It is All About Power

After visiting the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral, I was left with the feeling that while these historic sites are vastly different in appearance and purpose, they share the commonality of exerting immense power over their visitors.

I must admit that before visiting the Tower of London I thought that it was a single tower; I was shocked to discover that it is a fortress that holds many harsh memories. Events such as the Little Princes murders at the Bloody Tower, Anne Boleyn’s execution at the Scaffold Site, and the torture of numerous men at the Tower’s very own torture chamber, while barely a fraction of the gruesome occurrences that took place there long ago, send an explicit message to the people of London. The reputation of the Tower at the time that these atrocities took place must have been enough to create a sense of fear among London’s citizens to encourage them to obey the government. Visiting the tower in the twenty-first century does not hold the fear of facing the same tragic fate as many in years past, but merely knowing the history still sends chills down visitors’ spines.

While St. Paul’s Cathedral does not possess a terrifying history, the belittling awe that is created by the immense size of the structure and grandeur of the glittering painted ceilings allows a power as strong as that at the Tower to be held over those who pass through the Cathedral doors. I was immediately stunned by the height of the Dome and the paintings speckled with gold that covered it. The overwhelming size and magnificence of the building causes the people inside to feel minuscule in comparison to the deity being honored by the building. Fear of something that is so much larger and seemingly more powerful than one is enough to cause conformity. This gives a substantial amount of power to that god as well as those who run the church. Power can obviously be created using diverse methods, but the goal of that power is ultimately the same.