Sophocles Essay - My Other Name is Antigone My other name...

My Other Name is Antigone
My other name is Antigone. I am persistent and I am not afraid to embrace my
stubbornness. I am not the wilting flower, unable to speak my mind or powerless to fix the
problems of this world. I am strong, more so even than most men. I refuse to be submissive, and
I will hold my own in the world.
When I was in my younger teens, I would often say or do something just to get a rise out
of my father. For me, it was a game, albeit a somewhat vicious one, to see whether my will was
stronger than his. As commented on in Sophocles’ play, Antigone, although the quote applies to
my father and me as well, “Like father, like daughter: both headstrong, deaf to reason!”
(Sophocles 209). No matter what I was challenging him on, my primary rationale was never very
strong, which is how my mother knew that I did not actually feel strongly about my actual
position, but she could not make me yield either until I won; I was so stubbornly against my
father. It seems to be the case with stubborn people that it is often not the opinion that is the
important thing, but not losing the argument, and the same is true of my father and me.
Similarly, Sophocles’ Antigone goes against the decree of Creon, her surrogate father, for
the primary purpose of getting a rise out of him. She, as well, is extremely stubborn and strong-
willed. As Choragos observes, “she has never learned to yield” (Sophocles 209). Being of the
age to strongly question and challenge authority, she buries her brother, Polyneices, even though
Creon stated straightforwardly that it is an act punishable by death. Her arguing point in defense