Argumentative Essay On Antigone
English 125
4 February 2013
Antigone
It is human nature to judge other people; most people form an opinion of others within three minutes of meeting them. While reading Antigone my opinion was formed about her on the first two pages. She was extremely stubborn and headstrong, but she was also extremely brave and faithful. She loved her family and would do anything to protect them, even if that meant risking the wrath of the king to have a proper burial for her brother. She believed in the Gods and she thought that their love and protection was more important than that of the earthly king. Throughout the story my opinion changed drastically because of some of the things she says about a future husband and child.
In lines 995-1004 Antigone
reveals the circumstances that she would not risk her life for a family member. She states that if it was her husband or a child that was “exposed and rotting” like her brother was, she would never take it upon herself to go out and bury them. This broke my heart. How could a woman so strong and faithful risk her life for her brother, but not her child? After reading that statement my opinion changed of Antigone. In my eyes she seems almost heartless. As I read on and realized her reasoning as to why she wouldn’t risk her life for a child or husband the heartlessness in her character seemed even stronger. She says “A husband dead, there might have been another. A child by another too… But mother and father both lost in the halls of Death, no brother could ever spring to light again.” This reasoning made me almost sick, because it was like she was comparing her future husband or child to some kind of possession she could just replace with a new model. Antigone’s character went from being this loving; strong willed, family focused women in the beginning of the story to this heartless, brutal woman who could just trade her family members for new ones without a hesitation. I was very disappointed in her after reading this statement. I personally do not see how you could put one family member’s worth above another’s. I realize that these statements were made from a young woman who had never been married and never had children. I also realize the possibility that her opinion may have changed if she had the chance to have a family, but in her callous explanation of who she would or would not risk her life for she disappointed me and changed my opinion of her.
4 February 2013
Antigone
It is human nature to judge other people; most people form an opinion of others within three minutes of meeting them. While reading Antigone my opinion was formed about her on the first two pages. She was extremely stubborn and headstrong, but she was also extremely brave and faithful. She loved her family and would do anything to protect them, even if that meant risking the wrath of the king to have a proper burial for her brother. She believed in the Gods and she thought that their love and protection was more important than that of the earthly king. Throughout the story my opinion changed drastically because of some of the things she says about a future husband and child.
In lines 995-1004 Antigone
reveals the circumstances that she would not risk her life for a family member. She states that if it was her husband or a child that was “exposed and rotting” like her brother was, she would never take it upon herself to go out and bury them. This broke my heart. How could a woman so strong and faithful risk her life for her brother, but not her child? After reading that statement my opinion changed of Antigone. In my eyes she seems almost heartless. As I read on and realized her reasoning as to why she wouldn’t risk her life for a child or husband the heartlessness in her character seemed even stronger. She says “A husband dead, there might have been another. A child by another too… But mother and father both lost in the halls of Death, no brother could ever spring to light again.” This reasoning made me almost sick, because it was like she was comparing her future husband or child to some kind of possession she could just replace with a new model. Antigone’s character went from being this loving; strong willed, family focused women in the beginning of the story to this heartless, brutal woman who could just trade her family members for new ones without a hesitation. I was very disappointed in her after reading this statement. I personally do not see how you could put one family member’s worth above another’s. I realize that these statements were made from a young woman who had never been married and never had children. I also realize the possibility that her opinion may have changed if she had the chance to have a family, but in her callous explanation of who she would or would not risk her life for she disappointed me and changed my opinion of her.