Antigone and Mlk Comparison

Antigone and MLK Compare/Contrast Essay

Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Antigone are fighting injustice. Antigone is fighting the unfair edict of the corrupt and prideful king Creon. Mr. King is fighting the racial intolerance of a generation of Americans. Both Antigone and Martin Luther King Jr. defend there actions in the struggle against injustice; although both argue there points, Antigone takes a more defiant stance, while Mr. King uses a more analytical approach in his argument.

Antigone uses rhetorical questions, logos, and parenthesis to frame her argument. Antigone is more than willing to admit she has buried her brother's body. In the line, "Of course I did it. It wasn't Zeus, not in the least, who made this proclamationвЂ"not to me," Antigone both admits it, and shows us her thought through parenthesisвЂ"her thoughts being that it is stupid. She makes light of Creon's power because she is not afraid to admit what she has done. She believes that the power of the gods trumps the power of a mere mortal king. She communicates that she doesn't fear Creon's reprisal with the words, "Nor did I think your edict had such force that you, a mere mortal , could override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions." She uses logos to show that tradition is more important than the edict of a self-important idiot. She shows that she is not afraid to die for what she believes when she tells Creon, "Who on earth alive in the midst of so much grief as I, could fail to find his death a rich reward." She clearly believes in the integrity of her actions. She asks the question, full well knowing the answer. Because she knows that her cause is just, Antigone, defiant to the end, is willing to die for what she believes in, and the rhetorical strategies she employs illustrate that fact. While Antigone took a defiant approach in her argument, Mr. King prefers a more passive, analytical technique.

Martin Luther King uses rhetorical questions and anaphora to structure his argument. The anaphora, or repetition of the phrase, "I am here…" is used to communicate what he is fighting for. He shows that he cares about the place. He makes it significant. Martin Luther Kings must explain why he broke a law. He says , "One may well ask, 'How can you advocate breaking some laws and upholding others?'" He asks that rhetorical question to show that breaking an unjust law isn't breaking a law at all. Mr. King calls himself an extremist, admitting that his actions are extreme. He again asks a rhetorical question, saying, "So the question is not whether we will be extremist but what kind of extremist will we be." He asks that to illustrate that he is willing to be extreme to fight injustice. Martin Luther King explains his argument in steps with anaphora and rhetorical questions; he thinks through each step. Just as important as the structure of the argument is what evidence they have to support themselves, and who they are arguing to.

Antigone uses religious references as evidence