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8/6/2019 Maoudis Essay
1/2
Power is the influence and strength an individual or institution has and their ability to
control or dominate the environment or behavior of others. Power is similar to
authority however it is a unique concept as it demonstrates characteristics that
suggest a sense of being enforced by intimidation or threat. Never the less it is often
those who seem powerless that indeed can find power from within. Power is evident
in a variety of forms such as society, religion relational interactions and the
individual. Through these forms power can impact peoples thoughts and actions.
Similarly, the power of redemption and revenge can be sought within by the
individuals capability to master themself and hence the ability to conquer ultimately
proving that he who controls others may be powerful but he who has mastered
himself is mightier still. These characteristics of power are evident in Khaled
Hosseinis novel The Kite Runner, Frank Darabonts film The Shawshank
Redemptionand Eric C. Heffrons film 8 Mile. Each composer uses an array of
techniques to demonstrate the influence and strength of power.
In Hosseinis novel The Kite Runner, the protagonist, Amir is influenced by social
power as he is a pashtun muslim and therefor is seen to belong to a higher social
class then most. this social status determines Amirs relationship with friend Hassan.
Amir believes he is more important and significant then Hassan, his family servant, a
Hazara muslim (lower social class). As a result of belonging to a higher social class,
Amir is of the mindset that Hassan is only just a hazara. Amir abuses his social
power which leads to him seeing Hassan get raped by Assef, Amir decides not to
intervene in order to protect himself. However, Amir becomes ridden with guilt and
whilst looking for a remedy asks Hassan, would you eat dirt if I told you to?,
exemplifying the fact that Amir places himself above Hassan due to his social power
and entitles himself to make make commands of Hassan. As a result Amir struggles
within himself to come to terms with his actions and suffers emotional breakdowns,
he is unable to comprehend his actions but realizes he can only earn redemption
through correcting his wrong doings. Towards the end of Amirs journey, power if the
individual and Amirs redemption is clearly shown through the final statement in the
book I ran, this shows that Amir has found the power within himself to act
accordingly in order to earn Hassans redemption in returning the deed Hassan had
done for him so many times over in their childhood. Amirs new understanding of
social power is evident as he shows empathy towards his Hazara friend and as a
result of mastering his attitude and understanding their friendship is shown to be
mightier. The author refers back to the kite running to signify the bond of friendship
that is once again apparent between the two.
the warden tells Andy salvation lies within which the warden believes means his
inmates will be changed men within his rulership. Andy believes that he will find
salvation within through escaping from the prison and hence right his wrongs of
being wrongfully imprisoned and accountable for fraud services. When Andy
escapes from the prison, power of the individual is visibly evident through the use of
cinematic techniques utilized by Darabont including darkness with lightening flashes
8/6/2019 Maoudis Essay
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to show emotion and climax. Andy symbolically rips off the prison costume as rain
pours down on him, emphasizing that he is being cleansed from the prison and
earning redemption and showing that he who conquers himself is in fact mightier.
Furthermore, the Warderns corruption is ultimately revealed as he is unable to deal
with the situation in front of him, he panics due to his sudden loss of power and
feelings of insignificance ultimately killing himself in what shows that even though he
had the power to control others, once he was isolated and alone he was left
powerless, signifying the ever changing nature of power.The power of the institution
is further exemplified through the journey of the character Brooks, who is released
from prison but struggles to cope outside the prison due to the controlling nature of
this institutional life. This is particularly evident when the prison guard states you eat
we say you eat, you piss when we say you piss, you sleep when we say you sleep,
highlighting how institutional power is evident within the prison and how it controls
others and hence has power over the inmates lives. This corrupted power eventually
leads to Brooks taking his life as a result of constant control. The director uses
flashbacks of Brooks life on the outside to highlight his struggle and show evidence
of how he was unable to lead a normal life once finally given his own freedom.
The film 8 Miletells the story of rapper Eminem or Marshall Mathers beginnings, the
director Eric C. Heffron illustrates the power of the individual to overcome the social
power that is evident in the slums of Detroit in the underground rap scene. This
social power is evident through the command shown by the gang know as The Free
World, as a group they are able to convey power in order to control what goes on
and create a fear of them in the underground rap scene. This power is particularly
evident in the scene where The Free World show up to Marshalls house with the
intent of physically abusing him, the power is shown through Marshalls acceptance
of this as they throw him to the ground and yell insults at him, evident through the
dialogue get up bitch and punk ass bitch, their control over him is shown as
Marshall does not reply or fight back knowing he is outnumbered and there is
nothing he can do. The director highlights Marshalls insignificance through his
silence that gives feeling that if Marshall will be punished if he speaks, the director
also shows his bland facial expressions that show fear and acceptance of his
powerless state.This power of the individual is also evident in a later scene when
Marshall beats each member of The Free World in a public display of rap battles, this
gains him respect and his crew of the 313 rise to the same sort of power that The
Free World had. This event occurs due to Marshalls ability to master himself and
build up the courage and strength to make a stand for himself, he is able to reveal
that as a group The Free World are able to control others and seem powerful but
when individually pulled out and tested they are left seemingly powerless making
evident the variable nature of social power. The director uses camera angles and
placement such as over the shoulder styled shots to show distance between
Marshall and The Free World as if it is him against them and to highlight the
distinction between them.