Antigone And 9-11-01
Sophocles was well-versed in Tragedy, and these days everyone in America is as well. We are discovering what it is to be vulnerable, what is it to feel suffering and torment, and how to let loose a flood of emotions. Not surprisingly, these are some of the major purposes and functions of a Greek Tragedy, according to Aristotle anyway. The citizens of Ancient Greece went to see these very plays, Antigone and Oedipus Rex that is, and learned life lessons, and why it is necessary to cleanse oneself of one's emotions; the same things we Americans are learning. There are many things that these two important plays have in common with the situation going on in America at this time. First off, everyone has hubris. I have it, you have it, we ALL have it. I can think of many instances that are related to the "tragedy" in which America shows an immense amount of hubris. For one, so many Americans have begun to think that all Arabs and Muslims are out to get them. Hate crimes are many in areas where many followers of Islam live. On the news last night I watched a man describe how he was confronted by a gun-toting neighbor, and the man yelled that he was not a Muslim, even though he was wearing a turban, the sign of many Islamic men. It is a shame that he had to deny his religion for the sake of his life. That specifically relates to Antigone who would have been forced to go against her Gods and her ideology for the sake of her life. Another example of hubris that comes to mind is the way many Americans think this country is invincible. We refuse to believe anything can happen to us because frankly, nothing has. We've carved out our little niche of the all-powerful country and we refuse to dig out of it. "NO," they say, "We cannot be bombed, we cannot experience any kind of terrorism. It will not happen." There are also some who think that war is the only way to retaliate, and that military retaliation is the only way to solve our problem. Now, I'm no...
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