Multigenre paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Multigenre paper - Essay Example Power is now vested in institutions and not individuals, further, these institutions are designed in a way that allows them to manage and check the powers borne by every institution. However, the absence of a critical example in modern day does not mean such examples never existed, on the contrary, there are a myriad of such examples. One critical lesson to be learnt from the absolute power contexts is that it only leads to vicious, ruthless, and corrupt leadership. This research takes interest in the life of Al Capone; his is an example of a man born in poverty and rose to become the head of a vicious criminal gang in Chicago, actually, head of crime in Chicago (Bardsley). Through him the transformation of a man by power is manifest and the result of having greater power is obvious. Review Al Capone was a Chicago mobster, one of the most talked about gang leaders in the history of United States. However, Al Capone’s life was not entirely laden with crime; he had started off a s an honest young boy, who sought to lead a decent life like his father, who ran a barbershop. His effort to lead a balanced life was disrupted by two men Johnny Torrio and Frankie Yale (Balsamo 8). Both men were gang leaders with the only difference being their means of managing their criminal activities. Torrio was a diplomatic and a shrewd businessman who silently and wisely expanded his criminal activities (Lorrizo 24). He was the first criminal leader Al Capone worked under and had a chance to interact and learn from. The other was Yale; Yale was a brutal man who expanded his criminal reach through brute and murder. Al Capone had a chance to work under him as well. However, it was through Torrio that Al Capone honed his criminal life, as expected he had learnt from two extremes and he never shied from implementing the lessons from his mentors (Eig-WSJ). Being shrewd and brutal allowed for his fast expansion owning brothels, gambling houses and bootlegging businesses in quick su ccession (Knight 54). This built up his empire fast enough and allowed him a lot of power. Unlike his preferred mentor, Torrio, Al Capone led a more public life which meant his actions were much more publicized than Torrio’s (Capone 29). Under his leadership, following Johnny Torrio’s retirement, Al Capone became a target by rival gangs and by Chicago’s authority. This fact seemed to make him more brutal and unforgiving a characteristic of absolute power. His monster side was defined by two events; one was when he ordered the murder of his two sworn enemies in 1926 and when he masterminded St. Valentine’s Day massacre in 1929 (Capone 52). Both of these events dealt a major blow to his reputation and provided a leeway for his prosecution (Eig 321). He was duly sentenced on June 1931 and committed to 11 years in prison (Al Capone Museum). Comparison Al Capone’s turnaround from an honorable childhood to a vicious gang leader reads like a tale. However , it is a true reflection of what unchecked power would do to an individual. His rise and subsequent fall is reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Macbeth is a play about an army general who served diligently and led conquests for the king only to be misguided by witches and his personal ambitions and affinity for power. He ended up killing his king and together with his evil wife masterminded other deaths of probable heirs and likely opposition