Oftentimes, the world materializes itself into a whirlwind of unpredictable chaos that consumes all of whom try to work through it. These people find themselves wishing the specious ideal that, by some intervention, all control over the world would be theirs. In Michael Crichton’s The Great Train Robbery, a similar lust for ascendancy induces Edward Pierce to his criminal act of robbing the train. Due to his need for control, Edward Pierce manipulates the situation in his favor to show his influence over all obstacles, including the law itself. Pierce did not suddenly acquire this desire from the train robbery alone, as it is a trait built within his character. Because he was an orphan, at least according to his word, it is evident that he
Power is a great privilege to have and a person can take advantage of the power if they have it. Getting the privilege of power can be abused and misused depending on the person it is given to. Sometimes if the power lands in the wrong person’s hands they can use it to benefit themselves. In the novel called Montana 1948 by Larry Watson, the power of the law is being abused in the situations occurring throughout the book. Having power and privileges can make a great impact on your life and other people’s lives and give you a variety of advantages.
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.
In her book, Limerick describes the “idea of innocence” that permeated the American West (36). According to the author, the underlying motive for every action was pure (even when it really was not). According to Western American folklore, early settlers did intend to victimize Indians and trespass on their land, but instead came to America to pursue new opportunities and improve their lives (Limerick 36). The same ideological theory may be applied to the motivations of the sensationalized outlaws from the time. For example, in her book Limerick details the life of John Wesley Hardin, an outlaw, who began his violent life of crime at the age of fifteen (36). According to the story, Hardin shot and killed a black man (Limerick 36). However, idolized as the son of a preacher, Hardin hid his crimes behind the veils of “bravery” and “honor” (Limerick 36). He claimed that he actually shot the man --...
“The Passing of Grandison” debunks the stereotypical image of a slave in the 19th Century. The author Charles Chesnutt uses his personal background and ability to pass himself as a white man to tell a very compelling story. Grandison was more than an uneducated farm hand doing his masters bidding. “The Passing of Grandison” provides evidence that while the society of the time thought of slaves as nothing more than property to be bought and abused, slaves could be much more than what was on the surface. In Chesnutt’s “The Passing of Grandison” Grandison is a plantation slave in the early 19th Century who through his actions eventaully escapes and aquires his own freedom as well as that of several family members. Most people have been in a situation where they wish they could outsmart or outwit another. Whether it is a peer or a higher-up, many wish they had the ability or courage to get the better of others. Is it possible for a subordinate to really fool their superior and eventually gain what they really wanted in the end? This is accomplished through the actions of an trickster figure. A trickster is a character in literature who attempts to outwit and outmaneuver his or her adversaries. The trickster uses whatever means necessary to reach whatever goals they might desire. , Trudier Harris states, “tricksters achieve their objectives through indirection and mask-wearing, through playing upon the gullibility of their opponents” (Harris, 1). In “The Passing of Grandison”, Chesnutt uses a trickster figure to achieve that one-ups-man ship and plot twists while providing social commentary to present part of his own belief system as it relates to the treatment of slaves in the 19th century. Two characters in “The Passing of Grandis...
Jeffrey Reiman, author of The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison, first published his book in 1979; it is now in its sixth edition, and he has continued to revise it as he keeps up on criminal justice statistics and other trends in the system. Reiman originally wrote his book after teaching for seven years at the School of Justice (formerly the Center for the Administration of Justice), which is a multidisciplinary, criminal justice education program at American University in Washington, D.C. He drew heavily from what he had learned from his colleagues at that university. Reiman is the William Fraser McDowell Professor of Philosophy at American University, where he has taught since 1970. He has written numerous books on political philosophy, criminology, and sociology.
This work demonstrates that to have power can simply be leverage in life. Keeping in mind the end goal to have control one needs to work to achieve the best. On the off chance that a man isn't in control they may battle through occasions, and acknowledge there are results for absence of exertion. It in many cases isn't reasonable for the individuals who have less power. It was not reasonable for Tessie to be stoned, but rather that was the way the town was run, and the guidelines were
Sayres, William G. “Compounding the Crime: Ingratitude and the Murder Conviction of Justine Moritz in Frankenstein.” Sayres, "Compounding the Crime", knarf.english.upenn.edu/Articles/sayres.html.
Throughout History there are many examples of perversions, from sexual, social to the very morals themselves. One of the greatest examples is the continuous corruption of the American Dream. As the Dream evolves, it tends to conform to the illicit dealings of the time and immortals of society. No longer is an individual interested in working hard to achieve goals, it is desirous of the quick fix. Society wants its wishes and wants them now. This social attitude is thoroughly explored in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and by Arthur Miller in his Death of a Salesman. As the instantaneous achievement becomes more valued it gives rise to the lie, the thief and the corrupted character.
The Underground Railroad was a network of ways that slaves used to escape to the free-states in the North. The Underground Railroad did not gain that name until around 1830 (Donald - ). There were many conductors, people who helped and housed the escaping slaves, but there are a few that have made records. The Underground Railroad was a big network, but it was not run by one certain organization; instead it was run by several individuals (PBS - )
Hastur, less an important character than one who is overlooked, joins the ranks of “Olympic-grade lurkers” (15) along with his coworker Ligur, though the other was admittedly the more accomplished of the two. Also a Duke of Hell, Hastur has a better understanding of human technology than most demons, but is still very traditional in his ways. Unlike Crowley, who believes that the growing population of the world requires a wider approach to tempting souls, he along with the rest of Hell surmise that the best way to secure souls is to whittle away at one at a time, slowly committing them to their future presence in the infernal regions. Though demons did not typically possess a deep-rooted evil, Crowley states that Hastur and Ligur “took such a dark delight in unpleasantness you might have even mistaken them for human” (253). He dislikes Crowley in many regards, stating that he has gone native after residing on earth since the first days, and calls him a ‘flash bastard’ because of his disapproval regarding his shift adapt to humanity. Despite this, Hastur is also aware that Crowley is highly favoured among the ranks of Hell, and is therefore uncertain that he is in reality not quite the useless field agent he appeared. He becomes paranoid when he is sent to collect Crowley, after his inability to inform his superiors about the mix-up of the Antichrist, that perhaps he is telling the truth when he says that Hell is testing him before he lead the Legions of the Damned in the upcoming war. This paranoia is in fact a very reasonable thing since he's grown up in Hell, where everyone really is out to get you. It actually turns out that yes, Crowley had been lying, and he was now stuck in his ansaphone machine. He spends a half hour trapp...
In the story "The Open Boat," by Stephen Crane, Crane uses many literary techniques to convey the stories overall theme. The story is centered on four men: a cook, a correspondent, Billie, an oiler who is the only character named in the story, and a captain. They are stranded in a lifeboat in stormy seas just off the coast of Florida, just after their ship has sunk. Although they can eventually see the shore, the waves are so big that it is too dangerous to try to take the boat in to land. Instead, the men are forced to take the boat further out to sea, where the waves are not quite as big and dangerous. They spend the night in the lifeboat and take turns rowing and then resting. In the morning, the men are weak and exhausted. The captain decides that they must try to take the lifeboat as close to shore as possible and then be ready to swim when the surf inevitably turns the boat over and throws the men into the cold sea. As they get closer to land a big wave comes and all the men are thrown into the sea. The lifeboat turns over and the four men must swim into shore. There are rescuers waiting on shore who help the men out of the water. Strangely, as the cook, captain and correspondent reach the shore safely and are helped out of the water, they discover that, somehow, the oiler has drowned after being smashed in the surf by a huge wave. (255-270) “The Open Boat’s” main theme deals with a character’s seemingly insignificant life struggle against nature’s indifference. Crane expresses this theme through a suspenseful tone, creative point of view, and a mix of irony.
As shown in literature, corruption and the abuse of power is an ongoing discussion. When it comes down to the point where people are being used and abused physically and psychologically, it creates a hostile environment for both the subjects and the abuser. As represented in the two similar texts Lord Of the Flies and “I Only Came to use the Phone”, corrupted authority and abuse of power usually end up leading to the collapse of a society or a world of chaos and violence.
As time evolves, so do the words that are essential for our everyday survival. The most obvious difference between humans and animals is our ability to master the art of speech. Often, people will say the “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”, a simple nursery rhyme that helps ease a bullied child from abusive words and taunts. But does that really help cure the emotional pain? Words can illuminate and motivate the minds of people but can also shadow their self-esteem through psychological trauma. In The Book Thief, we see how fundamental words were to shape the reality of millions of people caught in the fire of World War II.
On a tenement rooftop at age sixteen, Gail Wynand decides to conquer “the city where he [does] not run things” through the power of the written word (Rand 405). Working diligently and for his own purposes, young Wynand shows promise toward becoming a selfish creator and a moral man. [Perhaps you could add a bit here to describe what a selfish creator is… how that makes a moral man?]But with Wynand’s first self-righteous stand against corruption comes the devastating blow to his belief in honest men. [To what does this refer?] The true Gail Wynand dies, and the man who takes his place holds an unshakable contempt for integrity and the victimhood it presupposes. In Wynand’s mind, integrity will only make him a victim to the very forces he swore to conquer. [Why?] He sees a dichotomy between success and self-respect, and when he forces himself to choose between the man he wants to be and the things he feels he needs to prove [These things he “needs” to prove…is this referring to “conquering” the city? Proving his success to others through powe...
The Big U is Neal Stephenson’s very first novel, and it describes his idea of a university experience with a science fiction lens. This book starts out being what one would expect a science fiction university novel to be, one with advanced technology and a world of its own. However, throughout the book, the characters are progressively threatened by a computer program called the Worm and by a group of students called the terrorists. Even though it’s a science fiction genre, elements from the book still date in it the late 1900s as there are parts which allude to the Cold War between the United States and Russia. As said by Thomas Christensen, a Denmark science fiction reviewer, “The Big U has been out of print for a long time and there is