Letter to Birmingham Jail
By: Fatih • Essay • 562 Words • November 20, 2009 • 1,269 Views
Essay title: Letter to Birmingham Jail
Letter to Birmingham Jail ,by Martin Luther King, and Antigone ,by Sophocles ,are stories that follow the same suit. They both are different versions of civil disobedience. Antigone's disobedience is driven by the mistreating of her brother Polynesis, which eventually lead to her death. King's disobedience was driven by the mistreating of his race of people. He was sick to death of the way "Negros" were being treated, and had enough.
Antigone's brothers were fighting for the throne and couldn't take sharing the responsibility. They killed each other, and Polynesis was declared never to be buried. Antigone could not see her brother like that and buried him anyway. Her punishment was to be publicly stoned to death. She welcomed her punishment, and all the community thought the punishment was unjust. King was fighting for the freedom of his people, and the right to do the same and whites in America. He was threatened to be thrown in jail along with others for protesting. He took his punishment for the good of his cause, and never stepped down or retracted anything.
Antigone's sentence was to be stoned to death, but was changed. The people of her community said that the punishment was too harsh. So instead the ruler, Creon, locked her inside a cave with just enough food to keep her alive. She died inside the cave. King was arrested for the beliefs he had, even though what he was trying to do would only better America. He took the fall for all the "Negros" he was fighting for. Both Antigone and King fought for what they believed in, even in some others eyes it was not the "right" thing and not the way everyone is told to act.
Antigone's reason for burying his brother, was not only because she loved him but the law was un just. Polynesis should've been treated the same way as his brother and anyone else that fell at battle.