Corruption, as defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is “dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people.” This dishonest or illegal behavior is usually categorized as an abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It corrodes the relationship between a ruler and their subjects. This dishonest or illegal behavior begins to occur when rulers make anti-social actions that have a lack of respect for other people’s perspectives and their morals, therefore acting in their own self-interest. Rulers make the transition from humanitarians to egotistical beings once they realize the amount of power they have under their belts. At first, they use their power for the overall good, but quickly, they understand that they can use their power
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It was written as a satire on equality in society. The novel begins when farm animals stage a rebellion against their farmer due to his negligence. Two pigs, Napoleon and Snowball appoint themselves as the leaders of this revolution. They sell themselves as leaders by promoting that they will be making decisions for the good of every animal. At first, things go swell, and the farm prospers under their new rule. However, things begin to go sour when Napoleon’s true self is revealed. He has an insatiable thirst for power becomes a totalitarian dictator. Napoleon loses sight of what is morally correct, stealing milk and apples to feed himself and the other pigs, and even appoints another pig, Squealer, to persuade the rest of the animals that the pigs, especially Napoleon, are always right. Orwell reveals Napoleon’s, as well as the other pigs’ true place in the society of Animal Farm in the excerpt “the pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. With their superior knowledge it was natural that they should assume the leadership” (Orwell 27). This denotes that the pigs did not contribute to the society, but rather, sat around and gave orders. This is one of the characteristics of a corrupt leader, or leaders in this case, which is that they exempt themselves from their own laws simply because they are the …show more content…
Riggio, a psychologist, analyzes the effect of power on a leader, and its ultimate destination to worngdoing. The author shows the positive effects of power, as expressed in the quote “power makes leaders more assertive and confident and certain of their decisions. This enables them to move forward on chosen courses of action. Leaders must use power to "get the job done"” (Riggio). Although this is in fact true, the negative side of power is much more damaging than positive power’s rewards. The more power people possess, the more they focus on their own desires and the less the other individuals they rule over perspectives’ get taken into account from the leader. There is a complexity of leadership, and it is all about its power and influence. There are two types of power: socialized and personalized power. Personalized power is used for personal gain, and often, when personalized power dominates and the leader gains, it is often at the expense of the followers. Leaders may even convince themselves that they are working for the greater good, when in reality, they are engaging in behavior that is morally wrong. Overall, this power of which a leader possesses leads them to focus on their own egocentric impulses and disregarding the perspectives of their followers, which in turn induces corruption. In the article, the author states “there are no poor former U.S. Presidents” (Riggio). Riggio brings up a very important aspect of corruption, which is that a
It was written as a satire on equality in society. The novel begins when farm animals stage a rebellion against their farmer due to his negligence. Two pigs, Napoleon and Snowball appoint themselves as the leaders of this revolution. They sell themselves as leaders by promoting that they will be making decisions for the good of every animal. At first, things go swell, and the farm prospers under their new rule. However, things begin to go sour when Napoleon’s true self is revealed. He has an insatiable thirst for power becomes a totalitarian dictator. Napoleon loses sight of what is morally correct, stealing milk and apples to feed himself and the other pigs, and even appoints another pig, Squealer, to persuade the rest of the animals that the pigs, especially Napoleon, are always right. Orwell reveals Napoleon’s, as well as the other pigs’ true place in the society of Animal Farm in the excerpt “the pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. With their superior knowledge it was natural that they should assume the leadership” (Orwell 27). This denotes that the pigs did not contribute to the society, but rather, sat around and gave orders. This is one of the characteristics of a corrupt leader, or leaders in this case, which is that they exempt themselves from their own laws simply because they are the …show more content…
Riggio, a psychologist, analyzes the effect of power on a leader, and its ultimate destination to worngdoing. The author shows the positive effects of power, as expressed in the quote “power makes leaders more assertive and confident and certain of their decisions. This enables them to move forward on chosen courses of action. Leaders must use power to "get the job done"” (Riggio). Although this is in fact true, the negative side of power is much more damaging than positive power’s rewards. The more power people possess, the more they focus on their own desires and the less the other individuals they rule over perspectives’ get taken into account from the leader. There is a complexity of leadership, and it is all about its power and influence. There are two types of power: socialized and personalized power. Personalized power is used for personal gain, and often, when personalized power dominates and the leader gains, it is often at the expense of the followers. Leaders may even convince themselves that they are working for the greater good, when in reality, they are engaging in behavior that is morally wrong. Overall, this power of which a leader possesses leads them to focus on their own egocentric impulses and disregarding the perspectives of their followers, which in turn induces corruption. In the article, the author states “there are no poor former U.S. Presidents” (Riggio). Riggio brings up a very important aspect of corruption, which is that a