haemon vs. creon....students vs. administration?

In Antigone, a rift appears between father and son when the issue of Antigone’s fate is a question. Principle guides Haemon in an argument against his father, Creon, to try and convince him that Antigone deserves to live. He uses logic and reason to convince Creon that despite the fact that Antigone broke the law, she deserves a chance to live as she was only following her beliefs and morals. Creon on the other hand is arguing based solely on his emotions and his stubborn belief that he is right in punishing Antigone because according to him the king is always right and “that’s the law!” (39). However, Haemon tactfully points out Creon’s faults and his “empty, mindless judgments” (39). Although Creon does not change his mind about Antigone’s punishment, Haemon does successfully prove that Creon’s punishment is wrong and unjust.
Similarly, another area where the smaller power has overruled the larger power is right here in our own Phoenix Country Day School. Last year, it was mandatory for all students to say on campus, regardless of what grade they were in, during block 6 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. For most seniors this became a punishment as it restricted the amount of time they were allowed to go off campus for lunch. As most students know, you wait four years for the opportunity to go off-campus as a senior and get lunch from a variety of delicious restaurants. However, last year this was unachievable by many seniors. As we are known to speak out against the rules we see unfit, the student body complained to faculty and administration about how this rule was unfair and was not helping anyone. Later in the year, a group of senators that represented the student body met with the administration and they decided that block six office hours would no longer be mandatory to stay on campus. The administration agreed with our logical examples and decided to change the rules and allow seniors to go off campus during those blocks.
This argument, while not the same, parallels the disagreement between Creon and Haemon. While the elder powers had a point (both Creon and the school’s administration), ultimately the logical reasons exemplified by the younger powers (both Haemon and the student body) proved to be right. On one hand, Creon did not learn from his mistakes and it ultimately resulted in a tragic ending, however, the PCDS administration learnt and changed the rules for this 2009-2010 school year (of which the senior class is very grateful)