-
Essay / Sequence of events in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
In The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, by Bertolt Brecht, a violent gang rises to power through the vegetable trade, reaching near-dictatorial status in a frightening amount of time. One thing leads to another in a rapid sequence of events that ultimately culminate in the chilling scenario of a completely authoritarian society ruled by terror. Although the complex progression of incidents in the play may seem hard to believe, the plot directly parallels Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the years leading up to World War II. Written shortly after the events, Brecht emphasizes through his play that such a situation could easily arise anywhere and at any time. Many of the key factors that trigger the first incidents in the chain of events can be found in many places other than post-war Germany or the one depicted in the play - and so the same incidents may well recur .Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on 'Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned'? Get an Original Essay As the play opens, it is evident that Chicago is suffering from a devastating depression, and the directors of the Cauliflower Trust describe how “this horrible passage from superabundance to misery/has come more quickly than the blush of a young girl. » (9). Due to the extreme nature of their situation, the businessmen are desperate to get money from any source, which has led them to the idea of getting a loan from the city. Because they are desperate, they are ready to obtain money in a sneaky way, by proposing a project (the construction of the docks) and using the loan in other ways. Furthermore, they are so determined to receive money that when rejected by Dogsborough, they lure him with a huge share of the Trust, knowing that his newly acquired personal interest in the matter will lead him to lobby for their loan. Without the serious economic problems they faced, the men of the Trust would never have turned to Dogsborough for money, let alone tricked him into working in the Trust's interests and committing corruption and fraud. But people who find themselves in difficult circumstances tend to act in extreme ways just to get out of the rut they find themselves in. Indeed, Germany after World War I also suffered from a dire economic situation, providing an ideal setting for corruption to emerge. Dogsborough, being a trusted official known for his honesty, attempts to detect any trace of dishonesty behind the shipyard's stock offer before accepting. buy it; Yet he falls prey to his own interests when he decides to push for the "docks" loan, now that he will reap the benefits. It is only once in his new country home that he realizes the full extent of the crime into which he has been drawn, but by then it is too late to reverse his actions. At this point, Dogsborough has fallen into its own rut, and this is where Arturo Ui sees his opening to begin his rise to power. Threatening to reveal what he knows of Dogsborough's crimes, Ui forces the man to accept him and his gangsters as his only means of salvation. Ui uses his violent methods to clear Dogsborough's name by killing Sheet, whom he claims to be the culprit, and Bowl, the only witness to the true course of events. Even though Dogsborough knows that things have gotten out of control and the gangsters are gaining power, he now owes his reputation to Ui and must act."