Christian Balderas
English Honors 2
10/24/15
Center 2: Writing
“Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts...Perhaps the fear of a loss of power.”-John Steinbeck
Many believe that the amount of power is what corrupts. The amount of power might make you think that you need more to so that you can secure it. It makes a person greedy, and it makes them do unspeakable things. The following quote says a little different. It says that fear corrupts people, because they are afraid that someone will take the authority they have. So in order to keep it safe, they take more so they look like the superior. I agree with what this quote is saying now that I think of it, in history, the French King Philip the IV, killed as many Templar Knights in to secure his power. In the book “The Pearl,” Kino hid the pearl because he was afraid someone would steal his pearl. He feared someone was going to take it. A universal theme that could connect to this maybe greed and corruption.
One way this quote could connect to history is when the French King Philip the IV was in need of money to fund his war. He asked money from the Order of the Knights Templar, an order that was made to protect the Holy Lands, and later on, they created the system of banking. The Knights Templar gave the king the money, but must be gives back to them in a few years.
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He hides it whenever people come close to him. When his brother Tomas asked him what he would do now that he was a rich man, Kino started to list a lot of things. He said that he and Juna would get married, he would have better clothes, he would get a gun, and he his son would go to school. The gun shows that he wants to protect himself and his family, but he really wants to protect his knew power that he has because of the pearl. This represents that he wants to protect his power that he has, and protects it out of fear something would happen to
“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.
How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C Foster is a how to do book that teaches children how to become better readers. The novel was written in second person. The purpose of this novel is to inform readers on details that they wouldn’t usually realize in literature. Students who read Thomas C Foster’s How to Read Literature like a Professor are suppose to gain knowledge of how to identify details of their story that have connections to other literature or have alternative meanings that the author is trying to get across to the reader. Thomas C Foster believes reading his novel can help develop you into a better reader. He believes this because the information that he includes can apply to your reading. When you
“Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power” (John Steinbeck). This quote directly compares to the book, The Chocolate Wars that tells an extraordinary story about a boy, Jerry Renault who rebells against the dictators of the school, The Vigils and the corrupted staff. Jerry’s rebellion leads him to his doom in an organized fight watched by the school showing the student body how dangerous power really is. In the book, The Chocolate War, the author, Robert Cormier portrays the uneasy lesson of how simple it is for power to corrupt people into dangerous, manipulating rulers by revealing the lack of jurisdiction the student body possesses, by developing awareness of the power of The Vigils, the supremacy of the
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." ~John Dalberg-Acton. One in power can make into a drug, the taste of power can make one obsessed, and soon addicted. In the book “Night” by Elie Wiesel, two characters, Idek and Franek both represent the quote about power leading to corruption.
I believe that is because Kino thinks that the pearl is worth a lot of money. Therefore, even if Kino had an evil feeling and bad things were happening to him, he still kept moving forward. For example, Steinbeck quotes: “Her arm was up to throw when he leaped at her and caught her arm and wrenched the pearl from her. He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side.” (Steinbeck, 59). This quote is related to my thesis statement because Kino is trying to stop Juana from throwing the pearl away in order to move
Abraham Lincoln once stated, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." The quote from the sixteenth president of the United States could be understood as power will display someone's true character by seeing what that person will do with that power that they have been given. People will follow orders blindly just to feel powerful or superior to others, and they will do unthinkable things to people just to have
This quote shows the greed in Kino is getting greater and greater. The reader can tell this because Kino is willing to hurt the person who he loves the most, and who loves him the most, just to keep his pearl safe.
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 Pearl written by John Steinbeck is a parable, a story that teaches a moral lesson. This novel is centered on a poor Indian family, who live in a brush hut along the Gulf of Mexico and by the village of La Paz. The family consists of: Kino, a fisherman and pearl diver, his wife Juana, and their infant son Coyotito. One day while diving, Kino discovers a great pearl that he calls, “the pearl of the world” (22). The theme of a literary work is defined as the central idea, concern or purpose about life that a writer wishes to convey. There may be several themes identified in a literary work; however, in John Steinbeck’s novel The Pearl the author uses the pearl to develop one of the most essential universal themes in literature, that of
For this book report, I have chosen to read the book, “The Pearl”. The book “The Pearl” has a very strong moral and plot. The book is classified under the genres “Fiction”, and “novella”. The book “The Pearl” has a total of 90 pages. John Steinbeck is the author of this book.
“In the town they tell the story of the great pearl - how it was found and how it was lost again.” The beginning quote of “The Pearl” already gives a hint of foreshadowing. It tells the readers that a pearl will be found, but then be lost again. Foreshadowing is an element of writing that is often something that a reader will find while analyzing the story. Foreshadowing is a great way to give suspicion and excitement to a story. It also creates an active reader as they are constantly predicting what the hint could be foreshadowing at. From the opening sentence to the end of the novella John Steinbeck creates suspense in the reader by foreshadowing.
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.
An excellent example of greed consuming people are the attackers. They were willing to do whatever was necessary to get the pearl from Kino and become wealthy. “Greedy fingers went through
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.
Although the past cannot be changed, the future is in your power. But what if power is the reason the future cannot be changed? The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, is a timeless story that is filled with metaphors for how avarice takes over humans. Although there is no easy way to get rid of it, Kino goes through many challenges to free himself from the troubles that come with possessing the power the pearl held. Kino went from a loving human to a dehumanized figure because he saw great wealth in the pearl, attacked in order to maintain the power it held and lost the ability to have emotions.