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Essay / A theme of pride in Antigone and Whale Rider
Pride can be seen in both positive and negative ways. This can mean that one has self-respect, but it can also mean that one is arrogant and has a huge ego. The negative side of pride can be seen in both the play Antigone, written by the Greek playwright Sophocles, and the film Whale Rider. The two stories feature several different characters but share the same personalities. In Antigone, Antigone buries her brother despite Creon's new law forbidding anyone from burying him. Because of his pride, he is forced to sentence Antigone to death even though they are part of his family. Whale Rider tells the story of a twelve-year-old child named Paikea (Pai) who tries to show her grandfather and tribe leader, Koro, that she is fit to become the new leader, but Koro continues to neglect her because she is a girl. . In both stories, both men show a huge lack of respect for women and let their pride control their decisions. Although Creon and Koro neglect women throughout their respective stories, their different attitudes at the end of the two stories develop from their distinct ways of recognizing their pride; Creon is unable to overcome his pride, which leads to Antigone's death, and Koro overcomes his pride to accept Pai as the new leader of the tribe. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay Creon's inability to overcome his pride ultimately leads to several deaths and his failure as a father and husband. After discovering that Antigone had disobeyed him by burying Polyneices, he sentences her to death. Here he tries to show the citizens of Thebes that he is in control and powerful. Since he had already mentioned in his edict that anyone who did not follow his law would be stoned to death, he could not change his mind just because it was his niece who defied his orders. He knows that the citizens will consider him weak and unfit to be king if he makes rash and hypocritical decisions. If he wants to free Antigone, his citizens will believe it is acceptable to disobey their king and he is not willing to take that risk. This shows that Creon is willing to kill a member of his family without hesitation if it means it will not harm his reputation. Creon continues to believe he is making the right decision until Antigone commits suicide, resulting in the deaths of Haimon and Eurydice. He realizes that he has been "reckless and stupid" and that his pride and fear of losing the trust of his citizens caused the death of his family by cursing him. Creon is forced to suffer the guilt of causing three deaths and loneliness. His need to be the perfect leader ultimately killed his family, never giving him the chance to correct his error in judgment and set everything right. Similar to Creon, Koro constantly neglects Pai throughout the film, but unlike Creon, Koro realizes that his pride and arrogance blinded him from the truth and was eventually given the chance to redeem himself. At first, it's clear that Koro hated Pai, as he had already rejected her from birth. He believes that because Pai is a girl, she is incapable of becoming the leader he wants. However, he was proven wrong when he unsuccessfully used a rope to start an engine while Pai easily accomplished the task. Koro being unable to start the engine while Pai succeeded shows that as Pai gets stronger, he gradually gets weaker. When Koro created the School of Rulers, he forbade Pai from learning how to use taiahas because this weapon is usually used by boys. After.