Good Vs. Evil In Book IV Of Philosophy By Boethius

Good v. Evil, it’s way more than just a concept, it’s more of a lifelong struggle inside of you. What more could you do when evil is shown all around you? Many of us may see the struggle between good and evil in the people we come across everyday. Flawed individuals may be perceived as good but are bad in the eyes of someone else; it all comes down to how you see it. The exposure to things and memories you make help impact the good in you. In order to further evaluate the argument of how good can come out of evil and good can show up even when it’s not right in front of you, can be shown in both William Golding’s novel Lord of the flies and the Anonymous Anglo-Saxon poem of Beowulf. This essay asserts that,

There is a famous quote by David Brin which states: “It is said that power corrupts. But actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.” This quote means that not everyone can be corrupted, but sometimes, people are too weak to handle the pressure. Additionally, power comes in many forms, but one way that really stands out is when it boils down to influence on other people. Furthermore, in real life and in novels, power often corrupts people and characters. In both the novels Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, power has the ability to bring out the worst qualities in human nature in the antagonists, a concept that can be also be applied.

When I think of the concept of “evil,” I think of The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. In The Consolation of Philosophy, Lady Philosophy stated:

Power is extremely difficult to achieve in a large way. Power can be earned by a position or ranking in a group. "There should be choices I want to wake up in the morning to decide things.”(97)Power can also be lost or taken by doing something wrong. "Steer clear of an occasion governed by a rule which is so easy to break."(34) If someone has power then people will either fear or obey the amount of power that person has. This can make people who dislike that person cause she or he to lose power. If power is lost that person may not have any input on a large agreement between a specific person or a group of people. Once a person is powerless they can't change or accept something new to themselves.

“I believe that the root of all evil is power,” (Patricia Cornwell). I think this quote says a lot about the power of power. Let’s think about some people who were incredibly evil. Hitler killed 11 million people (Schwartz), 49 million deaths were linked to Joseph Stalin (Ghosh), and Kim Jong-Un has executed 70 officials since coming into office in 2011 (Omara). That doesn’t even include all of the other people who have died because of him or who will die because of him in the future. What do all of these people have in common? Power. If none of these people had power, millions of lives could have been saved. But with all power comes evil, as proven by these three horrible people. Now, power may not be taken to this extent all the time. As

John Cheever was an award winning American author of the twentieth century. His work often possessed 'psychological and religious vision' with central themes of 'sin, deception, and redemption' (Kennedy, 551). Cheever's short story entitled 'The Five-Forty-Eight' portrays a struggle of good vs. evil. Following the themes of sin, deception, and redemption, we read of a young woman (good) seeking revenge for the evil done to her. Through the course of the story the reader can distinguish between the traits of good and evil.

Power is defined as “the possession of control or command over others; authority...” (Dictionary.com), and all people have power, whether they notice it or not. Though some employ their power for respectable reasons, often times power is not used in honorable ways. The matter of abuse of authority is prevalent in the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck illustrates that those who have power abuse it exceedingly often, as shown by Curley attacking countless others, including Lennie, a mentally disabled man, Curley’s wife mistreating the men of the ranch, and Curley’s wife making demeaning comments about Crooks, the African American stable buck.

Power is not inherently a bad tool, but it is when it is placed into the wrong hands. When or if it is placed in the wrong hands, it can corrupt the holder. Even if they do not have bad intentions, the power may corrupt them into using it for bad intentions. The quote stated by Machiavelli, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” is true because too much power can corrupt an individual’s thoughts and this can be proved through the book One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest written by Ken Kesey, and also the “Stanford Prison Experiment” which was conducted by Philip Zimbardo.

There are two definitions of power. Power could be to supply (a device) with mechanical or electrical energy or it could be the ability to direct or influence the behavior of others. Power provides fuel for our cars; fuel provides energy for our bodies. But, our bodies create ideas. One idea our bodies create that has power over us for hundreds of years is racial discrimination. Racism is antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior. The idea of racism has power over our choices, dreams, and identities.

Adversity; difficulties;misfortune, we experience adversity in many ways, in many different circumstances. Power causes division and spiteful behavior, although it may be viewed as a great thing to have. Power is reflected throughout history, present time, and even reflected in books, we've always faced problems with power. During the Industrial revolution, through the Factory owners, controlling many workers. Seen in present time with man taking advantage of others because of status. Finally it can even be seen in books such as The bean Trees, which is able to show a great representation of how power causes distress, rage, and can even causes backlash from many. Not having power may mean you don't have much decision making nor capability to do somethings. Many want to change their situation because where is the fun in being powerless. Adversity leads to rebellious

Power is the ability to make people say and/or do things. It is the ability to get whatever you want. Power is necessary in any society, otherwise all would break loose; leaders must be established. When taken to an extreme, power is

Plato was born in Athens, Greece around 427 B.C. He was always interested in politics, until he witnessed his mentor and teacher, Socrates, death. After learning of the callousness of politics, Plato changed his mind and eventually opened up The Academy, which is considered if not the first, one of the first Universities. Students at the Academy studied many different fields of science, including biological and astronomical. The students also studied many other fields, such as math. Plato developed many views that were mathematical in nature. He expressed these views through his writings. According to Dr. Calkins of Andrew University, "Timaeus is probably the most renowned of Plato's thirty-five dialogues. [In it] Plato expresses that he

Aristotle also outlined the characteristics of a good tragic hero. He must be "better than we are," a man who is superior to the average man in some way. In Oedipus 's case, he is superior not only because of social standing, but also because he is smart ¬ he is the only person who could solve the Sphinx 's riddle. At the same time, a tragic hero must evoke both pity and fear, and Aristotle claims that the best way to do this is if he is imperfect. A character with a mixture of good and evil is more compelling that a character who is merely good. And Oedipus is definitely not perfect; although a clever man, he is blind to the truth and refuses to believe Teiresias 's warnings. Although he is a good father, he unwittingly fathered children

We begin to define the line between good and evil and the way in which it can corrupt human beings. The message portrayed that evil and the misuse of power is an ongoing matter, one in which could affect anyone and is partially an involuntary act – the evil animalistic behaviour becomes engraved into minds; like Goeth.

Do you want to be a success in the world? Excessive pride or self-confidence is expressed through writings like in, “Ozymandias” by Percy Shelley and King Lear by William Shakespeare. Many characters in literature become corrupted when having the ultimate power. Power is the root of all evil and the contractions and comparisons expressed will help, you, the reader pick a view point. Ultimate power has the ability to turn the strongest man into the weakest link.