Power to Right Powerless to Wrong
The difference between doing what is right and what is wrong is based on how powerful or powerless a person may feel. Henry David Thoreau said that, “The only obligation which I have a right to assume, is to do at any time what I think is right.” People, usually, do what they feel is right. In “Perils of Obedience Experiment” doing what is right is all based on how much power someone has and how the person felt at the given time. Milgram selected many people at random and split them into the teacher and the learner roles. The teacher would read a set of words to the learner, if the answer was wrong a shock was exerted to the learner. As the experiment continued, the voltage would go up. The teachers did not …show more content…
Braverman was a thirty nine year old social worker. He had a serious demeanor on his face, but contained a great personality. He began the experiment with no problems. When the learner answered a question wrong, he did exactly what was instructed and shocked the learner. He followed every instruction that was given to him. After a while he began to laugh, “His very refined and authoritative manner of speaking is increasingly broken up by wheezing laughter.”(Milgram 83). After the experiment, Braverman confessed that he did feel nervous or tense, but due to the situation he could not do anything but act “tough”. As Braverman had said, “......I’m a nice person, I think, hurting somebody, and caught up in what seemed a mad situation…. And in the interest of science, one goes through it.” (Milgram 88). The mad situation was Braverman being the teacher who hurt the learner. Deep down, he did not want to continue the experiment, but since it was such an intense situation he had to continue. Braverman also mentioned that his laughter was a cover up for the tension he was truly feeling. Braverman, like the other teachers, had no power as he had said, “And being totally helpless and caught up in a set of circumstances where I just couldn't deviate and I couldn't try to help. This is what got me.”(Milgram 90). Braverman was powerless and helpless. This helpless and powerless feeling was what forced Braverman to continue the experiment with no hesitation. He knew what was truly right and just could not stop because of the feeling of no
The difference between doing what is right and what is wrong is based on how powerful or powerless a person may feel. Henry David Thoreau said that, “The only obligation which I have a right to assume, is to do at any time what I think is right.” People, usually, do what they feel is right. In “Perils of Obedience Experiment” doing what is right is all based on how much power someone has and how the person felt at the given time. Milgram selected many people at random and split them into the teacher and the learner roles. The teacher would read a set of words to the learner, if the answer was wrong a shock was exerted to the learner. As the experiment continued, the voltage would go up. The teachers did not …show more content…
Braverman was a thirty nine year old social worker. He had a serious demeanor on his face, but contained a great personality. He began the experiment with no problems. When the learner answered a question wrong, he did exactly what was instructed and shocked the learner. He followed every instruction that was given to him. After a while he began to laugh, “His very refined and authoritative manner of speaking is increasingly broken up by wheezing laughter.”(Milgram 83). After the experiment, Braverman confessed that he did feel nervous or tense, but due to the situation he could not do anything but act “tough”. As Braverman had said, “......I’m a nice person, I think, hurting somebody, and caught up in what seemed a mad situation…. And in the interest of science, one goes through it.” (Milgram 88). The mad situation was Braverman being the teacher who hurt the learner. Deep down, he did not want to continue the experiment, but since it was such an intense situation he had to continue. Braverman also mentioned that his laughter was a cover up for the tension he was truly feeling. Braverman, like the other teachers, had no power as he had said, “And being totally helpless and caught up in a set of circumstances where I just couldn't deviate and I couldn't try to help. This is what got me.”(Milgram 90). Braverman was powerless and helpless. This helpless and powerless feeling was what forced Braverman to continue the experiment with no hesitation. He knew what was truly right and just could not stop because of the feeling of no