Antigone, Ismene, Uncle Creon, and Cousin Haimon combine for a lot of drama in just a few short scenes. The story takes place 2500 years ago, but lots of it seems like it's straight out of reality TV or Gossip Girls. They fight about love of family rather than love of rules; a leader is convinced someone has sold him out; a younger sister desperately wants her sister's approval; a parent is willing to sacrifice his son's love for his fiance in order to prove a point; someone doesn't want to share the glory, and so on. Think about these themes and pick one to write about: which one resonates with you? Why? How is it still relevant today, to you? Why? Be specific, and feel free to reference movies or TV or books that play with your theme.
Your response should be two 8-10 sentence paragraphs. Be sure to copy your answer before you hit 'Publish' -- remember that these disappear sometimes!
A younger sister wanting her sister's approval definitely resonates with me. I am the older sister of one, and we are very close with each other, we treat each other like close friends, and there are always those times where my younger sister asks me questions and reassures that she looks okay or is doing the right thing. My sister knows my strengths, and my strengths are not quite her strengths so she always wants me to help her out and to approve of the things that she does (not everything!). My younger sister always looks up to me for advice, and approval, I do the same to her. For example, she wants my approval on her pictures, clothes, and activities to do with friends. This has related to me since we were very young, and we both always look for each other's approval because we are so close. There are tons of movies and tv shows that reference this, and an example is Full House. A younger sister named Stephanie always looks for her older sister's approval. Stephanie wants to be like her sister, and she wants her sister to see her as a cool and funny person, just like my sister and I. Stephanie wants to be like her older sister. Everytime that I think of a younger sister asking for an approval is when they ask if what they are wearing is okay, or if their hair is okay, from my past experiences.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme that relates to me is when someone doesn't want to share the glory. This has happened to almost everyone in the world, there is always a time when someone has accomplished something, and then they have to share the victory with others. But honestly, not everyone wants to share their victory. To be honest, I have had accomplishments and I have had to share with it my sister or even friends. An example is when I was awarded the MVP, for having a shutout season in soccer. I had an amazing season by not letting in one single goal, but then I had to share the MVP with another girl because she had scored the most goals. I was still awarded the MVP, but the other girl got a little prize and she got to share the celebration with me. To be honest, I was very happy for the other girl, but I just wanted the moment to stay on me since I was the actual MVP. There are other examples from movies such as Soccer Mom where a girl scored the goal, but she shared the victory with the girl who passed the ball to her. The girl who scored was really proud of herself, but she wasn't too happy with the fact that she shared the victory moment with another girl. There are always going to be times where people will be sharing victories with others and that’s when we just have to put a smile on our face and have fun with the celebration.
A popular theme from Antigone that frequently appears in T.V shows and in real life is hesitating to share glory with others. In Antigone, Antigone does not want to share the glory of dying with her sister because she fears that she would not be praised as much. In one of my favorite T.V shows, Psych, the main character Shawn does not want to share the glory of solving a crime case with his partner even though his partner helps him find the evidence. In the Pink Panther, a movie I watched as a child, the Inspector doesn’t want to share the glory from finding the expensive jewel with another inspector. Even in real life, people constantly mirror Antigone's actions and hesitate to share glory. For example, Steve Jobs-the co-founder of Apple-was reluctant to share the money and glory he received from founding apple with co-workers. Indeed, these are examples of hesitating to share glory and to me appear as selfish choices.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I admit that I make the mistake of hesitating to share glory especially with my younger sister. For example, I have always received lots of praise for my ability to slalom ski when I waterski. I always receive glory from friends, family, and guests who watch in amazement. However, recently my sister learned to ski (on two skis). She is now the center of the spotlight and she is the one who receives the praise instead of me. I admit that my reluctance to share praise with my sister is very selfish and I regret my actions. But, I recognize that sharing glory with others is something that many people struggle with every day. As my mom always tells me, “I need to think about others not always my self.” Undoubtedly, Antigone, Steve Jobs, the Inspector, Shawn, and millions of others around the world are similar to me as in they are reluctant to share glory with others.
A theme that shows up throughout Antigone that is often shown in reality TV shows and many books sharing the glory with others. I like many have siblings, and sharing the glory can often be a difficult task. An example of this is when I feel very accomplished because I finished something with great difficulty. I can’t wait to tell my dad, and when I do my brother says that he did it along time ago. I have to now share the glory with my brother who “did the task along time ago”. I think that in Antigone, Ismene, partly feels like she should share the glory with her sister, and I am one who does not appreciate that. Because of growing up with brothers I have learned to share the glory, although I do not like to.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger I used to ski race for Gunstock Ski Club. One race at Pat’s Peak, I placed tenth. I was thrilled and my parents were very proud of me. But my older brother placed third. Of course I was proud of him, but he was always a better ski racer then me and when I had the chance to shine, he placed better then I. It was of course upsetting, and I understand that he deserved the trophy, but it took away some of my glory, and instead I had to share the glory with my brother. Even though were much older now, I have a younger brother to share the glory with. I love my brothers, and I am glad that they have many achievements, and I don’t always have to share the glory which is nice. But sometimes, its nice to have your own achievements and to show that all your hard work has paid off.
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ReplyDeleteThere are many themes in the play Antigone. One that I felt really resonated with me was that of a younger sister desperately wanting her sister's approval. In my family I'm the youngest of five sisters, its safe to say I sometimes have trouble getting their attention, especially the one I'm closest to my sister Erika. Since my sister is 7 years older than me I’m constantly trying to do things that I know would make her proud and show that I'm mature, like how Ismene tries to with Antigone. Ismene just want to be seen as brave as her older sister but doesn’t know how to do, I sometimes feel like that too when I try to show my sisters that I am as smart as they are. Younger sister wanting their bigger sisters approval is something that you hear and see about everyday. It happens with all siblings which is why Ismene and Antigones relationship is so easy to understand. You see in tv shows, books, movies and everyday life, like in Modern Family with Alex and Haley. Although Alex almost never shows it you can tell that she wants her older sister Haley to approve of her and be proud of her with what she does.
ReplyDeleteAs well as trying to get someones approval another theme that resonated with me was someone not wanting to share the glory with another person. Since I'm the youngest, when I do have moments where I feel proud of myself for making something for example, even though I haven't done it all on my own I sometimes have trouble wanting to share the credit especially if its my bigger sister who helped me. People not wanting to share the glory is something that happens in every day life as well. Sometimes people want to be selfish for different reasons and don’t feel like sharing the glory for something, where it be, a project, a piece of art, a paper etc. Its something that is very common in everyday life which is also why the theme is so easy to relate to and understand in Antigone. Antigone has done something which considers is heroic all on her own and is proud of herself. So when Ismene comes and tries to be as brave and heroic as her its easy to see why Antigone is so mean to her and tells her she can’t die with her. She wants to be seen as the sole hero for barring her brother and going against Creon.
One of the themes that really resonates with me is the not wanting to share glory. I have quite the sibling rivalry with my brother he is about two years older than me and we both have pretty similar interests. We are both very competitive and it comes out quite a bit. One place that it really shows is in our lacrosse. We both have big dreams in lacrosse and we both hope fo go far not only in high school but hopefully at the next level in college. Our constant rivalry and one upping each other always puts one in the glory and the other out of it.
ReplyDeleteOur parents have always been very good about giving each one of us the same amount of attention when it comes to our sports. But its not our parents that create this sense of glory and someone being better than the other. I just think its the competitive nature of the two of us. I think we do both get a little jealous when the other one does something a little bit greater than the other. Its not as much not being able to share the glory its always trying to be on top. I don't really think its a bad thing though. Its challenge, a good challenge at that. I don’t think I would be as successful and as motivated if I didn't always have someone to compare myself to and someone to always be better than.
The theme that resonates with me the most is a younger sister or sibling wanting the older siblings approval. It seem that even 2500 this is a normal thing to see in both real life and in the media. In my family I see it happen all the time, and I am able to view it happen from the ‘outside’ when my little sister is hoping for my brothers approval. I have never been the younger sibling in this situation so I find it interesting watch it happen and see how obvious it is from the outside. I also see this theme in almost every TV show I watch. The theme is most prominent in Supernatural where the whole show seems to be Sam, the younger brother, trying to gain Dean’s approval. One of the most interesting example of the theme is in Sherlock. Sherlock’s need for Mycroft’s approval is not as clear as it is with Antigone and Ismene because of how their relationship works. Neither Sherlock nor Mycroft believe in showing any brotherly affection so Sherlock’s need for approval comes out in trying to outsmart his brother. The theme of a younger sibling try to gain an older sibling’s approval will probably continue to be shown in media in the future.
ReplyDeleteI cannot at all relate to anything that has happened in antigone. My family is stable, I have no glory to share, I do not care for my sister's approval, and I have no daddy issues (he's probably dead now anyway). The books I read and the TV shows I watch do not contain these themes. People are drawn to watching TV shows and reading books they relate to. I relate to not antigone, therefore my books and shows relate to not antigone.
ReplyDeleteThe only one of these themes that kind of resonates with me is not wanting to share the glory. This kind of applies to me when it comes to giving gifts in my family. It will be 10:00 at night the day before my mothers birthday and my sister has forgotten to get my mother a gift. Instead of making her a home made heart felt gift she comes to me and ask if I can say my present is from the both of us. I can see were Antigone would not want to share the glory, I know the feeling when I got a great gift and don't want to share the credit. Despite that feeling I do it because I am nice to my sister and also because I am sure that the same thing will happen to me on mothers day or on my dads birthday so I help my sister knowing that she will do the same to me later. This is where I don't think this theme fully applies to me but I know the feeling of not wanting to share the glory.
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ReplyDeleteI feel that the arguments between Ismene and Antigone relate to me the most. My sister is always trying to get her way and sometimes that way is not what I want. Antigone is the pushy one and tries to get the approval of Ismene to do something out of her comfort level. My sister seems to try to push me into things outside of my comfort level. She does this because she wants her way. I don't usually give in because I have my own ways just like Ismene. We will often argue for the shower after swim practice or who will sit in the middle on long car trips.
ReplyDeleteWe will also not want to share the glory with each other. My sister and I both play the same sports such as soccer, swimming and lacrosse. Especially with our family we will talk about our successes that day in our games. When I score goals she does't like to face it. We both want to go far in our sports so sharing glory with each other is often a challenge.
The idea of a leader making laws to stay in power and being corrupt is similar to congress. Everyone hates congress. There was one study that showed Nickelback was more popular than congress. Our current congress is one of the least productive. With no limits to how long they can be in office (unlike the president) they only pass things that will get them re-elected. Everyone hating congress is like everyone secretly hating creon.
ReplyDeleteI can really relate to the approval point because I have younger brother who really looks up to me and I look up to my sister. This also resonates with me because I can relate to doing things for and with my siblings even though they are different. This is still relevant to me today because as you said there is a lot of drama that can relate to modern day tv. This drama and is relevant because even though the play may be 2500 years old its content is still relevant. The way people act and how mankind functions will always stay the same and that is why this can be modern.
ReplyDeleteI feel that not only do the characters in the story seem to replicate the todays themes in entertainment, but also the gods. The gods although immortal, have a tendency to be catty and mean spirited. If you look at how they treat the humans, they are sort of like the plastics in 'Mean Girls". All of their "subjects" in the movie hated them, but at the same time nobody dared defy them. When Katy (the main character) did there was hell to pay. Very similar to the gods, who do not being defied.
ReplyDeleteA theme that constantly comes up in real life is people not wanting to share glory. I can relate to that, because if I do something and i get praised for it I don’t want to share the credit (I will share the glory if it was a group that got the glory). We constantly find people taking the all the glory and leaving the people that helped in the shadows. This is also constantly used as a TV plot, like when the person that got all the glory gets murdered and it always the guy that stood in the shadows.
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