“Bravery never goes out of fashion.” - William Makepeace Thackeray

From the beginning of the play, Sophocles enlists the reader’s sympathies on the side of Antigone. It becomes obvious that Sophocles values morality over law. This idea sparked great interest in me. What is “right by law” and “right by me” are usually the as me, but what is, in the case of Antigone, they were not. To the reader it is obvious that Antigone is “right” and her desire to properly bury her dead brother is completely legitimate. Is Antigone made a hero by the gods for her bravery, or do they disapprove by letting her die? Is Antigone wrong to say that she would giver her life only for her brother but not a “replaceable” husband or child?

I believe that Antigone’s death is an important factor in her tragedy. If she had not had to risk her life to bury her brother, her situation would not be as dire or distressing. In opposition to Oedipus, she knows what she is doing will mean her death. I believe the bravery of Antigone to continue on with her act while fully knowing she is facing death is a bold statement Sophocles makes about women and about women standing up to men. Antigone is a strong women in today’s standards, I cannot imagine how shocking her actions were to readers of this story when it was written.

The idea that a husband or child can be replaced but not a sibling was an interesting notion that I had not considered before Antigone. I somewhat disagree with Antigone because although a husband can be “replaced” a child is your blood and your legacy. Yet, your sibling is your full blood and for that reason I can understand her hierarchal familial view. This statement resonated with me since I do have a sibling and although I cannot grasp having a husband or child, I cannot imagine comparing them in this way.

Antigone is a strong character who faces her death with a strong will and undying devotion to her brother. In a world where morals are at times easily swayed, I believe we have a lot to take from Antigone. We must not simply abide by laws and assume they are right, rather at times it is important to use our personal judgment, even if it means persecution. The risk of suffering for doing what is right is a situation one hopes to never find oneself in, but if ever it does arise, look to Antigone.

Our Struggle for the Raw

It is easy to look in on someone’s life and ridicule it. So many people are obsessed with picking apart celebrities’ lives, trying to constantly find problems in lives that aren’t perfect. I find myself finding faults in others, unfortunately. While reading Tolstoy’s Death of Ivan Ilych the narrator’s tone can be identified within the first few chapters. His disdain for Ivan’s pseudo-society aspirations is evident throughout the text. Yet, as I continued reading, I did feel sympathy for Ivan.

I couldn’t put my finger on my emotion as I finished the story, but when I read this prompt I instantly connected with it. It is as if all of Ivan’s life he has tried to live a life that he just cannot reach. Although he attempts to live extraordinary his life is nothing but ordinary. Once I came to this conclusion, my perspective of Ivan’s situation greatly changed. Rather than seeing Ivan as this self-centered, selfish patriarch, I saw him as a failed man trying to gain for the first time the love of his wife and the companionship of his friends. This is one of my greatest fears in life. To try my best to do the right thing and still not live a life that is fulfilling. It is so easy to try to marry the right person, decorate a nice house, and have a good job, but to still utterly fail.

It is not until Ivan’s death becomes increasingly imminent does his desperation to truly live seem sad to me versus aggravating. As Ivan’s death approaches, his goals are goals that are shared by all humanity: to live in the raw, in the honest world, guided by the love of family and the connection of friends. We all make mistakes, and to any given person we may appear to be as pathetic as Ivan (people in third world countries would probably view our $50 steaks as ridiculous), yet we can all connect on the level of living fully. It is sad to me that only when faced with death can Ivan realize this motivation, yet I believe Tolstoy is making a statement about Russian society through his character. I began to connect to Ivan and feel sorry for him as I began to connect to this timeless human tendency. By trying so hard to do right, Ivan set himself up for wrong -an event that so easily becomes reality.