Antigone and a Rasin in the Sun Essay - 1873 Words

Antigone and A Rasin in the Sun Antigone and A Raisin in the Sun are two pieces of literature that are similar in one way, yet very different in another way. Both are very interesting pieces that were written to captivate even the most critical of audiences. This paper will show similarities as well as differences between the two pieces and their authors. Antigone is a play written by Sophocles and is about a young girl named Antigone who struggles with written laws of her city, Thebes. Her uncle is King Creon and sentences her to death because she decided to bury her brother, Polynices, after it was declared that he deserved no burial. Antigones sister, Ismene, was too afraid to go along with her. Antigones fiancà ©, (who is also†¦show more content†¦A Raisin in the Sun was brought into American theater on March 11, 1959 (James, 2006). Roles of Women In the play Antigone, men view women as a threat to their masculinity and do whatever they have to in order to silence them. However, the women find ways to speak out anyway. Gender has profound affects on the meaning of Antigones actions. Creon feels the need to defeat Antigone more so because she is a woman. Antigones rebellion is especially threatening because it upsets gender roles and hierarchy. By refusing to be passive, she overturns one of the fundamental rules of her culture. In the play A Raisin in the Sun, three generations of women are represented. Lena is the default head of household after her husband passes away. She believes, like most women of her time, that men should make the important decisions. Ruth is somewhere in between the two, is usually outspoken, and vocalizes her frustrations, yet aims to please her husband. She is willing to do whatever it takes to better the life her family. Beneatha is a young feminist college student who is not at all tolerant of societys unequal treatment and expectations of women. This play demonstrates the importance of how womens ideas have changed over time through the eyes of three generations. Themes There were several themes in Antigone. Pride, because Antigone was very proud of her family and did whatever she had to do to make things