Power: the amount of control one has over their own life, as well as the life of others. In the story, To Kill A Mockingbird, an African American man named Tom Robinson is accused of rape even though he was the one who was attacked. He is accused of raping a woman named Mayella Ewell. We will be seeing how powerful she is based on her class, gender, and race. We will be doing this by examining several documents on each of the three.
ower? I define power as the ability to do something, have the ability to influence others to do something. In a brief summary To Kill a Mockingbird author Lee Harper uses memorable characters to explore civil rights and racism in the segregated southern united states of the 1930’s. The story is told from through the eyes of Scout Finch, you learn about her father Atticus FInch who is an attorney who hopelessly strives to prove the innocence of a black man unjustly accused of rape; and about Boo Radley a mysterious neighbor who saves Scout and her brother Jem from being killed, because of her class and gender Mayella is powerless but, her race makes her powerful.
Power has a negative effect on those who are in power. It has a negative effect, because it causes unnecessary harm. For example, many leaders throughout history have used their power to demonstrate absolute control. In Antigone, Creon used his power in a negative way.
Power is the ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way, Power is not only strength it is a human relationships, power is the authority one person holds over another. In the play The Crucible,written by Arthur Miller. Three characters Abigail Williams, Reverend Hale, and Judge Danforth. All want to gain power as the play goes on. But it takes a turn and influenced them negatively.
But first what is Power? When researching Power words such as authority, control, direct, command and influence all appear. These words all support the following statement “Power is the ability to influence and control the behaviour of others.” The problem with power is that it often leads to those in power abusing it. As Lord Acton famously quoted “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
The concept of power is analogous to the deceptive appearance of a rose. Although people are allured to the blossom due its silky petals and crimson color, much like they are attracted to power because of the opportunities it withholds, the blossom also contains thorns, representative of the corruption one can create by abusing their powers. Consequently, it is no surprise that those who hold great power often become corrupt because they utilize their powers for their own selfish desires. There is a great responsibility that is attributed to possessing power, and those who fail to use their influence with good intentions tend to fall victim to their own selfish needs. Meanwhile, powerlessness is far less corruptive than power.
Kanye West, The Walking Controversy Since 2005, the rapper/producer known as Kanye West has been one of the most influential and successful artists around to this day, winning various prestigious awards. But, that’s not all he’s gained through his career. Kanye has also cemented himself in the image of controversy due to his cockiness, ego, and his tendency to overreact and go on massive unadulterated rants at random. So, how have these controversies affected Mr. West? And most importantly, does shunning someone work in the long run?
Power in today’s can be used in many different forms such as to show strength, rank, encouraging others, being an influence, being a leader, and much more. The way you use power in a situation can have a positive or negative impact on an individual, community, country, nation, or even the world. In the short story “Miss Temptation” by Kurt Vonnegut, he describe how power can impact an individual way of thinking of others due to past experiences. Power can anything one allows to have a dominance over their lives. It is the ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Power changes the way people act. Power has a negative effect on others because King Creon became a bad king and Hitler used it to lie and kill people. Power had a negative effect because Creon became a bad king. Creon won’t let Antigone bury her own brother.
Everyone, at one point in their lives has wanted power more than anything. Those who do get it have to make the decision whether they want to use it for good or evil. Power can turn a person into something they never dreamed they would become because it starts to take over their lives and people do not know what to do with so much power. There are many examples of power in the play Macbeth and every person that got it used it in very different ways. This caused many changes in people from turning from good to evil or evil to good.
Power is something that allows the one with it to control and oppress others. In the play The Crucible by author Arthur Miller, use characters from the play to show power. However the character with the most power is Judge Danforth. The reason Judge Danforth is the most powerful out of all the characters in The Crucible is because, Judge Danforth has the power of speaking, the power of speaking is where Judge Danforth decides who is able to speak or who is able to be heard, where Judge Danforth says “Turn your back.
Power can have the persuasive action in undoing the moral ethics of one’s character. This can be seen throughout history, such as World War II and proven by the actions of Napoleon in the allegory, Animal Farm, by George Orwell. As Lord Acton said “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In history what was viewed as a villain, is never the same as the perception. A leader does not begin wanting to do wrong, they start with the best intentions, but power is a tricky thing.
Power is often the root at which conflicts begin. As those on the bottom attempt to gain power and those at the top of the power dynamic attempt to consistently degrade those below them to prevent them from gaining influence. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the surprise, seemingly societally transcendent, ability for Othello to gain power and Othello to be able to marry Desdemona, is immediately followed by those in power trying to relieve Othello of his role in society, leading Othello to even attempt to exert his own power. The powerful men of Othello attempt to destroy and subjugate the lives of others to prevent them from advancing and maintaining power.
People have many different reactions when given power. The reaction is usually either one where they use power for a greater good and to guide others in a better situation, or they can misuse the power given and take advantage of the circumstances or others to make themselves feel even more dominant and in command. In the play, Antigone by Sophocles one of the main characters , King Creon, abuses his power to take superiority of others and in an attempt to gain control. The misuse of power is more frequent than the use of power for the favorable, even in many current events.
Most people question, “ How does the quest of power cause people to act? ”. Over the years the question has been proved to cause people to act differently. Not just in history but in many movies, plays, books, and even in current events today. The quest of power drives people to do things out of their character.
