Critical Analysis Of Jerry Useem's Power Causes Brain Damage

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.

Have you ever had so much power that the power itself controls you? In the passages The Man In The Well and The Stanford Prison Experiment they both have examples of how power corrupts people by that I mean people abuse their power and it changes them. The power makes them feel strong and like they can do anything they want and it completely changes their attitudes. In The Stanford Prison Experiment they put volunteers in realistic prison situations they had some of the volunteers be guards and some be prisoners. They wanted to see what the power would do to the volunteers and really to study how it is actually in prison.

“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

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.

A specific example is Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner, used his power to affect someone’s life negatively. That someone is Ezekiel Elliott, he was suspended from the NFL by Goodell for six games causing Elliott to go through stress and depression. This shows us that Goodell making this decision caused someone else’s life to take a negative turn. This also shows that Roger Goodell is abusing his power after suspending Elliott because he doesn’t know if he did what he was charged for. Jerry Jones, Ezekiel Elliott’s owner, made a statement saying "We've given (Goodell) a lot of power. I think we need checks and balance of ownership to be in a position to not just suggest, but approve his decisions." This proves as well shows for his using his power like that presents the fact that power can have a negative

This is shown in many places throughout history and recreated in fiction. Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night gives an example of abuse of power when Franek, the foreman of the depot Wiesel worked in, used his authority to bully Wiesel into giving him his gold crown by attacking his father. “This went on for two weeks. It was untenable. We had to give in. That day, Franek burst into savage laughter.” (pg 56) Franek knew that he could target Wiesel’s father without getting in trouble, so he was able to get what he wanted by the use of his power. Lord of the Flies by William Golding also shows how power corrupts people. When Jack became the chief of his own group, he and his accomplice, Roger, gained almost complete power over the boys on the island. They were able to do what they pleased, including hurting other people. “The chief snatched one of the few spears that were left and poked Sam in the ribs… The prodding became rhythmic. Sam yelled… Roger edged past the chief, only just avoiding pushing him with his shoulder. The yelling ceased, and Samneric lay looking up in quiet terror. Roger advanced upon them as one wielding a nameless authority.” (pg 182) Jack and Roger used their power over other boys to scare SamnEric into joining their “tribe”. Similarly to Franek, Jack and Roger inflict physical harm upon others to get their way, proving that those in power become abusive of their lack of

Power is the ability to act on your own accord without any consequences to your own well-being. Additionally, it is the ability to influence the actions of the people around you in a way that benefits you. The influence that power grants is one that allows a person to take control of their life, and because of this, obtaining and holding power has been a basic desire of all humans since the beginning of civilization. Power and its influence are clear components of the novel The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe. In the novel, we find multiple powers that constantly affect the actions of the story’s characters. Some examples of these powers are the power of lust, the power of the people, the power of the law, and the power of the media. Out of these powers, the power of the media is easily the most influential power in The Bonfire of the Vanities because of its ability to influence people’s decisions, which is especially evident in Sherman McCoy’s trial, its ability to influence the opinions of large masses of people, and its ability to expose something to a much bigger audience.

Our world has revolved around power, ever since ancient kings fought over great lands, and even to which sibling gets the last cookie. “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely“ Lord Acton displays how power has the ability to change everything, and with more power comes greater consequences. In Salem a famous series of events happened around 1962 till 1963, and many people lost their lives because of the abuse of power. Abigail, Danforth, and Mary demonstrate immense signs of power in Arthur Miller's, The Crucible, and how the influence of power can turn a simple town upside down.

As humans when we have power we find ourselves using it to better ourselves. We take power of granted or use it for our advantage. Some people would say it’s “Human nature.” Power is when you have authority or control over things. Many times when power is given to the wrong person things are ruined. This is because when people have power they think about what they want and not about other people's opinion. Frequently people with power think they are better than everyone else and always know what's right. There are many times in history when power influenced or created destruction. Innocent people can be manipulated by authorities and forced into doing something that they have no desire doing. This is common pattern in history. For example Hitler was given power and created a government that killed more than 6 million innocent people. This was a prime example that when power is given to the wrong person destruction is the product. In his novel, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury shows that when power is given to the wrong people, destruction is often the outcome. After there is destruction, you have to build up from what you have left.

We live in a world where people who have any kind of power will abuse it at some point in their life. Adults, Children and people of authority abuse their power and sometimes it causes a great controversy about whether what they did is acceptable or not. Many negative effects can be demonstrated when someone abuses their power. The sadness, guilt, regret and the feeling of being worthless are the effects when someone abuses their power.

Power is defined the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality. Each and every person possesses some type of power over another thing. Some people are content with not having any power whatsoever and then there are people whose entire lives revolve around that thirst and need for power. The latter is a description of two famous people in history, Malcolm X and Julius Caesar. Thirsting for power and wanting to much of a good thing can be very self-destructive. This thirst for power can cause people to be blinded but the reality of what is going on around them. Taking into consideration that both of these powerful

Power and corruption are concepts that are difficult to fully understand. Several controversies occur within these topics. There are both conventional and unconventional ways of viewing power. In an attempt to make a claim contrary to common belief, David Brin stated, “It is said that power corrupts, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible.” This statement is not accurate because power is the corrupting device responsible for a plethora of downfalls leaders have experienced.

Power is a very valuable thing, which most people seek. However, power can be used in different ways, which reflects the future outcome. If power is twisted and taken into the wrong hands, it will lead to an unfortunate outcome. In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare shows that no matter how pure one’s intentions, power ultimately leads to corruption.

The amount of power one has dictates where they are on the social scale. The effects of higher power has the capability of making people mentally disordered. William Shakespeare conveys the idea that the desire for power can make an individual incapable of having the right mindset. In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, we see the main character, Macbeth, become the tragic hero of the story as he deals with issues such as the dark world, prophecies and the kingships. Those topics all range under the theme of power corrupting one's persona. Macbeth did not want the development of power, he wanted to take authority fast and with no questions asked. The character of Macbeth is made into a ruthless tyrant by none other than those he surrounds himself with, his pride and confidence overtakes his mind and sends him into absolute madness.

When used incorrectly, power can have harmful effects on the lives of many people, and can lead to atrocious decisions. The term power hungry is used to