Thursday, January 30, 2020
The Just Versus Unjust Essay Example for Free
The Just Versus Unjust Essay Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Sophocles were three men who tried to show the world that unjust laws hurt all of society, and all three tried what they thought would be the remedy to such injustice. King even gave his life to the cause of overcoming unjust laws. I feel that all of them made good points and should be remembered for their great works, but I think that Antigone by Sophocles is the most effective because she actually gives her life for the cause that she feels is unjust.            From the start of the play, Antigone states that she will die young. Leave me and my ill counsel to endure This dreadful doom. I shall not suffer aught So evil as a death dishonourable. (Sophocles Ll. 109-111) Antigone’s brother, Polynices           , has been killed while at war with his brother for the controlling power of Thebes. Creon, Antigone’s uncle and now the king of Thebes, has decreed that Polynices cannot have a burial, unlike his brother, Eteocles. His body must lie out in the open where the birds and the elements take a toll on his remains, and anyone who tries to burry him will be stoned. Antigone is distraught, not only because of her brother’s death, but by this dishonorable deed decree which is now law. Therefore she knows from the start that she will receive the ultimate punishment for what she knows that she has to do. As Antigone explained to her sister, Ismene, while trying to convince her that she should also help with the burial, she must answer to higher powers than the king. This is much like Dr. Martin Luther King’s philosophy. But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their thus saith the Lord far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I. compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid. (King)            Antigone and King suffered from injustices bestowed on them by birth. Antigone was the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, who were not only man and wife, but mother and son. She was cursed at birth for the atrocity of her parent’s sin. King was born an African American during the time when prejudice was at the heart of the moral fiber in southern America. They could not escape their trials. Henry David Thoreau was born into privilege. The few sufferings he endured were self imposed. That does not mean that he was less of an honorable man. He did choose to stand up for the injustice he saw in the laws of the land. He had never been a slave, and yet he went to jail because he refused to pay taxes to a government that would uphold the hideous institution of slavery. Like Antigone, he made a conscious decision to break the law that he knew in his heart to be unjust. If others pay the tax which is demanded of me, from a sympathy with the State, they do but what they have already done in their own case, or rather they abet injustice to a greater extent than the State requires. If they pay the tax from a mistaken interest in the individual taxed, to save his property, or prevent his going to jail, it is because they have not considered wisely how far they let their private feelings interfere with the public good. (Thoreau)            Antigone, despite the order from her king, uncle, and future father-in-law, decides to give her brother an honorable burial even though her Ismene has declined to help her and to obey the law. When it is discovered by Creon who the culprit of this crime is, she willingly admits to what she has done as do King and Thoreau when they are charged for their unjust crimes. The major difference is that Antigone will face certain death. She sees this as an act of love. There is no baseness in the act which shows our reverence for our kindred.(Ll. 564-5) King was martyred for his beliefs, however, he did not know with certainty that would be the outcome.  Thoreau knew that jail was inevitable, but death was never an issue.            Creon, after a fight with his son, decides not to stone Antigone, but to entomb her alive so that she will suffer a slow death. This sentence is unjust because she only buried her brother. Creon does not see it as only a burial, but as a treasonous act because she has broken his law. With all societies, the reason for the punishment of a crime is not for justice, but to make an example of the condemned and to strike fear in all who would seek to follow that same course. Antigone willingly takes her punishment. She is adamant that her sister, Ismene, will not suffer the same fate as Creon has declared, not because she is concerned for Ismene’s well being, but she feels that Ismene does not deserve to die a martyr’s death since she did not help Antigone in the burial. Creon decides to spare Ismene, and Antigone readily accepts her fate.            When the soothsayer of Thebes, warns Creon of the wrath from the gods that he will bring down on Thebes, he refuses to listen, and instead curses the old man. He truly does not want to hear that he might not be in the right. Many times in today’s society leaders are the same way. They would rather go down and take a country down with them than admit that they were wrong. Creon, out of fear, orders that Antigone be released. The sentry return only to tell him that Antigone has killed herself by hanging and that Haemon was also in the tomb mourning her. Creon goes to the tomb himself and finds Haemon wailing about Antigone’s death. He strikes at his father, but misses. Then he turns the sword on himself and takes his own life. Eurydice, Creon’s wife and Haemon’s mother, hears of her son’s suicide and stabs herself. Creon is then told of his wife’s suicide and her body is brought before him. He is so grief stricken that he prays for death. Woe! woe! alas! I shudder in my fear: Will no one strike         1496 A deadly blow with sharp two-edgà ¨d sword? Fearful my fate, alas! And with a fearful woe full sore beset. (Ll. 1495-99) There are two major themes in Antigone as well as several minor ones. One of the themes is that when an unjust law is permitted to exist, there are tragic results for all of the citizens of that society. Many will pay the price for the atrocity. Millions of slaves paid the price of slavery while thousands paid the ultimate price for civil rights in the nineteen sixties. The other major theme is that it takes a brave soul to turn around the injustices of the law. Antigone paid for the wrong done to her brother, but she also brought forth the sympathy of the citizens of Thebes. This gave them courage in the face of adversity. Thoreau had only a few followers when he introduced the idea of civil disobedience but it has survived the test of time. Since it was first published, numerous individuals and groups have looked to his teaching as an example of making their voice heard. Of course King’s work brought the idea for civil rights for all people to the forefront. The freedoms that all Americans hold dear today are possible in part because of his actions. Lead me, then, forth,         1524 vain shadow that I am, Who slew thee, O my son, unwittingly, And thee, tooâ€â€(O my sorrow)â€â€and I know not Which way to look. All near at hand is turned         1528 Aside to evil; and upon my head There falls a doom far worse than I can bear.(Ll. 1524-30)            All three men, Thoreau, King, and Sophocles left their mark on the world when it came to resistance to unjust laws of society. Over time they have inspired many to do the same. Sometimes these ideas have been met with success, and other times they have been unsuccessful. However, when a life is lost for a cause, the results are eternal and it is hard for the martyr to be forgotten. That is why Antigone is the most effective example as the response to the unjust law. Works Cited King, Martin Luther, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail. April 16, 1963, Nobel Prizes. June 7, 2007, http://www.nobelprizes.com/nobel/peace/MLK-jail.html Sophocles. Antigone. 1909-14. Bartleby Harvard Classics. June 7, 2007, http://www.bartleby.com/8/6/1.html Thoreau, Henry David. Civil Disobedience. 1849, The Art Bin Origo. June 7, 2007, http://art-bin.com/art/odisob.html
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
The Angers of the Rich :: Character Analysis, Buchanan
Paul Krugman discusses topics including anger, wealth, self-pity, and self-righteousness in his article, â€Å"The Angry Rich.†All of these characteristics are reflected in the character Tom Buchanan, from The Great Gatsby. Tom, who depicts himself as an imperious man, puts himself above everyone just because he has money. In The Great Gatsby, money rules the society from where you live, whom you’re friends with, and even the way people look at you. Tom and Daisy both think of themselves as exclusive compared to everyone else and put themselves above the rules. Tom has a mistress, Myrtle, she isn’t the most appealing woman, but it is enough to fuel the fire of Tom’s ego. The Great Gatsby illustrates Tom getting irritated and angry while driving to the city as a result of noticing the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby, and no one informing him of it: â€Å"Did you see that?††¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"You think I’m pretty dumb, don’t you?††¦ He paused. The immediate contingency overtook him, pulled him back from the edge of the theoretical abyss†(121). Tom is starting to catch on that Daisy might be cheating on him with Gatsby, but he has no right to be upset; he is doing the same thing with Myrtle! Tom’s realization also supports his beliefs in rules not applying to him because he is higher than everyone else. Jordan Baker, one of Daisy’s friends, sums up Tom’s feelings toward Gatsby in one statement: â€Å"Listen, Tom. If you’re such a snob, why did you invite him to lunch?†demanded Jordan crossly†(122). If Tom has â€Å"made a small investigation of this fellow†(122); and concludes that he doesn’t like him, then why does he invite him places and attend his party? Before Nick goes to dinner with the Buchanans, he fills us in on Tom’s privileged life: â€Å"Her husband†¦a national figure in a way, one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterward savors of anti-climax. His family were enormously wealthy†(Fitzgerald 6). This passage illustrates Tom’s trouble-free access to masses of money. With this money comes power and obviously this power has made Tom feel like he is at liberty to anything. Paul Krugman also states this in his article: â€Å"And among the undeniably rich, a belligerent sense of entitlement has taken hold†Another one of Tom’s amazing traits is having self-pity.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Bless Me Ultima Theme Analysis Essay
Chinua Achebe and Rudolfo Anaya write stories about two people that must over come struggles and difficulties in life. The characters in both stories must overcome internal and external conflict. A theme expressed in both stories is that everyone has conflicted and struggles in their life but they must overcome and make the best of the situation. This theme is expressed through character thoughts, symbolism and character experiences. In Anaya’s story, Bless Me Ultima, the main character, Antonio must over come many different obstacles, in one summer. Throughout Antonio’s summer he experiences death everywhere, he experiences the death of a stranger, family friend, and 2 close friends, but some how through it all he stays strong. He witnesses the death of a dear friend, â€Å" the lonely river was a sad place to be when one is a small boy who has just seen a friend die†(Anaya, 231). Antonio wintness the death of someone from town, Lupito, although he did not really know the man, witnessing the death of anyone can be saddening, â€Å" I saw Lupito lifted off his feet and hurled backwards by the bullets. (Anaya 20) Not only did Antonio have to say goodbye to the people who died, shortly after his brothers returned from war, they were gone again, â€Å"I wondered if I would ever really know my brothers, or would the remain but phantoms of my dream. †( Anya, 178) Although Antonio was not a smiling laughing child through the course of the story, he did remain positive and continued moving forward. In Achebe’s short story Civil Peace, the main character Jonathan Iwegbu and his family go through a devastating 3 year war, however he continues to stay strong, this shows through comparisons and symbolism. Instead of the character being depressed and whoa it is me, he is thankful and feels he is blessed, â€Å"He had come of the war with five inestimable blessings- his head, his wife Maria’s head, and the head of the three of their four children. †(Achebe, 358) Things we take forgranted in America Jonathan considered them miracles. â€Å"As a bonus he also has his old bicycle- a miracle too†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Achebe, 359) Another example, â€Å"the newest miracle was his little house in Ogui Overside†¦.. Of course the doors and windows were missing and five sheets of the roof†(Achebe 359). Rusted bike, and damaged house, these our things many people would be disappointed to have, Jonathan is just grateful to have anything, with everything he has been through, he finds the better side of the situation. The thoughts and words of both characters is clear evidence of perseverance and determination to continue moving forward. â€Å" Let it go where everything el se has gone. Nothing puzzles God†(Achebe, 364). Jonathan says this after the robbers come to his house, he is saying that let them take the money, more was taken in the war, and that God knows what he is doing. Even after all the money he has worked hard for is taken Jonathan still does not get down on himself, like Antonio. â€Å"The rest of the summer was good for me, good in a sense that is was filled with its richness and I made strength from everything that had happened to me, so that in the end even the final tragedy could not defeat me†(Anaya, 237). This though Antonio had sums up the theme of both stories all in one. Both characters will take what the world throws at them and use it to make them stronger, and they will continue to live. These stories were both straightforward and easy to keep up with, but they had deeper meanings within the story. There wasn’t only the one theme I have described for you, but many other ones. However the theme that popped out at me, was basically what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Which is No matter what people go through they must find the strength within to persevere and continue living their life.
Monday, January 6, 2020
Essay on The Effect of the Industrial Revolution on the...
The aims of this paper are to evaluate the effects the Industrial Revolution had on the wider world. This essay will be assessing the impact of technology and innovation on employment of the era, and how the factory system gave rise to socialism. In addition, it will be evaluating how the Industrial Revolution was the precursor to the phenomenon of consumerism and the resulting globalization. The Industrial Revolution was a period from 1750 to 1850 where agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, and technology went through a period of significant change. These changes had a profound impact on the social and cultural conditions of the time, beginning in the Untied Kingdom and spreading throughout Western Europe, North America, and†¦show more content†¦The textile factory system of the United Kingdom was mainly located around the areas of Greater Manchester and the towns of Pennines and Lancashire. These areas would become the bedrock of the textile industry in Britain, as Rosen states: ‘The true industrialization of Britain, and subsequently, the world, depended on a commodity that could attract consumers not by the thousands, but the millions’ . A commodity, like, for example: cotton. The textile industry, which came to make up the majority of Britain’s factory system, was going through a period of substantial change. The pre-industrial cloth industry, consisting mainly of wool, was organized on the domestic system by using hand-powered machinery. By 1850, this system was giving way to steam power and the factory system, and the primacy of wool was replaced with the primacy of cotton . The invention of James Hargreaves’ ‘Spinning Jenny’ and Richard Arkwright’s ‘Water Frame’ had already revolutionized the textile industry, however, the development of the ‘Mule’, so-called because it was a cross between the Jenny and Water Frame, by Samuel Crompton, led to the rapid establishment of many cotton mills. The ‘Mule’, which incorporated the steam engine to increase its output, would produce seven times as much cloth as hand operated looms. This led many employers rushing to replace male hand weavers with machines, as noted by Richard Guest in his 1823 publication Compendium History of Cotton-Manufacture: ‘the sameShow MoreRelatedSocial Change Essay1505 Words  | 7 Pagesmay become a reality in my lifetime and to more than just astronauts. The second cultural change is new discovery. This occurs when people take notice of existing elements of the world. For example, with the advancement of medicine our understanding of the human body increases. 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