The Importance of Civil Disobedience: Morals Over Laws

“It was civil disobedience that won them their civil rights”. The following quote by Tariq Ali shows that if people did not break the wrong laws that there would be no right laws. For example, if Rosa Parks did not break the law and sit in the front of the bus the movement to stop segregation would not have been as impactful. This example is perfect for why it is justified to break the law because sometimes when you break the law you do more good than harm. Similarly in the play Antigone by Sophocles and the article “Mom Jailed for lying to get Kids in better school speaks out on college scandal” by Pflum show examples of civil disobedience and unjust laws. In the writing piece’s laws were broken for family morals, proper funeral rights, and a child's successful future. The role of civil disobedience is revealed in this persuasive essay through examples which show that people should go against the law if there any need to protect themselves or their morals. 

The first example of civil disobedience presented is when a sister went against the law for family morals. Antigone was right to go against this unjust law because she made a promise to her brother that she would bury him so he could go to the afterlife. While Antigone is having a heated conversation with Ismene about burying her brother she says:

'If that is what you think I should not want you, even if you asked to come. You have made you choice, you can be what you want to be. But I will bury him; and if I must die, I say that this crime is holy: I shall lie down with him in death, and I shall be as dear to him as he to me. It is the dead, not the living that make the longest demands; We die forever… You may do as you please. Since apparently the laws of the gods mean nothing to you'.

During this conversation Antigone is explaining to her sister that her brother deserves to be buried no matter the price. She wants Polyneices to be at peace and move onto the afterlife with the gods. While fighting with her Ismene, Antigone shows that she has strong family Morals because she is willing to die for Polyneices. Antigone made a promise to her brother that she would bury him and she is willing to do anything to fulfil her promise to Polyneices.

In addition a sister goes against an unjust law to give her brother proper funeral rights. In the play Antigone explains that Polyneices deserves a proper burial:

'Listen Ismene Creon buried our brother Eteocles with military honors, gave him a soldiers funeral, and it was right that he should; but Polyneices, who fought as bravely and died as miserably, they say that Creon has sworn no one shall bury him, no one mourn for him, but his body must lie in the fields, a sweet treasure for carrion birds to find as they search for food'.

Antigone was right to break the law for because Polyneices deserves to be buried and have a proper funeral. Polyneices deserves to have a better funeral than Eteocles because if it was not for Eteocles greed they both would have been alive. Polynices is entitled to be at peace and move onto the afterlife to be with the gods. Even though Creon forbids Polyneices burial, Antigone will do anything for her brother because she loves him and wants him to be with the gods.

A final example of civil disobedience is when a mother is trying to provide for her children with a better and successful future. A mom explains how she falsifies her address to get her kids into a better school:

'In 2011, Williams-Bolar went to jail for falsifying her daughters’ home address, so that they could attend school in a better district than the one they were zoned for in their inner-city neighborhood.“I wanted them to have a good start in life,” Williams-Bolar said. “I wanted to send them to one of the best schools. What I did was in the best interest of my daughters'.

This mom should not be greatly punished for civil disobedience because she was trying to set her kids up for success and the tools for a stable life. This mother was right to break the law because she wanted to provide her kids with a better education. Also the school district is better and the kids would have a better chance of staying away from things that can derail their lives. The punishment would be wrong because she broke the law to help others and not for selfish reasons.

It is easy to think laws are just and should not be broken, but when you look closer people who are guilty of the same crimes our even worse mostly get better treatment based on their status in life. This mother explains that the punishment should be as extreme as hers and not different because of fame:

'The socioeconomic backdrop is completely different. It’s two different cases — absolutely. And they definitely were all about the status. But we’re all moms. Mothers want good education for their kids. That’s what we have in common. When I watched the video of them with their daughters, I could see the passion in their eyes for their kids. I could see the love there. They want what’s best for their kids'.

These mothers both broke the law to help their children have a better chance in life, but will their punishments be the same. Since a celebrity broke the law for her kids she will have a lesser sentence because of her status in the world. The mother is explaining that the law is unjust because the celebrity crime was worse than hers and she gets less punishment than the mother. This is an example of why you should not follow the law because it is not fair and treat people different based on status, nationality, religion, power, and gender.

Thus, people who are civilly disobedient and go against unjust laws should not be punished for standing up for what is right. In both writing pieces when the main characters go against unjust laws it is to help another person. In Antigone she breaks the law for family morals and to put her brother at peace, and the Mom wanted to set her kids up with a better chance to thrive in life. These examples of civil disobedience should not be punished for because they are helping other people fulfill their needs in life and death.

Work Cited

• Feldman, Kevin, et al. “Antigone.” Prentice Hall Literature, Pearson / Prentice Hall, 2007.
• Pflum, Mary. “Mom Jailed for Lying to Swap Kids' School Speaks about College Scandal.” TODAY.com, 13 Sept. 2019, www.today.com/parents/ohio-mom-jailed-school-swap-college-cheating-scandal-t150441.