Examples Of Power Corrupts

Many would say that power corrupts. The phrase penned by John Dalberg, "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," has become a clichГ© idiom thrown about when discussing power. Does it really though? Does power really corrupt every man it touches? Power is merely a tool, neither inherently good nor bad. Power, similar to "magic", is subject to the one who wields it. If something wicked wields power, the power will lead to wicked things. However, power in the hands of good will lead to good things– it is a reflection of the heart. In J.R.R. Tolkien's book The Fellowship of the Ring his characters exhibit different reactions to power. Some crave it, others lust for it, and one in particular shuns it. Power is a tool;...show more content...

In the opening of the first book The Fellowship of the Ring Tolkien puts a poem which begins, "Three Rings for the Elven–kings under the sky, Seven for Dwarf–lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne..." (Tolkien 49). The men were doomed to die. Similarly, in our world men are doomed to die without the salvation of Jesus, "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:23–24) This is why men in Tolkien's books have such a hard time handling power. For example the "nine mortal men" give in to the temptation to abuse their power and consequently they turn into wraiths, undying slaves of Sauron. Man's heart is corrupt in Middle Earth same as it is corrupt in our world, and this is why it appears that power always corrupts when it is really just the corruption of man brought to light by the influence of power. The great "sin" here is lust. The lust for power, or money, or women, or gold (Thorin Oakenshield) is the great downfall of man. Each thing individually is not evil, but it is the lust that is, and it is the lust that

Power Corrupts There are multiple ways to be influential to mankind, but what are the different variations of power people can use and can they be abused? Power of words, power of roles, power of actions, power of media, and power of authority are interconnected and all lead to the same conclusion; "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." In other words, when people have too much power, they could use it as a gift or a weapon. Words are the foundation of most of the powers used to be influential. The use of words can affect or impact the way a power is used; for example, people can either use words to build you up or break you down. They can also be used to mislead people by "telling people the things they want to hear instead of the things they need to hear" (Paragraph 4, The Danger of Silence). Words can be abused and can lead to serious issues for the person speaking and the person those words were directed for. In the Ted talk "When Online Shaming Goes Too Far", we see how many people can misinterpret others opinions and use their words to "dehumanize people" (Ted Talk) as a way to have some power over that person. Ones' words...show more content...

The power of authority is when one person or a group of people follow someone or something with the intent of obeying rules blindly and without hesitation. An example of influential authority is in the Milgram Experiment. This lab was conducted with multiple people who were told to shock someone on command when they were authorized to do so. The experiment showed results that people are willing to listen to a higher authority when they were told. Low status and persuasive people "are like sheep following a shepherd." (Paragraph 7, Milgram Experiment) when there is an authority figure present. Authority is a privilege that can be easily misused, and this power is something that can cause much impact on other people lives and Get more content

Because power corrupts, society 's demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases. ~John Adams

The quote above has lot of meaning and relates in many ways to my analysis of how power is portrayed in television. There are a lot of power players and shot callers that can dominate the scene. How much power is could truly be shown in television show? How much power does the society have on conflicts in a relationship? Is there such a thing as a power struggle in television shows? Does the triggering event of a conflict determine the type of power and what tactics are used to resolve? Mahatma Gandhi says "Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment." Based on Gandhi's idea of power does the characters of Scandal act in love or out of fear? In this paper I will examined the triggering event in several episodes of Scandal to determine the type of power and tactic of the main power player.

Literature Review

Power is defined as the ability to influence and control events. This power is recognized by the social power that stems from the relationships among people. Social philosopher Hannah Arendt (1969) states that "Power is never the property of an individual; it belongs to a group and remains in existence only long as the groups keep together." The reason behind an

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Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely There are many examples, throughout history, of leaders who have been corrupted with power. For example, people like Hitler and Napoleon have all committed shameful actions in the hopes of gaining absolute power. Authority, or simply the desire of control, can cause people to act in incomprehensible ways. Throughout the play Macbeth, written by playwright Shakespeare, the desire for absolute power is the main driving force for the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They are consumed with a great craving for ultimate rule, and are willing to achieve it by whatever means necessary. Power had corrupted the thoughts, actions and behaviors of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and as a...show more content...

In addition, to Lady Macbeth plotting Duncan's death, Macbeth had also been corrupted with power because he continued to kill innocent people after Duncan's murder. The prophecy was for Macbeth to become king of Scotland and the only obstacle in his path was Banquo. Banquo had also been given a prophecy and that was for his generations to become king of Scotland. Macbeth desired forhis generations to become the kings and queens and so to stop the prophecy made to Banquo from coming true, Macbeth hires men to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. The following quote illustrates this situation:"It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul's flight, / If it finds heaven, must find it out tonight (3.I)." In this quote we see that Macbeth has seen what the witches predicted came true and now seeks to prevent what they said about Banquo. However, Macbeth continued to do these sickening acts because he believed that his actions would lead to the prophecy coming true. Furthermore we see this when Macbeth says: "Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires (1.IV)."This passage is important because it shows premeditation on Macbeth's part. Somewhere he suspects that his "black" heart will be revealed, and the world will know of his crimes. Macbeth hopes that his crimes will go unpunished. Still, he does not want the "stars" to see; he does not want their light, "the fires", to illuminate either his deed or his soul. His "deep desires" are for

Power and corruption are concepts that are difficult to fully understand. Several controversies occur within these topics. There are both conventional and unconventional ways of viewing power. In an attempt to make a claim contrary to common belief, David Brin stated, "It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible." This statement is not accurate because power is the corrupting device responsible for a plethora of downfalls leaders have experienced. Downfalls from power occur when there is an imbalance between the two souls present in the body. Everyhuman has two conflicting souls that serve as consciences to guide one's actions: the animal soul and the godly soul. The former acts as a means of acquiring the necessities of life, acting in the best interest of oneself. The latter focuses on doing what is morally right, aiming to help others. Often, the animal soul is associated with evil. Though everyone has both souls, some may have one soul dominant over the other, leading them to have more attributes associated with that specific soul. For example, greed and corruption are prevalent among people with excessive power. When viewing the behavior of those in authoritative positions, one may notice that, "Their animal soul has become so dominant over time that it becomes the norm" (Anchor Text). Their need for success has become equivalent to an animal's desire for food and life. People without power also have animal souls as