Corruption: dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power. Corruption is everywhere. It is known to have adverse effects on the development of society through creating the feeling of unrest throughout the population. In the dystopian themed novel, Birthmarked, Caragh O'Brien explores the possibility of an oppressive government system by combining the thirst for power and control, with its effects on society. The government system in the novel Birthmarked is corrupt, as it gains its power by using surveillance, forced conformity, and threatening punishments. This impacts the functionality of the society by creating the possibility of rebellion. To begin, the Protectorat constantly monitors the people that he reigns over, and if they found …show more content…
Towards the end of chapter fifteen, Gaia realizes that the Protectorat has been watching her close friends, and has the potential to harm them at any given moment. In this particular scene, she is watching the aftermath of the Protectorat almost shooting and killing a baby, Gaia observes, “The camera view zoomed out, shrinking the image of the parents, who running with their baby as fast as possible back toward the houses of Wharfton” (O'Brien 177). This quote exhibits the sheer power that the Protecterat has, and how he uses it as a weapon. This is an example of a corrupt government, since the privacy of the citizens is violated and their personal information such as their location, is used as a potential weapon. Moreover, the surveillance is used as blackmail to get prisoners to abide the parameters of the various threats. Not only has the government weaponized a tool that should be used for good, but they also use it to blackmail and negative reinforcement increases the chances of rebellion. When Gaia was in the Protectorat’s office, she was desperate to see her mother, and the Protectorat knew that. He toys with her emotions by saying, “‘Perhaps,” he …show more content…
When Gaia is making her plans to get inside of the Enclave, she is told, “‘Dress in red’” (O’Brien 48). Red is the colour that servants and maids are forced to wear and Gaia is hit with a wave of realization that everyone is forced to dress and act a certain way. This forces the citizens to judge others based on their persona, not their personality, making them more on edge and more fearful of their own people. This further develops their conformity because everyone does the exact same thing when they meet someone new: make assumptions. Continuing on, the citizens are also pressured into speaking the same way too. Methodically, all of the citizens start and end their conversations with the saying, “‘I serve the Enclave,’ she said. ‘And I,’ the two guards answered in unison’” (O’Brien 41). All of the people who live in or around the Enclave repeatedly say that they are happy to serve the enclave, and if they refuse to say that, they could be arrested on the grounds of treason. This forces them to live under constant fear of being taken away from their loved ones, and if they break under the pressure, it could cause a ripple effect and cause them all to rebel. This further proves that this is a corrupt government because it does not let the people express their opinions, therefore violating act one of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To summarize, the government
Political corruption is one of the significant themes in the novel “The House of the Scorpion.” Political corruption is the use of power by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Everyday political figures and governments who we rely on to protect us betray us. Whether it is by bribery,extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, embezzlement, criminal enterprise, drug trafficking, money laundering or human trafficking, political officials or governmental systems we look up to have dabbled in corruption here or there. However, the corrupted governments inside the novel do not differ from our everyday government such as: the American government because both governments inside and outside the novel prevent people from leaving the country, make illegal deals with people and corporations for favours and both have become a country in a state of regression.
“The Birthmark” and “My Last Duchess” are two very different works, from two completely different genres. “The Birthmark” is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and “My Last Duchess” is a poem written by Robert Browning. Although, these are two different genres, they have very similar themes and parallels. These works explore the problems with power and control in marriages at two different time periods and places and shows what it can drive a man to do. “The Birthmark” has a lot of symbolism, imagery and allegory. This story is about a pretty normal newlywed couple, Aylmer and Georgiana. “Such a union accordingly took place, and was attended with truly remarkable consequences and a deeply impressive moral. (2)” This quote is very interesting because the word “union” means many things. From one perspective it can mean the marriage between Aylmer and Georgiana, and on the other hand it could refer to the union of Aylmer’s love for Georgiana and science. Aylmer is thoroughly devoted to his career in science, and he was recently married to Georgiana so he is just getting to know what being married is like. The birthmark is the conflict in their marriage and in the story, Aylmer isn’t into Georgiana’s birthmark and he requests for her to allow him to remove it. He soon realizes that taking off the birthmark isn’t as simple as it seems because it is interwoven into Georgiana’s face. Georgiana then allows Aylmer to remove the birthmark, even though she knows he isn’t a successful scientist. The liquid that Aylmer has Georgiana drink slowly kills her, and Aylmer is shown to be a complete fool. The actual birthmark itself is the main symbol used throughout the story. “My Last Duchess” is a poem about a Duke who showing someone ...
“The Birth-Mark” was written in 1844; by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story describes Aylmer as a successful scientist. He discovers many mysteries of nature, such as what causes volcanoes and earthquakes; however, it is ironic that even though the story was written in the 1840s, which was the peak of the second great awakening, Aylmer did not believe in God. Georgiana is Aylmer’s faithful wife. She is born with a birth-mark in the form of a very tiny hand on her left cheek.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark”, is the story of a crazed scientist whose strive for perfection not only leads to the death of his beautiful wife, but the attempt of man to have power over nature. It follows the story of Aylmer and his obsession with removing the birthmark off his beautiful wife, Georgiana. “His unnatural fixation to his wife’s birthmark even consumes him in his sleep as he dreams of cutting it off much like scraping an apple off its skin.” (Snodgrass 29). This narrative explores the themes of perfection, and the conflict between science and the natural world.
The Birthmark and Symbolism Cloudy headed and conflicted describes Georgina, one of the main characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark.” In this eerie short story Georgina, who is seemingly perfect, is convinced by her husband, Aylmer, who is a scientist obsessed with perfection, that the small birthmark on her face is her only source of imperfection. While others have told her that this birthmark is a sign of magical endowments, Aylmer is disgusted by the sight of the birthmark, referring to it as a defect (Hawthorne 304-5). Georgina is taken aback by this comment and resents her husband for it. As the story progresses, Aylmer convinces Georgina to allow him to try and rid her of the mark.
The story’s tone is one of romantic controversy, a dilemma at a high level of existence. The scientist’s love for his craft competes very intensively with his newfound love for his wife. It is also very psychological, strictly dealing with the raw mind of its subjects as if the ominous narrator told the story from inside their mind, rather than observe it from the outside. He describes the processes that one may take to reach a certain degree of knowledge and to find the elixir of life, which is described in this story as the ultimate goal of the scientific community. Also, the narrator is very opinionated about events in the story.
Every relationship is different. Weather one may be in a relationship with a boy, or just a friend, it is different. Even though they are different, the characters in “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “IND AFF” by Fay Weldon are in similar relationships. That is, the male is dominant over the female, and the woman thinks the man is her knight in shining armor. In the beginning of “IND AFF” the unnamed woman thinks her professor, Peter, who she is having an affair with, is her ticket to creating a good thesis and higher standings. Similarly, in “The Birthmark,” Georgiana thinks her husband is her ticket to flawless beauty because he tells her he will remove her birthmark. Obviously, this is not how relationships operate in today’s society. These two relationships compare and contrast with each other as well as with relationships in today’s day-and-age.
“Political corruption is the use of power by government officials for illegitimate private gain.” This can lead to the downfall of societies because when citizens find out, they won’t have any respect for their government/leaders because of the bad things they do. Lack of respect can cause riots/outbreaks in cities.
In “The Birthmark” the relationships and behaviors of the character reveal much more than the story itself does. The characters of Aylmer, Georgian, Amenidab and Nature itself, through their words, actions, and behaviors give insight into a much more meaningful story. A deeper analysis of the characters reveals that they are archetypes, and as archetypes they provide a deeper hidden meaning to the story. By looking at Aylmer, Georgiana, Amenidab and Natures relationships and actions throughout the story we can see how they are used to give deeper significance.
Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines corruption as the impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral principle. In “The Great Gatsby,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author explains through different characters the corruption of the American Dream. One of the characters is the narrator’s cousin, Daisy Buchanan. In the story, Daisy only cares about possessions and not people, she lets other people take the fall for her actions, and she is unable to love—the quintessential victim by her own design.
...ctive polices in place but don't want those actions used against them. What government has done is manipulated this fear, while 1984 helps those who welcomed over intrusive surveillance question this as another form of government manipulation to bolster government power over its citizens.
1. Our society tends to be obsessed with the idea of physical perfection. How does our society manifest that obsession? How is the 'Birthmark'; an early version of our modern obsession with physical perfection?
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1843 short story entitled “The Birth-Mark” is, at face value, a traditionally formatted Hawthorne story; it is a textbook example of his recurrent theme of the unpardonable sin as committed by the primary character, Aylmer, the repercussions of which result in the untimely death of his wife, Georgiana. However, there seems to be an underlying theme to the story that adds a layer to Hawthorne’s common theme of the unpardonable sin; when Aylmer attempts to reconcile his intellectual prowess with his love for his wife, his efforts turn into an obsession with perfecting his wife’s single physical flaw and her consequent death. This tragedy occurs within the confines of traditional gender
Nathaniel Hawthorne did not do much explaining when it came to the characters involved in "The Birthmark". He did not portray the main characters: Aylmer, Georgiana, and Ambidab as human beings, but rather as symbols. While analyzing the story "The Birthmark", I have achieved some great insight of the author 's articulate writing style; especially, his style of making characters have symbolic meaning. In this story, Hawthorne uses his characters to symbolize specific things. In this ambiguous, short story, the three characters each symbolize Science, Beauty, and Nature. Each character represents an unusual force that has equally worked against each other.
Montesh, M. (n.d.). Conceptualizing Corruption: Forms, Causes, Types and Consequences. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from