Essay Due: Wednesday, 11/30 (E block) or Thursday, 12/1 (B block) Length: @600-800 words How would Socrates judge the actions and arguments of Antigone and Creon? Would he conclude that either character acted in accordance with justice? Which statements would he appreciate the most? And which would he expose as flawed? You should write your paper in the first person in the voice of Socrates. Your task here is complex, but you can have some fun with it. As we know, Socrates said he looked forward to the prospect of questioning great figures from Greek history and literature in Hades. Imagine that after his own death by drinking hemlock, Socrates encountered both Antigone and Creon in the underworld and had the chance to discuss questions of right and wrong and of justice and injustice with the two of them. What would he say to Antigone? What words or deeds would he ask her about? Would he be sympathetic, or would he be as hostile as a stinging fly in pointing out her flaws? And what would he say to Creon? What words or deeds would he ask him about? Would he sympathize or sting? And would he conclude that either figure acted properly, morally, or justly? IF you wish, you may write this paper in the form of a dialogue, and give Antigone and Creon a chance to respond to Socrates questions. OR you may elect to write only in the voice of Socrates. But either way, you should refer to specific passages (with line numbers) from Sophocles Antigone. And you should base your arguments in the voice of Socrates on passages from The Apology. You can cite any ideas from Socrates by passage number. Make sure that you review all the selected passages from Socrates and Sophocles on your handouts. If you are not comfortable writing in the voice of Socrates, you may elect to answer this question in a conventional analytical essay. If you go this route, be sure to include a good introduction with a clear thesis statement and at least two body paragraphs (one on Antigone and another on Creon). Each body paragraph should include at least two direct quotations with proper leads and MLA citations. Include a brief conclusion that restates your main ideas in fresh language.
Steps in Writing this Paper: 1) Review the passages from Socrates that you considered the most important you studied these for your quiz right before break PASSAGES FROM SOCRATES: 23A - I know what I do not know 24A - The wisest recognize their own ignorance 24B - Exposing others' ignorance makes me unpopular 29A - Care only that actions are good and just 30A - A man must take his stand, face danger 30B - Fearing death is wrong, may be a blessing 30C - I alone admit my lack of knowledge 30E - Forget pursuit of wealth, tend to your soul 31A - Wealth does not bring goodness; goodness brings blessings 31B - God sends me as gadfly, to rouse you 32A - The true champion of justice avoids politics 33A - I stand with law and justice, despite unpopularity 33B - I never approve injustice, even by pupils 36C - Care not for possessions; care for your soul 38A - The unexamined life is not worth living 38C - The real difficulty is to escape wickedness 41A - Nothing can harm a good man 2) Review the passages from Sophocles included on your new handout these passages are drawn from the Taylor translation that corresponds with the Antigone film we have seen. For each passages by or about Antigone, and for each passage by or about Creon, write notes about how Socrates would respond to their words and deeds: What ideas and actions would Socrates praise? What would he question and criticize? Would he view either Antigone or Creon as living a good life in accordance with truth and justice? Would he approve or disapprove of the sentiment? Agree or disagree? What questions would he ask in response? 3) Select the most interesting and important passages and commentary and then arrange them in order that would makes sense as a dialogue between Socrates and Antigone and Creon. 4) Write it up, and have fun with this! You ll have 90 minutes to write during your block period. This is a different type of writing assignment then we ve had in the past. Let the words flow.
STATEMENTS BY ANTIGONE I intend to bury my brother. And if I die in the attempt, I shall die in the knowledge that I have acted justly, and that will be a kind of happiness. I shall lie peacefully beside my brother, whom I loved in my actions as well as in words. Our lives are short. We have too little time to waste it on men, and the laws they make. The approval of the dead is everlasting, and I shall bask in it as I lie among them [a holy outlaw ]. Do as you please. Live, by all means. The laws you will break are not of man's making. (70-77) Yes. I'm guilty. I don't pretend otherwise. (452) Yes, I did. Because it's your law, not the law of god. Natural justice, which is of all times and places, numinous, not material, a quality of Zeus, not of kings, recognizes no such law. You are merely a man, mortal, like me. And laws that you enact cannot overturn ancient moralities or common human decency. They speak the language of eternity, are not written down, and never change. They are for today, yesterday, and all time. No one understands where they came from, but everyone recognizes their force. And no man's arrogance or power can make me disobey them. (458-468) I would rather suffer the disapproval and punishment of men than dishonor such ancient truths. I shall die, of course, sometime, whether you make laws or not. If my death comes sooner rather than later, I shall welcome it. My life has been misery-- is misery now, and I shall be more than happy to leave it. There will be no pain and no despair in that. (468-476) I buried my brother. I aspire to no greater honor. And if I am to be famous, let it be for that. (517-519) The dead have their rights, and we have our duties towards them, dictated by common decency. (534) Death is another country. Such things may not be valued there-- may even be crimes. (536) I have love enough to share. No hate for anyone. (538) What moral law have I broken? What eternal truth have I denied? (931) I die his victim, unjustly, for upholding justice and the humanity of humankind. (934-935)
RESPONSES TO ANTIGONE: ISMENE: Think for a moment, Antigone, please! We're women, that's all. Physically weaker, and barred from any political influence. How can we fight against the institutionalized strength of the male sex? They are all in power and we have to obey them or worse tyrannies than these may be inflicted upon us. (62-65) ISMENE: May God forgive me and the spirits of the dead. We have no choice. State power commands, and we must do as we are told. When you are powerless, wild gestures and heroic refusals are reserved for mad men. (66-60) HAEMON: In burying her brother who was killed in action, she did something that most people consider decent and honorable, rather than leaving him naked on the battlefield for the dogs to tear at and kites and scavengers to pick to the bone. She should be given a medal for it, those same people say, and her name inscribed on the roll of honor. (706-711) CHORUS: To pay respect to the dead is praiseworthy-- an act of love. And religion must have its due. But no civilized State can eschew authority. Laws must be obeyed, whether you approve or disapprove. If you refuse to sanction the power of the State, you invite disaster and connive at your own fate. (878-881) STATEMENTS BY CREON The ruler who fears the consequences of his actions, or who is afraid to act openly, or take the good advice of his senators, is beneath contempt. Equally contemptible is the man who puts the interests of his friends or his relations before his country. There is nothing good can be said of him. (183-185) No one who is an enemy of the state shall ever be any friend of mine. The state, the fatherland, is everything to us. The ship we all sail in. If she sinks, we all drown, and the friendship drowns with us. That's my policy. A policy of service to the Commonwealth. (189-194) No one is to bury him, or mourn for him. His body is to be left in the open, uncovered. A stinking feast for the scavengers, dogs, and crows. A sight to inspire terror. I intend make it quite plain that never under my administration will people who commit crimes against the state reap any benefits from their actions. And at the expense of honest decent citizens too. The people who serve the state, alive or dead, that makes no difference, I shall honor them, and reward them, too. (206-214) Is it likely, remotely likely, that the gods would think twice over that pile of stinking meat? By God, it's blasphemy! Even to suggest that they would care a damn whether he was buried or not, let alone grant him an honorable funeral, as though he were one of their principal supporters? What? The man who came to burn down their temples, plunder their treasuries, pull down their statues, and make a mockery of all their laws? Do the gods love criminals these days? No, they do not. (290-297)
Money, gentlemen. Money, the virus that infects mankind with every sickness. We have a name for no greater scourge than that. Money, it is, that pounds great citizens to piles of rubble, turns people by the millions into homeless refugees, takes all its citizens and corrupts them into doing things they'd be ashamed to think of before the fee was mentioned. (303-308) If she is allowed to flout the law in this way, all authority in the State will collapse. I will not have that. (497-499) You should be ashamed, setting yourself up against the majority, disregarding the will of the people. (525) And if good and bad are to be honored equally, where are our values? Patriotism? Civic duty? (535) An enemy is still an enemy, dead or alive. (537) Very well. Share your love, by all means. Share it with the dead. I wish them well of it. Women must learn to obey as well as men. They can have no special treatment. Law is law and will remain so while I am king. And no woman will get the better of me. (539-540) A father's opinion should always be influential with his son's. And fathers with young sons, when they pray for them, ask especially that they should grow up to be loyal, reliable, obedient, the first to strike at their father's enemies just as they are the first to support his friends. A father whose sons yield no such profits from the investment of his parenthood breeds grief and sorrow as his offspring and becomes, himself, a figure of fun, especially to his enemies. (650-658) Don't be taken in, Boy. Don't let any woman ensnare you by exploiting her sexuality or any of the attractions that lure infatuated men into submission. (659-660) The man who rules wisely within his own family is more likely to make sensible judgments in political matters in his direction of the State. To pervert the law, to twist it to serve one's own ends or the interests of one's relations-- that cannot be allowed, neither in States nor in cities, and will not be allowed by me in any circumstances. (672-677) Unquestioning obedience to whomsoever the State appoints to be its ruler is the law, as far as I'm concerned. And this applies to small things as well as great ones, just or unjust, right or wrong, for who is to choose these things but the king? (677-679)
I have never based my political principles on the opinions of people in the street! (746) I will act according to my own convictions. (748) The State is the statesman who rules it. It reflects his judgement. It belongs to him! (750) How am I wrong? By maintaining my position on the authority of the State? Is that wrong? (756) RESPONSES TO CREON: HAEMON: The man who thinks he has the monopoly of wisdom, and only what he says and what he thinks is of any relevance, reveals his own shallowness of mind with every word he says. The man of judgment knows it's a sign of strength, not weakness, to value others' opinions and to learn from them, and when he's wrong, to admit it openly and change his mind. (718-724) HAEMON: When the State becomes one man, it ceases to be a State. (749) TEIRESIAS: Any man can make a mistake or commit a crime. The man who can recognize what he has done-- see that he is mistaken or morally wrong, admits it and puts it right. That man proves that there is never too late to become wise, and no one will condemn him. But if he compounds his stupidity with stubbornness and an obstinate refusal to face the facts, he is nothing but a fool. Is there anyone more stupid than a stupid man who cannot see his own stupidity? (1026-1032) TEIRESIAS: Such measures are not for you to judge. You usurp ancient rights which even the gods themselves don't dare to question, powers that are not within the prerogative of kings. (1079-1081) MESSENGER: So now they're together, two corpses, married at last, whom Death hath joined, no man can put asunder. They looked like honeymooners together in one bed, evidence of the havoc man can bring upon man by his own pigheadedness and arrogance. (1246-1249) CHORUS: The proud man may pretend, in his arrogance, to despise everything but himself. In the end, the gods will bring him to grief. (1351-1352)