Power and the Individual in the Wave and Shawshank Redemption

519 Words3 Pages
Power is a significant element in many aspects of life and its far reaching effects can both elevate an individual or minority to great authority and leadership or strip them completely bare. Both Morton Rhue’s “the wave” and Shaw Shank Redemption” directed by Frank Daramont, explore concepts of power and the individual, demonstrating both the destructive nature of power and also the power that comes from within. In both Texts the destructive nature of power is shown in how it takes away the rights of the individual and belittles them. In “The Wave”, Power is demonstrated through a class experiment designed to educate students on Nazi world war 11. The experiment spreads fast throughout the school and quickly spins out of control. Only a handful of students bother to question what is going on. Laurie’s Boyfriend, David got so caught up in the wave that he ended up hurting Laurie because of her refusal to co-operate with it. The destructive nature of power is also shown when Laurie tells Mr. Ross, “It’s taken over, you can’t say anything against it, people are afraid too.” Similar to Shaw shank Redemption, where the destructive nature of power is demonstrated throughout the whole movie, “You eat, when we say you eat. You piss. When we say you piss, you shit, when we say you shit. You got that you maggot dick motherfucker?!”This Quote illustrates the authority and power the prison guards hold over the prisoners and the destructive nature of it. Laurie and the few individuals that refused to co-operate with “the wave”, found their voice through the school newspaper. Up until that point, the students supporting the wave dominated what people saw and heard about. But by using this form of mass media, Laurie was able to confront the issue, highlighting the problems that people saw in the wave, forcing the school authorities to do something about it. Laurie stood

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