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. To begin with, the American government relies on Opium’s border patrol to cease people from leaving the United States of America because they live off the ever deteriorating population. Similarly, everyday people in the United States are prevented from leaving the country. Per year about 24 million people emmigrate from the USA, and 25% are prevented. However, the reasons why the people are prevented from leaving are not legitimate. The American Government “enraptures” most people into tax schemes, financial issues etc. that prevent them from leaving the country such as the mandate “ObamaCare” scheme. The mandate requires you pay up to 10,000 in fees before leaving the country which has caused a great deal of problems including the shutdown of the American Government. Furthermore, in America there were 2 recent laws waiting to be passed and 1 is still being discus... ... middle of paper ... ...ese rankings is not because other countries like Japan or Finland advance precipitously, but because America regresses. The reason why America is a underprivileged country is because, it constantly worries about the uncertainty of the future and does not give attention to it’s present. As said by Dalai Lama, a buddhist spiritual leader “What matters is to live in the present, live now for every moment in the future.” As a final analysis the American government portrays a bona fide resemblance to its counterpart in the novel “The House of the Scorpion.” This is due to the American government both inside the novel and outside preventing people from leaving the country, making illegal negotiations with people and corporations and by doing so, has become a country in a state of regression. However, like any other tree it has the potential to change as the seasons go by.
By the mid 20th century, the scale and prominence of corruption had increased dramatically, due to the widespread transition to vast urban cities and industrialized systems. The greed and desperation that resulted from the shift towards industrialism accelerated the growth of corruption in politics. Although the shift to industry was a necessary stepping stone in the development of the modern society existing today, it was accompanied by various consequences to American society and facilitated the corruption of government officials. The exploitation of fellow
“There are thirty six of them, thirty six droplets of life.” In the story Nancy Farmer uses craft move to show patterns and exceptions. She uses Spanish words to show how the characters communicate, where the setting is, and to reveal their language. The protagonist in this book is Matt and the antagonist is El Patron, El Patron is growing drugs and making clones to keep himself alive. In the House of the Scorpion, Nancy Farmer uses Spanish words to show different meanings to the book. In the House of the Scorpion, most of the characters have Spanish names. El Patron, also known as Matteo Alacran both his names are Spanish. El Patron’s grandson is a very old man named El Viejo, he has a son that they call Mr. Alacran. Mr. Alacran is the husband
Corruption is a common event that has happened many times in various countries. There are different types of corruption that can happen, and each type has different effects on countries and the people within them. The overall theme of corruption used in Latin American literature describes three different emotions as an effect of the corruption. The author Claribel Alegria wrote three poems that show corruption causing depression within the country, war corruption causing guilt within the participants, and self corruption causing envy within themselves.
The issue has brought about poverty, corruption, violence, and the lack of human rights. The people in which they represent have difficulty accessing the state (240). With a great amount of poor people, they are the ones who are not helped. This inability of the state causes populism, increasing the chances of a proper democracy to take place (240). State reform has been a struggle to obtain in Latin America due to corruption. Neo-liberal reforms are causing weak institutions and new forms of corruption. (240) It is stealing for personal gain creating uneven costs for lower classes (240). This affects the resources available for social spending, which means the needs of the people are not met. Latin American states failing their people in many ways leading to fear, especially in slums that are dominated by gangsters that hold immense power (241). ** grugel* Bribery is also a form of corruption faces in Latin America. This abuse is seen in the public office in various forms money or property. A good given in exchange for a publicly controlled good, duties are violated to exchange a public good for a resource that benefits the public official’s power (4). Bribery and political corruption may influence democracy in the procedural sense. The influence can be within the access ballots, party competition, electoral processes (6). Corruption breaks the link between collective decision making
Most of the United States (U.S) is comprised of immigrants—including those who have migrated to the States from another country and those whose ancestors freely travelled to the States in search of a fresh start. Every year, the U.S. grants a limited number of people around the world the opportunity to immigrate to the States each year. As a result of the restriction, citizens from neighboring countries cross the border illegally. According to an article by Jens Manuel Krogstad, 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants reside in the U.S. in 2014. This whopping number has stirred controversy both politically and economically for America’s government officials. As a result, many people argue whether illegal immigrants should or should not be aided
A great man once said, “Cloning will enable mankind to reach eternal life”, but is this really true? Enter the novel The House of The Scorpion, an exemplary title written by Nancy Farmer that explores a future based on cloning and futuristic technology. The protagonist of the novel, Matteo Alacrán, is the clone of El Petrón, the most powerful drug lord in the world. Throughout the book, Matt faces love, hatred, and injustice that can keep any reader on their heels. The House of The Scorpion follows Matteo through his life, from being “created”, until adulthood.
“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.
Corruption consists in the illegitimate agreement between a corruptor and a corrupted, in which they abuse of their public power in order to obtain personal benefit. Bribery and corruption is something that has been going on for years. According to Allen, “officials perceive themselves as immune to any penalties for demanding and receiving bribes” which she states that it is one of the main reasons for bribery and corruption in underdeveloped countries. According to Transparency International, an organization committed exclusively to end corruption, three of the most corrupt countries in the world are Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan. This does not mean that corruption is only seen in underdeveloped countries. In international business, corporate employees often find themselves dealing with corruptors in foreign countries and, in most cases, they will give in.
America has evolved over the centuries, from a British colony to an international powerhouse. At one point, the U.S was considered the greatest country in the world. America always found solutions to problems, and tried to help make peace throughout the world, but now that is up to debate. Why? The answer is simple, the government. The dishonesty and bad decisions have resulted in America’s title as a superpower to waver. The government is a growing problem that may lead to the demise of America by negatively affecting political, social, and economic issues in the country.
Often times, Americans do not realize the corruption that surrounds them in their nation. Capitalism is an economic and political system in which the country’s trade and industry is controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state. Business owners, CEO’s, corporations, and large businesses have the propensity of taking extreme advantage of the power capitalism brings. For decades companies and corporations have been taking unexplainable benefit of the power they have. Capitalism in the Unites States leads to corruption.
The United States places 17th in education. Finland and South Korea are first place, while Japan and Singapore are right behind t...
This American government--what is it but a tradition, though a recent one, endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant losing some of its integrity? It has not the vitality and force of a single living man; for a single man can bend it to his will. It is a sort of wooden gun to the people themselves. But it is not the less necessary for this; for the people must have some complicated machinery or other, and hear its din, to satisfy that idea of government which they have.
Kickbacks, bribes, no/bid for federal contracts, secret meetings and agreements, lies and misinformation; it is a common occurrence on global news headlines that Mexican government and private corporations have been beset by a plague of dishonesty, corruption, and malfeasance of funds. Between those recent government scandals, many Mexican citizens lost the faith, reliability and belief in public institutions and politic parties. In addition, Mexican government’s credibility had been decreased within International governments and investors. Hence, it is difficult to gauge the extent of distrust, dishonesty among Mexican citizens as it is typical of public administrators to illicit behaviors of bribes, corruption, and organized crime? Although unethical behavior in government has been associated with contractors, officials’ elections and corporative agreements; during the last 70 years, the most powerful political party (PRI) had been charged with many corruption scandals relating to campaign financing, white collar (Stephens, 2011), budget frauds and malfeasance.
Through the eyes of the main character, a character who both witnesses and participates in the fraudulent acts committed within his lifetime in a developing country, we are also able to witness these transactions taking place, presented to us in a way in which these practices are seen as both habitual and customary within their society. But judging from the state of the government and the state of the society in the novel, third-party costs are made increasingly noticeable, as consequences of these transactions are often afflicted onto the backs of those under and near the poverty line. These consequences are then reflected back to the state of the country- as seen with the government’s failure to meet the physical needs and safety of its population, the lack of government regulation, the nonexistence of public trust, the vastly unequal distribution of wealth within the country, and the violence erupting as a result of class
Montesh, M. (n.d.). Conceptualizing Corruption: Forms, Causes, Types and Consequences. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from