Power and Abuse

Leaders with high authority have a potent influence on society. Power can either nurture subordinate people or ravage their self-worth through rules and demands. Abuse occurs because malicious impulses are not repressed nor denounced. Dictators notoriously kill several civilians, yet because of their position, they avert castigation from civilians. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a group of boys descend into savagery as Jack’s power ascends. “The Struggle for Iraq” by John Schwartz describes the process by which normal college students turn spiteful when they become prison guards. Lord of the Flies and “The Struggle for Iraq” illustrate how boundless authority often leads to sadistic behavior.
Jack Merridew, a stubborn and fascist teenager in Lord of the Flies, represents man’s descent into savagery and brutality. After being elected as leader of the hunters, he tries to emulate Ralph’s position as chief. As he gradually gains power, the hunt -- along with violence -- turns into an unhealthy obsession. He convinces other boys to hunt because of the thrill; eventually, nearly every survivor chants, “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in” (75). As more boys join the assembly, Jack’s thirst for barbarism becomes immense: “The forest near them burst into uproar. Demoniac figures with faces of white and red and green rushed out howling...star naked save for the paint and a belt was Jack” (140). As Jack exalts, he starts abusing the boys for no apparent reason. At Castle Rock, he ties up Wilfred without a reasonable motive and kidnaps Sam and Eric. “‘[Jack] got angry and made us tie Wilfred up. He’s been tied for hours, waiting--’” (163). In the last chapter, Jack and his tribe chase Ralph and set the forest on fire. Jack is ready to ferociously kill Ralph with a “sharpened stick on two sides”. As seen by Jack’s totalitarianism, limitless power ravages the welfare of others.
While Lord of the Flies provides a fictional account about authoritarianism, “The Struggle for Iraq” documents an equally significant report about abuse. “The Struggle for Iraq” analyzes results from a simulated prison at Stanford University. Within days, 24 randomly assigned students transformed into sadistic prison guards. They abased the prisoners by forcing them to strip naked and encouraging sexual acts. Although the students knew this behavior was perverse, they continued to perform this way until the simulation was terminated. Despite the lessons they were taught during their upbringing, morality did not thwart their orders; once power came into play, ordinary people turned horrible. The article also mentioned a different study in which 65% of participants knowingly administered deadly electric shocks. Professor Zimbardo spoke about how the power of situations determine human behavior: “Prisons, where the balance of power is so unequal, tend to be brutal and abusive places unless great effort is made to control the guards’ base impulses” (1). Unsuppressed power could explain the rampant torture in Iraqi prisons. “Emotions of war and threat of terrorism gave them permission to dehumanize prisoners” (2), Dr. Charles B. Strozier agreed. The students’ and prison guards’ relentless torture occurred once unrestrained power was handed to them.