Compare And Contrast Taliban And Creon

Citizens, from every period of history, are required to obey the laws put in place by those in authority over them. But, when people are obligated to their individuality rather than the law, they tend to revolt and disobey authority. The harsh Taliban and Creon were afraid of revolt, so they placed fear in the hearts of their people. Consequently, the Taliban and Creon both disregarded individuals for the law in order to keep the people controlled and submissive.
Both the Taliban and Creon used force to control the people in different ways. The Taliban demonstrated their power oriented way of rule by using deadly force in the documentary. The women of Pakistan desired to have education as the men do, and the Taliban feared this because an educated people is a smarter, united people with more purpose to unite against the Taliban and revolt. Out of fear, the Taliban used force by bombing many schools and creating laws against girls going to school. The Pakistani girls were then unable to further attend their school and were stuck at home. Most remained silent out
of fear for their lives and what the Taliban might do to them if they spoke out (Guggenheim). Similarly, in the play, Creon ordered guards to oversee the dead body of Polynices to forbid anyone from burying the body, and he set the penalty of disobedience as death. When Antigone, sister of Polynices, disobeyed Creon's law, Creon forced her to remain in a cave to starve, but she hanged herself. The people of Thebes were aware of Creon's forceful way of rule and remained passive and silent out of fear for their lives (Sophocles 31). While this method was truly evil, fear was an effective motivator, keeping the people submissive and controlled in Pakistan and Thebes.
Secondly, Creon and the Taliban disregarded individual’s advice due to their stubbornness and lust for power.
Creon was told by Haemon, his own son, Thebes was against him but too afraid to speak out. Creon's hard heart refused to listen to Haemon. This was the second time Creon had heard this same news, but he still refused to address it. Likewise, the Taliban were not only protested by the people of Pakistan, but they were protested by many countries across the world. They were a threat and evil sight to all countries and women everywhere. The United States condemned the actions of the Taliban, but the Taliban didn’t stop their persecution of women. The Taliban couldn’t win, according to Malala, who like Haemon, clearly tells the enemy of their mistakes. So, through their stubbornness, Creon and the Taliban relied on their own beliefs, disregarding the call for change from people who should’ve been
heard.
Finally, both Creon and the Taliban insisted on keeping their laws preserved, even if they were wrong. Creon forbid a sacred ritual of burial to the sister of the deceased Polynices. This was an insult to a ritual that held much importance in Greek society (Sophocles 67). Creon decided to stand firm, stay true to his law, and disregard the personal duty of Antigone. By sticking to his word, Creon preserved his reputation as a brutal ruler, yet he caused his wife, son, and niece to commit suicide, making Creon's family nonexistent. Similarly, the Taliban placed civil authority before the individual rights of the people. Their harsh laws remained the same despite the protest and crying out of the people of Pakistan and Swat Valley. After their failed attempt of assassination of Malala, the entire world was inspired by Malala and was on her side, yet the Taliban continued their death threats towards her. While it is important to obey those in authority, personal duty must be respected by authority, and Creon and the Taliban failed to hear their people and chose to keep the people submissive by any means necessary.
While the Taliban and Creon were successful at keeping most of their people from revolting, the people were against them whether they knew it or not. People like Antigone and Malala had the bravery to address the fact that their personal duty was being ignored, but all that mattered to the Taliban and Creon was a controlled society. They were willing to disregard everything the people stood for in order to selfishly make their own lives simpler for the worse of their people.