Rafael Leonidas Trujillo: A Character Analysis

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.

Power can have the persuasive action in undoing the moral ethics of one’s character. This can be seen throughout history, such as World War II and proven by the actions of Napoleon in the allegory, Animal Farm, by George Orwell. As Lord Acton said “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In history what was viewed as a villain or wrong doer is never the same as the perception. A leader does not begin wanting to do wrong, they start with the best intentions, but power is a tricky thing, showcased in Animal Farm as Utopian ideals but with failed practices.

In 1887, historian John Dalberg-Acton asserted, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." This theme has a prominent role in history, literature, and even current times. Certainly, many instances have occurred where once someone earns authority, they allow it to get to their head and do things they would not have done otherwise. Similarly, it is also seen that when one is inferior or beneath others, they receive a hunger for power. Specifically, a few prime examples of people who became corrupted because of their dominance include Marc Antony from Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Joseph Stalin, and Kim Jong-un. These rulers negatively impacted the places they ruled all because of their abusive tendencies that came with dominance.

The ruler is a dominant character whose core desire is to rule, but suffers from the fear of being overthrown. If the ruler had a motto it would be “power isn’t everything, it’s the only thing” (Golden). These characteristics describe Trujillo perfectly. Trujillo’s desire led him to become “[. . .] president in a sneaky way. First, he was in the army, and all the people who were above him kept disappearing until he was the one right below the head of the whole armed forces” (Alvarez 17). Readers are able to obtain better knowledge about Trujillo’s motivations by knowing he is a ruler. Trujillo’s need of control is why he does what he does. If a person does or says something Trujillo does not approve of everyone will “[. . .] be killed. It’s the secret of Trujillo” (Alvarez 17). He carries out such horrible acts because he knows he can and it is his way of scaring the citizens in order for him to keep his

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.

Rafael Trujillo was the Dominican Republic’s dictator for over 30 years. His rule over the country for 3 decades is a long story to be told. Trujillo is one to think of when remembering the country’s history. He was a man to be feared, keeping control of the country during his two terms of presidency and then as a military land owner exercising authoritarian control. Trujillo was known for his strong anti-black beliefs. He proclaimed the Dominican Republic a white country, only accepting our Indian heritage. For this

Throughout the years, there have been many rises to power and dictators. Some of them being good and some of them being bad. Everyone remembers the bad ones such as, Hitler or The Roman Empire. But, there are some that go unrecognized such as, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. Rafael Trujillo rise to power and dictatorship over the Dominican Republic brought on many people to rebel against him and eventually take him down.

In this extraordinary novel , you are taken on the journey of the Mirabal sisters during Trujillo's reign. First you are introduced to Dede the only surviving sister. She is having flashbacks to when her sisters lived, while doing an interview. The interview starts off telling about the girls early years. When Minerva convinces her Papa to send them away for school she meets Sinita. Minerva shares her beliefs and knowledge of Trujillo and how she is sure he was responsible for the death of her family. When Minerva and and her friends are asked to perform a play for Trujillo himself they quickly accept. When performing Sinita pulls a fatal stunt, she tries to attack Trujillo with a bow and arrow. Minerva had to quickly pull the play back

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men,” quoting historian Lord Acton. Before reading the quote, I never noticed the relationship between power and corruption in the real world. I thought of power as a form of recognition for hard work, that in turn is a positive outcome. After putting some thought into it, I realized my mistake

The English writer John Dalber-Acton wrote that “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Human behavior leads towards sovereignty. Either a person gets supremacy or attempts to be supreme. It really has a dependency on one’s capabilities. The balance of power really drives social conventions and situations.

Trujillo demonstrates his antagonism through his unrelenting violations of human rights in the Dominican Republic during the mid-twentieth century. He was quite notorious for taking young women away from their families, and, if they did not comply, killing them and their families. Basically, he destroyed everything that stood in his way by killing every last

The book is famous because it's the first English-language literary look at the infamous Trujillo era in the Dominican Republic. Rafael Trujillo was among the baddest of baddies, ruling the island nation with an iron fist and a creepy arsenal of scare tactics, including rape, murder, and downright terror. But Trujillo's name doesn't spring to mind for a lot of people listing off 20th century political Big Bads. In fact, for many readers, this novel may be the first time they're hearing about Trujillo and the US's involvement in the Dominican Republic.

Authoritarian; favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom. In the novel, In the Time of the butterflies, there is a precise character that is the embodiment of the description, this individual is none other than Rafael Trujillo; the dictator of the Dominican Republic. To further elaborate, Trujillo is the main antagonist within the story, which is shown in the beginning passages of the story. In fact, whenever Trujillo is mentioned, he is spoken ill of by the other characters, painting a picture of his vile personality. As the story progresses he proves that he is capable of being the villain he was drawn out to be.

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.