Light and Darkness Found in Antigone and the Gospel of John
As a child, my world was enraptured by the wonderful Fisher-Price toy
known as the Lite-Brite. By inserting multicolored little pegs into their
corresponding slots on a detailed guide, I could transform drab, dull, and dark
pieces of paper into wondrous works of brilliant art. The light that filled and
transformed the plastic pegs closely parallel concepts of light and darkness
found within the Gospel of John and in Sophocles' drama Antigone. The Gospel of
John focuses on the profound meaning of the life of Jesus, whom he saw as the
manifestation of God's Word (logos). Teiresias, of Sophocles' play Antigone, is
a blind prophet whose lack of vision does not prevent him from recognizing the
truth. The words of John and the characterization of Sophocles, although
similar in many aspects, differ in the extent to which their concepts of light
and darkness affect humanity. Sophocles' light, in the form of Teiresias,
allows truth to permeate throughout one's lifetime. John's light, as the
manifesta tion ofthe logos, presents truth and enlightenment to humanity, but
also ensures a glorified and joyous afterlife through Christ's salvation.
Teiresias, the voice of fate and harbinger of truth in Sophocles' play
Antigone, humbly enters the drama by addressing the malevolent Creon and stating
that he "must walk by another's steps and see with another's eyes" (Antigone,
102). The wise prophet was metaphorically declaring that he delivered the
message of a higher truth. This truth existed as Natural Law. Teiresias advised
his m...
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...light, only the Gospel of John carries the
secret to eternal salvation.
In a way similar to a child playing with a Lite-
Brite, the Gospel of John and Sophocles' character Teiresias allow rainbows of
light to exist in a world devoid of color. While both allow the existence of a
form of the truth, it is only the Gospel of John that provides a detailed guide
that will allow a person to find order in their truth. Through such truth and
enlightenment, an abstract world of chaos and ignorance can be engulfed by a
world full of order and wisdom. Realms of beauty and glory can manifest
themselves to individuals who accept the truth and the essence of light as a
message from a higher existence. Great joy and pleasure shall come to the child
who can find beauty and order in a bleak world full of ignorance and emptiness.
In all exceptional literature, there comes a time where a character makes an impactful decision, whether satisfactory or unacceptable. In addition, there is often a conflict that can’t instantly resolve, and remains a controversial event. In the case of Billy Budd, the decisive resolution vacillates betwixt the morals behind an action and the accountability to follow the law. The conclusion is a questionable and arguably stringent judgment that leaves audiences pondering the author’s intent for the entire book. As grim as it may seem, the arbitration is the most legitimate antiphon to the infraction carried out in the cabin of the individual ultimately deciding the causatum: Captain Vere.
In 1891, the novel, Billy Budd, was published by Herman Melville. Readers claim the novel is a masterpiece, holding controversy about certain characters, especially captain Vere. In 1971, Charles A Reich had written “The Tragedy of Billy Budd” showing that Captain Vere was wrongly accused. In 2002, Robert Martin had written “Is Vere a Hero?” to show that Vere is no hero. Both works support their reasons well using textual evidence, however Reich’s work is more persuasive than Martin’s.
Randa, Laura E. “Society’s Final Solution: A History and Discussion of the Death Penalty.” (1997). Rpt.in History of the Death Penalty. Ed. Michael H. Reggio. University Press of America, Inc., 1997. 1-6 Print.
The adult John comes to civilized society as an experiment by Marx and Mond to see how a "savage" would adapt to civilization. Frankly, he does not adapt very well. He is appalled by the lifestyle and ideas of civilized people, and gets himself into a lot of trouble by denouncing civilization. He loves Lenina very much, but gets very upset at her when she wants to have sex with him. He physically attacks her, and from that point on does not want to have anything to do with her. When his mother dies, he interferes with the "death conditioning" of children by being sad. Finally, his frustrations with the civilized world become too much for him and he decides to take action. He tries to be a sort of a Messiah to a group of Deltas, trying to free them from the effect of soma. He tells them only the truth, but it is not the truth that the Deltas have been conditioned to believe, so to them it is a violent lie and they begin to cause a riot. When the riot is subdued, John is apprehended and taken to have a talk with Mustapha Mond.
John 1: 1-18 focuses on how God is present in the world. John sees himself as a messenger for the word, which he can spread the good news about God’s creation. He knows he is not the messiah; however, he has goals of pointing people in the proper direction. At the beginning of the Book of John, there is a great amount of darkness that is over the world. People are stuck in the darkness, until they listen to word and follow the light of God. John tells the audience that true light is coming and will pour into their lives. Within the first few verses John shows that through God we can achieve great things. He shows brokenness in this
In Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone saw her action of burying her brother as a just one. It may not have been just in the eyes of Creon and the people of Thebes, but she was not concerned with the laws that mortals had made. Antigone saw the divine laws of the gods to be much more important than those of mortals. She felt that if she died while upholding the laws of the gods, that her afterlife would be better than if she had not. Our lives on this earth are so short, that to see a good afterlife over the horizon will make people go against the laws of humans.
... unique dignity of each person, the truth that God is the Lord of Life not us, and the example and teaching of Jesus on mercy and forgiveness.
25 Hugo Adams Bedau, The Death Penalty in America: Current Controversies (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997) 250.
In 1973 Author Shawcross was convicted of raping and murdering two children in upstate New York; however, after serving 15 years Shawcross was paroled in 1988. In a horrific 21-month killing spree, Shawcross took 11 more lives. That is 11 innocent people who would be alive today had justice been served (Pataki, Deterrent 2). With the topic of the death penalty comes a lot of controversy which is rooted from questions like: is the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment, is it helpful in crime control, is proper representation applied to these cases, and should reform be applied in the areas of crimes punishable and methods? Although some people argue that the death penalty is inhumane and against human rights, crime rates could be lowered through the use and reform of the death penalty.
everything word for word. Others believe the stories in the Bible are a way of showing
It is easy to place the blame on fate or God when one is encumbered by suffering. It is much harder to find meaning in that pain, and harvest it into motivation to move forward and grow from the grief. It is imperative for one to understand one’s suffering as a gateway to new wisdom and development; for without suffering, people cannot find true value in happiness nor can they find actual meaning to their lives. In both Antigone and The Holy Bible there are a plethora of instances that give light to the quintessential role suffering plays in defining life across cultures. The Holy Bible and Sophocles’ Antigone both mirror the dichotomous reality in which society is situated, underlining the necessity of both joy and suffering in the world.
...hung from the church’s walls john has ended the pain for his family and John was hung. All the event that occurred showed that John’s action effect the people around him in a positive and negative way, having cheating on his wife had an major effect on his wife and there relationship he completely took away all the trust she had for him, also form being a very selfish man and only caring for himself to a man who gave him life for his wife so that she can live a easier life.
This light of Life is a major spiritual significance, and a central to the Gospel but is only possible because man was created as a spiritual being. This is significant that John concludes his Gospel with a reminder of creation when Jesus Breaths on His disciples to pass on the Holy Spirit reflecting the way God breathed into man to create a living soul just like in the first interpretation.
The Bible as a whole is all about Jesus. For those who believe in Him, he is the pivotal character in all of scripture. While the Bible contains much about Jesus, John 17-21 highlights the climax of all scripture, which is his death, burial, resurrection and an opportunity for people to know the truth (John 18:37, NIV). This is why it is important to study this particular passage. For my essay I will give an indication of the settings, and indication of the main conflicts driving the plot and the extent to which those conflicts are resolved, observations on how Jesus is portrayed and the role of the other characters in providing a context for Jesus’ interactions with others, a statement on how this passage
Henry Fielding dives into the Homeric form with extensive invocations and catalogues to the Muse. By introducing the central plot of the epic parody with, “Ye Muses…who love to sing battles…all things are not in the power of all,” all ‘classical scholars’ can patently understand the purpose this serves to the orator...