Many citizens break the law created by the government for a specific reason you would never expect. People either break the law because they find it unnecessary or unjust. People should break the law if one is the agent of injustice. They should follow their morals. Although others might say that you should always obey the law and not risk breaking it and paying the consequences. Others also say that going against the law and the government could lead to corruption and rebellion. Henry David Thoreau’s claim makes sense that one should break the law if one is the agent of injustice as demonstrated in Antigone, Civil Disobedience, and Hero or Traitor.
In the drama Antigone, by Sophocles, he argues that moral laws are far more important than unjust
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laws created by people in power. For example, when Antigone was admitting her guilt of the burial of her brother in front of the king, she claims, “but all your strength is weakness itself against the immortal unrecorded laws of God.” This supports Sophocles claim by showing that God’s law comes before the laws created by humans. Antigone believes the king is weak against the laws of God. This is significant because Antigone followed her morals instead of following an unjust law created by the king. In addition, Antigone doesn't care what the consequences of breaking the unjust laws are. She says, “But if I bury him, and if I must die, I say that this crime is holy”(1.prologue,55-56). This line proves that Antigone will follow her morals no matter what. This signifies the importance of moral laws and how they are more important than laws created by humans. In the news article, Hero or Traitor, by Kathy Wilmore, She proves that by following your morals, you could not only benefit yourself, but a lot of other people.
For example, Snowden broke the law by leaking info about PRISM because he believed they were violating citizen’s privacy rights. Citizens react by saying, “He uncovered questionable activities that those in power would rather have kept secret.” This supports Kathy’s claim because it shows that Snowden benefitted a lot of people by following his own morals. This also signifies the importance of following your morals instead of being the agent to injustice. In addition, Kathy explains, “ Americans were disturbed by the idea of the U.S government compiling information from their emails, facebook pages and google searches.” This proves that the government commits acts that they do not tell the people. They created an unjust law that no one could spread the information. In order for fairness for the population, the law had to be broken.
While this may be true, others believe that his actions could have aided our enemies. “Snowden’s actions are likely to have lethal consequences for our troops in the field.” Although this seems like it is true. it has completely nothing to do with our troops in the field. This is for the citizens benefit and there is no way that this would benefit our enemies. In the end, Kathy Wilmore strongly shows that you can benefit a lot of people and yourself by following your
morals. In the essay Civil Disobedience, by Thoreau, he argues that one should break the law if one is the agent of injustice. For example, he boldly states that “If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law.” This supports Thoreau’s claim because if the government makes a law that forces you to be an agent of injustice, then you should break it. To conclude, Thoreau agrees that breaking the law due to injustice is acceptable. In conclusion, one should break the law if one is the agent of injustice. Thoreau’s argument that unjust laws can be broken is strongly supported as demonstrated in his essay, Civil Disobedience, Antigone by Sophocles, and Hero or traitor by Kathy Wilmore.
Additionally, Creon was certain that nobody would disobey him, as we see on page 10, and was shocked to hear that somebody buried Polynices, as he says; “What say you? What man dared to do it?” Creon truly believed that everyone would comply, which explains why the punishment is so harsh. However, when Antigone performed the unseen, how could he go back on his word and be looked at as dishonest and biased towards family members?
The natural drive to remain alive is exhibited by all living things. It is the very foundation of human nature, and it seems every effort is made to preserve life. However, occasionally an individual will knowingly and confidently walk to their own death. Sacrificial rebellion is a phenomenon well illustrated in the works "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr, and "Antigone" by the philosopher and poet Sophocles. Why is it that the characters Harrison and Antigone willing to die for their ideals or values? Self-sacrifice is often the modus operandi of those who wish to cause a productive social upheaval, the idea being that if they can cause enough of a shock to society that it will lead to a substantial change within that society. This
Snowden felt a sense of responsibility to inform American citizens of the existence of programs and policies that have been developed under
Antigone has defied the king's edict. However, the edict says that her brother, Polynices, cannot be given a proper burial. The reason given for this is that Polynices is a traitor. Antigone's uncle, Creon, the king, makes this edict after many events happen. Antigone says herself that she has experienced "no private shame, no public disgrace, nothing" that cannot be experienced (Antigone, p. 658).
One Snowden supporter is John Cassidy, who states that the public has the right to know the information Snowden brought forth. This information includes domestic spying. Without him, innocent people would continue to be spied on by the government without knowledge. Americans should know what the people in charge of the country are doing and how they are violating the rights of Americans. Cassidy claims that Snowden was smart in not releasing all information, so America is not in grave danger. According to Cassidy’s article, Snowden played the role of a moral American who felt the need to protect the public, and therefore, should not be punished. However, Cassidy comes to quick conclusions, displays faulty evidence, and gives no consideration to the opposing side so that the reader will unquestionably think “the scales are clearly tipped in Snowden’s favor.”
Edward Snowden was an American computer specialist that worked for the CIA and as a contractor for the NSA. He disclosed classified files over several media sources, that were evidence that the NSA was collecting data from the phone calls and internet activities of most Americans. Snowden thought that by revealing these secret government activities that Americans would realized that their privacy is being invaded and that they need to do something about it.
Recently in global news, the name Edward Snowden has became quite popular as he snatched millions of people’s attention along with breaking news headlines. Snowden released numerous documents via internet that were private to the NSA; these leaks revealed the dirty work the NSA and government have ...
In the play Antigone, Sophocles writing can be very controversial. He explains different perspectives of justice through the fates of the characters in the play. Creon and Antigone both would claim to have the law and Gods on their sides. They bring acceptable evidence for their reasoning to be true for their thought of the right way to carry out justice. Creon is certain that his ability to be king will justify leaving Polynices unburied. On the other hand Antigone sees justice as the ability to bury her brother. Conflict explodes with their inability to compromise over what is the definition of justice. Justice has a different role to play in any individual’s life because gender differs from man to women and society sometimes looks down upon women. Justice should be served and women should have the same divine rights that men do.
Glorified overeating. Two words that together create the ultimate oxymoron, in a society obsessed with body image. Adam Richman, the host of the popular television program Man v. Food, is showing his viewers the sport in eating. Each episode this attractive and far from obese man eats a humanly impossible quantity of food. The feat quickly escalates into a spectacle, with chanting fans and opponents salted and deep-fried. The spectacle of overeating has been transformed into a sport and one celebrated by the media.
In May of 2013 Edward Snowden who was then working at a National Security Agency office in Oahu, Hawaii began copying top secret documents that belonged to the American government as he believed the documentation contained unethical and immoral content that he believed the American people and the world in general needed to know about. (Snowden, 2014) The documentation that he collated contained information regarding projects such as Prism, which is a top secret NSA surveillance program that has the ability to access the data servers of some of America's large...
Edward Snowden. This is a name that will be in the history books for ages. He will be branded a traitor or a whistleblower depending on where you look. Many Americans feel that Edward Snowden is a traitor who sold the United States’ secrets aiming to harm the nation. Others believe that he was simply a citizen of the United States who exercised his right to expose the government for their unconstitutional actions. It is important to not only know the two sides to the argument of friend or foe, but to also know the facts as well. My goal in this paper is to present the facts without bias and to adequately portray the two sides of the argument.
In short, Edward Snowden released information that the United States government was keeping secret. His most recent job, where he compiled most of the information for his breach, included working for Booz Allen Hamilton at the National Security Agency in Hawaii (the biggest security establishment in the world). Snowden, as reason for his security breach said “I don’t want to live in a society that does these sorts of things.” In this statement he refers to the immense secrets that the U.S. government is keeping from its people. So, the debate still goes on: Yes Edward Snowden broke the law, but was it for a good reason?
Rather than allow the numerous repercussions Snowden now faces stop him, Snowden chose to make the public aware of wrongs committed against them, even if it meant going against the government. The American people and their right to their privacy drove Edward Snowden to make a personal decision, and the result was not that of a traitor, but that of a hero and a man undeserving of the hatred and rejection made by the country he was striving to support.
Within two classical works of philosophical literature, notions of justice are presented plainly. Plato’s The Republic and Sophocles’ Antigone both address elements of death, tyranny and immorality, morality, and societal roles. These topics are important elements when addressing justice, whether in the societal representation or personal representation.
It is reasonable to argue that, governmental institutions or people with authority are subject to withhold a great deal of information from society. Many may argue that secrets are kept to ensure the safety of the nation. Thus, upholding the governmental duty of protecting the nation against possible threats. On the other hand, many believe that secrets may exist which violate our constitutional rights. Over the last year, Edward Snowden, has made headline news for leaking sensitive governmental information to the press. Edward Snowden is a 29-year-old high school drop-out, who was a tech specialist for the National Security Association. Snowden had discovered and later exposed the NSA for monitoring the nations e-mails, phone calls, and internet searches. As the allegations spread like wild fire, Edward Snowden sought asylum in Russia for one year. Snowden had a valid and justifiable reason to expose the NSA to the world because they were in violation of our fourth Amendment rights to unreasonable searches and seizures. The government called him a traitor, while others viewed him as a hero for exposing the government. Edward Snowden is a whistle blower because he felt that it is up to society to decide if governmental practices are just or unjust. Snowden does “express the highest respect for the law”, and he wanted to protect the right of privacy for American citizens.