Why have leaders? Why not embrace anarchy where decision-making and power are shared evenly among community members? Although this system would seem to ensure peace, harmony, and equality within society, it may foster complacency and stunt progress. This idea of how power should be distributed within a group has perplexed society for years, and John Steinbeck explores this theme while describing a family’s experience during the Great Depression. By presenting differing types of communities in his novel The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck demonstrates the impact of leadership and lack thereof. He argues that a successful community emerges through the equal distribution of power among its members. The overall contentment within the roadside camps …show more content…
Tom Joad’s succession to power illustrates that a community’s ability to progress derives from a system where an effective leader guides and motivates, but is not irreplaceable. An authoritarian or tyrant is undoubtedly a type of leader and is able to accomplish his or her selfish goals through individual power. But a truly healthy community requires a strong leader, participation by its members, and an effective succession of leadership when needed. Why does a democracy have a President? Why does a jury have a foreperson? Why does a board of directors have a chairperson? Each of these groups is founded on the principle that each member gets a vote and power is distributed. But in order to accomplish decisions and missions, these groups succeed when they have strong leaders. Not leaders who silence the members and assume all power - rather, leaders who direct, motivate and inspire the members to work harder. To progress, a community needs clear guidance from an effective leader who can be replaced if necessary. This is easier said than done. America, as a capitalistic society, attempts to mimic this model, but fails when faulty leaders come to
In the novel Of Mice And Men by John Stienbeck, the hierarchy of the characters in Crooks’ room is Curley’s wife, Candy, Lennie, and Crooks. This is shown by the way each of these characters interact with each other. Crooks is shown to have the least power because he lost his battle with Lennie. Crooks tried to get into Lennie’s head, which worked, until Lennie became violent. Crooks, seeing that he couldn’t compete, backed off, showing that Lennie had power over him.
As part of human nature, we’re accustomed to following a set of rules to have an orderly and peaceful lifestyle. Usually, if those rules are disobeyed, destruction and disorder are bound to come our way. This act is prevalent in two stories, Beowulf and The Lord of the Flies, that were written centuries apart, but yet the concept of how ignoring rules can lead to the downfall of societies is common in both. Usually, a well-built society derives from a strong leader who has the characteristics of guiding people to do the right actions. Such an example would be Beowulf who is viewed as a God-like hero and is highly respected.
Through the book Of Mice and Men we see through the lives of many men and women passing through the main characters Lennie and George's life. Many of the characters met through the story live on the farm with the main characters and through their experiences much can be learned about these characters social ranking and power. In the story one of the main characters George had a considerable amount of power over Lennie. Lennie is described as strong and dumb, George even confessed to Slim he had taken advantage of that.
Power can be explored in various ways by different authors, John Steinbecks, "Of Mice And Men" and Armin Greders, "The Island" are two works of literature that both express ways of power throughout the stories. Through the portrayal of Characters and Relationships. In addition to this, the use of power in Authority, Vulnerability and Fear are present in both texts. Despite the difference in time periods and setting, both authors are able to showcase these themes of power and have relate to ubiquitous times.
Xenophon, one of Socrates students, was a Greek general and soldier, as well as an active politician. He was also a widely acclaimed historian who has written many books. One of his more popular works is Xenophon’s Hiero, which is a dialogue between Hiero, a tyrant, and Simonides, a wise poet. The dialogue is a response to assumptions that the tyrant’s life is more pleasant than the life of private men. Hiero as someone who has lived both lives gives many reasons to break this misconception and prove the unhappiness state that he lives in because of his position as a tyrant.
Intercalary Chapter Literary Analysis During the Great Depression, the nation as a whole was stripped of financial security and forced into a survivalist way of living. This changed the ways that people interacted with one another and the overall mentality of society. In the Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family is torn from their land and find themselves with nothing, a common story for migrant farmers of that time, derogatorily called “Okies” by Californians. But this is not the only group that is struggling, the entire county was in a state of panic and bruteness, no matter how “well off” they seemed to be.
In the world there are some people who have more advantages than others because of their spot in society. Such as people with no disability have more power than disabled people. Furthermore, that is why everyone is treated differently by the outside world. In the novel, Of Mice And Men, by John Steinbeck, the characters George, Lennie, and Curley all show the use of some sort of power.
“Power is always dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best.” This quotation, by author Edward Abbey, defines power as an incredibly controlling tool, which is a major theme in the novella, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. This story takes place on a small ranch in California in the 1930s during the Great Depression. Lennie and George, the two protagonists, are migrant workers who have left their old job and are now working at a ranch.
In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck follows the Joad family as they suffer the hardships caused by the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s. The most important lesson people can learn from the novel is the value of a human life. Although the 1930’s was a low point in American society, the ill-treatment of human beings is still relevant today. Just like Jim Casy’s philosophy, it is important to fight for the rights of the people and their dignity. There are several examples of oppression in The Grapes of wrath.
Does power affect your relationships? If so, is it healthy? In the realistic fiction novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck writes about about itinerant workers in the Great Depression in the Salinas Valley in California. There are relationships in the novella that reflect the theme power, and he writes how power plays a role in these relationships. The theme power, shown in competence, gender, and race, affects relationships.
John Steinbeck has a style of writing unparalleled in history and in the modern world. In the same way, his philosophies are also unparalleled, with his focus in socialism not extending to communism or abnegation of spiritualism. His ideal world is utopian, holding the dust bowl migrant at the same level as the yeoman farmer was held in Jeffersonian times. In The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck Steinbeck, who posses impregnable technique, conveys his message of a group working tirelessly for the betterment of the community.
Violence isn't the way to achieve ones goals. Almost everyone has someone of something that stands in the way of their ultimate goal. Many people come to a point where they feel that the only way to achieve that goal is at the expensive of another. This isn't necessarily the case. Rather then inflicting violence on one another we must use the intelligence we were blessed with.
During the Great Depression, many people were desperate for a job, food, shelter, and security, all of which are standards expected in the modern world. However, in the midst of an economic crisis, the people who had stability despised those who could not achieve a steady way of life. Farmers who hoarded the food that could keep people alive would not help those in need. By selfishly withholding aid, the farmers failed humanity in a way, “that topples all our success,” showing that what they did was not right (Steinbeck 349). When faced with the injustice of people being too poor to afford what they need to survive, those who had resources were morally obligated to help feed those
If people have no place to voice their will or take part in deciding their own destiny, the community might grow disinterested and passive in their relationship with their government. Mill believes this is problematic for society because history, as he sees it, has shown that more democratic societies have more ‘energetic, and ‘developed’ societies as well as more ‘go ahead characters’ not seen in more totalitarian societies. Yet, this criticism might fail to cover a deeper problem of disinterest; it might lead to a level of moral deficiency as well. Mill fears that a loss of ability and activity, leads to a society losing its sense of communal responsibility and social justice. In their aloofness, people might be less inclined to believe that they have any responsibility to society since society has ceased to have any rights or purpose under absolute authority.
Research Paper On Democracy in Canada Name : Harpreet Kaur Introduction The word democracy describes a Political System of any country. Dramatic changes have taken place in recent Years at the national level with respect to the day today functioning of our constitutional democracy. In a Democratic country like Canada , America all the citizens that are eligible have the rights to participate directly or indirectly in decision making that affect them.