Gibb West lives in Concord.
Many great works of literature explore themes of power and arrogance, and how we, as members of a community, can question ourselves and our leaders and, in doing so, seek a path to justice. You can revisit it for consideration.
The choices made by the Concord Board of Education on December 6, 2023 are deeply disturbing and have caused significant anxiety to members of our community, resulting in continued reprimands through letters to the editor. it is clear.
Many are calling for the school board to reconsider its decision to clarify its vote and expect changes. The school board’s refusal to do so despite public outcry could be seen as an act of arrogance.
In the 5th century B.C., Sophocles, in many of his most famous plays, considered the arrogant acts and abuses of power of his protagonists and the effects of these acts on themselves and the community as a whole. I would like to explore how Antigone, a play about an 11-year-old girl who confronts King Creon’s edict, influences the context of the current debate about the rebuilding of Landrett Middle School. Masu.
Antigone, the heroine of the play, violates King Creon’s law forbidding her to bury her brother, an enemy of the state who brought an army against Thebes. She rebels against Creon and buries her brother, believing it to be God’s will. King Creon sentences her to death, and in the third scene his son Haemon, Antigone’s betrothed, appears.
Creon speaks at length about the importance of being a dutiful son: “Every man hates his father’s enemies and honors his father’s friends.” He goes on to explain, “Whoever is chosen to rule must be obeyed – in all things, great and small, just and unjust!”
Mr. Hymon’s response provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the current Randlett decision, the concerns expressed in the many letters published in the Concord Monitor, and the many conversations around the city. While all 40 lines of Haimon’s rebuttal to the father’s position are well worth reading, I will share these lines that most clearly illuminate our current situation.
One of the most prominent arguments he puts forward deals with the issue of rigor. Hymon said:
“Please, don’t change. / Do not believe that you are the only one who is right. / Those who think so, / who claim that they are the only ones with power, / The ability to reason correctly, the talent to speak, the soul — / Such a man turns out to be empty when you get to know him.”
The second argument asserts:
“The ideal situation/I admit that humans should instinctively be right./But since we are all very likely to go astray/rational is the person who can be taught. It’s about learning from.
Therefore, I urge Concord school board members to consider the words of Sophocles through Haemon’s discussion and engage the entire community in the dialogue about this important and enduring decision. This is fundamental to our democratic process, and in doing so you may restore public trust and appease those who are trying to rewrite the charter that gives you the powers you currently have. I don’t know.
