Power

Power. It has the ability to ignite change and unite people but in the wrong hands, power corrupts, creates death, distorts the truth and brings sorrow. Throughout history, power has been used to create empires but also to raze them. There is always a struggle for power, no matter who, what, when or where. Those who have no power want it, and those who have power want more. “The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.” Said Edmund Burke, and he is not wrong. People with large amounts of power, such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, abused their power, killing millions and starting a war across nations. 

Holocaust. When you see this word, you often think of the Jewish holocaust during the Second World War. But this was not the only mass killing during WWII. Joseph Stalin, the leader of the USSR, ordered the mass killing of 111,000 Polish ‘spies’ by the NKVD (People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs/ НКВД) according to Nikolai Yezhov. These Polacks were only 1.6% of the USSR, but this attack had huge consequences. In a few months, the USSR was lacking in food and workers. This lead to the mass starvation of over 6 million Ukrainians.

The NKVD raided houses and took any form of grain or other foods that they could find. All this food went to Moscow. Ukrainians were forbidden from travelling to Russia or Germany, so many turned to drastic measures. Cannibalism became common but it was still a taboo. School children would drop dead in class. Wives prostituted themselves for grain. Ukraine was so quiet, ‘if we heard a crow, we were alarmed by our own happy reactions.’ (Maria Łouinska, 1932) In the spring of 1933, people died at a rate of 10,000 per day and yet Stalin did nothing. His abuse of power had brought death and famine to his union, but he was blind to the atrocities.

Secrets. We all have them, but some are bigger than others. During the Second World War, secrets were a huge part of what empires rose and what empires fell. Ever heard of ‘loose lips, sink ships’? This was an American-English idiom that meant ‘don’t have unguarded conversation.’ People became masters of secrets. One of these masters of hiding the truth was the Japanese army in Nanking. When Japanese General Matsui Iwane (松井 石根) came to visit the Chinese city of Nanking (南京市), the Japanese soldiers cleaned the streets of the thousands of dead bodies of innocent Chinese. The amount of bodies piled up by the Yangtze River caused it to go red from the blood that poured into it. Yet Matsui did not see any of this, and he believed that the citizens of Nanking had peacefully surrendered to the Japanese. This was further from the truth. The Japanese army killed over 4 million men and raped over 3 million girls and women. The people of Nanking were told to surrender by the Chinese government, which they did, but the Japanese ignored them and took over. They lit houses ablaze and tortured people until they die

This ability to conceal can be compared with Joseph Stalin’s Kiev clean-up. When the French prime minister, Édouard Daladier, announced that he was going to Kiev in Ukraine, Stalin ordered a mass clean up. People were to remove the dead from the view of the main street. Shops were restocked for appearance, but if a Ukrainian dared to eat anything from the store, they were shot. Fancy cars were driven down from Moscow and men wore new suits. Daladier was kept away from German and Polish diplomats during his stay, as they knew what was going on behind the scenes. Daladier returned to France saying that the USSR had ‘honoured the socialist spirit and Ukrainian nation pride.’ He did not realise that he’d been tricked by Stalin and his men. This meant that the USSR was able to continue in their crimes against humanity.

Gain. When you gain something, it’s often through hard work or doing a good deed. Sadly, it’s not always like this. In the 1940s, Russia was starving but Ukraine wasn’t as much. So Stalin ordered the NKVD to raid houses and farms for all forms of food. Within 8 months, Russia had enough food for at least 4 years. Ukraine, on the other hand, had fallen into famine. People dropped dead in the streets and other prostituted themselves for grain. Stalin had gained power and food but at the cost of 14 million people.

Japan was determined to take over the East, starting with Korea (Chōsen) and Qingdao. Slowly they progressed, removing the USSR from Manchuria (Manchukuo) and then taking over Inner Mongolia, parts of China, Thailand (Siam), Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam (French Indo-China), Malaysia (Malaya), Singapore (which was also part of Malaya), Indonesia (Dutch East Indies) and the Philippines. To gain land and power, the Japanese killed off anyone who opposed them. The people of Nanking were just a small amount of the almost 10 million people killed by the Japanese. They killed all these people just for power. The only way that they could be stopped was by the dropping of the American atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Although power can be used to make a change for the better or ignite hope in the hearts of the weary, it’s much more likely to create problems. Without power, people are more submissive and will listen to those with power. But give these people power and they will rise above others and become egotistical and abusive towards others. More people use power for bad rather than good.

Power can be used to unite people and make a change. But only in the hands of a few. When in the wrong hands, power corrupts, causes widespread death, conceals the truth and brings sorrow. As shown throughout history, especially during WW2, power almost always goes to your head. As William Pitt said ‘Unlimited power corrupts the possessor.’ Men like Stalin and Hitler were given unlimited power and they committed mass murder and other crimes. Power truly corrupts all.

The Battle of the Hierarchy of Hogwarts and Westeros

     In the top 0.01% of the world, the population of the earth competes for power in our world today. Esteemed authors JK Rowling and George RR Martin have written the well-established books series Harry Potter and A Song of Ice and Fire. Both books series explore the themes of the upper class’s power dynamics and relationships within complicated worlds and characters, just like in our world today. Martin writes about the families in control of Westeros, the threat of the beings behind the ice wall and the rise and ambition of Daenerys Targaryen and others in their pursuit for the Iron Throne. The upper class of Westeros long for the Iron Throne, the magic of Dragons, the strength that comes with these objects. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in written in the eyes of protagonist Harry Potter in his 5th year at wizarding school Hogwarts. While he explores becoming his own person and his relationships with his friends, he has to deal with notorious, professor Umbridge on her pursuit to take over Hogwarts and kick Dumbledore out of power. A prominent theme which stands out throughout both books is the idea of what woman have to rise to power within the dominantly male hierarchy. As accomplished authors both Rowling and Martin use craft moves such as first person narrator, multiple plot lines and metonymical symbols in their books. They both use metonymical symbols, like the Iron Throne and the Ministry of Magic to show woman antagonists motivation as well as elevate the theme of a woman rising to power. Characters such as Dolores Jane Umbridge and Cersei Lannister use innocence and female stereotypes to gain power and authority. Strong headed woman such as them can be compared to women in the 21st century today such as Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton. You may be thinking, but these women aren't crazed for power and insane, but just like Professor Umbridge and Cersei they have the ambition to get to the top, be the best, and become powerful in the world. They may not take extreme measures like Cersei and Umbridge but they push the limits and work to gain power and the highest level using their smarts and achievements.

     Martin and Rowling both explore the world in which women struggle to gain importance, which in turn leads them to use their seen innocence as woman and sexuality to gain what they want. In “A Game of Thrones” Cersei Lannister uses social expectation, in this case, woman is sexual objects, to gain what she wants. Similarly in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” Umbridge uses physical exaggeration of girlishness, which makes her seem innocent, to gain what she wants within Hogwarts. Sexuality and innocence are facades for both the woman to eventually achieve their goal of power within the hierarchy. Cersei is a proud woman who won't stop at anything to get what she wants, to protect her children. Umbridge is a powerful woman who will do anything in her power to get what she wants, what's best for her. Professor Umbridge is described as “Somebody's Maiden aunt” with a “Horrible pink alice band that matched the fluffy pink cardigan”. Rowling describes her with classic woman stereotypes right down to the constant use of pink, the original stereotypically colour for a woman. Her clothes are used a physical facade for her true intentions. Who would ever expect an innocent woman dressed in pink to have such cruel intentions. “In “A Game of Thrones” Cersei sleeps with people to not only gain power in Westeros but also to protect the mistakes she made and the people she loves. She made the conscious mistake of having children with her brother, instead of the king. Due to those mistakes, she has to work even harder. That again was a choice she made because she could have chosen to not protect her brother and her children, but she wants to keep the power. If she came out with the truth she wouldn’t be in the upper level of the power of hierarchy. Cersei is described as “blonde hair, brilliant green eyes, fair skin, and a slender, graceful figure”, beautiful as well as cunning. She resents the customs put on her because of her gender but uses her beauty to fight those stab those customs in the back. Cersei often a hypocrite as she disapproved of Robert Baratheon hedonistic lifestyle, she as well uses sex and alcohol to avoid true leadership. Which is ironic because she both uses sex to gain what she thinks is “power” but as well as uses it to avoid her true leadership and power. Her and Umbridge are similar in the way they both want more and more, ignoring what they already have. They're trying to reach the highest cabinet without a stepping stool. They only want the most, whether it's hand of the king or minister of magic, they are ignorant of anything in between and feel weak in other positions. Even though both women are in places of power they use further femininity and copulation to reach the highest point in power, evidently failing and falling behind.

     Both characters, Cersei and Umbridge and books, A game of thrones and Harry potter and the order of the phoenix, have their similarities as well as their differences. The world of Westeros and Hogwarts are very different places with different societies. The books being set at different times to have different expectations for women and what their job is in the world “A game of thrones” is set in a magical era in which women are seen as unimportant and sexual objects. “I swear, women lose all modesty in the heat.” Every chance for fewer clothes or modesty, even due to something such as heat, is seen as an opportunity for men or done for men. Men are supposed to be strong and fierce “while women sew dragon banners” Sewing, cooking, and being there to sleep with are all woman are seen good for. When women do anything other than that, they are ridiculed and banished by society. Men are also superior even if a woman is better, they get priority. Nothing in the wizarding world has ever seen to be primarily male eccentric. Woman and men educators are of equal balance at Hogwarts, and at Harry's Trial “Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister” And Amelia Bones proceed over the trial. But just like in today's world women never have the opportunity to be in the highest positions of power, always one step down. Having a society, such as Westeros, which limits what woman can do puts barriers in front of the steps woman such as Cersei have to take to gain the highest form of power. Which is also why Cersei never achieves to gain power, she is always seen as lesser whereas Umbridge ends up gaining power within the ministry of magic. Which is why Cersei has to take more extreme measures like using her sexuality, unlike Umbridge who can get away with just using her girlishness innocence. Umbridge as well is dedicated to the values of the ministry of magic and is loyal whereas Cersei hates king's landing and everything it stands for, which is ironic because she is in a way the embodiment of king's landing corrupt and rich, but she pretended to like it in order to keep her children safe. Cersei cares about her children more than anything else, which in a way legitimizes her reasons for her actions. Whereas Umbridge has no one mentioned that she cares about. Someone may say that how can caring about someone being legitimate reasons for being crazy and controlling people. But even though Cersei may be controlling and insane, caring about children makes you do crazy things. People say you love your children more than anything else in the world, they are born from you and are a part of you and us as a society do everything possible to keep them safe. So why if that wrong when done to the extreme, she lives in a society of extremes. Umbridge controls her position of the power from the front lines like a general whereas Cersei controls the power from backstage. Even though both women are controlling and evil they are not the same, they have different opportunities and are placed in different places of power. 

     Rowling and Martin both use places and objects metonymically to show symbols of hierarchy and power. In Harry potter and the Order of the Phoenix, it's the first time we have a glimpse of the Ministry of Magic and what they are capable of. As well as in ‘A Game of Thrones” we learn about the Iron thrones and it's capabilities. Martin uses the Iron Throne to symbolise power within Westeros, and how it destroys people's relationships. In the beginning, the Iron Throne is talked about as a superior object. What everyone in Westeros aims to be near or be on. “At times, he even sat upon the Iron Throne to dispense king’s justice” Martin uses language such as “At times” which makes it sound like an honour to be seated on this object of elite authority. It is seen as the ideal source of power. “Let them make their case before the Iron Throne” like the person on the Iron throne is irrelevant put the throne itself is the source of judiciary and establishment. "Rebellion against the Iron Throne" Not against the king or the Monarch but against the Iron Throne, an object. We see this similarly used by Rowling when she talks about the Ministry of Magic. “How much power did Dumbledore have to override the Ministry of Magic?” Rowling uses the words “override the ministry of Magic” not a specific person but the source of the power. She consciously doesn't say the Minister of Magic but the ministry of magic as it gives us the idea that the ministry has a whole has the power, not just the individual human being. In other scenarios as well, the Ministry of Magic like it was written as a person has done things. “the Ministry of Magic has revised its decision to destroy your wand forthwith.” Unlike in “A game of Thrones” where the Iron Throne is metonymically used to symbolise the person on the Iron Throne and the power they had to dispense, the Ministry of Magic is metonymically not only as a singular person's form of power and what they can do as an individual but what the system can do in terms of power. Within these contexts the symbols help us understand who and what is the highest on the food chain within these societies. And when comparing the two helps us understand the differences in society. While the Iron Throne is used as a singular object, which in turn shows us that the power is held by one person, the Ministry of Magic is used as a whole, which shows us that it's a system as a whole, not an individual. A system of bureaucracy versus a system of Monarch. Even though Bureaucracy and Monarchy are very different systems of government they both don't put any power in the hands the people. Since Westeros in a monarchy, it makes it even more difficult for Cersei to gain power as there is only a singular source, whereas in the system of bureaucracy everyone has a chance to have control. 

     You may be wondering how on earth does this matter in the 21st century we live in now. What do power-crazed women who use innocence to gain power have anything to do with our society today. Even though it may not be obvious because we are not in that hierarchy, but the top 0.01% of our society compete for the reigns of power every day. Woman politicians such as Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton sign documents, do interviews and voice their opinion every day in order to gain control of the power from the predominantly male population. Without power in our world, what would we do? Where would we be? No matter how much we don't want to believe it without those power struggles in our world, our society would get nowhere. The reigns of power are always moving from one hand to another in the world. It's constantly changing, moving and flowing like a river. You may be thinking, why do I matter, I’m not in that top 0.01%, What different does it make in my life. The people who have the reigns of power affect the way in which you live your life. They control the actions you take and the things you are allowed to say. You can support your community by being involved and integrated into your local population. Voting and supporting the leaders you think will improve your society and the way in which you live your life. Unlike “Harry Potter” and “A Game of Thrones” we have the opportunity to live in a system of democracy where we matter. Elizabeth Warren, Hillary Clinton, Dolores Umbridge, and Cersei Lannister and strong and powerful women, you often have to take extreme measures and risks in order to protect those they love and gain rank in the system of hierarchy. Women matter in this world, they make up half the population of the world. Support women leaders who want to change the system of male dominant hierarchy and voice their ideas and opinions to the world.