Blog #2
Power, although needed in most situations, can prove to be a
terrible thing. Power can turn once true and honest men into tyrannical beasts,
searching for more and more power. This is the case in both the article and Macbeth. In Macbeth, Macbeth turns from being an honorable soldier, into
something of a dictator. Who would have thought that this could have happened
to the noble and honorable Thane of Glamis? He ruthlessly murdered in order to
achieve his ultimate goal, which was just more and more power. Although he was
influenced, this does not make him, or anybody for that matter, less guilty of
a murder. Being controlled by power is something that can be controlled, and
therefore, they are just as guilty for committing the murder as they would have
been for killing in cold blood. The Nazis in the article were the same, they
wanted more and more power, and the more they got, the more people had to die. There
was a quote in the article, of a Nazi trying to justify his actions “Out of
respect for human life I excise an ulcerated appendix; the Jews are the
ulcerated appendix in the body of Europe.” This statement merely shows what
power can do to the mentality of any normal person; it can give them the illusion
that they are God, that they get to decide who lives and who dies. This creates an evil in the person, and the
only way to combat that evil is to maintain your moral convictions. The person
must stay true to who they really are inside, and attempt to battle the evil
that power has the ability to create within them. Of course, if the person is
inherently evil, then the battle is worthless. And if there are any bystanders
who witness this type of evil within the people around them, they should take
it upon themselves to try to help. Now, obviously this would have been
difficult during the Holocaust, and it is difficult in any modern day trial as
well; no one wants to argue with their friends, or anyone close to them. But,
if it is possible for someone to be helped or even saved, that person must try
to help. It should be in our human nature to want to save others who we know
can be better than the evil that power creates, and we should attempt to save
those that can be saved.
Hi Brandon,
ReplyDeleteNice response to the writing prompt. I appreciated your thoughts on the nature of power--a force that tempts those seeking it to commit reprehensible acts, but that can be resisted by those with adequate willpower. I also thought you made good use of the article in backing up your argument. The quote you included really indicates the radical measures that people took to justify their actions. Good job.