¶ … power to transcend time and culture, which is why many of the world's best stories are also the most enduring ones. Most powerful stories are also political in scope. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley warns the world about the arrogance of egotism and the dangers of selfishness and irresponsibility. In "Shooting an Elephant," George Orwell sends a message about the pitfalls of colonialism. Both of these stories are powerful because their narrative serves a greater purpose.
A powerful story has strong character development, because strong characters grapple with the grey areas of ethics and morality. Rather than showing clear divisions between good and bad, stories like Frankenstein and "Shooting an Elephant" show that no person is fully good or fully evil. The biggest power in Shelley's Frankenstein is the tension between the creature's emotional needs and his creator's inability to meet those needs. The story serves as a metaphor for irresponsible parenting, and also warns about the disastrous consequences of reckless egotism. The title character Dr. Frankenstein had not thought through his experiment. It might have been that he did not know it was going to be a success, but more likely, it was simply due to the classical Greek concept of the tragic flaw: hubris. Pride is the downfall of most of literature's strongest characters, and it is like this for Dr. Frankenstein. Although few would call Dr. Frankenstein a strong character, he is nevertheless a delivery...
Likewise, the narrator of "Shooting an Elephant" takes the back seat to the broader theme of colonialism in Asia. In both Frankenstein and "Shooting an Elephant," the theme is more important than the character, but the character's flaws permit the theme to be shown in its complexity.
The power of a story dwells within its ability to convey universal constants in the human experience without oversimplification. In Frankenstein, Shelley conveys the constant of hubris as a character flew. Orwell accomplishes the same in "Shooting an Elephant," because colonialism is nothing more than a large scale demonstration of hubris. The British had the hubris of believing in its own cultural superiority. Yet Orwell also makes a powerful commentary on the universal nature of social pressure and conformity. The narrator is torn between two worlds: the world of the British and the world of the Burmese. He finds colonialism distasteful. "I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it the better," he states. Yet the Burmese cannot accept him, because he is not from their society and they do not trust him. Because the man is trapped between two worlds, he struggles with ethical decision making when it comes to killing the elephant. There is no simple answer for Moulmein. Killing the elephant is a distasteful act that he participates in unwillingly, just as…
Cultures in Conflict & Change William Faulkner leaves us in suspense at the end of a turbulent sequence of events titled "Barn Burning." Who killed whom? We could speculate from other books perhaps but those words are outside this story. Given that strict constraint, we don't really know. Sarty watches De Spain and his horse vanish in the distance and hears three shots, which he assumes kill his father at least,
Power and Weakness Robert Kagan's 2002 article entitled "Power and Weakness" which appeared in the journal Policy Review is a fine example of an argument that takes advantage of its assumptions without discussing them. The purpose of this essay is to critically analyze this source which represents a sustained reflection on the detractions, merit and implications of the author. This essay will first summarize the article by discussing the explicit and
Culture vs. Civilization The comparison between culture and civilization is one laden with intricacies and has been a subject of contention among historians, anthropologists, and sociologists for years. At first glance, these two concepts may seem synonymous, yet they encompass distinct aspects of human societies. Culture, often described as a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that the members of society use to cope with their world and
Gender Roles in Contemporary Culture. Fight Club: Gender roles in contemporary culture Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk was a rare cultural phenomenon when it was first released. It was a literary work of trade fiction that became a best-seller because of its ability to tap into a cultural obsession of its time, namely the idea that masculinity is a threatened commodity. In the novel, a group of men create a secret club
Because of its importance to the Anglo-Saxons, and especially because of its ability to transform the Anglo-Saxon society from a pagan to a Christian culture, the contemporary era is in aw of the mere power of Beowulf. Thus, Beowulf is a literary masterpiece on many counts. From its timeless depiction of the struggle of good vs. evil and comic book-like characters who take the world by storm to its symbolism
power influences people the most? David A. Hilton, M Ed., MBA Hoffmann Which type of power influences people most? Strategic management -- theory vs. practice In theory, strategic management is a very straightforward process. It involves defining a mission and establishing the tactical goals necessary to achieve the mission objectives. Establishing the tactical plan involves analyzing the internal and external company environment and defining a vision, business model, and appropriate strategy that aligns strengths