Antigone V. Susan B Anthony Essay

Antigone v. Susan B Anthony In the play Antigone by Sophocles, the main character defies the king and the civil law of Thebes to follow her heart and put her brother, Polyneices, to rest. Most people know the name Susan B Anthony; she exhibited civil disobedience in the form of illegally voting in the 1872 Presidential elections.

Many people will be surprised to find out that Antigone and Susan are a lot alike.They both fought for what they believed in, despite the fact that they were women and were “sexually inferior” to men, but they have their differences as well; which include, Antigone was defying the law because she wanted her brother to have a proper burial, but Susan defied the law because she felt women deserved the same voting rights as men. Why are women treated differently compared to men? All throughout history women have been treated as and given less than men. In Antigone, Creon shows his sexism by saying, “We keep the laws then, and the lawmakers, and no woman shall seduce us.If we must lose, let’s lose to a man, at least! Is a woman stronger than we (Creon, 792)? ” Judging from this statement, Creon believes that it would be better to lose to a man stronger than him than a woman, Creon also appears to have pride issues. Even though the lawmakers and Creon looked down on Antigone for being a woman, she still fought for what she believed in. Likewise, Susan B Anthony was told she couldn’t do a lot of things.

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When Susan wanted to vote in the presidential elections, the New York state government told her and all the other women in the country that they were not allowed to vote in the elections.Despite the governments’ warnings, the fact Susan was a woman and clearly not allowed to vote, she still fought for her beliefs and voted anyway. Antigone and Susan both show characteristics of strong, prideful women. However, Antigone and Susan have their differences as well. When confronted with the issue of whether or not to bury her brother, Antigone defied the law by deciding to bury her brother. She felt that helping her brother rest in peace was more important than keeping her life. On the other hand, Susan voted in the Presidential elections because she wanted women to have equal rights as men. Susan voted illegally, not just or herself, but for all the women in the country.

Antigone and Susan are different because they both fought for different issues and political debates. In conclusion, Antigone and Susan B Anthony have many things in common. They both have immense determination despite their genders and have a lot of heart and passion for what they believe in. However, they also have their many differences, including the fact that they fought for completely different issues and were both in different time periods. Comparing the similarities and differences between Antigone and Susan B Anthony, people can now understand their reasoning and their passion.