, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956, in which he and almost one hundred other activists were arrested for peacefully protesting discrimination in the Montgomery public transit system. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, written in 1963 after he was arrested for partaking in a nonviolent protest, King offers explanation as to why he practices civil disobedience and what he hopes to achieve in doing so. In this letter, King admits, “In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law…that would lead to anarchy. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty”. However, he also stated that in this fight, it is necessary to “[stand] up for what is best in the American…thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence”. In his words, civil disobedience is more than ignorance of law; it is just one of the necessary measures that must be taken to restore equality in a

In the play Antigone, Antigone defies a royal decree prohibiting anyone from interring Polyneices, a supposed traitor, because of her moral convictions. Antigone explains to her sister Ismene that she will “...go to bury him; / And good it were, this having done, to die. / Loved I shall be with him whom I have loved (79-81). Antigone chooses to bury Polyneices because she believes it is honorable thing to do. Here, we observe an example of how Antigone will readily sacrifice herself to stand up for her morals. Throughout the play, Antigone continues to struggle for what she considers to be correct and for her freedom to express her beliefs. As Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (Letter from Birmingham Jail). Antigone directly defies an unjust law, without awaiting the abrogation of the decree, in order to uphold her ethical beliefs. Antigone’s actions are justified because she is attempting to give a loved one peace and comfort in the afterlife, an action which anyone under the same circumstances would reciprocate. In the eyes of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Henry David Thoreau, Antigone exercises civil disobedience because of her direct, nonviolent, and immediate opposition to an unlawful law.

Although civil disobedience rarely accomplishes the change that it demands directly, it does create change indirectly through raising awareness and support. Civil disobedience works by relying on the reaction of governments/societies after individuals rebel to rally support for the protest. If the government/society violently crushes the rebellion, as in the case of Antigone, then the civil disobedience wins by creating pity and sorrow for the rebellion. However, if the government/society does not react, then the individuals are still successful by being allowed to get away with acts of civil disobedience which spread their cause.