The Tightrope of Power the balance between power, knowledge, and authority in relation to Antigone - Literature Essay Samples

Foucault’s Discipline and Punish reads partly like a historic text and partly like a speculative essay. Its themes revolving around power, knowledge, and authority however, conveys fundamental principles that is innate to human nature. Foucault addresses these issues in a circular fashion where the end of the capacity for one is also the beginning of another. The question that is posed is deceptively simple: what does Foucault mean when he talks about power, knowledge, and authority? To answer this it would be helpful to bring in a text that deals with the same issues (although in a different context) and compare them side by side. The play Antigone by Sophocles is no stranger to these themes. Full of power struggles between authoritative figures and an unyielding pursuit of knowledge (or the truth), Antigone, despite being centuries apart in the time of its publication to Discipline and Punish, speaks to a truth of human nature that is timeless. Both texts understand that pow er, knowledge, and authority are theoretically and practically linked. Foucault argues and the characters of Antigone show that power exists in a fragile relationship, knowledge is acquired but not definite, and authority can sometimes be its own entity. Using Foucault’s teachings and examples as backdrop, I will be looking at the power relationships, the spectrum of knowledge, and command of authority between the characters in Antigone. What does power mean to Foucault? To him, power is not a thing, rather it is a dynamic tension that exists between two or more people. It is also the amount of influence that you are able to exert over someone else in a relationship. He is describing of course a mental rather than physical force where also â€Å"one should decipher in power, a network of relations. (pg. 26)† According to Foucault, everyone has some power, but their power is such to the extent that one can exert the behavior (or determine it) of another. He says that everyone has a certain degree of power but the power is fluid, and â€Å"constantly in tension or activity. (pg.26)† Therefore he would say that Creon is not necessarily more powerful than Antigone because of his place on the hierarchy (as King), but that there exists a constant and equal power dynamic between Creon and Antigone because they both have power. Creon only appears more powerful because he has learned to use his power better than Antigone. Of course I am not completely disregarding the fact that Creon is king and Antigone is not but in Foucault’s terms we are always on one side of the power relationship or the other, so there is no hierarchy of power in that sense. The hierarchical difference in social standing (king to citizen) would be more an issue of authority than power. It can sometimes be unclear who has power over the other but ultimately you cannot escape all power relations because everybody has a relative amount of power. However, there cannot be a power relationship without resistance. We may not be able to escape all relations of power acting on us, but we can try to change or challenge a power imbalance. Because this power is not â€Å"a privilege that one might possess (pg.26)† and is ‘fluid’, this power is also fragile. In the beginning Creon tries to use his power to change Antigone’s mind but later on as we see in the play, Antigone could resist Creon’s power and gain her own to diminish his. Antigone uses her power to speak her own voice which takes away the power of Creon’s. The point that Foucault tries to get across is that power is not a force set in stone. Just because you are a student or child does not mean your professors or parents always have absolute power over you. Foucault admits that sometimes there is not much room in power relations to resist but you can keep trying. In his book he describes petty criminals acting in solidarity and attempting to resist police searches to unsuccessful ends (pg. 63). In the play, Antigone resists Creon’s order by burying the body but Creon has the ultimate authority as king to condemn Antigone to death. Antigone’s struggles to gain power through her words and actions is ultimately unsuccessful but the singular act of doing so diminished Creon’s powers. Even in death we see that Antigone dies by her own hands instead of the way Creon subjected her to death. That in itself is an small act of resistance to Creon’s power although it was only a different means to the same end. For Foucault, truth and knowledge are linked to power in a reciprocal relationship. He says:We should admit rather that power produces knowledge (and not simply by encouraging it because it serves power or by applying it because it is useful); that power and knowledge directly imply one another; that there is no power relation without the correlative constitution of a field of knowledge, nor any knowledge that does not presuppose and constitute at the same time power relations. (pg. 27)Thus briefly, he says that knowledge gives power and power implies knowledge. In order to get the truth, the criminals were tortured to confess. Similarly in Antigone, the characters go through suffering in order to see the truth. Creon witnesses the bloodshed of his entire family before understanding that he was wrong. The point Foucault wants to make is that however the means we go about finding truth, there are always modes of power behind it. Who decides how we find the truth? Who benefits from the truth? Foucault challenges the idea that power is wielded by people or groups by way of ‘episodic’ or ‘sovereign’ acts of domination or coercion, seeing it instead as dispersed and pervasive (pg. 29). Instead it is a kind of ‘metapower’ or ‘regime of truth’ that pervades society, and which is in constant flux and negotiation. The criminals were forced to speak the truth by the power of the police and Creon’s powers led him to find the truth but at a steep price. In the chapter ‘Docile body’ Foucault writes that many scientific models are replaced by new disciplines of old forms (pg. 149). Who decides these new models or ways of thinking? More often than not, those in positions of power can convey knowledge that are by default considered the ‘truth’. This relationship is central to his work. In the book, those in power can organize and chart the methods of the power to punish. In Antigone, Creon’s position of power allows him to set his laws as truth and implement his models of thinking. His laws against Polyneices’ burial might not have been correct yet as king his knowledge is conceived to be the truth and thus it affected the way the citizens approached this ‘truth’. Another interesting extension of the idea of knowledge is that to see all is one way of knowing all. Such like Foucault’s description of the Panopticon, there is an inherent type of power within such a system that depends heavily on the abundance of knowledge of the one in power and the lack of knowledge of those in captivity. In a slightly different fashion, Tiresias, the blind prophet in Antigone, knows many truths. But his power is figurative unlike that of one standing in the center of the panopticon; he is all-seeing but he does not have the power to change any outcomes. Throughout his text, Foucault does not explicitly discuss authority on its own. Rather, he tends to talk about authority always in relation to knowledge or power. The command of authority in Discipline and Punish is exists mainly in the control of males. He writes about women working in workhouses and factories but not in schools or the military, the two largest institutions in charge of creating the â€Å"docile body.† (pg. 135-70) Although Foucault does not deal with gender specifically in this book in relation to power, knowledge or authority, the fact that half the human race is left out does not seem to disturb the drive of the thesis. It seems almost as if the definition of the power relations and the seek for knowledge can exist in both men and women alike. Yet the fact that women is never described to be in positions of authority as teachers, â€Å"inspectors,† military commanders, or as supervisors in a hospital, meant that the place of women in the social cond ition was never in a position to fight for any power, much less exert authority. Of course, this could simply be a reflection of the actual social structure of the time and not a personal bias on behalf of Foucault but it sets an interesting stage for Antigone’s character in the play. In Antigone, it is obvious that Creon has the ability to exert his authority and power as both a male and a king. However, Antigone is the epitome of a woman with authority if not power. Although she is unable to overpower Creon she is able to assert her authority through her actions (burying her brother) and her words (reasoning with Creon). This is an instance where authority can be deprived of physical power to command, but in Foucault’s terms, has the ability to shift the power imbalance other means. Authority in Foucault’s work is more closely tied to power than we can argue in the story of Antigone. In a way, authority is tied to truth because we assume those in authority know the truth and vice versa. Authority and power also has a similar relationship but the difference is that power is fragile and as Foucault says, must depend on a relationship. In a way it can be described that the faults of those in authority is not so much weakness or cruelty but a bad utili zation of the economy of power. The turmoil of power dynamics introduced by Foucault is no better explained and exhibited than by the characters in Sophocles’ play Antigone. Foucault does not tell anyone how to resist but we can infer from the story of antigone that freedom from a power relationship does not mean getting rid of all restrictions, it is about remaking ourselves in the best way that we can under the constraints of power. In Antigone’s case, it is getting the support of the people and resistance of the law. Freedom, Foucault hints, is endless questioning that leads to choice. He reminds us that â€Å"power is not exercised simply as an obligation or a prohibition on those who ‘do not have it’; it invests them, is transmitted by them and through them; it exerts pressure upon them, just as they themselves, in their struggle against it, resist the grip it has on them. (pg. 27) In Antigone, Antigone’s search for her own truth collides with Creon’s struggle to maint ain authority and the delicate balance of power between them tightens the stranglehold over their relationship. Thus, one way for us to understand the themes that Foucault has put forward is that the endless pursuit of knowledge or the truth propels those to seek authority both over others and more importantly, their own powers.

Cyber Terrorism - 1716 Words

In 1999, Chinese hackers targeted United States government sites, after an accidental bombing of a Chinese embassy in Belgrade. During this attack, government sites were hijacked and some sites suffered a denial of service attack. Most recently, it was suspected that Bank of America was the victim of a cyber terrorism attack; although no definitive evidence is available to substantiate that claim. Cyber terror attacks pose a threat against the national security of the United States. In order to fully comprehend the threat that cyber terrorism poses, it is essential to understand the background, the effects, the reality of the threat and the future of cyber terrorism. This assessment examines the reality of the cyber terrorism threat, and†¦show more content†¦Likewise, terrorists will strive to improve their cyber terror attack capabilities by keeping pace with the emerging technologies and overcoming countermeasures. Many computer security experts question the possibility that the Internet could be used to inflict death on a large scale. Some precautions have been made. Systems have been established in the last five years, which aim at preventing a possible cyber terrorism attack. â€Å"Air gapping† has been established on all nuclear weapons, meaning the weapons are not connected to the Internet or any open computer network and cannot be accessed by intruders or terrorists. Still, other areas of concern include subways, gas lines, power grids and communication systems; which are owned primarily by the private sector and are managed by Internet enabled computer systems. Reality of a Cyber Terror Attack Malicious cyber activity is occurring more frequently and with unexpected complexity. In mid-December of 2009, Google experienced a highly sophisticated and targeted attack which originated in China on its search engine infrastructure and e-mail, as well as on at least 20 other companies. Attacks are occurring within the United States, as well. Attacks on government networks are omnipresent. In 2008, NASA and other departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Commerce suffered major intrusions by â€Å"unknown foreign entities† whichShow MoreRelatedCyber Terror And Cyber Terrorism1843 Words   |  8 PagesCyber terrorism has brought and created a big threat to the society especially to the developed worlds. The threat has become so severe that it has captured the attention of the media, security system and the information industry. Cyber terrorists attack their target electronically and needless to say that it endangers life it is also a national security threat. Since most of the infrastructure in the western worlds are computerized and networked, the threat is real and poses a great risk. Just likeRead MoreCyber Security And Terrorism : Terrorism1521 Words   |  7 Pages9:30am-10:45am October 4, 2016 Cyber Security Terrorism In the 21st century, humans continue to advance technology at an incredibly fast rate, which also indicates we become more dependent of the technology. Keep in mind, with more technology being available, new threats emergeï » ¿Ã¯ » ¿Ã¯ » ¿Ã¯ » ¿ constantly in the cyber-world. Everyday society seems to be integrating digitally more and more, meaning the US s infrastructure may be susceptible to attacks. Little is known about America s Cyber Security defenses, if anyRead MoreEssay on Cyber Terrorism1167 Words   |  5 PagesCyber Terrorism Thus far we have scratched the surface of the ever-perplexing problem of terrorism. As it has evolved those in the position of countering it have also gained some valuable experience. Even with this knowledge it is very difficult, bordering on impossible to prevent terrorist acts from occurring. 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Essay about George Strait The King of Country - 1339 Words

George Harvey Strait was born and bred in the Texas cowboy tradition. He came into the world on May 18, 1952 in Poteet, Texas (â€Å"Strait Facts†) and was raised in nearby Pearsall, TX on his familys working cattle ranch, a legacy in the family for over 100 years. His childhood was spent working with his father and brother on their farm, and he carried on the ranching tradition by studying agriculture at Texas State University (Dickinson). In 1971, he married his wife, Norma, and shortly after enlisted in the United States Army. While stationed in Hawaii, he began playing country music with his Army-sponsored band, Rambling Country. This began his lifelong love affair with country music, and in 1975 he was honorably discharged from the Army†¦show more content†¦His 2013-2014 tour â€Å"Cowboy Rides Away,† is his last tour but hes not done making music and earning awards yet. In November 2013, he received the ASCAP Founders Award (Toczylowski), and won CMAs En tertainer of the Year Award for the second time (Jamik). He also accepted Billboards highest accolade, the Legend of Live Award and was honored with the Country Radio Broadcasters Career Achievement Award (Billboard). Regardless of George Straits incredible history of recognition and awards, he has always been one of my favorite country music artists. I am a true, long time fan of traditional country and I love his style in particular because of the dash of honky tonk and swing music that comes with it. My husband has roots in Texas and we spend quite a bit of time there on vacation. We enjoy the cowboy lifestyle and have always spent our free time enjoying country music, country two step dancing at the dance hall, being outside horseback riding, attending the rodeo, visiting the county fair and enjoying the laid back country life. One day we plan on moving back to Texas permanently and in the meantime, Georges music makes us feel at home wherever we are. In addition to the lifesty le Georges music keeps alive, he is also very active in charities benefiting Americas veterans. This is very important to me and IShow MoreRelatedLove Leaves Footprints : George Strait, The King Of Country Music1021 Words   |  5 PagesIn the end, the sole kiss he gave her was a first kiss goodbye, which freed her for another man to pursue her. Sounds like Nicholas Sparks’ next novel, huh? Regardless of how it’s shown, love leaves footprints wherever it travels. George Strait, the king of country music, opened the largest concert in North American history by singing a tribute to our fundamental view of love. The song introduces this story of a young girl, who radically changes a young boy’s world by her love. 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Elasticity of Demand & Price Discrimination-Samples for Students

Questions: 1.As a producer, why is it important to consider the Price elasticity of demand of your product when setting the price you are going to charge? 2.Explain the difference between comparative advantage an absolute advantages. Answers: Elasticity of demand captures adjustment in demand quantity in relation to change in price. Demand changes differently for different type of goods. Demand plays an important role in pricing decision. Producers consider responses of demand at alternative prices. For goods with elastic demand, a small change in price makes a big difference its demand (Esteves Reggiani, 2014). Opposite is the case for inelastic demand. These two situations are explained in the following diagrams. Figure 1: Market with Elastic demand curve (Source: as created by Author) Figure 1 describes the market situation with a relatively elastic demand curve. The demand curve is DD, which is drawn flatter to explain the elastic nature of demand. SS is the initial supply curve. In order to increase the price from P to P1, producer has to shift the supply curved from SS to S1S1. Accordingly, the quantity supplied decreases from Q to Q1. From figure 1, it is clearly visible that a small increase in price requires a much larger decrease in quantity as PP1 QQ1. Figure 2: Market with inelastic demand curve (Source: as created by Author) In figure 2, steeper demand curve shows the market situation with inelastic demand curve (Tomek Kaiser, 2014). In times of inelastic demand, buyers cannot change their demand much even when price increases. As shown in the figure, producer needs to reduce supply quantity with a small magnitude to increase the price from P to P1. Here, quantity reduction is smaller than price increase. Absolute and comparative advantages are two oldest theory of international trade.. Adam Smith developed the model of absolute advantage. The asic model was developed in a framework of two-country two-commodity. A country enjoys absolute advantage if it can produce more goods and services than another country with given amount of resources. Prior to development of comparative advantage model countries exchange goods based on their absolute advantages (Feenstra, 2015). A country exports the good in which it has absolute advantage and imports the good that involve higher cost. Problem occurs where one country has absolute advantage in all goods. Comparative advantage gives a solution to this situation. Here specialization and exchange is determined based on opportunity cost involved in the production of goods (Viner, 2016). The concept of production possibility frontier is used to understand the opportunity cost. It is the cost of sacrificing one good to produce some other good. The situation is explained with the following example. Table 1: Production of two goods in Country A and B (Source: www.economicsonline.com) In the example given above, country A is able to produce 30m of cars or 6m truck and the same for country B is 35 m or 21m. Here, when look for absolute advantage, country B is in a advantageous position for both the product. Therefore, going by absolute advantage theory no two-way trade relation is suggested. However, country B has a comparative advantage in trucks production because of its lower opportunity cost. In truck production country B is 3.5 times better than country A as compared to only 1.7 times in Cars production. Figure 3: Opportunity cost of country A and Country B in Cars and Trucks (Source: www.economiconline.com) A country specializes and exports good in which it has a comparative advantage and import goods that involve greater sacrifice of other goods References Esteves, R. B., Reggiani, C. (2014). Elasticity of demand and behaviour-based price discrimination.International Journal of Industrial Organization,32, 46-56. Feenstra, R. C. (2015).Advanced international trade: theory and evidence. Princeton university press. Tomek, W. G., Kaiser, H. M. (2014).Agricultural product prices. Cornell University Press. Viner, J. (2016).Studies in the theory of international trade. Routledge.