Corrupting Influence of Power: Time Travel, Social Stratification

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Essay 2
Throughout history, the morals and beliefs of people have been shaped and influenced by the society in which they find themselves in. This is evident in the medieval times of history. The policies and views of those who are close to a person have an impact on the decisions that are made in that society. This creates problems especially in a society that is simple, care-free since many people are denied the opportunities of getting access to some things that are important. These limitations to some resources blur one's opinion on certain matters because people learn things with the help of others. When people do not get to hear the many sides of the story and hears only one side of it leads to a uniform thinking process for the entire community. This is portrayed by the two novels Kindred by Octavia Buttler and A Connecticut Yankee in Arthur Court by Mark Twain although they differ in times of context.
The Novel A Connecticut Yankee in Arthur Court takes place during the medieval times in England at King Arthur's Kingdom. As history tells, there were more negative aspects than there were positive aspects of living during this period. They led to poor quality of life for people who were present during this period. Kindred takes place in the 19th century during the slavery times in America. During this time, the blacks were treated like animals in the society. Although both novels differ in context and time, they share some concepts.
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CORRUPTING INFLUENCE OF POWER
Both novels portray how power corrupts the structures and people in the society. Twain portrays this through the strength of an organized Church in the society. King Arthur himself is afraid of the Roman Catholic Church something shows how powerful the Church is. The Church is manipulative and plays a big role towards the poor quality of the people in the community. The protagonist Hank Morgan portrays the Church as being a political machine that embodies evils that manipulate religion for political purposes. The Church is held responsible for the problems that are present in the society. Octavia portrays the corrupting influence of power by focusing on Rufus. Because of his race and gender, Rufus gets some authority over others in the society. This shows how a white man is powerful in the society. He is the decision maker for all those who are in the society. Blacks and all women are there to be seen and not to be heard. Blacks are supposed to work in the plantations and do other manual chores for the whites. All the problems in the society of Dana are caused by the power that is centered on the white man who thinks of himself.
TIME TRAVEL