Lord of the Flies - A Warning of Our Society
Many people have pondered the question "what is basic human nature?" Locke and Hobbes are two of the most famous philosophers to have written on this topic, and their ideas range greatly. Debate over which view of human nature is correct has raged for centuries, with no winner yet in sight. Human nature is such a touchy issue because it helps to define morality and savagery. William Golding's story of young boys stranded on a tropical island, Lord of the Flies, has added much to the ongoing debate over human nature, because it speaks volumes on the topic of human nature and the way in which societies function. Lord of the Flies, was designed to serve as a warning of how easily society can collapse and how self-destructive human nature is. A leader's political opinion can often tell a great deal about their personality and how they will interact with those under them. Ralph is a prime example of the democratic leader trying to pull his people together to logic out problems as situations unfold. Ralph feels that all of the members of the group should participate in decisions that will effect the entire group. When the boys first arrive on the island, they are in a state of confusion and disorder, they are unaware of the c
Jack is the exact polar opposite of Ralph. He is a dictator who plans for the present and ignores the future. With little to no regard to those under him, Jack does not require loyalty or compassion from anyone; simply their obedience. As the following passage shows, Jack uses fear and savagery as a weapon and a way of maintaining his superiority over others: Despite all of their savageness, the boys quickly snap back to being children when they see the authority figure standing in the forest. This is used by Golding to show that people are only civilized when they are afraid of punishment by an outside force or authority. For children, this authority is a grown-up, but what about for adults? Seeing as how the soldier, being involved in a massive world war, is just a savage as the boys trying to kill each other, Golding shows us how fragile our own society is. The island is a microcosm of the adult world, except for one terrifying difference; there is no one to step in and stop humankind from destroying itself. Eventually, all of the boys civility has dropped away; they no longer think, they only act. This is best shown by the chase scene at the end, in which Jack and the savages light the island on fire in an attempt to flush out their prey, Ralph. The savages are so intent on killing Ralph that they don't even bother to think that Ralph was their friend and leader a few short days ago. They are fully intent on killing him and putting his head on a stick, shown when Samneric say that, "Roger sharpened a stick at both ends"(173). When they can't catch Ralph on their own, they set the forest on fire to flush him out. They do this without thinking that by destroying t
Some common words found in the essay are:
Samneric Piggy, Lord Flies, Samneric Roger, Wilfred He's, Locke Hobbes, William Golding's, , human nature, conch shell, lord flies, eventual destruction, intent killing, loss civilization, serve warning, children authority, thinking shown, eventual destruction conch, power conch,
Approximate Word count = 1141
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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