Power always corrupts the one who holds it
“Nearly
all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give
him power.” –Abraham Lincoln
Throughout the centuries there have been
countless philosophers who have criticized man’s capability to handle power responsibly.
Who has not heard the quote by Lord Acton, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts abolutely." It is unfortunate
that some of the most memorable figures throughout history have abused their
power so greatly that people would make such blanket statements as “Power
always corrupts the one who holds it”. I feel it my duty to shed a more
positive light on mankind and prove this statement wrong.
Many people believe that money and power go
hand in hand. This statement holds some truth. Those who have a large sum of
money are capable of buying support and any resources they need to put them
into a place of power. However not all those who have power and money use it
only for their own personal gain. If we look at the example of Bill Gates we
can see an individual who has used his assets to help millions of people.
Jasmine
ReplyDeleteI think you did a marvelous job on proving your opinion by using examples of Bill Gates’ generous donation of money to the poor, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches to try and achieve equality for African-American people. These examples gave a lot of proof for your opinion which made me change my view about people always being corrupt when given power.
A thing you could have done to make your writing better was to proofread your work. There were some inconsistencies with your capitalization.
I also liked the way you connected your paragraphs. It made the essay flow together which made it easy to read and understand.
Oops - sorry I wasn't finished yet...
ReplyDeleteI found it a little ironic that you closed with a statement like this "ut to make such a negative statement such as, “Power always corrupts the one who holds it” is absolutely unacceptable." Can you tell me why?