Antigone, Hairspray, The Boy Without a Flag, and Letter From A Birmingham Jail

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Martin Luther King Jr. speaks of “the appalling silence of the good people” and how the silence of the “good people” encourages the current situation and their good intentions don’t press for change or social justice. In Antigone, Hairspray, “The Boy Without a Flag”, and “Letter From A Birmingham Jail”, examples of social injustice and racial segregation issues can be observed and the influence and actions of the silent bystanders. The silent but well intentioned people in each piece of literature has the opportunity to support change and influence others but they don’t out of fear.
In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Ismene and the Chorus can be seen as the well meaning but silent people who don't take action in the story. Ismene is initially afraid of the punishment she could face if she is caught and she claims that she cannot disobey King Creon because “Women? Defying Creon? It’s not a womans place. We are weak where they are strong (10).” In this conversation Ismene states that women don’t have the right or power to defy the law or men, and women “must do what we [they] are told (10)” which is why she refuses to help Antigone. Ismene does not stand against authority to do what is morally right, which leads Antigone to bury her brother alone and doesn’t allow Ismene to take part in the punishment since Ismene wasn’t brave enough and doesn’t deserve the same fate as Antigone. Like Ismene, the Chorus is fearful of King Creon’s punishment and they do not speak against him because they respect him. The Chorus also sees Antigone as rash and disrespectful towards the king which is why they mostly side with the king. However, it can be seen that the Chorus sides with Antigone in part of the play because they see King Creon’s punish...

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...ion and his misunderstanding about why he should and needs to obey it. By observing the behavior of the bystanders, the reader understands the rash outcomes of the situation which tend to be for the worse. The reader also can understand the power of people speaking against authority and how good outcomes can happen for pressing against unjust laws for what is morally right even if it results in consequence.

Works Cited

Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. 2010. Print.
Heaney, Seamus. The Burial At Thebes: A version of Sophocles Antigone. New York: Farrar, Stratus, and Giroux. 2004. Print.
Rodriguez, Abraham. “The Boy Without a Flag”. The Civically Engaged Reader: A Diverse Collection of Short Provocative Readings on Civic Activity. Eds. Adam Davis and Elizabeth Lynn. Chicago: The Great Books Foundation, 2006. 16-28. Print.

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