The multiple Golden Globe winning political drama, House of Cards, has recorded a mass following through its depiction of modern-day, American politics. In this show, the more manipulative, the greedier and the more ruthless the better. The perception of a corrupt government has been overly exaggerated in House of Cards through their portrayal of ruthlessness and determination in the main character, Frank Underwood, and his associations with others. The marriage of Claire Underwood and Frank Underwood is the most important relationship between two people in House of Cards as it shows how the pursuit of power affects each other. Although their outward appearance gives a “presentation of a united front, together with their typically devious …show more content…
The first competitive relationship the audience is introduced to is the main character, Frank Underwood, to the newly elected president and after the president’s Chief of Staff tells Frank “We are not nominating you to Secretary of State [a promise made during the president’s election] …We need you to stay in Congress”, Frank becomes infuriated and immediately resign to taking down their opposition at all costs (Episode 1). This becomes a common theme for almost all other interactions in the show and most of the time, the power couple of Frank and Claire end successful in their endeavors however long-term or difficult they are and no matter the cost to others. It is not until season three, when Frank comes through on his promise of revenge and they do not stray from going above and beyond; President Walker resigns due to forthcoming impeachment after years of manipulation and betrayal from the Congressmen who he naively chose to misguide. Through the constant pursuit of power, the Underwood’s relationship has twists and turns. Frank Underwood’s relationship with Zoe Barnes was a mutually beneficial one until Frank deemed she was getting too close. This involved sex for professional gain and the affair told Claire by Frank which demonstrates the level of honesty and respect for each other’s needs Frank and Claire share. Frank and Claire “continues a
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.
Frank needs something to protect. Cee, his dearly loved sister, take up this role for most of the novel. Concurrently, Frank satisfies his troubled need to care for someone and loves his sister. Willingly, Frank admits, “I’ve had only two regular women. I liked the small breakable thing inside each one. Wherever their personality, smarts, or looks, something soft lay in each…A little V…that I could break with a forefinger if I wanted to. But never did” (67-68), Frank expresses his obsession with weakness. Frank denotes this weakness as a small child to whom he is the parent. He handles it cautiously, cares for it, and provides a home for it. He needs it to feel needed, which happens to be a reoccurring theme throughout the novel. “When…I caught my reflection in a store window, I thought it was somebody else. Some dirty pitiful-looking guy…Right then, I decided to clean up” (69). In this moment, Frank’s search of his relationship with Lily begins from a forceful self-hatred that has presented itself since his deployment to Korea. After his relationship with Lily fades and
In today 's society, marriage is a significant bond that must be on the basis of love and understanding. Marriage is a relationship described as more for love and emotion rather than convenience or money. Through the experience of Lydia and Wickham, Charlotte and Collins, and Elizabeth and Darcy, Austen criticizes marriages based on infatuation, convenience and money, and emphasizes that marriage can only be successful if they are founded on mutual love.
Both Stuart and Claire’s personality and characteristics serve as prime explanations to Carver’s view on marriage. With both characters fitting into the typical stereotypes of men and women, the author depicts the standard marriage that is present nowadays. With the constant arguing and disagreements between Claire and Stuart, Carver is suggesting that marriage is very complex and difficult. Because Carver explains that marriage is “something that [he] feels [he] knows about”, he defines his perspective of marriage as being an “indelible experience” (Kellerman). It is possible that Claire and Stuart’s relationship is a reflection of Carver’s past love life. In general, however, the author describes marriage as a difficult task but something worth fighting for. This is explained by the
“All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” is a quote from Lord John Dalberg-Acton, explaining that any amount of power can corrupt the mind, but absolute power will take over. This is represented throughout history: in politics, monarchies and times like the french revolution. Many writers have used this theme in their works. One work that includes this theme is William Shakespeare's Macbeth. The play Macbeth follows Macbeth, a brave warrior as he gains power from his deeds both good and bad. By killing the Duncan, the former king, Macbeth rises to power and takes control of his country. With every bit of power that the Macbeth’s gain, they become more and more corrupt.
The film Swing Vote is an American political culture film that relies heavily on film subtext to depict the negative attitude many Americans have towards voting, corruption inside a political election, and the spectacle of media frenzy. While the film gives a light hearted impression of a rare political snafu it is still consistent with the main themes of other political films of manipulation, money lust, and power hungry political heads that will stop at nothing for their own personal gain. We also see the political candidates merely as puppets while their campaign managers are the ones truly calling the shots. Swing Vote is a unique political culture film because due to the ordeal in the film’s plot, the politicians are at a disadvantage when they are usually the ones in power. With the tables turned we see how they construct their corrupt schemes and the direct effect it has on the character representing the American perspective. The strong symbols that convey the cultural norms in America’s political system are in need of a deeper analysis.
Corruption in the United States government takes the power away from the people and puts it into the hands of elite groups and politicians. This corruption is prevalent in the film “Mr. Smith goes to Washington”. The film has a strong message about corruption in the government, and places an innocent and naïve character, Mr. Smith in the middle of the corruption. In Washington, Mr. Smith discovers the corruption that has overtaken the capitol, but does not let it falter his integrity. Although Mr. Smith is surrounded by corruption, he is able to fight the system and bring some integrity back to Washington.
This is ironic, however, because generally when people are married, they are in love with each other. But Carol believes otherwise, as her college lectures had told her that this is normal. Carol thinks that happiness and marriage compatibility come from “common interest”, such as the “liking for Irish settlers”. The lectures also state that the “illusion of love” is the reason why there are so many divorces, when in reality it is quite the opposite, making Carol look even more clueless about the subject. Because Carol and Howard share so many of the same characteristics, such as “financial security” and “belonging to the same church”, Carol believes she has the perfect match. Also, they both share another similar trait in that both their fathers were attorneys who had been “defeated in their one attempt to get elected as judge”, further showing that they are marrying based off coincidence rather than convenience. Since Howard meets the requirements that Carol’s lectures demand of a partner, she believes there is no reason for the marriage to
Stephen Medvic, In Defense of Politicians, discusses why Americans feel that politicians are dishonest. In 2007, a Gallup poll about honesty and ethical standards for occupations, showed that only 12 and 9 percent of people felt that Congressmen and State office holders held high standards, (Medvic p. 2). In addition, Americans tend to like their representatives more than the members of Congress because they view them as actual people. Americans view Congress as a group of politicians who are greedy and not representing their interests, (Medvic p. 4).
"That night the jars began to break" (151). The novel Montana 1948, written by Larry Watson is a book about family and tragedy. The Hayden name is popular in Bentrock. David Hayden is a young boy who was taken for an adventure one summer when his sheriff of a dad, Wes, was informed of his brother sexually assaulting his patients. Family is important, but morals are what drive your actions.
Power Corruption is a strong theme that occurs in a lot of classic and modern literature. major one is the story call Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, that was published in 1953. Fahrenheit 451 is about future society that has banned all reading material, such as books, and the job of the firemen is to keep the fires at 451 degrees: the temperature that paper burns. Also in this society most people live life for the thrill and are simple minded. A fireman named Montag begins to re-think his job when he meets a book-loving girl. He goes through the story falling in love with books and finding the importance of reading. By the end of the story he discovers how the government has changed society to make them more controllable. Power corruption is a major theme
House is one of the most favorite American TV shows which has seen its twists and turns and has managed to keep its viewers mesmerized for several years. The very theme of the drama originates from the fact that everybody has a tendency to lie in given circumstances and also other humans cannot be trusted. This same theme is reflected in every action of the lead character Dr. Gregory House. House can be seen as a detailed analysis of how humans react to each other's actions when there relations are doubt driven and also, it is the curiosity in human's nature which acts as the basis for many inventions and diagnosis.
In the time frame that this story is set, many major life decisions things are made taking into account one’s duty to family - including the selection of a husband or wife. It is possible that each of these couples may not have been in love, when their vows were stated. They have a duty to society; they must not marry outside of their social class. They have a duty to their family;
Lady Catherine’s reaction demonstrates the crucial importance of marriage in the society, but also for women.
Maupassant effectively portrays a marriage that is misunderstood through manipulation, distrust, and deception. He does this by describing each individual, the couple in relation to one another, as well as their lifestyle.