Words for Describing Tyranny | ||
Nouns
despot dictator tyrant despotism dictatorship torture conquest injustice inequality takeover coup d’état |
Adjectives
dictatorial despotic oppressive cruel harsh vicious merciless exploitative abusive inhumane |
Verbs
to dictate to oppress to suppress to exploit to conquer to punish to torture to rule harshly to persecute to crush to intimidate to seize to mistreat
|
Phrases
ruling with an iron fist iron rule no rule of law |
Sometimes I think that history is largely the story of tyrants and the ordinary people who try to overcome them or live in spite of them.
It seems that in every age and every place, at least since we’ve been living in so-called civilizations and not roaming as hunter-gatherers, some people have developed a desire for power that makes them forget their humanity. Their drive to seize absolute control of others’ lives leads them to commit horrific and heartless acts of cruelty. They oppress their own people and usually the peoples that they conquer. The pain these tyrants inflict is never forgotten.
The famous historian, Sima Qian, said of Qin Shi Huang, the tyrant who united China and in the process terrorized its people:
Qin is a man of scant mercy who has the heart of a wolf.
If the Qin should ever get his way with the world, then the whole world will end up his prisoner.
Your task today is to find out about the life and actions of Qin Shi Huang. Which actions of his would you characterise as tyrannical? In other words, which actions were inhumane, oppressive, cruel and merciless? Use the links below or others.
♥ Write your notes on a new page in your workbook.
♣ Do not stop until your page is filled or you shall feel the pain of my displeasure.
◊ Gosh, I’m beginning to sound like a tyrant myself!
Kind regards from Ms Green
♦http://asianhistory.about.com/od/profilesofasianleaders/p/qinshihungbio.htm
♦http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19922863
♦http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2046285_2045996_2046111,00.html
♦http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhistory/chinafirstemperor.htm
Danny’s description of a tyrant (2014):
A tyrant is a ruler who takes control of the land and uses it for his own advantage and benefit. Tyrants are also very cruel to others and punish people harshly. They do not obey the rule of law and they do whatever they desire. People think of tyrants as cruel, merciless, ruthless and abusive.