Antigone

"You want to bury him although it's forbidden in the city!"

This quote shows Ismene's surprise when her sister, Antigone requests help to perform her brother's burial, a main right of Greek women, a right stolen by their own uncle, the general, Creon.

The characters of this play are distinct, all having their own personal struggles.

• Antigone- brave, independent young woman struggling to find her place; takes a stand; unafraid of being caught and sentenced to death.
• Ismene- finds herself in a struggle to simultaneously maintain loyalty to her family and obey the law.
  
• Creon- tyrannous ruler who abuses his power to declare unjust laws and proud to admit mistakes.
• Haemon- son of Creon betrothed to Antigone; promises loyalty to his father yet he eventually takes sides with his soon-to-be wife, trying to reveal to his father the faults of his edict.
  

I dislike that Antigone is in book format. A story loses important detail when it is told through dialogue. Sophocles' Antigone confused me by leaving much to the reader's interpretations. Unless you are truly interested in Greek culture and dramas, I would not reccommend this play.

"The Call of the Wild"

"Buck refused to move under the rain of heavier blows which now fell upon him. Like his mates, he was barely able to get up, but unlike them, he had made up his mind not to get up.(pg.112)"

Buck would have never experienced the love he had for John Thornton, a "love that was feverish and burning, that was adoration, that was madness"if he had not taken a stand. His refusal to obey his ignorant master saved Buck's life. This act was just one of the examples of the underlying theme of taking a stand.

The Call of the Wild is set during the Klondike gold rush, which caused thousands of men to migrate into the arctic conditions. The novel is presented through Buck's eyes, presented as the experiences of an abducted, southern-born dog who fell back on the ways of his ancestors in order to survive hardships on the trail.

Jack London's The Call of the Wild intrigued me through events described so vividly that they seemed like personal experiences. I encourage you to take a step into this unknown world; journey with Buck over thousands of miles of arctic trail and the accompanying toil.