Term Paper on "Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely"

Term Paper 3 pages (1116 words) Sources: 4 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

The four works which are here under analysis, namely John Steinbeck's novel, the Grapes of Wrath, Arthur Miller's play All My Sons, P.J. Gibson's Long Time since Yesterday and the short story of the Tewa tribe entitled "The Women Warriors" all gravitate around the theme of power. In all these four texts, power comes especially in the form of a material or economic privilege which obviously gives precedence to its owner over the other members of a particular community. Where there is power, there is also abuse and corruption. Thus, in the four stories the pursuit of power seems to be true way to happiness. The texts thus focus on the economical as well as on the political power of individuals or societies and on the way in which power is transformed into abuse and corruption.

John Steinbeck's classic novel, the Grapes of Wrath, describes the period of economical transition during and after the Great Depression in America. The novel revolves around the traditional American leitmotif: the American Dream. It thus offers a glimpse of the changing society, which shifts from tradition to modernism: the land is no longer owned by individuals but by large companies that manage and control it with the sole purpose of obtaining the profit. The book is thus fraught with examples of the way in which the people that hold an economic advantage can transform this advantage into a form of ruthless abuse. The main storyline follows the migration of the farmers in Oklahoma to California, in a desperate pursuit of better jobs. The abuse is thus obvious in the way the rich Californians treat the migrating people. The multiple references to the great owners who exploit the land and the poor people at the same time, always following a single goal- the material profit: "And now the great owners and the companies invented a new method. A great owner bought a cannery. And when the peaches and the pears were ripe he cut the price of fruit below the price of raising it. And as cannery owner he paid himself a low price for the fruit and kept the price of canned goods up and took his profit." (Steinbeck, 363) Another example can be found in the third chapter of the book, where a truck owner intentionally runs over a turtle in the road. Although this might seem only a minor abuse, the gratuity of his inhuman act is symbolic of the way in which power can be transformed into a deadly weapon. In chapter seven, car salesmen also profit from their empowered position and remorselessly take advantage of the desperate people who want to go to California, by raising the prices, lying to the clients and so on. In chapter twenty-two, a woman tells the story of the time she and her husband made an appeal to the Salvation Army and asked for some food. The food was granted only after the husband groveled for it, thus hinting once more at the effect that power has on men. Power corrupts and makes is possessor forget about humanity and ethics. The extent of corruption is shown in those situations where food is thrown away and children are left to die of hunger simply because there would be no profit in selling the fruit: "There is… READ MORE

How to Reference "Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Lord of the Rings Power Corrupts Essay

Lord of the Rings:

Absolute power corrupts, absolutely, in fiction and in life

Fiction, especially fantasy fiction, is often thought of as providing an escape from reality. When J.R.R. Tolkien… read more

Essay 4 pages (1413 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

New Imperial Presidency Renewing Presidential Power After Watergate Term Paper

New Imperial Presidency

Rudalevige, Andrew. The New Imperial Presidency: Renewing Presidential Power after Watergate. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2005.

According to Andrew Rudalevige, after the resignation of Richard… read more

Term Paper 4 pages (1267 words) Sources: 0 Topic: American History / United States

---

Julius Caesar Cassius. Cassius Tells Brutus Essay

Julius Caesar

Cassius. Cassius tells Brutus that fate does not make a man powerful, and titles like "caesar" are meaningless.

Caesar. Caesar points out that men like Cassius who are… read more

Essay 2 pages (448 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Government / Politics

---

Ethics Contribute to Employee Commitment? Essay

ethics contribute to employee commitment?

Despite the vastly broad range of answers that would fit in accordance to the context of such a question, and as related through Business Ethics,… read more

Essay 4 pages (1223 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Business / Corporations / E-commerce

---

Concepts of Human Organization Essay

Centralization and Decentralization in Public Administration

There exists a great tension within the field of Public Administration, those that view authority has having its central purpose within a consolidated matrix… read more

Essay 6 pages (1927 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Management / Organizations

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>