I agree with the thought of the quote fifty fifty. There are certain people that can take power into their hands and do good with it, but there are also a few that can’t control it correctly. Those people that can’t control it tend to think they are better than everyone else and their irrational actions turns them into bad people.
One example of this is today 's police force. There are a lot of men and women in the force that are good people, but it’s the few that abuse their power and beat people for no reason that make the whole force look bad. Those few should not be on the force; we want the peoples that can handle power correctly and make the nation a safer place. Although there are officers that will break with power we can’t let them be the faces of the police. We can’t be scared every time there is a police officer near us. We should be glad their is an officer around us and we should feel safe.
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Although this is an extreme example it still shows that power corrupts the mind. He first wanted to be an artist but a school that he applied to denied him. He was sane before he had power but, once he became the dictator of germany he lost his mind. He then went on to kill a huge population of the jewish society.
Another example of power corrupting is Jack from the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. ALthough Jack didn’t have complete power of the boys he still was able to control them. ALthough there was also the fact that they were stranded on the island that made him crazy he was still doing things that were very wrong in society. He had been crazed ever since they got there because he took the choirboys and made them run in an orderly fashion and wouldn’t let them stop even though Simon was about to pass
The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war. Even though Congress has remained quite active in wartime politics, ranging from its use of hearings to stimulate political debate to the shaping of military budgets, Congress no longer declares war, and haven’t since 1942. I think the presidents have taken the war powers that belongs to Congress through inherent powers. There are many reasons for why presidents usurped so much power.
eThe Effects of Power Power. It is waved around carelessly because the people that have it want to use it. They believe they can control events or people just because they may be in a high position. Power can corrupt individuals and cause them to act differently. The novels Fahrenheit 451 and The Wave demonstrate how power can change people or communities.
If you are reading your history book, a play, or even watching the news today, you will see how people abuse the power that they have over somethings. There have been many leaders and people who abuse their power over civilization and places. Even the littlest taste of power often leads them to corruption. Many times, citizens and adversaries riot over some of the things that they disagree on and, in some cases, murder comes in to play.
With injustice and cruelty running rampant in the world, it is unsurprising that people become determined to make things better for tomorrow. The cliché saying that the ends justify the means is often quoted by those aware of the moral greyness of their actions. Commendable yet unreasonable, leaders whose sole purpose in life is to fix what they see as “wrong” with the world fall prey to thinking there is only ally or enemy. In the long run, they harm those they try to liberate.
Hitler an example. Fair makes the old brin reel, doesn’t it? Food for thought there.”” (Kesey, 238). In this quote, Harding mentions that being mentally ill could give them more power over others, while also making reference to Hitler, a man that had a crazy ideology with immense power over Germany in the past.
Corruption of Power “Being president doesn’t change who you are. It reveals who you are,” (Obama Michelle). Definition of corrupt, dishonest or illegal behavior, specifically by powerful people, such as government officials or police officers (Merriam-Webster). Many leaders are corrupt, but that doesn’t mean that power caused their corruption. They were probably like that before.
When power is given to a person, it can change them negatively by creating an selfish and ungrateful ego. Many people who obtain authority and dominance become pompous and their superiority begins to feed their self-esteem. The lesson of power changing people is proven throughout history and is displayed in many novels and movies where the majority of citizens see power as money, and money as success. Having the mindset that being powerful leads to success causes them to under appreciate their lives and not see the goals they’ve accomplished as successes.
The desire for power is one of the strongest human drives. In Lord of The Flies by William Golding there is a constant struggle for power between the main characters, Ralph, Jack, and Piggy. Ralph has power because he was voted chief and uses his power in an ugly way. Jack is struggling to get out of Ralph's power and gain his own power. The boys’ struggle for power is an ugly struggle and the author uses this to demonstrate the ugly struggle for power that is human nature.
“Power doesn’t corrupt people, people corrupt power.”- William Gaddis. People take advantage of power when it is entrusted to them because of their own greed, which as a result lead to societal deterioration. In the story, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood, the higher-ups from Gilead abuse the power that is given to them, ruining the life of the citizens in the society. This was the cause for the need of higher birth rates and fixing conflicts in the world, but this was handled immorally.
The quote by Lord Acton, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” is a good example of what is happening in the book Animal Farm by George Orwell. The pigs immediately gain control and leadership of the farm and eventually start to abuse the power. The pigs abuse their power by changing the commandments, living in luxury, and by treating the animals poorly. First and foremost, the pigs start changing the commandments to fit their acts and desires. In the beginning of the story, the animals decide on fair rules that everyone on the farm should abide by.
When somebody receives incredible power, they also receive a large burden of responsibility. Some people, such as Napoleon, disregard these responsibilities and become corrupt. In reality, we have seen this in leaders such as Stalin, who became corrupt once into power. In “Animal Farm”, Napoleon, a totalitarian pig, is a great example of how too much power is equal to corruption.
Power can be a wonderful thing, which leads to success. On the other hand, misusing it can lead to corruption, depending on who is handling it. George Orwell in his book Animal Farm uses animals to show that humans abuse their power. The most significant topic in the novel is the abuse of power that keeps happening again and again. When unconstructive human qualities take over what is really important and overcome one's ability to govern competently, power is corrupted.
“Power doesn’t corrupt people, people corrupt power.”- William Gaddis. People take advantage of power when it is entrusted to them because of their own greed, which as a result lead to societal deterioration. In the story, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood, the higher-ups from Gilead abuse the power that is given to them, ruining the life of the citizens in the society. This was the cause for the need of higher birth rates and fixing conflicts in the world, but this was handled immorally.
Power can have the persuasive action in undoing the moral ethics of one’s character. This can be seen throughout history, such as World War II and proven by the actions of Napoleon in the allegory, Animal Farm, by George Orwell. As Lord Acton said “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In history what was viewed as a villain, is never the same as the perception. A leader does not begin wanting to do wrong, they start with the best intentions, but power is a tricky thing.
As humans, the desire to want control or influence is natural. However, some people may go to greater extremes than others to obtain this power. For instance, in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth was characterized as a good man, well renowned for winning a battle. His wife, on the contrary, Lady Macbeth, has a strong urge to obtain power and she is willing to do anything to acquire it. She implemented the thought of destroying everyone who stood in the way along the path to reach royalty in Macbeth’s mind by making him feel like he as though he is less of a man if he decided not to.