Authority In The Short Story Antaeus, By Borden Bear

Bertrand Russell, a famous philosopher, once said “as soon as we abandon our own reason, and are content to rely on authority, there is no end for our troubles”. This quote reveals how authority can completely make our lives more difficult and unsuitable to live in. This symbolizes that authority may overpowers us, and how we are naturally prone to follow power people. Once we follow an authority figure we tend to lose hope in our dreams. Losing contact in our dreams pushes us to focus on reality. In the short story “Antaeus”, by Borden Deal, it uses characterization of T.J. to exhibit that when man is unique, he will fulfill people's dreams with determination, only to will realize that he will be defeated by a strong authority figure.

Throughout life we all look for guidance and are taught to listen to people of higher rank rather than our own personal thoughts. In particular, it is expected of humans to be obedient to

“The Perils of Obedience”, written by Stanley Milgram in 1973, explores how her experiment demonstrated people’s affinity to obey orders even if it means someone will get hurt. Milgram is a leading social psychologist who disproved previously considered notions about obedience and authority. Her work demonstrates how obedience trumps morality and gives support for this phenomena with examples from history. By using different participants’ reactions, the author is able to analyze the meaning behind the experiment.

Since the beginning of the human existence, man has always dominated and ruled over one another be it empires, corporations, or small groups. Authority and obedience has always been a factor of who we are. This natural occurrence can be seen clearly through the psychological experiments known as The Milgram Experiment and the Stanford Prison Experiment. Both of these studies are based on how human beings react to authority figures and what their obedience is when faced with conflict.

These reasons will prevent anarchy because one has a conscience to determine which laws to follow and which ones do not; therefore, one shows loyalty to the authority of law and also loyalty to one’s

Obedience and Emotion "Rules are the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men" (Harry Day). Although boundaries and guidelines are important for the success of a society, it is also invaluable to know the gift of freedom. If one is foolishly obedient and follows only the orders they are given, there is no growth for their future. People will start to become robots and will never learn some of life's most crucial lessons.

Many of the inmates have changed their attitudes and conformed to this strict lifestyle in order to avoid such punishments, which consequently lead to the loss of identity. During his time at Road Prison 36, Luke demonstrates his rebelliousness and individuality by constantly going against authority. Furthermore, Luke attempts two escapes, the second of which triggered Luke’s death at the hands of one of the prison Bosses. This essay will examine how the social psychological themes of conformity, authority and non-conformity are portrayed in the movie Cool Hand Luke. More specifically the critical analysis of how conformity and obedience to authority result in less punishment but equally a lack of self identity, and how non-conformity leads to the questioning of the system, individuality and the power of

We have been trained to be obedient to authority. This quality is deep-rooted in us all from the manner in which we were brought up. It is natural for people to obey orders from those whom they recognized as their authority. This is the natural response to legitimate authority and can be learnt in a variety of situations. In a summary written in the article “The Perils of Obedience” (Milgram 1974), states: “The legal aspects of obedience are of enormous import, but they say very little about how most people behave in concrete situations.”

Throughout the course of the year, as a class, we have discussed countless works from a variety of authors, artists, directors and speakers. One overarching theme from these works is the ability that a character can have to redefine social standards and have the courage to break societal norms. In society, it is incredibly hard to take a different stance than your peers and choose an alternative to the ordinary. The contrasting forces between good and evil in the world is the cause for exceptional people who are able to break social norms, however, not always in a positive manner. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the film Schindler’s List directed by Steven Spielberg, and the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut,

In the short story Antaeus by Borden Deal, he uses TJ to show how unique individuals can inspire people and make them dedicated only to have authority figures destroy their goal. First off, TJ’s unique characteristics are the driving force to make the narrator and his gang work for a common goal they think they would never achieve. The narrator brings a recent mover to meet his circle of friends.

We’ve said that obedience is at the heart of political power. What is meant by this and what are the reasons for this obedience that we discussed in class? {I basically answered this question in the previous question, so I am going to reiterate some stuff, but also continue to talk more about this because I find it such an interesting topic. Also, sorry for the ranting and swearing that is happens, probably not appropriate but I felt the need to.)

There are many factors that determine how people behave in their daily lives. We are run by a number of rules and regulations that influence the way we behave, talk and live. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows that without the influence of a civilized society and law and order, people’s characteristics can change drastically. Similarly in Macbeth, Shakespeare represents the loss of morality of a leader as his hunger for power clouds his judgement. Both pieces of literature present how both writers view the breakdown of morality through the breakdown of civil behaviour.

This suggests that the more a person enters into an agentic state, the less responsibility they feel for the situation. Milgram’s experiments continue to beg the question of the power of conscience and will over the power of obedience. Are humans more inclined to obey authority even if it causes harm to others? As we have seen through the scope of this experiment, even when an individual has deep rooted convictions, obedience to authority still overcomes the majority of the

Society and government require people to be obedient towards authority, but is it always the best thing to do? During the aftermath of World War II many of the major leaders of the Nazi regime were put on trial for crimes against humanity (History.com). These trials were known as the Nuremburg war trials, were most of the convicted proclaimed that they were “just following orders” (McLeod 584). Being an accomplice to a crime is also against the law. In the Nuremburg trials, those accused were not breaking the law that their government had created, they were actually following it.

People greatly value honor, and they will disregard everyone else and put themselves in danger in order to achieve it. For example, Tom wants it to be harder to get Jim out of his confinements, ignoring the fact that he is a human being and it is essential to his health and well being that he not remain imprisoned. When he encounters Jim’s situation, he says, “‘Blame it, this whole thing is just as easy and awkward as it can be. And so it makes it so rotten difficult to get up a difficult plan.” ’