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Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

Broad Thesis: In George Orwell's bestselling novella "Animal Farm," the classic theme that "absolute power corrupts absolutely" is vibrantly displayed in the character Napoleon, who begins as an ordinary farm pig, merely trying improve the quality of the animals' lives, but transforms into a ruthless, human-like dictator.

Introductory paragraph: "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." This famous quote was originally said by Lord Acton in a letter he sent to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1877. In George Orwell's bestselling novella "Animal Farm," this classic theme is portrayed vibrantly through the character Napoleon, who begins as an ordinary farm pig, merely trying improve the quality of the animals' lives, but transforms into a ruthless human-like dictator.

Sentence Outline: I. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." This has been proven several times throughout history. A. The Catholic Church abused the people's trust and took advantage of their faith. 1) The church created indulgences to extort money and service from believers. 2) Instead of using the money to spread religion or help the poor, the church used it to beautify churches and gain power. B. Hitler started as a reformist who just wanted to help his country, but was soon corrupted by power. 1) He originally wanted restore the power that had been stripped from Germany after World War I and wanted to shy away from not only Jews, but also social democrats, liberals, reactionary monarchists, capitalists and communists. 2) Hitler rose to his powerful position through charisma, but when power hit him he corrupted. The corruption caused the murder of millions of people, and ultimately his suicide C. Nixon took advantage of his position to do whatever he wanted. 1) He tried several times to cover up crimes committed to help his campaign for re-election, even ordering the CIA to stop an FBI investigation. 2) He forced several of his aides into resignation when they wouldn't help hide the truth.

Got Nixon info from: http://www.ashbrook.org/publicat/respub/v5n1/waggoner.html

II. Corruption due to power is a theme that is often applied to pop culture. A) In Spiderman, the movie, Uncle Ben tells Peter Parker that "with great power, comes great responsibility" 1) This is true because with every privilege that is gained there are certain responsibilities that also come with it. 2) If people do not take heed to the fact that they have responsibilities that come with this power then they will be corrupted. B) Harvey Dent showed this idea when he said,"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." 1)The longer someone is in power the greater they are corrupted. 2)Eventually people become that which they were originally opposing. C)Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars is a perfect example of this. 1) He originally opposed the dark side yet as time progressed he became drawn further and further towards the Dark Side. 2) Power corrupts him, he wants to protect his mother/avenge her death, and kills Mace Windu in corrupted thought.

III. Authors often use corruption as a result of power in their literary works. A) In the book Animal Farm, Napoleon’s rise to power does not come with consequence. 1) Napoleon starts out as a pig, but by the end of the book, power made him more like a human than pig. 2) The power of being a dictator made him desire a more and more Communist viewpoint for the Animal Farm, which ultimately led to his epiphany of sorts, and his downfall. B) Pasha Antipov from the novel and film Doctor Zhivago, realizes with power comes a responsibility, and he suffered harsh consequences. 1) Pasha was a lead revolutionary at first, who campaigned against the tsar; his power enabled him to make an army of forces to overthrow. 2) Pasha becomes so embroiled by power, he forgets about his own love Lara, and this shows the ultimate corruption due to power, the forgetting of your non-power life. C) In the set of novels, The Lord of The Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien, many of the characters realize the brash power that comes from holding the ring, and the corruption it may cause. 1) Gollum enjoys the power that the ring gives him so much, he risks any personal integrity he has, and stalks the Fellowship. 2) Sauron made the ring, and was the one who put the power into it; he was the master of the ring, but this was too much power for one person. It ultimately led to his downfall.

- Closing Paragraph It is evident, in mediums from historical events, literary works, and even in modern pop culture, that the universal theme that power corrupts those who wield it is both valid and well supported. It is seen and represented in many aspects of life, and it has proven true and it has stood the test of time.


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