An example of a corrupted leader in literature is Cornelius Fudge from The Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling. Originally, Fudge is a good leader, and does not let his pride get the best of him; he is not afraid to ask for help from Dumbledore or admit that he is wrong. As the story progresses and events grow out of his control, though, he ignores all signs of danger and antagonizes those who want to what is right to save the world, like Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. Rather than letting someone who is more fit to defend the people from the threat of Voldemort, Fudge continues to pretend that everything is normal and the only real threat is the lie of a traumatized boy. Not prepared for what is to come, Fudge has no choice but to step
In movies, novels, and life, people are named as heroes. The heroes we establish and the heroes we recognize, however, may not meet the criteria for a mythic hero. A mythic hero ventures forth on his journey, and comes forth from the hero’s path to greatness. Joseph Campbell, a mythologist who studied many of the great human myths and religious tales, realized, in studying these myths and tales, that there were certain steps that every hero went through. Campbell called this “The Hero’s Journey”; it is based on Carl Jung's idea that all human beings have an archetype. After Campbell studied a lot of the great myths and realized this pattern, he published his findings in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Ever since then, authors have used “The Hero’s Journey” as an outline to tell their stories. “It is important to note that not all of these individual steps are present in every hero’s tale, nor is it important that they be in this exact order” (Vogler 20). The Hero with a Thousand Faces gives a sense of significance as it looks into the inner mind and soul. The author, Joseph Campbell, performs two extraordinary accomplishments: compelling his readers that myth and dream, those are the most effective and everlasting forces in life and a unification of mythology and psychoanalysis with a gripping narrative. One well-known example of “The Hero’s Journey” from popular culture is the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling. In the novel, Harry Potter, the main character, is the chosen one and “The Hero’s Journey” applies to his life from the moment he is attacked by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as a baby.
	In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops criticism of society by contrasting Huck and Jim’s life on the river to their dealings with people on land. Twain uses the adventures of Huck and Jim to expose the hypocrisy, racism, and injustices of society.
A scuffle for strength can be sparked by several of man’s worldly faults. For the want of wealth is fueled by greed. The pursuit of power is driven by pride. And the desire of it all for one’s self is vanity’s only wish. All these elements can be achieved by means of true authority granted by deceitful appearance. For it is what you are viewed as, not how you got there that is feared and respected. Such qualities are prevalent in leaders both of valor and treachery.
Lao-Tzu recognizes what possible actions will result in, and he confides in the people to make them feel apart of the government, rather than controlled by someone who should serve as example. By letting events transpire without attempting to sway them one way or another, a leader displays their understanding that “the universe is forever of control” (verse 30, p. 26) and the people feel more content in an unadministered world. Moreover, Lao-Tzu explains that in order to govern the people without manipulating them, it is best to let them find their own way without conveying superiority. However, Machiavelli disagrees, and through the enforcement of a cold leadership, a ruler is more inclined to keep his subjects and loyal. He believes that unpredictability will elude enemies and subjects from taking advantage of their leader, and he does so by deceiving the people and going back on his word. Machiavelli writes, “without that reputation he will never keep an army united or prepared for any combat” (46). But, Machiavelli is battle-hungry and prefers to be feared rather than loved. In order to indicate where a leader stands among their subjects, Lao-Tzu leads with an easy-going manner, while Machiavelli denotes vicious behavior—both prove to benefit the kingdom, but by producing
The Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu put it best when he said, “A leader is best when people barley know he exists, When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, They will say: We did it ourselves.” Often when a person thinks of a leader they think of such great leaders as George Washington, George Patton, and Thomas Jackson. The word “leader” itself will invoke images of die-hard men with the charisma to command anyone and overcome anything. Yet despite this common image there was no theory of leadership that covered this common belief in a “super” leader.
Unfair.Stubborn.Inhuman. Are all characteristics of an inadequate leader. Power has a negative effect on people will act out of character if they are told to do something from someone of authority and the person in charge can manipulate people to get them to do things for him.
“A leader or a man of action in a crisis almost always acts subconsciously and then thinks of the reasons for his action.” (Jawaharlal Nehru) Leaders throughout history have been idolized as the magnificent humans with the ability to sway the heart of man with both silent and thunderous footsteps. One such man being Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Shakespeare dictates that a leader is cunning, sharp minded, and a caring person who is prepared to dedicate their life to a goal and to the people they care for; the reason be “right” or “wrong”.
For example, Antigone was a great leader because she stood up for what she believed in despite the consequences. However, her uncle, Creon, was a perfect example of what not to do as a leader. He was selfish and arrogant. He never thought of others and degraded women. A true leader would think rationally and ask the people what they thought should be done or at least think of what would be respectful for the other family members. The only reason he even decided to make the law about Polynices was because he was hurt that his eldest son had been killed. While this may seem a reasonable excuse, how was Antigone supposed to grieve when she was only allowed to give one of her brothers a proper burial? In A Prayer for Owen Meany, there are several examples of leadership amongst the characters. For example, Dan Needham became a leader for Owen and John after Tabby died. Obviously he was a father figure, something most people associate leadership with anyway, but what made him a good leader was that he always put the boys first and some might say he even gave up a life he could have lived because he stayed to take care of
Failing to Celebrate Victories. Another pitfall that leaders may fall into is failing to celebrate working accomplishments. I experienced this pitfall working with my head teacher Debbie. For instance, the celebrations at work were not always honoring a victory, but we had an end of the year parties and sometimes holiday parties. Debbie never came to any of the parties. Of course, my coworkers and I felt that she was not part of our team and did not care about us or our work.
Leaders are suppose to protect their citizens, but frequently they hurt them instead, so that they can reassure themselves that they are powerful. This is true in Collins novel, The Hunger Games where the president hurts his citizens to prove to them and himself that he has the power to do so. Similarly, the leaders of France unjustly exploited the citizens to ensure that they were able to. The Hunger Games, written by Suzanna Collins and the French Revolution have uncanny similarities regarding leaders who commit unjust acts to maintain their confidence about their absolute power.
...tler is a prime example for this. He was a brilliant man who knew how to speak eloquently and persuade a nation into transforming a government into a dictatorship. He was also able to gain Germany’s support for World War II and unfortunately, the genocide of the global Jewish community. Chancellor Palpatine and Adolf Hitler seem to be very much alike. Both men had the knowledge and power to manipulate people to achieve whatever they desired. Both men’s lust for power is what led to their corrupt. Their desire for absolute power is what made these men evil and a threat to liberty. I hope that the world will be able to learn from the past and prevent another corrupt politician from coming to power again.
As we begin to delve into the source of power corruption we first have to look at the person’s character. As found in research by Katherine A. DeCelles and her colleagues people with low morality or character resulted in them responding badly to power, while those with high morality or character responded much better to power. Even though this was on a fairly small scale character is still a very important part in not only choosing a leader, but also judging how they will respond to power. However just because you have good character
When given, or exposed to power, people may become corrupt. In J. J. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring it is shown that when people are tempted or given power they may become corrupt. We can see this through the characters Frodo Baggins; the bearer of a powerful ring, Gollum, the previous bearer, and lastly it is shown through Bilbo Baggins another bearer.
Another leader who found success because he chose to be feared was Hrothgar from the novel Grendel. He organized his tribe and started to conquer and destroy any tribe who did not want to join him. Soon Hrothgar became powerful and when he had shown the other tribes his “strength of his organization… instead of making war on them, he sent men to them… with heavy wagons… to gather their tribute to his greatness” (Gardner 37).
fall of a man who may be basically or originally good but is always corruptible through the