Formal Writing

Question

Hi all,I am a student from New Zealand studying Measure for Measure by Shakesphere and we have to write a formal essay going beyond the text. Here is the questionContext/setting: This activity may be used as an extension to the study of a text. Students will develop an essay exploring an issue both within and beyond the text. The ideas in the essay can be developed in a variety of ways. The issue could be explored predominantly outside the text using the text as a springboard, or with a greater focus on the issue as seen within the text.You will produce an essay of at least 500 words which explores an issue. You will be assessed on:· how well you develop your ideas about the issue within and beyond the text· your ability to use a writing style that is appropriate for an essay· how well you structure your writing with a introduction, body and conclusion· your accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar.Introduction Texts sometimes challenge us to think more widely about the impact issues have on us or the world we live in. Students examining a range of texts linked by a ‘war stories’ theme might be challenged to go beyond the texts studied in class and explore what forces define who New Zealanders are today, given that world wars have helped define our national identity in the past.You will take an issue raised in one or more texts you have studied in class and explore the issue beyond the text in an essay. As you develop your writing about an issue, you will guided through the process by a sample based on a ‘war stories’ theme. Your essay will be at least 500 words long. Your readers are your teacher and other students.Task 1 Focusing on the issues in the texta) As a class, list on the board several possible issues raised in one or more texts studied. Express the issues as questions. Which of these issues hold some relevance for you and can be explored in a modern day setting? To help you with this stage, a sample based on the ‘war stories’ theme is included. Task 2 Taking an issue beyond the textChoose an issue from task 1 which has relevance for you. Plan three main points you could make about the issue where you discuss the issue beyond the text and make links to the world we live in.

Devil_god2101 · Accepted Answer

Can anyone please please help me.

Topic: Why humans misuse Power?

point one:

Human Nature

Point two:

Greed/selfish

Point three:

too boost their self-confidence, ie if your were the study type in school and always got picked on and you gained some power you want to show that power to everyone else, seek revenge.

Please help

Feebs11 · Answer

Devil_god2101Can anyone please please help me.

Topic: Why do humans misuse Power?

point one:

Human Nature

Point two:

Greed/selfishness

Point three:

To boost their self-confidence, ie if you were the studious type in school and always got picked on and you gained some power, you want to show that power to everyone else, seek revenge.

Please help

Three good points. Now link them to the internal content of the play. Look for examples of how each point can be represented by scenes/characters in the play, and connect them with life in modern New Zealand.

Devil_god2101 · Answer

Hi,

This is what i have come up with i am not completely finished I still need help to wrap up the paragraphs, some editing e.g cut down my intro and write a better conlcusion, making sure its error free.In order to do that i need your guys help. Here is what i have so far:

“Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely”, who hasn’t come across this quote before by Lord Acton. But the question is, Why do humans abuse power? To better understand this ideology, we need to define what Abuse of Power really means. Abuse of Power is a situation that exists whenever someone who has Power over others, (that is, the capacity to impose his or her will on those others) for example, by virtue of his or her superior mental dexterity, social position, physical strength, knowledge, technology, weapons, wealth, unjustifiably use power to exploit or harm others, or through lack of action, allows exploitation or harm to occur to them. The theme of abuse of power is clearly evident in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. People throughout history have abused their power over the less powerful. Nothing has changed except that the perpetrators may now be more devious or sophisticated in getting around the various legislative prohibitions. Is it just part of human nature that we abuse power? Is it to boost self-confidence or is it simply greed?

Human psychology says we are always running after name and fame. How to obtain is a million dollar question. There are of course many ways but the only shortcut to obtain is by destruction or by harming people. It can only be achieved by showing power or in other words gaining power and abusing it. So a powerful mans psychology is to harm other people and cause destruction. So they can be worshiped or be respected. Psychologically he derives a lot of pleasure in doing so. There are plenty of examples in our day to day life for example Adolf Hitler’s crimes against humanity led to brutal killing of 6 million people which scarred people’s life. Another example would be President Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln's use of executive authority during the civil war is many times illegal and unjust; Lincoln blatantly abused his power regarding civil rights. He did things like institute an unfair draft, suspend Constitutional rights, and allocate military spending without Congress. In Measure for Measure don't who to link it to, already made a link to Angelo in greed.

What is greed, exactly, and where does it come from? Most people will tell you that greed is a part of human nature - that it is present at least to some extent in every single human being on the planet. In fact, certain religious traditions hold that part of our spiritual purpose on earth is to overcome this aspect of human nature. These traditions usually hold that generosity is a part of our nature too, so our purpose is really to overcome just half of our nature - by learning to express the generous half while suppressing the greedy half. Greed leads to abuse of power, as people get power, they have the temptation to use it and are thus prepared to abuse it to attain their desires for example money. On a broader scale an example of this would be Suddam Hussein It was Saddam Hussein’s **** for power that led him to commit atrocious acts to ensure he held his monarch-like position in Iraq. In Measure for Measure Angelo is thrust into a position of power. His desire is Isabella and he is willing to jeopardize the law in order to secure his yearning.

People also abuse Power in order to boost their self-confidence. In New Zealand one in two students experience occasional bullying during any school term. These students morale is severely shaken and when they gain power, they feel the need to use it take revenge or show their power. In this way they are no different than the bullies. In real world, Police who are just “normal people” with some power abuse it in many cases, using Taser gun unnecessarily. For example a student was Tasered for not showing identification card. This is yet another example of police’s abuse of power? In Measure for Measure the Duke loses respect from his people, because he can’t exercise his powers properly. So he makes Angelo the scapegoat to earn his lost respect, even though Duke did to save his own people he manipulated Angelo by giving him powers and he knew he will abuse it.

Human’s abuse power to gain control of others and to illustrate their power. “All men seek power and whichever group gets it will abuse it” this quote represents the point of human nature. “Greater the power the more dangerous the abuse” represents greed, student abuse power to make themselves look better than others. These issues are clearly the highlights of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, the main culprit being Angelo, who made us think of the main idea of why humans abuse power. So Lord Acton’s saying still holds true in today’s world. (very disappointed with the conclusion how could i make it better)

Formal Writing

Task 1 Focusing on the issues in the text

Task 2 Taking an issue beyond the text

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