Patel 1

RohanPatel
Section:12GG
Dr.Bushey
11/02/2015
SocialDefianceasitRelatestotheGoodLife
Withinoursociety,weseemanychangesthatmakeusrealizehowmuchtheworldis
changingandhowmuchithasalreadychanged.Associetyprogresses,peoplebegintoexplore
theabstractviewsofothersandponderthethoughtaboutjoiningthem.Sometimespeople
choosetodosowhileatothertimestheymaynot.Itispossiblethatsuchcontradictionscanalter
onesviewsinpursuitofthegoodlife.Twospecificpointsthatcanberelatedtosucha
conflictionareAntigoneandMartinLutherKingJr.sLettersfromBirminghamJail.Inboth
situations,thecharactersencounterinjusticefromtheworldandtheyarestandingbytheir
beliefs,nomatterwhatanyonetellsthem.Bothworksaddressanissueregardingbiasviewsand
theyshowthatanyonehastherighttodisobeyunfairtreatment.Eachofthecharactersaresaying
thatbeingcontrolledandoppressedbyothersistheoppositeofwhatthegoodlifeshouldstand
forandtheyaretryingtoteachuswhatweshoulddo.Societyisnotcontrolledbyanyoneman.
Ittakesanaccumulationofpeopletomakeasociety.Peoplefeartheconformitybecauseithasa
riskanditwouldbethattheymaylosethemselveswhilegivingintotheideasofothers.What
theyhavenotyetrealizedisthatthereisalwaysanalternativeinwhichtheycanadapttothe
worldaroundthemandremaingroundedtotheirroots.

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Inordertomakeastatement,sometimesyouhavetotakethesituationintoyourown
hands.Peopleoftenfearsteppingupintimesofoppressionandtyrannybecausetheyarescared
oftheconsequences.However,theydonotseethepositiveoutcomeoftherebellion.Onesuch
examplecanbeseeninAntigonebySophocles.Tomakeapointandstandherground,Antigone
buriedherbrother,goingagainstheruncleswishes.Antigonefelthedeservedtobeburiedjust
asmuchasanyoneelse.AlthoughhewasanenemytoThebes,hewasstillherbrother.Burying
thedeadgavewomentheopportunitytodosomethingfortheirfamilies.WhenKreondeniedher
ofthis,shefeltheridentitywasbeingattacked.Herrightwastakenawayfromher.Hehasno
businesskeepingmefromwhatismine.(Sophocles21)Sheopposeshisruleinordertofight
forwhatshethinksisrightandtopreventherfromlosingherself.Withintheplotofthestory,
Antigoneisnottheonlyonewhoisconflictedwithchoices.Kreonremainsadamantwithhis
decision.HerefusestoallowtheburialofPolyneices,thusmakinghisgreatestmistake.Hedoes
notrealizethatindoingso,heisleadinghimselftohisdownfall.Intheend,afterthedeathofhis
son,herealizedthatmaybegoingalongwithAntigonewasnotsobad.Buthereisourlord
himself;hecomeswithaclearstampedmonumentheldinhishands.Ifitslawfultosayso,his
doomwasntcausedbyanyoutsiderhedidwronghimself.(Sophocles71)Conformityisnot
anegativeconceptunlessyouvisualizeittobe.Thereasonmaybedebatablebutyoumust
analyzetheprosandconsofthesituationitself.FromKreonsperspectivewhenhelosthimself,
helosthisfamily.Hisfamilywasallthathehadandnow,heisaloneintheworld.Thecauseto
conformwasnotbadintermsofmorality,justlegality.HadheagreedtoburyPolyneices,
AntigonewouldhavefulfilledherdutyandwouldvegottenmarriedtoHaimonasplanned.In
doingso,hewouldhaveconformedandstillhadhimselfasopposedtolosingeverything.

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Injusticeinsocietyisaconceptoneshouldobviouslyspeakagainst.Today,weliveina
societyofequalsinwhicheveryoneshouldbetreatedthesame,regardlessofrace.Backinthe
1960s,thisconceptdidnotapply.PeoplewhowerenotwhiteweretreatedunjustlysoMartin
LutherKingJr.decidedtostandupagainstit.Hesetupacampaigntofightforhisrightsandthe
rightsofhisfollowers.Noteveryonewasafanofthisandwerefearedofbeingpunishedfor
suchactions.Lookingatthisfromalongtermperspective,conformitytoKingsactionswillbe
beneficialandwillnotinvolvelosingthemselvesalongtheway.Everyonewillholdontotheir
beliefsandmakeothersseethattheyarenodifferentthanoneanother.Anyonewholivesinside
theUnitedStatescanneverbeconsideredanoutsideranywherewithinitsbounds.(Dr.King)I
believethisissayingthataslongasyoulivewithintheUnitedStates,youshouldbeconsidered
acitizen.Withinoursociety,noonepersonshouldundermineanotherinreferencetorace.Just
becausetheycomefromadifferentraceofpeopledoesnotmeanthattheycannotbeviewedas
citizenswithequalrights.BecomingafollowerofKingwascontroversial.Peoplefearedthe
consequencesofhisactionshadhenotbeensuccessful.Sometimes,youhavetotakerisksto
achieveyourgoals.Fearoflosingyoursenseofselfcanbeovercome.Thinkabouteverything
thatwasgoingon.TheoppressiontowardstheNegrocommunitywasinneedofintervening.It
isunfortunatethatdemonstrationsaretakingplaceinBirmingham,butitisevenmore
unfortunatethatthecityswhitepowerstructurelefttheNegrocommunitywithnoalternative.
(Dr.King)IthadtostopandthereforeMartinLutherKingdecidedthatinordertopursuethe
goodlife,hemusthelpreformtheworldandhelppeopleadapttoanequalcommunity.His
Lettersdefendsnonviolentresistancetoracism.Hechosetotakedirectactioninsteadofwaiting
forsocalledjusticetocomeknockingathisdoor.Insteadofconformingtonaturaljustice,he

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tookafirmstand.Hewenttoprisonforashorttembutonalongtermbasis,hegavepowerto
hispeopleandhelpedgrantthemtherightstheydeserve.Withthis,theyadaptedtoanewworld
andheldontotheirsenseofselfaswell.
Inconclusion,conformitycomesinmanyformsanditcouldbepositiveornegative.As
wesawinAntigone,thechoicetonotconformleadtodeathandtragedy.InMartinLuther
King'ssituation,itactuallyturnedouttobeapositiveoutcome.Inbothscenarios,each
individualstoodupforwhattheybelieveinandtheypursuedituntiltheveryend.The
disobedienceandrebellioninbothshowtheneedtofighttyrannicalpowers.Theydidlearnthat
riskisjustapartofthegameandthatconformitydoesnotmeanthatyouhavetoloseyourself.
KreoninAntigonelearnedthislessonalittletoolateandMartinLutherKingJr.ssupporters
realizedthatitwasnecessarytobringaboutapositivechangeintheworld.Conformity
continuestoincreasewitheachpassingday.Bothexamplesthatweresetoutshowthat
conformitydoesnotdirectlyaffectindividualityunlessyouforceitto.Theaspectsofchangeand
theimpactthesechangescanhaveonsocietyinregardstoconformingcanbebothpositiveand
negative.Youchoosetobewhoyouareandinend,youdecidewhatyouwanttobelievein.
adapt,amongotherthings.

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Works Cited
King, Martin Luther, Jr. Letter From Birmingham Jail. Stanford King Encyclopedia. Ed.
Michael Wilson. Stanford University, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
Sophocles. Antigone. Trans. Ruby Blondell. Newburyport: Focus, 1998. Print