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Julius Caesar 10th Grade Essay

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Julius Caesar 10th Grade Essay
Advanced English II
May 22, 2012
Mr. Balazs 3rd Period

Julius Caesar Essay Prompt
“Might makes right,” a vacillating quote signifying power, strength and ability, a vast amount of power which may surely lead to ones reign or contrary their own destruction. Is it possible that those with the most power always live a victorious life, and those who don’t have a grueling idea of what they are capable of live within a lie, residing under the casted shadows of those who were capable of exercising it to its full potential. The quote can be easily traced back to Plato, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s “The Social Contract” although hundreds of historians have found proof that leaders such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and the Nazi Party had been greatly influenced by the idea of “Might makes right.” The simplistic three-word quote has a peculiar way of existing within everyone’s life without one actually understanding how or why. For example, a child asks his father “Dad how come the country with the biggest army always tells the other what to do?” The explanation his father gives is simply “Might makes right.” Although the child is young he understands that the country with the larger army is fully capable of dominating the lives of the smaller one, therefore making it the superior force. Ideas behind “Might makes right” vary depending on ones logic, punitive debate whether “Might makes right” can still be found throughout the world to the present day. The underlying questions are, does might really make right, can exercising your rights be the only way of receiving what you desire, and does your might somehow create leadership. Therefore throughout this essay you will be the one who answers my questions.
Within The Tragedy of Julius Caesar one can easily find a variation of examples pertaining to the ideology behind might makes right, Julius Caesar’s assassination, Antony’s promise to avenge Caesar’s death and Octavious’s decision to assert his



Cited: Crowther, John, ed. “No Fear Julius Caesar.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Web. 25 May 2012. Education, Discovery. "Understanding Slavery." Discovery Education. N.p., Mar. . Web. 24 May 2012. <http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/slavery/world.html>. Morris, J. "Might Makes Right: the Illusion of Strength." University Press, 2000. Web. 18 May 2012 <http://www.angelfire.com/mb/jmorris/philosophy/might_makes_right.html http://www.angelfire.com/mb/jmorris/philosophy/might_makes_right.html>. Nelson, Rodney G. "Julius Caesar Paraphrase." N.p., Apr. 1997. Web. 23 May 2012. <http://lklivingston.tripod.com/caesar/index.html>. Sill, Greg. "Rise of Totalitarianism." Slide Share. N.p., 05 Jan. 2009. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://www.slideshare.net/gsill/totalitarian-leaders-presentation>. Spark Notes, Editors. "The Social Contract." Spark Notes. N.p., May . Web. 19 May 2012. <http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/socialcontract/section2.rhtml>. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “The Holocaust.” Holocaust Encyclopedia. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/?ModuleId=10005143. Accessed on May 25, 2012. Weaver, Janelle. "Infants Know That "Might Makes Right"." Scientific American. N.p., 13 May 2011. Web. 25 May 2012. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=might-makes-right>.

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