I'm an avid fan of the "Song of Ice and Fire" series, and as I've been watching the second season of the TV adaptation, it has occurred to me that the main theme of the work is power, namely what exactly it is. Every major player in the game of thrones seems to have a different interpretation of what power is: Littlefinger says that it is knowledge, Stannis believes that being the rightful king gives him all the power of one, Cersei says that power itself is power, and Varys suggests that it's something else entirely.
So, out of curiosity, what do you think that power is?
1. Money: being rich is what gives people sway over others, the ability to out-bribe and out-spend the opposition.
2. Right: what makes a powerful person powerful is having the right to that power. Without the right, a king is nothing more than a usurper and a traitor.
3. Knowledge: knowing is everything, and information is vital to besting others. Using knowledge to manipulate and outsmart your opponents is what gives powerful people their success.
4. People: you can have riches, intelligence, and the right, but what use is any of it if no one wants to follow you? Power only exists where men choose to place it, and without people who respect and admire you even the most brilliant man can go nowhere.
5. Strength: in the end, all anything comes down to is force. Having the biggest stick and the strongest will is what makes people powerful, as well as being willing to do anything to gain power in the first place.
6. Power: you know what power really is? Power is power. Crazy right? But the ability to tell someone to do something, and for them to have to do it without question is what power really is. It's being able to do whatever you want, because in the society you've created anything that you do is correct by definition.
7. Other: or perhaps, in the end, power is something completely different.
What do you think?
So, out of curiosity, what do you think that power is?
1. Money: being rich is what gives people sway over others, the ability to out-bribe and out-spend the opposition.
2. Right: what makes a powerful person powerful is having the right to that power. Without the right, a king is nothing more than a usurper and a traitor.
3. Knowledge: knowing is everything, and information is vital to besting others. Using knowledge to manipulate and outsmart your opponents is what gives powerful people their success.
4. People: you can have riches, intelligence, and the right, but what use is any of it if no one wants to follow you? Power only exists where men choose to place it, and without people who respect and admire you even the most brilliant man can go nowhere.
5. Strength: in the end, all anything comes down to is force. Having the biggest stick and the strongest will is what makes people powerful, as well as being willing to do anything to gain power in the first place.
6. Power: you know what power really is? Power is power. Crazy right? But the ability to tell someone to do something, and for them to have to do it without question is what power really is. It's being able to do whatever you want, because in the society you've created anything that you do is correct by definition.
7. Other: or perhaps, in the end, power is something completely different.
What do you think?
