Exposition
By channeling intense negative emotions - such as anger, jealousy, or greed - into the Force, individuals can attain powers of the Force more easily - but at a consequence. They gain lust for power, and become increasingly self-aggrandizing. Followers of this path are always depicted as corrupt and wicked, engaging in a never ending self-centred pursuit of power.
The Jedi, whilst recognizing tempting paths to the dark side, know that the dark side is evil and claim that immense restraint must be used in wielding the Force that limit its uses in accordance with justice. Yoda famously says "A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense. Never for attack".
The Sith view the dark side as good, demonstrating one of Lucas's central observations that "most bad people think they are good people". Those following the dark side claim it allows an individual to gain the full powers of the Force that followers of the light side cannot attain. Palpatine claims that Darth Plagueis has the power to create life from nothing and save people from dying from natural causes but claims that this power remains a secret. However, when Padmé Amidala dies, neither Darth Sidious nor Darth Vader can bring her back; showing the futility of the dark side, whose only lasting effect is to increase suffering.
George Lucas uses 'the dark side', and "paths to the dark side", as a devices to suggest the distinction between good and evil is not a distinction between 'us' and 'them' (which is why creatures other than humans possess knowledge of both sides of the force); but rather a battle within ourselves, reflecting the frailty of human nature and our own competing (and equally compelling) internal impulses towards kindness on the one hand, and cruelty on the other.
Read more about this topic: Dark Side (Star Wars)
Famous quotes containing the word exposition:
“Art is beauty, and every exposition of art, whether it be music, painting, or the drama, should be subservient to that one great end. As long as nature is a means to the attainment of beauty, so-called realism is necessary and permissable [sic], but it must be realism enhanced by idealism and uplifted by the spirit of an inner life or purpose.”
—Julia Marlowe (1866–1950)
“Hard times accounted in large part for the fact that the exposition was a financial disappointment in its first year, but Sally Rand and her fan dancers accomplished what applied science had failed to do, and the exposition closed in 1934 with a net profit, which was donated to participating cultural institutions, excluding Sally Rand.”
—For the State of Illinois, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“Men are like plants; the goodness and flavor of the fruit proceeds from the peculiar soil and exposition in which they grow. We are nothing but what we derive from the air we breathe, the climate we inhabit, the government we obey, the system of religion we profess, and the nature of our employment.”
—Michel Guillaume Jean De Crevecoeur (1735–1813)