The Last King Of Scotland Politics is always an act of manipulation and there may be a dissonance between the public persona of a leader and the ruthless actuality of their lives. Kevin Macdonald’s 2006 political biopic film The Last King of Scotland is based on political and personal events throughout the narcissistic Adi Amin’s despotic, traumatic and destructive rule of Uganda during the 1970s. It shows two different representations of Amin: one that manipulates his public persona as someone who works for and with the people and the other as someone ruthless who will manipulate anyone to stay in power. The film is also an act of manipulation as we witness these events through the perspective of the politically naïve and altruistic eyes of Nick Garrigan. The director aims to manipulate the audience to see Amin through fresh eyes as we simultaneously witness Amin’s attempts to position the people of Uganda. In the opening sequence we see the main character, Nicholas, a newly graduated Scottish doctor, shown as a political outsider oblivious to the …show more content…
Pursuing an mishap alongside a cow, Garrigan treats Amin – who looks like he is concerned, till Garrigan reveals his Scotland football shirt. “Scottish?” chirps Amin. “Why didn’t you say so? Let me tell you, if I could be anything instead of a Ugandan, I would be a Scot.” This empathy influences us to view Idi Amin’s as a man with charm, despite his contemporary reputation as a psychotic. Amin’s charisma is also very well portrayed during his speeches to a large mass of people, where he exhorts them, “together we will make this country better… and stronger … and FREE”, as the camera pans over adoring faces.When he speaks it seems that he has been in people’s shoes: that’s why they love him so much and choose to only look at his exterior
An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina takes the audience through a journey of expression and of events that occurred during the Rwandan genocide. In the autobiography, Paul shows many emotions and several tones. The most frequent one was emotional. three direct quotes that demonstrate this tone are, “the person's throat whose you don't cut will be the one who cuts yours”(), “ I was a hotel manager doing his job”(190), and ¨their uniqueness was gone..loved ones erased with a few swings of a cheap machete¨
The war has destroyed many villages and Sierra Leone isn’t the same anymore. People don’t trust each other anymore, and steal from one another. Ishmael and his friends are soon brainwashed by the older and experienced soldiers.
Although William Shakespeare created the play, Macbeth, to be a tragedy, the tragic hero can hardly be considered to be one. For the entirety of one of Shakespeare’s most magnificent works, Macbeth is controlled and manipulated into committing atrocious acts that the witches and his wife desire. He is powerless to their tricks and through their sorcery/cunning words and his own morals (or lack thereof) “sustain[s] the central paradox–the heroic murderer” (Cusick). Despite the fact that he laments the loss of his king, Duncan, he still continues down his path of evil that only has one ending: his death. Although Macbeth gains a few insights on his inner self, his lack of ability to resist manipulation, willingness to kill, combined with his
In Ishmael Beah’s memoir “A Long Way Gone”, Beah’s imagery reflects both his decrepit emotional state and Sierra Leone’s disarray. When Beah explains how he and Kaloko went to Kamator to see if there were signs of anything living, he describes the scene as such, “The silence in the village was too scary. I was scared when the wind blew, shaking the thatched roofs, and I felt as if I were out of my body wandering somewhere” (46). Here, Beah’s distinguished use of imagery represents his worn emotional state and Sierra Leone’s disarray. How the war has not only turned villages into ghost towns, but also displays the emptiness and the fear that he has felt during this experience. This imagery represents the effects the war had on Sierra Leone
1909, over one hundred years ago, was the death of King Leopold of Belgium the sole owner of the Congo. Even years after he has left this earth and is no longer in the reign, the long-lasting effects he has had on the people and the land has forever changed the Congo. The memories left behind from the atrocities that occurred and the diminished resources due to extreme exploitation has prompted the author Adam Hochschild to write the novel, King Leopold’s Ghost. Using an Afrocentric point of view Hochschild describes how the events that took place under Leopold’s orders were acts of true terror and inhumanity.
Seeking power is exhilarating but it can be someone’s undoing. The hunt for power can oftentimes lead to different external and internal consequences, which can also depend on the person or environment. Shakespeare’s Macbeth focuses on a character who eventually becomes obsessed with the pursuit of power, and trying to control the power that he already has. His power affects him and everyone around him. This act of trying to collect as much power as possible will ruin him, ultimately being his downfall. The real life example of Vladimir Putin showcases that he and people around him have also suffered the the consequences evident in Macbeth. Many times, the pursuit of power will lead to psychological impacts such as feeling fear and guilt which can show on the outside as delusion and insanity.
In Barbara Kingsolver’s novel, The Poisonwood Bible, the reader is introduced to Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo, through the voices of the fictional Price women. Unlike the Price family, Patrice Lumumba was a non-fictional character who was elected and served only 7 months as the Congo’s Prime Minister. His reign was brought short by his execution in 1961. Though his tenure may have been short and occurred more than 50 years ago, Patrice Lumumba remains to this very day, an important man in history.
Since the start of the Sierra Leonean war in March of 1991, innocent civilians have been the primary target of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF)’s wrath. The people of Sierra Leone have faced significant problems due to the invasions and attacks by the Rebel Forces and are the main population that is being affected by this group’s disapproval of the government. One person who experienced profound changes in her life due to the start of this war is Mariatu Kamara, a victim of a Rebel attack that cost her both her childhood and her hands. Throughout her memoir, “The Bite of the Mango,” she is faced with numerous traumatic events and meets an abundance of people who were very significant in her life and some of whom helped her survive the war. Kamara also gives the reader a variety of themes to use as a foundation to understanding war life, which also serve to help readers learn more about life, grow as people, and rise above to help others in need. Mariatu Kamara has not only changed the lives of people all throughout Sierra Leone by giving them a voice and an outlet to share their experiences, but has also proved to be an inspiration for countless amputees around the world.
Manipulation can serve as a very impressive social tool in order to bend someone's will to fulfill your agenda and trick them into carrying out a specific action. To manipulate is to manage or influence skillfully, especially in an unfair manner. This is prevalent in the tragic play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Macbeth, an ambitious general, is manipulated by both his wife and three witches to commit heinous crimes. The witches manipulate Macbeth by using his faith in the supernatural to force him to carry out certain actions. As well, they present him with deceiving prophecies to give him false confidence. Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth by questioning his manhood
personalities that can be interpreted in many ways by its audience. The story begins when
Manipulation is a key factor in the outbreak of a war. Ishmael Beah discusses the several instances of manipulation that occur in Sierra Leone. In his memoir, A Long Way Gone, Beah discuses his life during the civil war outbreak in Sierra Leone. He explains how the affects of war affected in both a positive and negative connotation. Several publishers seek a better understanding of the struggle that Beat faces during the time of the civil war. Throughout the novel, Beah discusses the damage Sierra Leone goes through. He learns valuable lessons throughout his time in combat, which he seeks to share with others. Although Beah describes the importance of soldiers in a time of war, he believes in his memoir, “A Long Way Gone”, that awareness should
Despite all the sufferings and distorted decisions made throughout the film, The Last King of Scotland, ethical behaviors are, in fact, evident as well. The Last King of Scotland is a film based on a fictional story of Nicholas Garrigan. Characters within the film possess various qualities and make certain decisions that inevitably proves their behaviors as ethical. Although there were extremely dreadful and horrifying scenes that showed how monstrous people have the ability to be, with respect to the ethicist, Aristotle, the ethical experience of obligation, as well as the teaching of the church of the 8 beatitudes, it is conclusive that ethical behavior is evident in the film, The Last King of Scotland.
Complicated consequences result from the abuse of power that is central in William Shakespeare’s play ’Macbeth’ following immoral manipulation. Macbeth was written in 1606 during the reign of King James I and was used as a warning to potential threats of the King. It is a form of praise and admiration towards the King by Shakespeare as those who immorally seize power will ultimately possess a destroyed fate. Through analysing the text, we can see that abuse of power through supernatural manipulation on human nature is evident therefore guilt and delusions are consequences of that power abuse.
In the play “Macbeth”, William Shakespeare uses belief in the existence and power of witches to create and influence the audience’s understanding of the play. Our initial impression of Macbeth is one of a brave and capable warrior, however once we see his interaction with the three “evil sisters” (Shakespeare, 1996) we realises that his physical audacity is coupled by an intense amount of ambition and self doubt. It is believed that the witches are the motive behind this ambition which eventually leads to his tragedy, however strong diverging arguments are in existence. The intensity of Macbeth’s tragedy is dependent on whether or not the witches are “professed to be able to control the naïve, innocent Macbeth” or whether he is to blame
The novel begins in Bayo, a small village in West Africa. Here, Aminata is exposed to a strong