Reading Journal #1: What is law? Who creates it? What is it’s purpose? Give me your best, most complete definition.

Laws against theft are created to protect everyone’s private property. However, is it morally acceptable for someone to break a window and steal a loaf of bread to feed her starving children? How about a different kind of dinner?

A crew of four set sail on a yacht from England: Tom Dudley, the captain; Edwin Stephens; Edmund Brooks; and Richard Parker, the 17-year-old cabin boy. The yacht sank and the four sailors escaped on a lifeboat. They had two tins of turnips and no water. The turnips lasted them two weeks. Richard Parker, the cabin boy, became ill from drinking seawater. Dudley proposed a lottery to see who would give their life and be eaten. Brooks refused. Approximately three weeks on the lifeboat, Dudley and Stephens signaled to each other that because Parker was ill, they would kill and eat him. One person held down Parker and the other killed him by stabbing him in the jugular vein with a penknife. Dudley, Stephens, and Brooks feasted on the body and blood of Parker for four days and were rescued on the fifth day during breakfast. When they returned, Dudley and Stephens were charged with murder. Journal #2: Was killing Parker wrong? Explain why you would find them guilty or not guilty of breaking the law against murder.

Is it ever morally acceptable to break the law? In the previous example, some of you may have answered yes, even murder is sometimes acceptable (the crew is not guilty); and some may have answered no, murder is never acceptable (the crew is guilty). What about the example of stealing bread? Changed your mind? Of refusing to go to war? Your answers are based on your ideas and feelings of justice, of right and wrong. But what principles are you basing your ideas on? We’ve considered Jeremy Bentham’s formula (Utilitarianism) for moral decisions. Let’s look at some others.

John Locke: Since we can survive outside of society, freedom is our natural state. In our free, natural state as humans we have these rights: “life, liberty, health, and possessions.” Any attempt to take them away is a violation of our human rights. You cannot kill and eat the cabin boy, because he has certain human rights Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative (2 criteria for a moral act): 1. To act morally is to act freely and according to reason, not preference or inclination, like animals. All humans are endowed with reason; however, we are only free when we act in a way that does not serve ourselves. Motives are more important than consequences. 2. A moral act can by universalized without contradiction, no matter what the results of the act are (you cannot steal someone’s private property, because if everyone stole, private property would cease to exist) (1) You cannot kill and eat the cabin boy, because it is self-serving and (2) if everyone killed other people, life and society would not exist. Under both of the above views of morality, the individual is not available for use by society, even for the good of society as a whole (Utilitarianism). In both cases, the individual is due certain rights or respect just by being human.

Antigone is forced to make an ethical decision about whether or not to break the law. Does she adhere to the Utilitarian Philosophy and not break the law? Because, if the law serves everyone, she has no right to break it, even if she disagrees with it. Does she adhere to the philosophical views of Locke and Kant and break the law, because some things are wrong under any circumstances? If a law violates moral principles, it should not be followed, and it doesn’t matter that the law serves everyone.

Reading Journal #3 Describe what Antigone and her sister, Ismene, are like. What are their personality traits and their values?

Reading Journal #4 Describe what type of person Creon is. What is his personality like and what are his values?

Reading Journals #5 1. Lines 66-72: What does Antigone mean? Do you agree? 2. Line 118: What does Antigone mean by this line? Why does she feel this way?

Reading Journal #6 What does the discussion between Creon and Haemon reveal about each of their characters and their relationship?

Reading Journal #7 Describe how Antigone feels about the judgment passed on her. Does she feel as if she deserves it? Use a reference from the text in your answer. Does she show the qualities of a tragic hero?

Reading Journal #8 Why does Creon change his mind? Be a literary critic. Knowing what we know about Creon’s character, does his change seem realistic or not? Explain your answer using an example of his past behavior.

Reading Journal #9 Tragic Hero: a person of admirable qualities or high stature whose downfall is brought about by their tragic flaw. Who better fits the definition of a tragic hero, Antigone or Creon? Make sure you consider all parts of the definition and explain how he or she fits it.

Reading Journal #10 Knowing how things ended for Antigone, explain whether or not it was correct for Antigone to defy Creon’s law, even though laws are for the good of society as a whole. Is it important that she admitted to Creon that she broke the law, or could she just have well lied that she didn’t do it? Morality, law, personal obligations are all major motifs in Antigone. Expand these motifs into a theme from the play(central message of the text), and use a scene from the play to prove that your theme is valid.