Antigone question #2

Myra Khan

10-30-2014

EN 102 –C6A/6C

Reading Response Questions:

2)  What is the purpose of the bumbling lines of the Sentry? Is his speech nonsense or wisdom?  Use textual evidence to prove your point.

I think that the lines of Sentry are neither nonsense nor wisdom, but instead the way he talks is to make sure when he tells Creon things, Sentry doesn’t get in trouble. He even says it when he is about to tell Creon ‘bad news’; ‘well, you know how disasters make a man hesitate to be their messenger.’ Instead of getting scared and murmuring the bad news; Sentry is straight to the point and tells Creon he doesn’t want to get in trouble for telling him bad news since he had nothing to do with it. Aside for talking in a way that prevented him from getting in trouble; he also talks in a way that describes different scenarios. ‘No marks of axes stroke nor casting up of earth of any mattock…there was no signs of wagon wheels.’ Sentry was describing ways that the scene could have been, if there had been any disturbances, but quite clearly tried to dismiss any thoughts Creon could have had. After describing the scene Sentry went back to clearing his name and anyone else that could have been blamed by saying, they would walk on hot coal and not be burned severely. ‘We were ready to take hot bars in our hands or walk through fire, and call on the gods with oaths that we had neither done it nor were privy to a plot with anyone.’ Sentry was basically saying to Creon; that neither he nor anyone that could be accused of doing the crime actually did it. And to prove their innocence they would take on the pain fullest test and pass unscathed by the grace of the gods. So basically Sentry’s speaking is not wise or nonsense, he just likes speaking very descriptively. Plus he makes sure to talk about his innocence.