Antigone And In The Time Of The Butterflies

Sophocles’s Antigone and Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies are based upon a common theme: rebellion. While reading both pieces in class, the notion of to what extent a rebellion is justified surfaced frequently; however, reading both texts was insufficient in finding a conclusion to this topic, so I read through various poems to aid my deduction. After my extensive research, I came to the conclusion that rebellion can be justified by a rebel’s genuine belief in their cause. The process of justification is based upon one’s personal qualification of what is considered just; therefore, a single belief in the righteousness of any revolt justifies a rebellion.

I enjoyed researching poems, for I was able to discover new ones, like

The second stanza is filled with three heroes from the Easter Rising, yet W.B. Yeats begins to depict them as unlikable people. He describes the heroine of the poem “in ignorant good-will”, arguing so much “her voice grew shrill”. After he highlights all the flaws of the heroine, he acquires a more respectful tone, stating, “What voice more sweet than hers.” Yeats uses her voice as a symbol of her life— rich, easy, and privileged until her involvement in the rebellion. The once sweet voice turns shrill, suggesting that she risked her prosperous life for a life of sacrifice and rebellion for Ireland. Yeats continues to describe two other heroic figures who changed their lifestyle in order to rebel for independence, showing to what extent people value their beliefs and a rebellion’s ability to unify people. The heroes and heroine are ingeniously symbolized by a heart (for their passion is what defines them) that Yeats compares to a stone: unwavering and fixed in beliefs and lingering in the memories of those they stood up for. This immediately reminded me of the Mirabal sisters of Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies and Antigone of Sophocles’s Antigone. The sisters of the novel had a fine, loving life with their family that they risked (and ultimately lost) for the people of Dominican Republic. Antigone, however, did not have family to return to (besides Ismene, whom she is obviously not too keen on), but she had

Paul Laurence Dunbar depicts this idea in his well-known poem “Sympathy” (one of my favorite poems!), describing a caged bird that longs for freedom. Dunbar establishes his knowledge of the bird’s feelings, his desire for freedom (his motive of rebellion). Dunbar draws empathy from the audience as he describes the bird’s integrity in the descriptive lines: “I know why the caged bird beats his wing Till its blood is red on the cruel bars.” The caged bird goes to a dangerous extent to be heard, as he bleeds on his prison bars, for he is willing to do anything for his freedom— this shows his integrity and confidence in his values. Dunbar finishes off the poem with powerful lines: “But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core, But a plea that upward heaven he flings— I know why the caged bird sings!” The caged bird is depicted as battered, bruised, and beaten from his violent rebellion— praying as his last chance of freedom. The bird’s belief in its virtuous rebellion justifies the revolt, as we see the bird’s constant persistency, even as the mutiny is demoted to