Power is both a good and evil thing. With power, a person has the potential to change the world. With power, a person’s words would be so influential, that anything would be possible. But when a person uses power for evil, it could possibly provoke the most horrible events imaginable. One person who used power for evil was a character from the movie Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith created by George Lucas. The characters name was Chancellor Palpatine. In a span of about fifteen years, he was able to manipulate the political system of the Galactic Republic so that he would come to power. With various events such as the Clone Wars, he gained more and more power as Chancellor, so much so that the only thing that the Chancellor feared was to lose his power.
To ensure that his power would remain intact, he orchestrated a brilliant plan. He manipulated the Senate and the Galactic Republic by making the Jedi out as the evil ones. He brilliantly used numerous examples and manipulation to ensure that his plan would continue smoothly. Through an analysis of Chancellor Palpatine’s address to the Galactic Senate from Star Wars Episode III: Return of the Sith, I plan to prove the political corruption of Chancellor Palpatine through analysis of his use of credible examples, his slander of the Jedi, the delineation of good and evil, his effective play on emotions, and his impeccable timing.
When a person hears the President of the United States address the nation, one would believe that everything that he is saying would be credible. This is the same for the Chancellor of the Galactic Senate. When Palpatine would address all the Senators, the Senators would believe that everything that he would be...
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...tler is a prime example for this. He was a brilliant man who knew how to speak eloquently and persuade a nation into transforming a government into a dictatorship. He was also able to gain Germany’s support for World War II and unfortunately, the genocide of the global Jewish community. Chancellor Palpatine and Adolf Hitler seem to be very much alike. Both men had the knowledge and power to manipulate people to achieve whatever they desired. Both men’s lust for power is what led to their corrupt. Their desire for absolute power is what made these men evil and a threat to liberty. I hope that the world will be able to learn from the past and prevent another corrupt politician from coming to power again.
Works Cited
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Dir. George Lucas. Perf. Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Hayden Christenson. Lucasfilm Ltd, 2005.
Power allows people to do anything they want. They can use it in different ways, they can tell people to obey them, they can use it to hurt someone they hate, and even rob. They can also use it in a positive way, they can help people and do a lot of good things with it.
Rolf Carle’s father in Eva Luna parallels this nature of power. Lucas Carle has total control over his wife and children, to the point where he treats his wife more like a prostitute, and his children hide from him when he comes home because they fear a beating from him. It is this fear of being punished if one does not obey that gives Lucas Carle his power, and as in the case of the General, if the only reason to give in to someone’s power is fear of the consequences if one doesn’t, then this power gains no respect from those it affects.
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).
Power simply can be defined as control over resources. This control allows for individuals to bring about change. The influence of power typically has a negative impact on individuals. It has even been said that “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Typically, as an individual gains power they tend to be less inhibited and act more based on their personal desires disregarding what is ethically right. Oftentimes, individuals lose sight of their morals in attempts to gain more power and exploit other people. Indeed, it is true that “with great power comes great responsibility” and whether an individual lets that responsibility corrupt them is a strong measure of their personal character (Ferguson and Peterson,
Adolf Hitler and his regime had a devastating effect on the twentieth century. Hitler’s third Reich (1933-1934) was supposed to last for 1000 years but only lasted twelve. This evil man legalised the destruction of an entire race of people. He plunged “the world into one of the bloodiest and most destructive wars in history.” (Shirer, 1961)
Star wars, episode I, the phantom menace. Dir. Ltd Lucasfilm. Perf. Liam Neeson Ewan McGregor Natalie Portman Jake Lloyd Ian McDiarmid Anthony Daniels Kenny Baker Pernilla August Frank Oz. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 1999. DVD.
Power is a quality, a tool, and a weapon utilized for a variety of reasons. It is in the form of a quality in which it gives the possessor, a sense of control. In the form of a weapon, power is possessed in order to produce a negative environment of hurt and punishment. But, in the form of a tool, power may be used in order to gain something more, something positive. Thus, power creates a sense of superiority which may result in consequences on both side of the spectrum, the good or the bad.
According to the oxford dictionary, “Power” is the ability to do something or act in a particular way especially as a faculty or even individually. It is also the political, social authority, or control that is exercised by a government. The theme of power, is portrayed throughout several texts and novels in both Mosaic I and II. In the book, Cat’s cradle by Kurt Vonnegut expresses the idea of power through religion, science and politics. The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marks and Frederick Engles, demonstrates how power, through class and economy leads to political empowerment. Homer’s Iliad and the Epic of Gilgamesh both demonstrate conflicting views of what is means to be powerful. Throughout these two text, both the Gods and mortals, struggle to discover their own power, whether it is through their strengths or an obsession with glory. The theme of power also manifests itself in the book of Antigone, where Creon abuses his privilege of absolute power and this allows him to suffer to a great extent. The Complete Persepolis and Walden and Civil Disobedience also demonstrates how governing powers can oppress people and this can be very restrictive in societies.
Star Wars: A New Hope. Dir. George Lucas. Perf. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford Carrie Fisher. DVD. Twentieth Century Fox, 2006.
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Dir. George Lucas. Perf. Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Hayden Christensen. 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, 2002. DVD.
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 not generally bad, but each individual contains an evil desire to posses it, and with this
The corruption of power is one of the world’s undeniable truths, throughout history power has corrupted many famous leaders such as Hitler and Henry VIII. Power corruption can happen in many ways, but there are three main sources. The sources would be character, how you use power, and the outlook on power. However other leaders did very well with power, so the real question would be what type of power corrupts and why? To answer what type of power corrupts I’ll have to go back to a quote from John Dalberg-Acton, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
From the absolute power of ancient kings and medieval monarchs to the tyrannical dictators of today, political corruption has been a persistent aspect of governed societies since their emergence early in human existence. In the quest for power, individuals create furtive conspiracies to overthrow governments and destroy policies. The presence of political corruption and conspiracy in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is prominent, as Brutus and Mark Antony conduct opposing conspiracies in relation to corruption in the Roman government. Shakespeare depicts Antony’s emotional drive, ability to set aside honor, and capacity to use manipulative language as additive to the strength of his conspiracy. These qualities allow his conspiracy to undermine Brutus and, in doing so, emphasize Brutus’ flaws of uncertainty, excessive accentuation of honor, and naïveté.
When someone’s personalized power dominates socialized, the balance between animal and godly soul is thrown off to favor the animal soul, he or she becomes corrupt (Source B, Anchor text). They only look out for their own good, regardless of how their actions can negatively impact others. An evil person with supreme power can afford to be corrupt because no one can punish them. Because of this, “they focus on their own egocentric desires and [are unable] to see others' perspectives” (Source B). They exploit the helpless people that let them lead, making a selfish, evil system out of their