At first when I read this prompt (prompt number 1), I immediately thought of musicals. Kind of an odd pair, but they do correlate more than you would think(I also am currently listening to show tunes so that might have something to do with it..). Specifically, I thought of Jekyll and Hyde (little teaser for what's coming later in the course) and Dr. Jekyll's battle with figuring out the human desire to commit evil crimes. I also thought about the extremely philosophical Glinda the Good from Wicked's question: "Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?" I haven't really given thought to this issue before now, but I would say that there is probably psychological reasoning behind why people do evil things.
I remember last year in TOK we talked about how we know what is "good" and what is "bad." As a class, we seemed to settle on it not being fair for us to say something is good or bad, and that there are essentially no universal morals. I, personally, completely disagree with this. Even if you aren't a religious person, there seems to be an understanding of the basic "right" and "wrong." For instance, it's hard to argue that murder is a good thing.
With this in mind, why do people do bad things? I would say it's because the person is insecure, unstable, or wants attention. Or a combination of the three. After experiencing all the stress that is typical to the average human mind, I could see where some personalities would just break under pressure and forget this implied rule of what is right and what is wrong. Or someone could purposely go against this because they are so miserable with their lives and tired of trying. As Lucy says in the musical version of Jekyll and Hyde, "It's easier by far, from the way that things are, to remain good 'n evil than try to be evil and good." It's much easier by human nature to lie, cheat, steal, and do things that most people consider wrong to protect or please themselves. It seems this selfishness is imbedded in our human genes; therefore, remaining good is hard work.
In MacBeth, we see MacBeth crack under the pressure of the people around him. He is inherently a good person, but the witches and Lady MacBeth manipulate him to the breaking point. Lady MacBeth especially does this while trying to convince MacBeth to kill King Duncan. She knows her husband so well that she knows exactly what to say and how to say it to get him to do what she wants.
Evil has a domino effect. Once a good person commits a serious evil deed, they must continue with their evil streak to avoid the consequences of their original crime. However, there really is no way to make these consequences disappear. They just pile up on top of each other and give the accuser a whole lot to deal with, adding to their already unstable mindset. I imagine these piling consequences would cause an endless misery in the individual's mind. Eventually, the person could end up having extreme consequences such as jail, being sent to an insane asylum, or death.
In many religions, the idea of "hell", or a place for the evil to be eternally tortured in the afterlife, is the ultimate, inevitable consequence for the wicked. I believe this hell begins while the individual is still alive. In my opinion, hell can be a mindset. The weight of evil deeds taxes the human mind heavily. People are not meant to be evil, even if it seems easier. This is a complicated contradiction, but the struggle of fighting to be good ends up, literally, saving you a hell of a consequence.
I think it's interesting you thought that Macbeth's life drove him to do his evil deeds. When I took on this same prompt, I took it from the perspective that Macbeth, himself, initiated his own deeds as opposed to the people and situations around him. I would argue that the witches didn't manipulate Macbeth to commit his evil acts, it was his own interpretation of their prophesy that drove him to commit the crimes. However, I do agree that Lady Macbeth's role was a strong contributor to Macbeth's actions.
ReplyDeleteGreat response- you brought in many connections that helped you explore and develop your thinking.
ReplyDeleteYou brought up some interesting points that challenged me to think about this prompt differently. At first, I sort of disagreed with what you said about why people do bad things, but then I thought about a connection that justified your response. This weekend, I saw Cinderella at DPAC. The prince, Prince Topher, was struggling with figuring out who he was and because of his insecurities, was manipulated into taking away the impoverished people's land and homes. When Cinderella comes along, she helps him determine who he really is and eventually, he stands up for himself. This relates to what you said about insecure or unstable people doing evil things. I think the reason why they do this is because they seek acceptance and therefore are easily persuaded to do things they wouldn't really want to do.
ReplyDeleteAs usual we are on the same mental wave length (probs why we are such good friends). I also thought of Wicked and the quote that Glinda says. I thought the point you brought up about it being human nature to lie, cheat, etc. was very interesting. I do believe that at times it can be easier for a person to make bad decisions. The Christian religion in itself revolves around the fact that humans are imperfect beings who make mistakes. I also agree with what you said about consequences piling up on each other. It's hard to break out of a streak of wrong doings once you have entered one. If you don't do your homework for a long time and let your grades slip a little bit it can be very hard to re-motivate yourself to start studying again. I believe the same concept can be applied to evil deeds. Once one begins performing evil deeds its a downhill slope.
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