In our society, people in positions of power are using their status and influence for personal gain. They often abuse their advantage. In current world affairs, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is using his power to scare a whole country into granting his personal wishes. In his position a dictator could accomplish a great deal possibly even guiding his country to wealth. Instead, Kim abuses his power to gain personal wealth leaving his country in deep poverty. He gains while his people suffer. Theirs is a helpless situation which they are powerless to change. In the book Les Miserables, the Thenardiers take in Cosette. The Thenardiers are a middle class people who cherish money and the status it brings. When they get the chance to hook Fantine they gladly take it. They constantly demand money from Fantine to take care of her child, Cosette. She has no option but to sell herself in prostitution, scraping together the money that they demand. Though healthy and fine, …show more content…
Javert is in a position of authority who is using knowledge as power. Javert is a crooked detective who mercilessly hunts Valjean even after Valjean has tried his hardest to be a good man, turning his life in a completely different direction. Throughout the whole book Javert has followed Jean’s trail since he first saw him in D-----. Javert is known as the bloodhound because of his ruthlessness in his hunt. After taking the bishops possessions Jean left town and wasn't seen again, even after this Javert chased down any lead he could find. When he left the bishop Jean went on and changed his whole life and dedicated it to helping others and being a good person. In M---- sur M---- Jean had a nice life and he was taking care of a sick widow all until Javert came along and named him as Jean Valjean. Javert could've seen this and left him be, but he had to be the almighty detective that he was and abuse his power to haul him
What is power to a human? As time has gone by, there have been many forms of control and influence in the world. Many strive to achieve total rule over a society or group of individuals. Yet the question still presents itself to the average man. Why does man desire power so greatly even though there is visible trouble that follows? Shelley’s Frankenstein, Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”, and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, whether through the situation or the character themselves, depict the evils and hardships due to an imbalance and poor management of power.
Both men become prisoners of the other at one time or another in the novel. Valjean becomes Javert’s prisoner in Paris. Then Javert becomes Valjean’s prisoner at the barricade in Rue de la Chanvrerie but is freed. Then when Javert catches Valjean by the sewers, he frees him in return.
An example would be in North Korea, the current leader Kim Jong-Un is the successor of the previous dictator, Kim Jong-Il. Kim Jong-Il ruled North Korea during the 20th century. During his rule there was decrease in trading because their main trading partner, the Soviet Union, had just collapsed. Not only that but there were also a numerous amount of floods and droughts occurred too. This left North Korea in famine, since there was only a certain amount of farming land, this left Kim Jong-Il to worry about his power. With the remaining amount of farming land he instead decided to use those resources for the military instead of the citizens experiencing famine at the time. After this incident, in 2003, it was found out that North Korea was producing nuclear weapons, but Kim Jong-Il said it was only for security reasons. Meetings were held with North Korea and the U.S. would always demand that North Korea remove those nuclear weapons, but every time they would decline. Kim Jong-Il’s health started to descend and that left him to give his power to his son, Kim Jong-Un. After his father’s death in 2011, Kim Jong-Un continued doing nuclear tests even if that meant that North Korea wouldn’t be accepted into the international community. In addition, North Korea has suffered in economically and faced poverty because of famine and food shortages that occured
Jack is a character in Lord of the Flies who needs power; he is addicted to it and he can’t get enough of it. Ralph on the other hand, focuses on others, and his main goal is to benefit everyone. Jack and Ralph are opposites, and that’s exactly what North and South Korea are, opposites. Kim Jong-un is like Jack, they both love power and abuse it to help themselves first. Moon Jae-in from the South uses his power to try to obtain peace and unite everyone, similarly to
Meursault, an unemotional, a moral, sensory-orientated character at the beginning of the book, turns into an emotional, happy man who understands the "meaninglessness" and absurdity of life by the end of the book. Meursault realizes that the universe is indifferent to man's life and this realization makes him happy. He realizes that there is no God and that the old codes of religious authoritarianism are not enough to suffice man's spiritual needs. One has to create one's won meaning in an absurd, meaningless world.
When a person is in power, situations arouse where they can acquire anything by lying, bribing, conning, or stealing. With these in mind anybody in power could easily become a powerful foe.
Power. It is defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Throughout time, certain individuals have acquired power in their society as a way to govern and keep order among their community. Power is not a new concept; it was used in the past by many emperors, kings, and queens, and is still being used by presidents, prime ministers, and dictators. Although, it has been used to further progress societies into what the world is like today, not all power has been used for the best of mankind. But what goes awry to make power turn corrupt? In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is illustrated how power can turn corrupt, when authoritative figures, who possess power, abuse it for their personal gain, rather than for the common good of the society.
Les Misérables (1862), a novel set in early nineteenth century France, presents a story of obsessions in honor, love, and duty, and through it redemption and salvation. It is the story of the poor Jean Valjean, condemned to an unfair amount of time in prison and a life on the run for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving family. The kind act of forgiveness from a Bishop with whom Jean Valjean stays one night, changes the course in which he chooses to live his life. Under a different identity, he becomes wealthy from a business he starts and later is elected mayor of the small town of Montreuil. He falls madly in love with Fantine, one of the workers in his factory. Because Fantine, one of the very poorest and most pitiful residents of Montreuil, has a child born out of wedlock, Jean Valjean as the respected mayor must keep his love for her a secret. When Fantine dies unexpectedly, Jean Valjean vows he will raise her daughter Cosette, and shield her from all the evils in the world. Through all of this, Jean Valjean is being pursued by Javert, a policeman whose entire life has been dedicated to finding Jean Valjean. While running from Javert, Jean Valjean and Cosette find themselves in Paris in the middle of the 1832 Revolution. As Cosette matures, she falls in love with Marius, a young revolutionist. Despite the objections of Jean Valjean, Cosette continues to secretly visit Marius at night. During the revolution, Marius is injured badly and Jean Valjean, after finding a love note from Marius to Cosette, quickly comes to the rescue of the wounded gentleman. Eventually Jean Valjean and Marius' Grandfather consent to the wedding of Cosette and Marius. In this novel, "there is a point at which...
Power is both a good and evil thing. With power, a person has the potential to change the world. With power, a person’s words would be so influential, that anything would be possible. But when a person uses power for evil, it could possibly provoke the most horrible events imaginable. One person who used power for evil was a character from the movie Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith created by George Lucas. The characters name was Chancellor Palpatine. In a span of about fifteen years, he was able to manipulate the political system of the Galactic Republic so that he would come to power. With various events such as the Clone Wars, he gained more and more power as Chancellor, so much so that the only thing that the Chancellor feared was to lose his power.
"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it" [Lord Acton, British Historian]. It is human nature that the more power one desires, the more corrupt actions they have to commit to attain power. Power is the ability to have control over people and/or things. People who are powerful can, and in most cases will, create an illusion of anything they want you to see about them. This illusion can make people blind to their true intentions.
Having too much power can lead a person to making wrong decisions and going crooked. During the French revolution, the third estate had to work for long hours and got nothing in return, and the food prices were skyrocketing. By doing so, King Louis XVI took away the rights of the third estate, but the third estate was not happy with the King’s decision. King Louis XVI didn’t give any right to
First off, is the element of forgiveness. In a book of mistrust, poverty, and hate…forgiveness thrives in the world of Les Miserables. The first example of this was at the very beginning, when Jean Valjean stayed with the bishop. Valjean stole his silver…and ran off. He ends up being caught by police, but when the police questioned the bishop, he claimed to have given the silver to Valjean. Jean was confused…and the bishop claimed that with the silver, he had purchased the convicts soul, and had given it to God, and from that day forward, Valjean must be a good man. Another example of forgiveness goes two ways. Javert, in his relentless pursuit of Valjean, is captured by revolutionaries. In reward for saving the lives of a few of these revolutionaries, Valjean asks for, and gets, permission to take Javert outside, and kill him. Once outside, a small monologue occurs…and Valjean releases Javert, and lets him go free. Valjean just wanted to be left alone in peace, and hoped this act of kindness would change Javert, and make him realize that Valjean was no longer the man he was. The second way…is that in the end, after Javert finally captures Valjean, he lets him go. Since Javert had broken the law… that he loved so dearly, he kills himself shortly thereafter, by jumping into a river.
Several people in Jean Valjeans life allow him to rediscover the meaning of love. The good bishop is the one responsible for initiating this rediscovery. Jean Valjean's new life begins when the bishop utters the words, “Jean Valjean, my brother, you belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you. I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God!” (30). This opens Jean Valjean to the good of the world and allows him to immerse himself in the love Cosette offers him, something he couldn't do without the help of the bishop. The bishop assists Jean Valjean in seeing that there are people who will help him despite his rocky background. This creates a reason for Jean Valjean to act on the experience to rebuild his life and become an honest man. This change of heart helps him feel the love that Cosette displays for him, which he has never known. He slowly begins to love and care f...
Powerful world leaders who are given nearly anything they want as they want it, tend to be a bad idea. Modern day examples of this are shown in countries like North Korea with dictator Kim Jong Un, whom we all think is crazy. The fact that he lives like a god while his people suffer we know is absolutely gut wrenching. But throughout history this type of government has been common, sometimes the people in power change it so it’s not so easily recognizable, but most of the time they are outright with their blatant abuse of power.
Jean is constantly living in fear of him losing his life. As he has become narcissist and believes his life is all that matters. He has also came to realization with an ideology that society has implemented inside of him, which is that man does not take you seriously until you are dead. Therefore the author also enters a contradiction in which he believes his point can be made if he dies. But the complicated mind a Jean enters many different contradictions to which is also believes his death could be misinterpreted, and therefore as a result die in a futile attempt to present a proper images of himself.