Z And Antigone example essay topic

Ethics "There is something to be feared more than evil men, and that is The indifference of good men". Justice is a moral ideal that we can all embrace. It is a universal principal that transcends time, culture and place. Laws and sanctions can be traced back to the origins of human society, with the earliest known code of law written by Hammurabi. We, in America, often pride ourselves on our justice system, which allegedly treats everyone equally regardless of race, age, gender, or class. However, as individuals, we rarely stand up in the defense of injustice, especially when it interferes with our sense of personal comfort.

This was not always so in history. There was a time when an honorable death was preferred over witnessing unfair practices or suffering. In ancient cultures, an honorable death was a sign of virtue and a predominant occurrence of life. During the golden age of Greece, philosophers like Socrates, extolled the virtuous life, and willingly went to his death rather than submit to the unjust accusations against him. There are two ways in which someone may choose to stand against injustice.

One way is to take an active stand, which is evidenced in Sophocles's Antigone. The second way is a passive resistive method, whereby one takes a stand by trying to work within the law to affect change. This is best portrayed in Costa Garvis's film Z. In Sophocles' play, which was the third part of a three-part play called the Oedipus Cycle, Antigone embodied the idea of active or open resistance to the law. Antigone was the daughter of Oedipus and betrothed to the King's son Haim on. Antigone's ethical stand begins when her two brothers were killed in battle. One of her brothers, Eteocles, was killed while fighting for his country, while her other brother, Polyneices, was killed fighting against his native city.

The King orders that Eteocles will receive a burial with military honors while Polyneices' was to have no burial. Antigone was determined to disregard the decree by burying Polyneices herself, regardless of the penalty imposed upon her. Her sister, Is mene, appeals to Antigone by reminding her that she has an obligation to obey the law. Antigone however, submits to a higher law of the gods, and she buries Polyneices. "Antigone: Surely this is no hardship: can anyone Living, as I live, with evil all about me, Think death less than a friend? This death of mine is of no importance; but if I had left my brother Lying in death unburied, I should have suffered.

Now I do not". (Fitts, p. 203) This play is a very moving and dramatic challenge to the Athenian "ethical quandaries of humans in conflict with the gods and with one another in a city state". (Hunt, p. 110) When this play was written in 441 B.C.E., Sophocles "exposes the right and wrong on each side of the conflict, and the play offers no easy resolution of the competing interests of divinely sanctioned moral tradition and the political rules of the state". (Hunt 110-111) In the film Z, we see a similar resistance to the new governmental regime in the main character, a Greek pacifist doctor, who like Antigone, opposes injustice. However, in the film Z, we see a call for peace and an opposition to the dictatorship of the regime.

The Greek pacifist doctor in Z approaches this by working within the existing laws to change the minds of the people who are in support of it. He states, "Our strength is in respect for the law". (Film-Z) However, in this circumstance, law is not only corrupt but also has no respect for individuals or their opinions. As in the play Antigone, Z addresses the ways in which one would resist unjust laws.

The main characters in Z are working within the system to make changes. The advantage here is that there is minimal opposition, so that the government is less likely to persecute, but in the film, the political leaders recruit individuals to carry out their sanctions. In other words, passive resistance results in passive persecution. The main objective was that the government would appear fair, while using a subversive front to complete the murder of the Greek doctor.

The investigator in the film uncovers the truth and brings to light the massive cover-up. In conclusion none of the government officials are persecuted for their involvement in the subsequent murder of the Greek pacifist leader. The film Z has a different approach to opposing injustice than that of Antigone. The only similarity between them is that both of the main characters died for what they believe in.

In addition to working within the law to effect change, there are other ways to passively resist unjust laws. One way would be by peaceful demonstrations, which is often the preferred choice in our country. The United States Constitution allows demonstrators to gather in order to gain support for their cause. Diogenes used satire and humor to effectively point out inconsistencies in politics, tradition and religion. "Against fate I put courage; against custom, nature; against passion, reason".

(Davenport 49) Whenever someone challenges either conventional life or political decisions, there is some element of persecution involved. At times, it can be as extreme as death, as evidenced in both Z and Antigone, or as minor as personal mockery. However, regardless of the outcome, there comes a point of time in a person's life where they must contemplate the risk that they are willing to take in order to ensure that justice is done. As a team, we collectively agree that we would go to effective passive lengths to passionately support our convictions. These passive lengths would include demonstrations, petitions, lobbying, and possible incarceration. We would employ any means necessary with the exception of violence.

The deaths of the Greek pacifist in Z and Antigone did not result in a positive change for their cause or convictions. They both died in an effort to protect their convictions and beliefs. An example of an effective passive process would be the successful recall of the California governor this year. For the first time in United States history, the constituents of California successfully petitioned for the recall of their governor. They passively accomplished their goal without the ineffective radical methods as evidenced in Z. This is a great example of a group of people collectively working together in a passive process to ultimately improve their situation in society.

The situation in California relates in one way to both Z and Antigone. In Z there is a group of people rallying together to change government. In Antigone one person revolts against the edicts of a king. Although in all three situations a governmental change is being demanded, the process by which that change happens is very different. In conclusion, it is admirable to stand by your convictions even in the face of death.

It is also very interesting to assess not only the way change occurs in government but by what means. The death of Antigone and the Greek pacifist doctor in Antigone and Z, did not successfully produce the desired outcome, however it did portray the passion that they both had in standing up for their convictions.