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This is an extension of our classroom. You will use this blog to communicate as a class, either in response to an assignment or in the aftermath of a seminar discussion when class flew by too quickly and there simply wasn't time to make all of your points. These posts are graded, and must use appropriate language.
Welcome to our class blog!
You should use this space for engaging in academic and school related conversations for which you will receive a grade. You should be respectful and intelligent in your posts. Treat this space, and what you say here, as if it were the classroom. Inappropriate, derogatory, and inflamatory remarks will not be tolerated.
About Me
- Ms. Soderquist
- That's me with Ishmael Beah at the writing workshop he taught with his mom, Laura Simms!
Night
Dante's Inferno
I think that might is always right. In the play Antigone is faced with a difficult decision. She can go and bury her brother and defy the king or she will not. She decides to because she is doing what she feels is the right the decision. I think that you should do what you think is right. When you do this most of the time it comes out to be the right the decision. It does not matter if other people do not think it is right all that matters is that you think it is right. The main thing is to have peace of mind. Might is always right.
ReplyDelete-Tyler Smith
Yes, I do believe that might is always right. I think that whatever you do, you should do it because you want to, not because anyone else wants you to. If you do what you believe is right, then you have probably made the right decision. Everyone is given an opportunity to choose between right and wrong at some point in their life, and it should be their decision as to what they choose. I agree with Tyler regarding that other people's opinions do not matter as long as you firmly stand by your decision.
ReplyDeleteNo, I do not think that might is always right. In some cases, like Antigone's, might is acceptable but not in all. Antigone feels like she has the duty to bury her deceased brother because he will have a horrible after life if he is not buried. Because her decision is not negativley effecting anyone, I think what she is doing is right even though the King says it is wrong. If might was always acceptable everyone could go around doing whatever they wanted just because they fetl like it.
ReplyDelete-Katie Rowe
I do not think that might is always right. The King in Antogone is mighty and can enforce his laws with death. However that does not make him right. Denying his brother a proper burial is wrong morally and in the god's eyes so Antogne is doing the right thing by going against the mighty king.
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think that might is always right. The phrase itself means that authorities, or those with power, are always right. It is clear in Antigone that even though Creon is king and thus the ultimate authority in Thebes, his proclamations are not always right. He is very wrong when he proclaims it illegal for anyone to bury the body of Polyneices. His proclamation goes against the gods’ wishes, who have declared that burial is a sacred rite. Also, those who do believe that might is always right, like Ismene, are at a very pre-conventional stage of thinking. Ismene bows to Creon without question because she thinks that “might unfortunately is right/ and makes us bend to things like this” (193). She simply avoids physical punishment by having deference for power, and does not consider whether the power is morally right or not. Might is always right only to people who do not think with universal ethical principles.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that might is always right. In Antigone's case, she feels that she is obliged, through her religious beliefs, to give her brother a proper burial. Her uncle Creon, the king of Thebes, makes it clear that he will kill anyone who tries to bury Polyneices. It is not right for Creon to enforce this, because Antigone would not be doing anything wrong by burying her brother. To Antigone, there is something more important than the law and the king; the gods. Ismene has opposite views, and chooses to "bend before authority". Antigone, strongly faithful to her religious duties, tells her sister to "…go / And please your fantasy and call / It wicked what the gods call good". Just because Creon thinks that Polyneices's burial is not right, it does not mean anything to Antigone. The burial would be right in the eyes of the gods, who are more important figures of authority to her.
ReplyDelete^Giana Grimaldi
ReplyDeleteAlthough might is the law and legal authority, I believe that might is not always right. Just because legal authorities form the laws, does not mean that there is corruption within the system. Because Creon is the chief of Thebes, does not mean that what he decrees is ultimately a true and honorable thing to do. Being forced to leave Polyneices rotting above ground completely contradicts what should be done with the body so the soul will release into the afterlife. It is not right that Polyneices will have an unholy death just because of what Creon believes should, or should not be done.
ReplyDelete-Joe Juliano
No, I do not believe that might is always right. While Creon, the king of Thebes, has the power, or might, to make a decree stating that Polyneices must not receive a proper burial, he is not morally right to make such a decree. Furthermore, Antigone states, “[Creon] has no right to tamper with what’s mine” (166). Creon should not interfere with the religious beliefs of his subjects concerning burials. Antigone does not want Polyneices to suffer in his afterlife, therefore, she disregards Creon’s decree. However, the beliefs of Antigone’s sister, Ismene, contrast those of Antigone. Ismene believes “…might unfortunately is right” (167). Ismene believes that as Creon is king, what he states must be right. Evidently, the fears of Ismene keep her from fighting for what is ultimately right, the proper burial of Polyneices. However, I believe that the fear of punishment should not stop one from doing what is the morally right choice. Polyneices deserves a proper burial in order to ensure his passage into an afterlife of bliss. If Polyneices is not buried, then, not only will the gods be upset, but Polyneices will suffer in the afterlife. Creon should not expect people to submit to his unethical and unmoral decrees. Overall, might is not always right.
ReplyDelete-Lauren Fabiszewski
Personally, I do not believe that might is always right. Those who are deemed "mighty" are most often associated with having control over others, and are a figure of power. Because of these traits, their followers usually assume they do no wrong. This is certainly not the case in the story of Antigone, for King Creon puts an enormous amount of stress on Antigone to choose between two of her most prominent moral beliefs. If might were always right, this early example of "might" would not have made that decision, and would have realized when he is not a dictator of Antigone's life. Even now, it is important for citizens under enforcers of the law to know that said enforcers are not always right, and are only human.
ReplyDeleteI definitely believe that might is not always right. Throughout the story of Antigone, Creon, the king of Thebes, imposes a law stating that the burial of Polyneices is forbidden and that anyone who performs his burial ceremony will be summoned to death. His degree will clearly upset the gods, as well as Antigone, who plans to disregard Creon’s order to respectfully bury her brother. Creon obviously does not consider how his orders will emotionally affect others and only thinks about his own desire and ruling techniques. In the story of Antigone, the fact that the Gods rule people’s afterlife while Creon controls people’s lives on earth is stated. Therefore, Creon has no right to impact Polyneices’ burial, considering that he is already deceased and officially in control of the Gods and Goddesses. Ismene, on the other hand, believes that Creon’s orders should be carried out. Instead of honoring her deceased brother, she defies the Gods in order to satisfy the ruling king. Her cowardice prevents her from “doing the right thing,” and showing respect for Polyneices. Instead, she subjects herself to obeying the orders of an unfair ruler who has no right to control Polyneices’ afterlife. Due to the fact that Creon is not directly involved with Polyneices’ afterlife, might is not always right, and people occasionally must go against the orders of a king.
ReplyDeleteLaura Ricciardone
I believe that might is not always right. In some cases using might is the right thing to do. Antigone is faced with the decision to properly bury her beloved brother and to go against the king of Creon or to let the body of her brother be shamed. She chooses to bury her brothers body because she believes it is right and she has the might to stand up to those who are against her. Even though her life was on the line she had the might to do what was right. A case that shows might being used wrongly is the case of the king of Creon threatening to kill anyone who dared bury the body of Polyneices. Instead of helping his people he uses his power and might to enforce laws that are wrong and against the rights the people have. It is also against some religions to not have a proper burial. Antigone uses might to do what is right and the king of Creon uses his might to do wrong to his people. -John Potter Furey
ReplyDeleteMight is not always right, especially in the case of Antigone involving the burial of her brother. She feels the need to do this herself, and do what is right according to the gods. Creon, the king, wants to prevent this burial. Creon has the might, but using his strength and power for the wrong reasons. This is an example of when might is not always right. Instead, Antigone says it is right to do what the gods would want. The motives of Creon are also driven by revenge and pride, which is definitely not right.
ReplyDelete--Bridget Yahoodik
No I believe that might is not always right. for instance in antigones case, she has to go againts what king says and listen to Creon says inorder to bury her one of her beloved brother. Creon is powerful and above all humans and he has a great sense of power that can drive one to do wrong, for instance like antigone she is driven to bury her borhter and go againts with the authorities say. In everyday life might is never right. For instance, one has no money and needs it for a life saving surgery. an oppertunity pops up where the human can rob a bank without getting caught. With the might they rob the bank and do what is wrong. There are many others cases where might is never right. Though Antigone buries her thrown to the side brother, she does the wrong thing by using the might that is imposed to her
ReplyDelete-Carmine DiCesare
Might is not necessarily right. Might may give one the power to tell others what to do and make laws, but this does not mean mighty people always act in the most morally acceptable or logical way. For example, in Antigone, Creon decrees that anyone who mourns for or buries Polyneices will be executed. This is not morally proper because in order for Polyneices to find peace in the afterlife, he must be buried. Otherwise, his spirit will be eternally unable to find rest. Creon's decree is also logically incorrect because he orders soldiers to guard a rotting corpse, rather than the city. In no way does Creon's or any other's might make him always right.
ReplyDelete-Adam Presser
While the mighty may reign supreme, it does not mean they are always necessarily right. In this case, the mighty is King Creon who forbids anyone to bury Polyneices, for he dishonors the city by fighting against his family. Antigone realizes that if her brother is not buried, he will not have a successful afterlife. Despite that she is going against her king, Antigone feels it is imperative she buries her brother. Creon is king and creates laws as well as enforces them. Even though he has a significant amount of power, his decision not to bury Polyneices is not the right one. By defying the law and burying her brother, Antigone accepts her fate but is content in knowing she has given Polyneices a proper burial. Antigone disagrees with the mighty Creon yet demonstrates herself to be morally correct, proving the might is not always right.
ReplyDelete-Martina Corona
Might, in my opinion, is only right when it is justified. The reasoning for my opinion is that might comes with responsibility and should not be used irrationally. One should not take advantage of their power just because they want to but because they need, or have reason to. For example, in Antigone, although seeming harsh and horrid, Creon has reason to create a law banning the burial of Polynieces. His reason is that one who brought war to his own city and killed his own people should not be buried with the same people who defended it. Might is only right when brought into reason for doing so.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that might is necessarily right or morally correct. If a group of people believe that their leader is right in every decision simply because he is powerful, then the leader will assume that he can do no wrong. For instance, Creon, King of Thebes, heinously denies Polyneices of a burial because he fought against his country. In ancient Greek culture, the denial of a burial is considered a crime against the gods. Creon displays the characteristic ignorance of a ruler who has gained too much power because he flouts the gods’ will. By unquestionably accepting every one of his commands, his kingdom enables him to believe that he can do no wrong. Their surrender to his commands is epitomized by Ismene, who presumes that “…might unfortunately is right”(193). However, this misconception is proven wrong by Antigone, the one person with enough courage to reveal that his actions are actually immoral by burying Polyneices. Although Creon considers her actions to be wicked because she disobeys his will, they are, “…what the gods call good”(194), because the gods have the ultimate say in what is morally correct. Therefore, Antigone is making the wisest decision by going against what her mighty ruler says is right.
ReplyDelete-Molly O'Shea
I believe that might is not always right. In the play Antigone, Creon has a lot of power because he is the King of Thebes and reigns over many people. He has the power to create laws, and he creates a decree that states that no one can bury Polyneices because he fought against Thebes. A burial is a very important aspect of Greek religion, and Antigone knows that if her brother does not receive a proper burial, he will not be able to enter the afterlife. Antigone then goes against Creon’s decree and gives Polyneices a burial. Even though Creon’s power is against the burial, he is not morally correct. He defies the god’s and his religion when he prohibits the burial of Polyneices. Antigone knows that Creon promises the death of anyone who buries Polyneices. She still knows that she has a moral obligation to properly bury her brother, even if it means to die herself. Antigone, unlike her sister Ismene, does not believe that “…might unfortunately is right” (193). In the play, even though Creon has a great amount of power, he is not right when he forbids the burial of Polyneices. Might does not necessarily always make any one right.
ReplyDelete-Chris Colarusso
In my opinion, might is not always right. Even though might, the king or the one with the power, is more powerful than the everyday citizen, it still does not make him right. For example, in the Greek myth of Antigone, Antigone must make the choice of burying the brother she loved or not burying him to obey the laws of the king. In my opinion, the might of the king, King Creon, is wrong to tell Antigone to leave her brothers body to be shamed upon and eaten by vultures. If I were Antigone, I would go against might because blood is thicker than water. A person, no matter how mighty and powerful they can be, should not be able to stop you from helping your family. Antigone would be helping her brother by allowing him to enter the believed to be great afterlife. King Creon is looked up upon, yet this does not make him incapable to making wrong decision. Might, might always be the safe choice in life, but is not always the right choice, as observed in the play Antigone.
ReplyDeleteIn real life, might is also not always right. For example, if a man needed money to save his dying wife and decided to rob a bank, that man should be punished but to a light extent. But of course in this situation, the judge would use his might to lock this man up for as long as possible. In this situation, might is not right because the mighty judge should understand the man’s circumstances and understand the situation. Yet, the judge will probably make the WRONG choice and punish the man to a maximum security prison.
Nico Varano Jr.
I do not think that might is always right. I think there is too much of a time where people believe that their leader is always right and they depend too much on him. This gives the leader too much confidence and can lead him to making a mistake. When Antigone is challenged by the decision to either bury her beloved brother or let his body be cursed she chooses to go against King Creon's orders and give her brother the proper burial. In order to make this decison Antigone used her might in order to make the decision. I consider might the power that a person has within themselef an not necessarily the power that one person has over a group of people. Sometimes power can lead to making bad decsions or actions. In Antigone's case it lead her to do something against the king, but it was morally right. The king's law was not morally right because it affected the families of deceased people. I believe that might in some cases os not always right.
ReplyDeleteArianna Merullo
In some cases, such as a fight against injustice, might is right. Antigone tried to fight the injustice King Creon put on her brother, Polyneices not burying his body. Though it was law, Antigone considered it injustice because then her brother would be unable to find happiness in the afterlife while her other brother, Eteocles, will be able to since he has received a proper burial. Antigone finds unfair as she feels both her brothers deserve eternal happiness, and uses her might to bury her brother. Might is a powerful thing in that it gives people the power to stand up and say something is not right. Antigone was able to do this because of her might and then had the bravery to want to "Tell it" (194). Though Antigone is ultimatally executed for her act, she was still able to rest in peace, believing the might she had was right and her decision is what the gods wanted.
ReplyDeleteTy Shaffer
Just because one is mighty does not make him (or her) righty. Holding power gives one the power to make decisions, but not the power to determine right from wrong. Everybody has the ability to make that distinction. To me, the right path or decision always leads to flowers and rainbows in my head, while wrongness leads to bad things like spoiled milk or dirty socks that you thought were clean but when you put them on you realize that you wore that pair yesterday. Everybody has their own way of seeing right from wrong.
ReplyDeleteAn example of might being wrong is King Creon in Antigone. He uses his might to smite Polyneices by outright refusing him a proper burial. He believes that this is right because Polyneices went against the king, so that justifies his eternal damnation. To Antigone, this decree is wrong. It is more wrong than a monkee eating an apple. More wrong than pouring OJ into a bowl of cereal. So this situation is a serious dilemma of moral values. Both Creon and Antigone feel that they are right, but only Creon has the authority to enforce his views. So his might gives him the authority to enforce what he thinks to be right, but everyone else thinks it is wrong.
So if being "right" is being what the majority believes to be right, then Creon is wrong. So his so called "might" is not "right", alright?
-James "always right" Christianson
Might is not always right. In Sophocles' play Antigone, Ismene represents right, while Antigone represents might. Antigone's brother Polyneices is not allowed a proper burial. In ancient Greek culture, without a proper burial one cannot be happy in the afterlife. Not wanting her brother to suffer, Antigone uses her might and follows what she believes in, though it may be against Creon's laws.
ReplyDeleteHowever, because Antigone went against the law and was might, does not mean that might is the right choice in every situation. Everyone distunguished right from wrong differently. For instance, someone may believe that killing another human is an acceptable action in a situation. However, another person may think that death is an unreasonable punishment for any action. If there was no sense of 'right' that was inforced by the law, everyone would use their might to react in events. Though might is sometimes right, the law is still necessary to keep people safe.
Heather DeNisco
Might does not mean right. The power to accomplish something is not justification to do it. While a person may have the might to commit an act, it may go against a prestablished standard of behavior i.e. morality. Morally, one should consider the effects of committing an action, not just on oneself, but on other members of society as well. Additionally, even if an action may not directly affect a person, it could affect those who he or she loves, as exhibited by Creon and Haemon.
ReplyDeleteMight is not always right. Creon ruler of Thebes has supreme power over his people. He can say what he wants and people will almost always follow his orders. After the struggle for power resulting in the death of Polyneices, Creon forbids anyone to give him a proper burial. In Greek culture a burial is nessessary for a smooth transition to the afterlife. Antigone sister of Polyneices cannot allow her brother to be left for the vultures. She decides to go against Creon's(might) orders and bury her brother. To her, the power of Creon means nothing and therefior she acts on what she believes is right. In her perspestive and as well as mine, might is not always right
ReplyDelete- Graham