When I first began to read the book the first thought that came to mind was that I could definately be a dictator in a macro sense if these characteristics are what made up one. But as I looked at the examples, I realized that the characteristics that are described are not what made these dictators but rather their actions. These people were willing to betray anyone, go anywhere, and get rid of everyone if that meant them having power. What surprised me the most of this book was the emphasis that they had made on networking and how these rulers used networking not only as a tool but also as one of their main weapons. Not only were they able to capture the attention and possibly the loyalty of unknown people, but this same attention got them all the power that they sought after.
When reading the title How to Rule the World and thinking how great it would be for me to rule the world (because in reality I am unhappy when things don’t go my way) the word power immediately came to mind. This power that we assume only the president of the United States would have but when talking about dictators it is different because they rule with absolute power; controlling the government and rising to power without hereditary succession. As I started reading the book I realized that dictators rise to power alone but technically not alone because the people whom they govern allow these dictators to commit such acts. The people in this case are passive because they have a chance of not electing such dictators to power but we see that once in power it is hard for a dictator to give up “his throne”.
What struck my most in the content and form of "How to Rule the World" by Andre De Guillaume was the use of quotes when introducing topics. Guillaume defines a dictator as one who relentlessly chases power, contrasting the steps to becoming a dictator with comments about power, government, wealth, and dictatorships from historically significant figures forcing the reader to question how many dictators we've actually glorified. One of the biggest surprises in the book was Guillaume's profile on dictator Margaret Thatcher.As Guillaume points out many powerful dictators are remembered for the good they did,despite the terror of their reign because they wrote the history books. It makes one question how many other figures could be defined as a dictator, that history glorifies in memory?
My first impression on the book "How to Rule the World" by Andre De Guillaume was that this book really reminded me of another book which I believe is called "The 48 laws of power". Some of the things that Guillaume mentions in his book are similar to The 48 laws of power. One of the things I found to be very intriguing was when he speaks about murder-taking direct action, where as lot of well known dictators had to take down their opponents in order to rise to the top, and this here just demonstrate how a lot of these people came to power. As Guillaume demonstrate in his book, a lot of these dictators are willing to murder their friends or family members or who ever stands in their way of their rise to their throne, which is never a good thing.
What I really like about the book "How to Rule the World" by Andre De Guillaume was that this book is written to teach you not to bore u with information about other dictators and how successful they were in ruling the world. The way the author uses this book as a guide not as a reference is very interesting. The book seems very interesting to read and I think I am going to enjoy reading the book, I also like how every chapter starts with an interesting quote about power.
The book was interesting and I never read a book like it. I thought it was interesting because it displayed a numerous amount of "dictators" and how they gained their "power" and what they did with their power. I quote "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."-Abraham Lincoln. I used this quote because it reminded me of the book and about the characteristics within it. I believe that everyone desires to have power and simply rude the world and not have to think about the consequences.
I was initially struck by the passage concerning dictators who choose to found religions, by virtue of the fact that it was the passage i happened to open the book to. I believe that this is pertinent to dictatorial rule as a whole in that the dictator must be a serious megalomaniac; he or she views him or herself as almost divine. The dictator, if he is not one to go so far as to create a new religion bent on perpetuating his rule, is still at the heart of an almost religious social structure. The dictator is seen as the source of all that is necessary to the rest of the population, as that dictator is in control of the material wealth of the society. In this sense, dictators assume an earthly form of divinity without ever expressly forming an organized "religion." Their politics are their religious creed, and they are the god of their subjects in so far as they are able to grant boons, answer pleas for wealth and promotion, and largely govern the quality of life of their subjects according to the level they are obeyed and "worshipped."
I thought the book conveyed the realistic behavior of man kind in describing steps that individuals should take in order to become powerful. All these behaviors described in the book may seem funny to some, but are in fact human nature and indirectly related to Darwin's idea of "survival of the fittest". The book depicts dictators as very witty and sneaky individuals, with some going about "legal" matters to persuade and ultimately deceive their people to get to their tyrant level. What really impressed me was the quote: " if you give me six lines written by the most honest man, I will find something in them to hang"-Cardinal Richelieo. This line alone can be related to politics and their mud slinging. Politicians play by the same rules as dictators except with less clarity. Another quote that I enjoyed was: " Truth told with bad intent beats all the lies you often invent" - William Blake. This portrays the dictators psyche and how even though some statements they say may seem true, its actual result will probably end up for the worse. Dictators true self which can never truly be revealed, would be a selfish, and greedy man but must be disguised as a man trying to help the common person. Ultimately, these steps described in the book would be taken by anyone under the correct conditions of survival, but these select few that make it allow them self to be taken over be their natural instincts.
When first opening the book I thought the book was a joke but when i actually read it i realized it is very insightful and contains many truths to things we deal with everyday. Take leadership for example, it is what we all strive for and its very ironic that it's the start of how you become a dictator along with other attributes. Given the many don't examples of dictators they've described in the book, Julius Caesar, Al Capote and others, we can all compare ourselves to them through specific characteristics but realize we don't qualify to be a dictator. ( which is a good thing). As I followed the books' descriptions and requirements to be a dictator i found it both humorous yet realistic. You can take much more from it then what it takes to rule the world. With inspirational and positive quotes on almost every page it is nearly impossible to not find something that struck you personally or motivating. Overall, it was very interesting and eye opening.
I thought the approach that this book took on was a very interesting one. It does not negatively describe dictators, it admires them and highlights the qualities that we all need to be a good dictator. I think the author hit the nail on the head in writing about all of the different qualities that a dictator must possess. The book is funny to me yet I completely agree with the guidelines it presents. I found myself choosing the right answers for the short quizzes but I would never actually behave that way, to be so inhumane. I guess I just understand the reasoning behind their actions. When Guillaume says "On achieving any goal, every sacrifice will seem justified, so do not fear to make them", it really struck me. Although a lot of the dictators have caused more pain in our eyes than good to the countries they served, we must commend them for accomplishing their goals, they were able to sacrifice to achieve what they wanted, I can honestly respect that in any human being.
What caught my eye about this book is the fact that it was very reader friendly. Firstly, the way that there was an image for each dictator with a description of his/her dictator-like practices. As I sifted through the pages I began to realize how much each dictator had in common. A question that came to my mind was if there have been so many dictators in the past how come there continued to be other ones. I ask why didn't someone care to see the similarities between dictators to prevent a Holocaust caliber event. Another aspect of the book that grabbed me was the fact that each dictator had his/her own practice that defined him/her as a dictator. That was really interesting. Such as having his/her name on currency.
"How to Rule the World" by Andre De Guillaume was a very interesting book, as well as an easy read. Although there was some humor within the book, it was interesting to see that beneath the humor, there were characteristics of dictators past and present. It was very informative to see each of the characteristics of a dictator broken down. We, as the readers, were able to experience the birth, as well as growth of a dictator and the mindset that they acquire once given the power.
In reading the book "How to Rule the World" i found many things interesting and i also learned many things that i would not have thought of before. When i think of a dictator i think of a man, ruler in power of land and his people. Until reading the book i didnt realize the difficulties and decsions that a dictator must go through. The one thing that stood out to me was the 4 principles that they follow and the 10 characteristics of a true dictator.I also learned some other interesting facts such as a dictator can have their own currency. As much as we may see dictators as the bad guys (which some can be) they play an important role to their people and territory and even the world.
While reading the book "How to Rule the World," I liked that the overall view on dictatorship is not viewed negative light. Many of the qualities (Ten Characteristics) I read about in this book helped me to realize that these are everyday qualities majority of us may possess, even though we may not think so. Before reading about what becoming a dictator entails I never thought of myself to be put in such a category but after reading and taking a few quizzes I came to the realization that I may have what it takes to become a dictator. And also I think power and stability are the basis to uphold and keep such a high position as dictatorship and all the other characteristics are produced from there.
While reading the book "How to Rule the World," I liked that the overall view on dictatorship is not viewed negative light. Many of the qualities (Ten Characteristics) I read about in this book helped me to realize that these are everyday qualities majority of us may possess, even though we may not think so. Before reading about what becoming a dictator entails I never thought of myself to be put in such a category but after reading and taking a few quizzes I came to the realization that I may have what it takes to become a dictator. And also I think power and stability are the basis to uphold and keep such a high position as dictatorship and all the other characteristics are produced from there.- Karell Belle
When first reading the title of the book "How to Rule the World" I had an idea that the book was not just an in-depth biography of past dictators but would also teach somebody how to become a dictator in everyday life and the reasons behind their brave actions. It turned out that the book encompassed much of that. I especially enjoyed how they explained how many dictators in the making gained power by usurping legal authority and once they were sworn in as supreme ruler would commit unjust acts. Many of which included killing their own kin like Attila the Hun who was a perfect example to this. Good read.
after reading this book i realized that to be a dictator it's about how to rule with no remorse no matter what. one quote that i found interesting and really true that shows the characteristics of all dictators is "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
as i was reading the book "how to rule the world" i began to learn what a dictator really is a person that wants to be like the ruler of his surrounding and wants to tell people what to do but is only really thinking about him or herself. i also found that it seems that many dictators have the same qualities in the actions that they take and how they go about doing their job. this book also led me to belief that everyone has been a dictator once in their life because everyone wants to be in charge of something at least once.
The book “How to Rule the World “by Andre Guillaume was very interesting and easy to read. I found the fact that the author used humor very clever. Something that stood out to me was some of the characteristics of the ideal ruler. Guillaume states that the ideal ruler has to have charisma, paranoia, unscrupulousness, and determination. He gave me a new way of looking at these characteristics and how people show them. This book really helped me understand what a dictator really is. I think we all have a little dictator in us after reading this book.
When I first began to read the book the first thought that came to mind was that I could definately be a dictator in a macro sense if these characteristics are what made up one. But as I looked at the examples, I realized that the characteristics that are described are not what made these dictators but rather their actions. These people were willing to betray anyone, go anywhere, and get rid of everyone if that meant them having power. What surprised me the most of this book was the emphasis that they had made on networking and how these rulers used networking not only as a tool but also as one of their main weapons. Not only were they able to capture the attention and possibly the loyalty of unknown people, but this same attention got them all the power that they sought after.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading the title How to Rule the World and thinking how great it would be for me to rule the world (because in reality I am unhappy when things don’t go my way) the word power immediately came to mind. This power that we assume only the president of the United States would have but when talking about dictators it is different because they rule with absolute power; controlling the government and rising to power without hereditary succession. As I started reading the book I realized that dictators rise to power alone but technically not alone because the people whom they govern allow these dictators to commit such acts. The people in this case are passive because they have a chance of not electing such dictators to power but we see that once in power it is hard for a dictator to give up “his throne”.
ReplyDeleteWhat struck my most in the content and form of "How to Rule the World" by Andre De Guillaume was the use of quotes when introducing topics. Guillaume defines a dictator as one who relentlessly chases power, contrasting the steps to becoming a dictator with comments about power, government, wealth, and dictatorships from historically significant figures forcing the reader to question how many dictators we've actually glorified.
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest surprises in the book was Guillaume's profile on dictator Margaret Thatcher.As Guillaume points out many powerful dictators are remembered for the good they did,despite the terror of their reign because they wrote the history books. It makes one question how many other figures could be defined as a dictator, that history glorifies in memory?
My first impression on the book "How to Rule the World" by Andre De Guillaume was that this book really reminded me of another book which I believe is called "The 48 laws of power". Some of the things that Guillaume mentions in his book are similar to The 48 laws of power. One of the things I found to be very intriguing was when he speaks about murder-taking direct action, where as lot of well known dictators had to take down their opponents in order to rise to the top, and this here just demonstrate how a lot of these people came to power. As Guillaume demonstrate in his book, a lot of these dictators are willing to murder their friends or family members or who ever stands in their way of their rise to their throne, which is never a good thing.
ReplyDeleteWhat I really like about the book "How to Rule the World" by Andre De Guillaume was that this book is written to teach you not to bore u with information about other dictators and how successful they were in ruling the world. The way the author uses this book as a guide not as a reference is very interesting. The book seems very interesting to read and I think I am going to enjoy reading the book, I also like how every chapter starts with an interesting quote about power.
ReplyDeleteThe book was interesting and I never read a book like it. I thought it was interesting because it displayed a numerous amount of "dictators" and how they gained their "power" and what they did with their power. I quote "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."-Abraham Lincoln. I used this quote because it reminded me of the book and about the characteristics within it. I believe that everyone desires to have power and simply rude the world and not have to think about the consequences.
ReplyDeleteI was initially struck by the passage concerning dictators who choose to found religions, by virtue of the fact that it was the passage i happened to open the book to. I believe that this is pertinent to dictatorial rule as a whole in that the dictator must be a serious megalomaniac; he or she views him or herself as almost divine. The dictator, if he is not one to go so far as to create a new religion bent on perpetuating his rule, is still at the heart of an almost religious social structure. The dictator is seen as the source of all that is necessary to the rest of the population, as that dictator is in control of the material wealth of the society. In this sense, dictators assume an earthly form of divinity without ever expressly forming an organized "religion." Their politics are their religious creed, and they are the god of their subjects in so far as they are able to grant boons, answer pleas for wealth and promotion, and largely govern the quality of life of their subjects according to the level they are obeyed and "worshipped."
ReplyDeleteI thought the book conveyed the realistic behavior of man kind in describing steps that individuals should take in order to become powerful. All these behaviors described in the book may seem funny to some, but are in fact human nature and indirectly related to Darwin's idea of "survival of the fittest". The book depicts dictators as very witty and sneaky individuals, with some going about "legal" matters to persuade and ultimately deceive their people to get to their tyrant level. What really impressed me was the quote: " if you give me six lines written by the most honest man, I will find something in them to hang"-Cardinal Richelieo. This line alone can be related to politics and their mud slinging. Politicians play by the same rules as dictators except with less clarity. Another quote that I enjoyed was: " Truth told with bad intent beats all the lies you often invent" - William Blake. This portrays the dictators psyche and how even though some statements they say may seem true, its actual result will probably end up for the worse. Dictators true self which can never truly be revealed, would be a selfish, and greedy man but must be disguised as a man trying to help the common person. Ultimately, these steps described in the book would be taken by anyone under the correct conditions of survival, but these select few that make it allow them self to be taken over be their natural instincts.
ReplyDeleteWhen first opening the book I thought the book was a joke but when i actually read it i realized it is very insightful and contains many truths to things we deal with everyday. Take leadership for example, it is what we all strive for and its very ironic that it's the start of how you become a dictator along with other attributes. Given the many don't examples of dictators they've described in the book, Julius Caesar, Al Capote and others, we can all compare ourselves to them through specific characteristics but realize we don't qualify to be a dictator. ( which is a good thing).
ReplyDeleteAs I followed the books' descriptions and requirements to be a dictator i found it both humorous yet realistic. You can take much more from it then what it takes to rule the world. With inspirational and positive quotes on almost every page it is nearly impossible to not find something that struck you personally or motivating. Overall, it was very interesting and eye opening.
I thought the approach that this book took on was a very interesting one. It does not negatively describe dictators, it admires them and highlights the qualities that we all need to be a good dictator. I think the author hit the nail on the head in writing about all of the different qualities that a dictator must possess. The book is funny to me yet I completely agree with the guidelines it presents. I found myself choosing the right answers for the short quizzes but I would never actually behave that way, to be so inhumane. I guess I just understand the reasoning behind their actions. When Guillaume says "On achieving any goal, every sacrifice will seem justified, so do not fear to make them", it really struck me. Although a lot of the dictators have caused more pain in our eyes than good to the countries they served, we must commend them for accomplishing their goals, they were able to sacrifice to achieve what they wanted, I can honestly respect that in any human being.
ReplyDeleteWhat caught my eye about this book is the fact that it was very reader friendly. Firstly, the way that there was an image for each dictator with a description of his/her dictator-like practices. As I sifted through the pages I began to realize how much each dictator had in common. A question that came to my mind was if there have been so many dictators in the past how come there continued to be other ones. I ask why didn't someone care to see the similarities between dictators to prevent a Holocaust caliber event. Another aspect of the book that grabbed me was the fact that each dictator had his/her own practice that defined him/her as a dictator. That was really interesting. Such as having his/her name on currency.
ReplyDeleteSorry Professor Lopez Copious Copper is Rasheed Bility. I changed my name so that it says Rasheed Bility
ReplyDelete"How to Rule the World" by Andre De Guillaume was a very interesting book, as well as an easy read. Although there was some humor within the book, it was interesting to see that beneath the humor, there were characteristics of dictators past and present. It was very informative to see each of the characteristics of a dictator broken down. We, as the readers, were able to experience the birth, as well as growth of a dictator and the mindset that they acquire once given the power.
ReplyDeleteIn reading the book "How to Rule the World" i found many things interesting and i also learned many things that i would not have thought of before. When i think of a dictator i think of a man, ruler in power of land and his people. Until reading the book i didnt realize the difficulties and decsions that a dictator must go through. The one thing that stood out to me was the 4 principles that they follow and the 10 characteristics of a true dictator.I also learned some other interesting facts such as a dictator can have their own currency. As much as we may see dictators as the bad guys (which some can be) they play an important role to their people and territory and even the world.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the book "How to Rule the World," I liked that the overall view on dictatorship is not viewed negative light. Many of the qualities (Ten Characteristics) I read about in this book helped me to realize that these are everyday qualities majority of us may possess, even though we may not think so. Before reading about what becoming a dictator entails I never thought of myself to be put in such a category but after reading and taking a few quizzes I came to the realization that I may have what it takes to become a dictator. And also I think power and stability are the basis to uphold and keep such a high position as dictatorship and all the other characteristics are produced from there.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the book "How to Rule the World," I liked that the overall view on dictatorship is not viewed negative light. Many of the qualities (Ten Characteristics) I read about in this book helped me to realize that these are everyday qualities majority of us may possess, even though we may not think so. Before reading about what becoming a dictator entails I never thought of myself to be put in such a category but after reading and taking a few quizzes I came to the realization that I may have what it takes to become a dictator. And also I think power and stability are the basis to uphold and keep such a high position as dictatorship and all the other characteristics are produced from there.- Karell Belle
ReplyDeleteWhen first reading the title of the book "How to Rule the World" I had an idea that the book was not just an in-depth biography of past dictators but would also teach somebody how to become a dictator in everyday life and the reasons behind their brave actions. It turned out that the book encompassed much of that. I especially enjoyed how they explained how many dictators in the making gained power by usurping legal authority and once they were sworn in as supreme ruler would commit unjust acts. Many of which included killing their own kin like Attila the Hun who was a perfect example to this. Good read.
ReplyDeleteafter reading this book i realized that to be a dictator it's about how to rule with no remorse no matter what. one quote that i found interesting and really true that shows the characteristics of all dictators is "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
ReplyDeleteas i was reading the book "how to rule the world" i began to learn what a dictator really is a person that wants to be like the ruler of his surrounding and wants to tell people what to do but is only really thinking about him or herself. i also found that it seems that many dictators have the same qualities in the actions that they take and how they go about doing their job. this book also led me to belief that everyone has been a dictator once in their life because everyone wants to be in charge of something at least once.
ReplyDeleteThe book “How to Rule the World “by Andre Guillaume was very interesting and easy to read. I found the fact that the author used humor very clever. Something that stood out to me was some of the characteristics of the ideal ruler. Guillaume states that the ideal ruler has to have charisma, paranoia, unscrupulousness, and determination. He gave me a new way of looking at these characteristics and how people show them. This book really helped me understand what a dictator really is. I think we all have a little dictator in us after reading this book.
ReplyDelete