1) How did you feel about Polyneices, knowing he was a traitor to Thebes? Did you have very strong feelings about what he had done? How does this compare with your reaction to Parvaiz's actions in Home Fire. What makes you feel differently (if you do) about Parvaiz, compared with Polyneices? Do you have any sympathy for either man? Why or why not?

 

Polynices is a citizen of Thebes but he raised an army to attack Thebes because his brother Eteocles did not commit to the promise of giving Polynices when it was his turn to rule. He betrayed his family and people and in doing so, he killed his brother and died as well. I hsve a strong feeling of hate because he sacrificed his own family for his desire for the throne. While Eteocles has is also wrong in not giving his brother the throne when it was really Polynices' turn, this is does not justify what he did to innocent people who were collateral damages and his misdoing against his own family.

This resembles or is comparative of Parvaiz in Home Fire as he abandoned his sisters to become a member of the anti-state movement ISIS. In doing so, he was forced to havoc terror by mass shooting in Istanbul. He became criminal in the eyes of the people back in his British homeland and when he died in a terror attack, his twin sister Aneeka tried to get his body to be buried in Britain because authorities sees him as a terrorist that betrayed them and instead Aneeka was asked to bring his body in Pakistan where they have relatives.

My reaction to Parvaiz in the fact that he realized that what he did is wrong but was unable to go out of it because escaping the ISIS is dangerous make me feel sorry for him because his father is also a terrorist and he thinks that following his father's footsteps is the right thing to do. It was like just following the view of his father so that he will be proud of him.

In Polynices' actions, I feel less sorry for him because he was the leader of the army while Parvaiz is just a blinded member and realized his mistake.

I do feel some sympathy for them as they are humans driven by impulsive behavior that led to their ultimate death but I feel more sympathy for the people who were killed by their acts and to their loved ones who will have to live with the scar and burden of what they done.