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Power is the influence and strength an individual or institution has and their ability to

control or dominate the environment or behavior of others. Power is similar to

authority however it is a unique concept as it demonstrates characteristics that

suggest a sense of being enforced by intimidation or threat. Never the less it is often

those who seem powerless that indeed can find power from within. Power is evident

in a variety of forms such as society, religion relational interactions and the

individual. Through these forms power can impact peoples thoughts and actions.

Similarly, the power of redemption and revenge can be sought within by the

individuals capability to master themself and hence the ability to conquer ultimately

proving that he who controls others may be powerful but he who has mastered

himself is mightier still. These characteristics of power are evident in Khaled

Hosseinis novel The Kite Runner, Frank Darabonts film The Shawshank

Redemptionand Eric C. Heffrons film 8 Mile. Each composer uses an array of

techniques to demonstrate the influence and strength of power.

In Hosseinis novel The Kite Runner, the protagonist, Amir is influenced by social

power as he is a pashtun muslim and therefor is seen to belong to a higher social

class then most. this social status determines Amirs relationship with friend Hassan.

Amir believes he is more important and significant then Hassan, his family servant, a

Hazara muslim (lower social class). As a result of belonging to a higher social class,

Amir is of the mindset that Hassan is only just a hazara. Amir abuses his social

power which leads to him seeing Hassan get raped by Assef, Amir decides not to

intervene in order to protect himself. However, Amir becomes ridden with guilt and

whilst looking for a remedy asks Hassan, would you eat dirt if I told you to?,

exemplifying the fact that Amir places himself above Hassan due to his social power

and entitles himself to make make commands of Hassan. As a result Amir struggles

within himself to come to terms with his actions and suffers emotional breakdowns,

he is unable to comprehend his actions but realizes he can only earn redemption

through correcting his wrong doings. Towards the end of Amirs journey, power if the

individual and Amirs redemption is clearly shown through the final statement in the

book I ran, this shows that Amir has found the power within himself to act

accordingly in order to earn Hassans redemption in returning the deed Hassan had

done for him so many times over in their childhood. Amirs new understanding of

social power is evident as he shows empathy towards his Hazara friend and as a

result of mastering his attitude and understanding their friendship is shown to be

mightier. The author refers back to the kite running to signify the bond of friendship

that is once again apparent between the two.

the warden tells Andy salvation lies within which the warden believes means his

inmates will be changed men within his rulership. Andy believes that he will find

salvation within through escaping from the prison and hence right his wrongs of

being wrongfully imprisoned and accountable for fraud services. When Andy

escapes from the prison, power of the individual is visibly evident through the use of

cinematic techniques utilized by Darabont including darkness with lightening flashes

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to show emotion and climax. Andy symbolically rips off the prison costume as rain

pours down on him, emphasizing that he is being cleansed from the prison and

earning redemption and showing that he who conquers himself is in fact mightier.

Furthermore, the Warderns corruption is ultimately revealed as he is unable to deal

with the situation in front of him, he panics due to his sudden loss of power and

feelings of insignificance ultimately killing himself in what shows that even though he

had the power to control others, once he was isolated and alone he was left

powerless, signifying the ever changing nature of power.The power of the institution

is further exemplified through the journey of the character Brooks, who is released

from prison but struggles to cope outside the prison due to the controlling nature of

this institutional life. This is particularly evident when the prison guard states you eat

we say you eat, you piss when we say you piss, you sleep when we say you sleep,

highlighting how institutional power is evident within the prison and how it controls

others and hence has power over the inmates lives. This corrupted power eventually

leads to Brooks taking his life as a result of constant control. The director uses

flashbacks of Brooks life on the outside to highlight his struggle and show evidence

of how he was unable to lead a normal life once finally given his own freedom.

The film 8 Miletells the story of rapper Eminem or Marshall Mathers beginnings, the

director Eric C. Heffron illustrates the power of the individual to overcome the social

power that is evident in the slums of Detroit in the underground rap scene. This

social power is evident through the command shown by the gang know as The Free

World, as a group they are able to convey power in order to control what goes on

and create a fear of them in the underground rap scene. This power is particularly

evident in the scene where The Free World show up to Marshalls house with the

intent of physically abusing him, the power is shown through Marshalls acceptance

of this as they throw him to the ground and yell insults at him, evident through the

dialogue get up bitch and punk ass bitch, their control over him is shown as

Marshall does not reply or fight back knowing he is outnumbered and there is

nothing he can do. The director highlights Marshalls insignificance through his

silence that gives feeling that if Marshall will be punished if he speaks, the director

also shows his bland facial expressions that show fear and acceptance of his

powerless state.This power of the individual is also evident in a later scene when

Marshall beats each member of The Free World in a public display of rap battles, this

gains him respect and his crew of the 313 rise to the same sort of power that The

Free World had. This event occurs due to Marshalls ability to master himself and

build up the courage and strength to make a stand for himself, he is able to reveal

that as a group The Free World are able to control others and seem powerful but

when individually pulled out and tested they are left seemingly powerless making

evident the variable nature of social power. The director uses camera angles and

placement such as over the shoulder styled shots to show distance between

Marshall and The Free World as if it is him against them and to highlight the

distinction between them.