The Portrayal of the Powerful in Thomas Mofolo’s novel Chaka

History is brimming with examples of people who, in a ravenous quest for power, have met their untimely end. Lord John Acton famously quipped: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." Perhaps, prior to making those astute remarks, Lord Acton had studied The Tragedy of Macbeth. The complex characters and their interactions in William Shakespeare’s iconic play reveal that corrupting force power can have on man.

Often time power can be understood as control of material resources and wealth, control of politics and the institutions that make up society (Hutchison,2015). It is important to recognize and identify the core concepts of power or lack of power with individuals in society. The conflict theory allows examination within the text of those who hold power and lack power. The end result of power to hold dominance over another person, group, or society. As a result of the control and power is causes those who lack power to be devalued or alienated from a setting or even society (Hutchinson, 2015).

Power as a corrupting force has been present from the beginning of time and is often revealed in many works of literature. In the novel Frankenstein by Marry Shelly and Macbeth by William Shakespeare, corruption of power is well brought forth in the characters in both texts. In both stories, characters reveal power as a corrupting force through their thirst of knowledge. Characters also reveal power as a corrupting force through character change. In addition, the character’s action justify how corrupted they really are. Therefore, power corrupts the individuals because of character’s extreme ambition which leads to

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 a heady thing. It can enslave the minds of a single man or an entire empire. As human beings, we naturally like to be in control. But most times, power comes with a price. Power will corrupt anybody by putting power of family and forgetting your morals.

Throughout the book there are occurances where the powerless have an opportunity to demonstrate their power over others. For example, when Lennie is in Crooks’ room Crooks says, “S’pose George don’t come back no more... Crooks pressed forward some kind of private victory. “Just s’pose that,” he repeated.” (71; ch.4). In this instance Crooks finds an opportunity to take advantage of Lennie by trying to scare him and make him worry that George would not come back that he would leave Lennie behind. Physical power also can add to the changing balance of power. Lennie shows his physical power when Curley is beating him up. “Curley was white and shrunken by now, and his struggling had become weak. He stood crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw.” (64; ch.3). Even though Lennie didn’t have more power when it came to authority, he had plenty of physical power. This confrontation also showed Curley that you should never underestimate the powerless because even the powerful have their own weaknesses that the powerless call their strengths. The changing balance of power allows the powerless to become powerful for a short

When power is wrongfully obtained it can be misused and lead to one’s downfall by ambition.

Although viewed as an intangible, inexplicable phenomenon, power has been vital to every civilization since the creation of man. It has mesmerized monarchs and aristocrats, while motivating the poorest of the poor, all in hopes of harnessing this unique concept. Specifically, relational power has been a strong influence, relying on the personal connection an individual can create with groups of people. No era or nation has been exempt from this and it has manifested itself through totalitarian regimes, strong central governments, and gaps between the rich and the poor. In particular, this concept of power has been evident in a multitude of ancient myths in which power is wielded by mortals through a variety of different mediums such as rhetoric, brute strength, and intelligence which highlights the significant themes a society holds in high regard.

Politics is an inherent concept directly paralleled throughout Millers ‘The Crucible’. There is no one solidified definition of politics, it is viewed in a multitude of ways; as an activity in which people make, preserve and amend rule, as power and the distribution of resources, as a cooperative process and as the art of government. Power, vulnerability, manipulation and the idea of facades are all explored within ‘The Crucible’ and work to represent the differing facets of politics. These ideas are represented and symbolised through the use of characters, objects, dramatic techniques and stage directions. Power is essentially the driving force behind politics and within ‘The Crucible’ it is undeniably the one thing that consumes individuals.

The abuse of anyone’s power, them being a leader or a simple person in society, is wrong and causes many people’s life to be taken to soon. Even as power has built us up, it has destroyed us.

    The quest for power is an endless one for humanity.  Countless tales of greed, strife, and triumph stem from this common ambition.  Similarly, men universally seek freedom, a privilege entitling an individual to make independent decisions and express personal opinion.  Exploration of the connection between these two abstract concepts remains a topic of interest, especially in the works of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and Fyodor Dostoevsky's Notes From Underground.  Two distinct definitions of "power" exist: one deals with societally defined power, generally represented by wealth, leadership, and authority over the lives of others.  The other defines a

Power and politics have always been around but seldom openly discussed. Power is learned at an early age through family and schools. Ordinary people such as scholars hesitate to talk about power. It is often equated with force brutality, unethical behavior, manipulation, connivance, and subjugation.

Once power is given it cannot be taken away that is the way everyone thinks right that if the status is higher up it cannot be knocked down. Wrong. Just as quickly power is given it can be taken away even faster. One narrative I will discuss in this essay is “Oroonoko” by Aphra Behn. This narrative could be viewed in many different ways. One way it can be seen is as a biography, another is a memoir, but it can also be seen as a travel narrative. In this essay I will touch base on the topics of switching power. By switching power I mean how different individual’s power fluctuates within situations in the novel. Aphra Behn and Oroonoko are able to exceed the way they are viewed. Behn is both the narrator and the author and Oroonoko is the prince as well as a slave. Behn is able to be identified as not only powerful, but also as the sideline or less important. All the while Oronooko is the prince and also a slave. Both an example Behn used to portray an exchange of power. The slave narrative Oroonoko by Aphra Behn shows how power is switched in different ways. Behn and Oroonoko’s power fluctuates making the narrative interesting and

Through the years, mankind has bit by bit been able to domain the World, and live in it as kings. Not everyone has been favored to live as kings, and govern others, instead, they live to serve, and watch others take control. What makes a person more powerful than another? A powerful person enjoys what others don't. In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, power is an essential need for specific characters, as the own Macbeth. An immoral problem affects Macbeth’s life, making him ambitious, to every time he aspirate for more. Depending on the needs, and weakness of certain characters is what define their willing to accomplish those needs that sometimes end by making huge mistakes. For accomplishing the essential goal of life, humans turns blind to

Alice Walker, an American novelist once stated that “the most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” In current society, no one is powerless. Power is everywhere, and everyone at least has some control, no matter how ineffective they might feel. In “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, the concept of power is represented on a ranch in the 1930’s. On the ranch, there is a group of outsiders- people who do not fit in- that consists of Crooks, a black stable buck, Lennie, a worker with mental deficiencies, Candy, the old and disabled swamper, and Curley’s wife, who is married to the powerful Curley. These outsiders are isolated and feel powerless compared to the rest of society. However, within this group of outsiders, power structures still exist and everyone has power in one way or another. Therefore, Steinbeck, through the story of Crooks and Curley’s wife, teachers that no matter how powerless someone may seem, they can still wield power over others.