Evil Essay
Parshv Shah
Mrs. Downey
English 120
18 January 2013
Evil
In literature and life we all notice the presence of evil. Evil has always been considered as something with ill repute. There are certain factors that play into the reason why. From Phil Zimbardo’s The Lucifer Effect: Understanding Why People Turn Evil and literary texts, The Crucible and “The Lottery”, we see that evil deeds occur due to the power of leadership. These examples show us that evil is not within wicked individuals, but by those willing to comply with the rule of others. This idea is paralleled in Zimbardo’s text in which he emphasizes the idea that people like to follow in the footsteps of a leader. They listen to this person because they have been in this position of power for a long time to know what they are doing. The trust that is created from this allows people to follow whatever this person says whether they are right or wrong. From Elaine Aron’s assessment on Zimbardo’s novel we see that “[he] saw that [evil] most often occurs when people are part of or made to feel part of a system that asks them to carry out orders from “higher-up.””(2). Consequently, this “higher up” is the reason why people commit evils since, according to Aron, “We are willing to cooperate by doing what we are asked or told to do by leaders we trust.”(1). Arthur Miller’s The Crucible demonstrates Zimbardo’s theory: The belief that people are cooperative with leaders. We see an innocent girl named Mary Williams who is pressured into lying about the devil due to the leadership authority of Abigail Williams. At first she is in court to admit to the judges that there were no devils. She even says, “Never, Never!”(116) when Judge Danforth asks her if “[she] compacted with the Devil,” (116). She even acknowledges Danforth’s power and leadership by telling him the truth. She knows Danforth has the ability to have people killed if they were associated
Mrs. Downey
English 120
18 January 2013
Evil
In literature and life we all notice the presence of evil. Evil has always been considered as something with ill repute. There are certain factors that play into the reason why. From Phil Zimbardo’s The Lucifer Effect: Understanding Why People Turn Evil and literary texts, The Crucible and “The Lottery”, we see that evil deeds occur due to the power of leadership. These examples show us that evil is not within wicked individuals, but by those willing to comply with the rule of others. This idea is paralleled in Zimbardo’s text in which he emphasizes the idea that people like to follow in the footsteps of a leader. They listen to this person because they have been in this position of power for a long time to know what they are doing. The trust that is created from this allows people to follow whatever this person says whether they are right or wrong. From Elaine Aron’s assessment on Zimbardo’s novel we see that “[he] saw that [evil] most often occurs when people are part of or made to feel part of a system that asks them to carry out orders from “higher-up.””(2). Consequently, this “higher up” is the reason why people commit evils since, according to Aron, “We are willing to cooperate by doing what we are asked or told to do by leaders we trust.”(1). Arthur Miller’s The Crucible demonstrates Zimbardo’s theory: The belief that people are cooperative with leaders. We see an innocent girl named Mary Williams who is pressured into lying about the devil due to the leadership authority of Abigail Williams. At first she is in court to admit to the judges that there were no devils. She even says, “Never, Never!”(116) when Judge Danforth asks her if “[she] compacted with the Devil,” (116). She even acknowledges Danforth’s power and leadership by telling him the truth. She knows Danforth has the ability to have people killed if they were associated