To what extent is power portrayed throughout the movie ‘The Castle’? Power, which is described as ‘the ability that an individual or group has to manipulate or influence the behaviours of others’ or ‘holding authority over others’, and examples of power are seen commonly in everyday life, whether at home between families or politically. Examples of such power are essential throughout the movie ‘The Castle’ directed by Rob Sitch and written by Jane Kennedy, Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro, and Tom Gleisner. To what extent is this power portrayed throughout different areas of the film? One of the earliest examples of power shown in ‘The Castle’, Family power, is displayed clearly both at the beginning of the movie as part of the family introduction …show more content…
Dennis Denuto, the small time lawyer, had very little power and authority during his time in court. During the hearing at the magistrates court he consistently stuttered and tripped over his own words, even pulling Darryl aside to tell him that “I have no idea what I'm doing”. On the complete contrary to this the queens council (Ron Graham) had a great deal of power. Firstly his work and his service is almost always obscured by an enormous fee, because of which Darryl must rely on charity in order to receive legal representation. Once in court Ron, while Dennis Denuto sits idle and helpless passing the occasional useless note, stands confidently providing accurate statements as to why Airlink should not be able to forcibly acquire the Kerrigan family's home along with calm, convincing rebuttals to any counter arguments provided by the Airlink …show more content…
Airlink has the ability to obligatory acquisition of the Kerrigan family's home and surrounding homes without any form of input from the homeowner in order to expand the airport that is “practically their backyard”. Along with this they were also able to place an extremely small value of money on the house that would be given as compensation upon the acquisition of the home. Airlink also had a man visit all of the houses to threaten the homeowners in attempt to persuade them to leave their homes without further resistance. In the case of Darryl Kerrigan Airlink also had their lawyers pay Dennis Denuto (the Kerrigans lawyer) a visit in attempt to bribe them out of taking the case to court, this further demonstrates the power that the wealthy Airlink owners have over the general ‘poorer’ public. Relating to the forced home acquisition, air link also has a “iron clad agreement” with the local council which allows them to do this legally, and prevent the likes of Darryl Kerrigan from interfering. It is clear that throughout the film this power is seen as a negative, at that the minds behind the creation of the film believed that companies such as Airlink should not have such immense power over the general public and their
The Castle, directed by Rob Sitch, is an Australian comedy, which delves into the lives of a stereotypical Australian family, the Kerrigans. The film touchs on issues close to home in a humourous way. The audience is introduced to the classic Aussie family, narrated in the viewpoint of the youngest of the Kerrigans, Dale.
Power. It is defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Throughout time, certain individuals have acquired power in their society as a way to govern and keep order among their community. Power is not a new concept; it was used in the past by many emperors, kings, and queens, and is still being used by presidents, prime ministers, and dictators. Although, it has been used to further progress societies into what the world is like today, not all power has been used for the best of mankind. But what goes awry to make power turn corrupt? In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is illustrated how power can turn corrupt, when authoritative figures, who possess power, abuse it for their personal gain, rather than for the common good of the society.
The novel We Have Always Lived in The Castle by Shirley Jackson is a very unique book. This is due to the very strange behavioral patterns from the two sisters, Merricat and Constance, in the poem. But what is the most unusual about the two sisters is their definitions of happiness. To see Merricat’s definition of happiness is best seen when she refers to the “moon” and under the same weekly routine schedule she has always been under since she her family was murdered. Constance’s definition of happiness clearly displayed when Charles comes to the house and when she starts embracing Merricat’s “moon” fantasy world. By looking at the two girls’ definition of happiness we can see what the girls truly need and want in order to be happy.
Australia has the terrible condition of having an essentially pointless and prefabricated idea of “Aussiness” that really has no relation to our real culture or the way in which we really see ourselves. We, however subscribe to these stereotypes when trying to find some expression of our Australian identity. The feature film, The Castle, deals with issues about Australian identity in the 1990’s. The film uses techniques like camera shots, language and the use of narration to develop conflict between a decent, old fashioned suburban family, the Kerrigans and an unscrupulous corporation called Airlink. Feature films like The Castle are cultural products because they use attitudes, values and stereotypes about what it means to be Australian.
Power is authority and strength, which is any form of motive force or energy, ability to act, or control. When too much power is given, a dictatorship government can form, in which all decisions are made by one authority. In the book Animal Farm, by George Orwell the author portrays how “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton).
An idea such as power establishes itself in most societies throughout the world. Power sets the basis for order and civilization, but it also causes chaos and collides with other human instincts such as greed and ambition. Power presents itself in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth in a confusing manner. Macbeth yearns to gain power and has the means to gain it, but the method of his gaining of power have been questioned by critics since its inscription in 1623. Macbeth, while tyrannical in gaining his power in the murdering of Duncan, sets the premise of the story and in this murder makes a name for himself on his leadership qualities. A man’s gain of power should not determine who they are as a ruler or even
Power is the capability of influencing others in their behavior. It all connects to him trying to tame Katherine. He wants to change her behavior and he contains the power of doing this because at the end she respects him more than any other female would respect their husband. Throughout the play, The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare, Petruchio, Katherine 's husband, contains the power in the relationship because he is able to change her behavior.
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. After Edmond escapes from prison, he increases his power from the money he gains from the Isle of Monte Cristo to be able to eradicate his enemies. In The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas the author uses imagery and details to portray the theme of power.
The word “power” is defined in many ways. There is not a specific statement that defines what power is or what it’s supposed to be. Power can make or break a person or even an entire nation. Power is a measure of an entity’s ability to control the environment around itself, including the behavior of other entities. Ken Kesey, the author of the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, shows us the difference in power and control among the strong nurses and the men in the psychiatric ward. The men who are placed in the ward are controlled by Nurse Ratched, who takes control of situations the same way she did when she was an army nurse. Nurse Ratched is used to the men on the ward obeying her until a man named R.P. McMurphy is admitted. McMurphy is a strong man who had power and control in the outside world and continues to show his power and control once he is in admitted which creates a lot of conflicts within the story. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
The term power has a variety of definitions. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the first definition of power refers to “the ability or capacity to act or do something effectively”, also include “a capacity, faculty, or aptitude,” (“power. (n.d.)
In the 70s and 80s, Castle Vale experienced a serious downfall in all aspects of a good neighbourhood – through economic and social status as well as the living environment.
Power has been defined as the psychological relations over another to get them to do what you want them to do. We are exposed to forms of power from the time of birth. Our parents exercise power over us to behave in a way they deem appropriate. In school, teachers use their power to help us learn. When we enter the work world the power of our boss motivates us to perform and desire to move up the corporate ladder so that we too can intimidate someone with power one day. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Kurtz had a power over the jungle and its people that was inexplicable.
Power is how much control and support one has. Power can be controversial because the people who want it sometimes don't know how to handle it. In Julius Caesar, written by Shakespeare, many different people possess power. They gain the power in varied ways and react to having it differently. Since there are so many situations in Julius Caesar, power shifts are very common because diverse times call for the amounts of power to vary between different people.
Some theorists believe that ‘power is everywhere: not because it embraces everything, but because it comes from everywhere… power is not an institution, nor a structure, nor possession. It is the name we give to a complex strategic situation in a particular society. (Foucault, 1990: 93) This is because power is present in each individual and in every relationship. It is defined as the ability of a group to get another group to take some form of desired action, usually by consensual power and sometimes by force. (Holmes, Hughes &Julian, 2007) There have been a number of differing views on ‘power over’ the many years in which it has been studied. Theorist such as Anthony Gidden in his works on structuration theory attempts to integrate basic structural analyses and agency-centred traditions. According to this, people are free to act, but they must also use and replicate fundamental structures of power by and through their own actions. Power is wielded and maintained by how one ‘makes a difference’ and based on their decisions and actions, if one fails to exercise power, that is to ‘make a difference’ then power is lost. (Giddens: 1984: 14) However, more recent theorists have revisited older conceptions including the power one has over another and within the decision-making processes, and power, as the ability to set specific, wanted agendas. To put it simply, power is the ability to get others to do something they wouldn’t otherwise do. In the political arena, therefore, power is the ability to make or influence decisions that other people are bound by.
Power is defined in the course study notes as the “ability of individuals or groups to get what they want despite the opposition”. Power is derived from a variety of sources including knowledge, experience and environmental uncertainties (Denhardt et al, 2001). It is also important to recognize that power is specific to each situation. Individuals or groups that may be entirely powerful in one situation may find themselves with little or no power in another. The county Registrar of Voters, who is my boss, is a perfect example. In running the local elections office, she can exercise the ultimate power. However, in a situation where she attempted to get the county selected for a desirable, statewide pilot project, she was powerless, completely at the mercy of the Secretary of State. Power is difficult to measure and even to recognize, yet it plays a major role in explaining authority. In organizations, power is most likely exercised in situations where “the stakes are high, resources are limited, and goals and processes are unclear” (Denhardt et al, 2001). The absence of power in organizations forces us to rely on soley hierarchical authority.