Antigone And Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. s Letter From...

In Sophocles’ Antigone and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s â€Å"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†¦show more content†¦Dr. King was looking for support from members of society in order to create an effective change in society’s ethics. Moreover, Dr. Martin Luther Kin g, Jr.’s large audience and public movement used nonviolent tactics, such as sit-ins, marches, and freedom rides to put the Civil Rights Movement in action. Before directly acting against the law, Dr. King had used other means to try to obtain justice for all; he used the four basic steps of a nonviolent campaign to decide how he would approach this cultural issue of racism: determination of whether injustices exist, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action (King 1). After the first three steps of his nonviolent campaign proved to be ineffective, he decided to seek direct action through a large demonstration of civil disobedience. Dr. King had a tremendous impact on the segregation issue in not just Birmingham, but the entire country, by leading the Civil Rights Movement, which eventually helped influence anti-segregation legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that affected a massive population of the entire country. Although Dr. King’s journey ended in his assassination, his relentless passion for equal rights was empowering to many and helped to create a more just society. In Antigone, Polyneices’ rebellious battle against his brother, Eteocles, the King of Thebes, resulted in the death of both brothers, and left Kreon as the new King of Thebes. Because of Polyneices’ rebellion, Kreon created a lawShow MoreRelatedThe Fight for Social Justice Essay892 Words   |  4 Pagescomes at a great cost to those involved. Through writings such as Dr. Martin Luther King’s â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† and Sophocles’ â€Å"Antigone†, as well as, lectures such as Dr.Colbourn’s lecture â€Å"Confronting History and the Good Life: Life after Rosewood† it is demonstrated how life, freedom, and a normal everyday life suffer as a cost of fighting for social justice and the common good. To begin with, Dr. Martin Luther King as well as many other African- Americans fought for equality, socialRead MoreAntigone And Martin Luther Kings Letter From Birmingham Jail831 Words   |  4 Pagesproblem. Dr King’s letter explains how he knew he broke the law by blocking a road, but did it due to the racism and injustices that were happening. In Antigone, she buries her brother even though he was not meant to, and due to she is a female and that she broke the law that was unjust her consequence is to die. Sophocles’ Antigone and Martin Luther King’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† explore a common theme that law sometimes conflicts with justice through the characters of Antigone, Creon, andRead MoreCivil Disobedience, And Martin Luther King Jr. s Letter From Birmingham Jail1018 Words   |  5 PagesHistoric figures such as Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. all acted civilly disobedience, but society benefitted from their move ments. Civil disobedience is the underlying theme of Sophocles’ Antigone and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail. The main character of Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone, acts civil disobedience, just as Dr. King acted civilly disobedient. Both Antigone and Martin Luther King Jr. fought to gain justice for the people who they believed wereRead MoreEssay on Antigone: Martin Luther Kings Nonviolent Campaign1041 Words   |  5 Pages Martin Luther King, Jr. defines â€Å"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, â€Å"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