Comparison Essay

847 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Concept of power in literature

Comparison Essay
The theme of power being abused is carried out in both I Only Came to Use the Phone and Lord of the Flies. The reasoning as to why we would see this theme as the base for both stories is because it is such a common theme; it is known that everyone craves power because of the self-satisfaction they gain from it. The authors of these stories realizing that, used the theme of abuse of power to create chaos within the story and create interest, and they did this by having their characters go after something that makes themselves feel powerful. In Lord of the Flies it was the powerful feeling of hunting for the boys, and in I Only Came to Use the Phone it was the power that the Matron had over Maria by sexually harassing her. Although those two examples seem as though it is people who abuse power it goes beyond that; as if the evil within everyone is awaken by power and that evil is what succumbs them to abuse the power.
In Lord of the Flies the readers first truly see the abuse of power when the boys pretend that one of the boys, Robert, is prey and stab at him as if he was some kind of animal they were hunting. “Ralph, carried away by a sudden excitement, grabbed Eric’s spear and jabbed at Robert with it”(Golding 114), now not only does this quote show that the satisfaction from power can transform even one of the most humane people; furthermore proving that evil is in everyone and the force of power is what makes it even more noticeable causing one to abuse the power. Like in Lord of the Flies, Marquez uses the statement made about Herculina, “…two inmates have been strangled to death by her…the first case had been by accident…the second proved less clear…”(Marquez 75), to show how they overlook the abuse of power ...

... middle of paper ...

... pretending that Robert was prey; from both of these we could infer even more the corruption that was to come. Both authors showed the idea that there was corruption among every authority figure in their book because Garcia showed how Herculina strangled the inmates without any speculation, but the night matron was also doing obscure things to Maria; and Golding showed this by having even one of the most humane and civilized boys at that point in the book, Ralph, give into the power of killing not only animals, but also pretending Robert was prey as well. Readers learn that the authors tried to show a deeper meaning that stems from the abuse of power which is that evil lives inside everyone, and power can cause that evil to take over a person and cause them to not know when is enough; which was shown through the immoral acts of the characters in both stories.

Show More
Related

  • Similarities Between Macbeth And Lord Of The Flies

    391 Words  | 1 Pages

    In some of the novels that we read had characters that desire power that affect the people surrounding them. In some of the novel the novel we read like “Macbeth” and the book that I read “The Clockwork Orange” , The main character's desire for power were their downfall. In the book” Lord Of the Flies” Jack is the character that desire power. The characters desire for power were their downfall.

    Read More

  • How Does Golding Create Violence In Lord Of The Flies

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    Violence has remained desirable throughout human history as great pleasure is received from inflicting pain on others. In the Lord of the Flies, William Golding creates a world of increasing violence. He establishes this violence through the setting of the novel, the characters, and the theme.

    Read More

  • 1984 Compare Contrast Essay

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1948, George Orwell wrote one of the most memorable dystopian novels, 1984. This novel depicts a totalitarian world where there are no ways to use freedom, express free though, or express individuality, but there are various sources of brainwashing propaganda. The Party’s slogan ‘war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength’ is where the brainwashing process in Oceania begins. Brainwashing and government control are also crucial elements in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. In the world of Panem, 1 boy and 1 girl are chosen from each of the 12 districts to fight to the death. The game’s slogan ‘may the odds be ever in your favor’ shows the Capitol’s usage of doublethink. These slogans are used by the ruling groups as propaganda and show one of the similarities in how the governments brainwash, torture, and control the past of their people.

    Read More

  • Comparison and Contrast Essay

    755 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some people think that if they could only change one aspect of their lives, it would be perfect. They do not realize that anything that is changed could come with unintended consequences. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken both illustrate this theme. They demonstrate this by granting the main character three wishes, but with each wish that is granted, brings undesirable consequences. The main idea of this essay is to compare and contrast “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish.” Although the “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” are both fantasies and have similar themes, they have different main characters, wishes, and resolutions.

    Read More

  • Power That Exists in Lord of the Flies

    873 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the plane crashed down on a stranded island, the boys’ lives would never be the same. In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, power is a large part of the novel, in fact, from a certain perception, power is the most important factor in Lord of the Flies. There are several factors that lead me to believe this; the pig’s head and conch shell both wield a certain power over the boys, however, their influences are very different. There are also several things that make Lord of the Flies solely about power, and about the power of symbols. Lastly, Lord of the Flies shows how a person can get power from using a symbol to control a group. In Lord of the Flies, several things drive the boys, however, the pig’s head and the conch shell have the greatest power over them.

    Read More

  • Power in The Handmaid's Tale

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the displays of power that have been shown through out this essay, we see that this story is a story about power. Power is the story is primarily about peoples need for some small amount of power to survive in life and to feel that hey have a purpose within their society which every society it may be whether its is Gilead or Nazi Germany or modern day Britain.

    Read More

  • Power In Lord Of The Flies Essay

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    Leadership becomes control. Control becomes power. Power becomes fear. Fear then becomes chaos. In turn, chaos is what destroys communities, nations, and countries. When power is managed without control, it is a devastating element. Death and poverty are almost always ensured, and the people are going to suffer for the leader’s mistakes. Lord of the Flies contains multiple circumstances where power and control is exhibited, but it is often handled immaturely and greedily due to the fact that young boys are holding the power.

    Read More

  • Power Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    513 Words  | 2 Pages

    Power made the characters in Lord of the Flies deviated from their moral compass. On page 51 “His tone conveyed a warning, given out of the pride of ownership, and the boys ate faster while there was still time.” This shows that once Jack had his throne he knew he was powerful and did what he wanted. On page 87 “Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them”. He knows that he was going against the rules of society but his power in his mind made him keep going. On page 64 it says “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” This shows that the whole group is becoming savage. When the characters in Lord of the Flies obtained power, they deviated from their moral compass.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast: Two Short Stories

    1712 Words  | 4 Pages

    Short stories are a form of literature works that authors use to communicate various themes and issues to the reader. As such, it is common for different short stories authored by different people to have a central meaning or theme that differs from each other. In addition, the way the author portrays his/her central theme or meaning would differ from the way other authors would craft their short stories to best portray their central meaning. While some would use characterization as a means of portraying the theme of their story, other authors employ the use of symbols to better communicate their theme. However, some slight similarities can always be drawn between short stories. ‘Hills like White

    Read More

  • Power In Lord Of The Flies Research Paper

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is power? What can it do to us? William Golding’s Lord of the Flies portrayed many themes throughout the novel using its characters, including the usage of Jack to portray the fact that power can sometimes corrupt one to the point that it can change someone entirely. Jack, throughout the novel, has tried over and over to show power, exemplified in the last three chapters as he becomes the chief and becomes rather ruthless by hunting and trying to kill humans and animals. As William Golding shows in his novel Lord of the Flies through Jack, power is the deciding factor for behavior in life or death situations.

    Read More

  • Abuses of Power: Lord of the Flies, and I Only Came To Use the Phone

    918 Words  | 2 Pages

    Often, too much power can go to that particular person’s head, and he/she can become corrupt. As readers have seen in literature, abuses of power are often harmful to the abuser and their subjects. Corrupted authority and abuses of power eventually lead to the collapse of society. This concept is shown many times throughout the novel Lord Of the Flies and the short story “I Only Came to Use the Phone”. Displayed through characters and actions, abusive power has dominated what should be morally correct in literature.

    Read More

  • Power In Lord Of The Flies

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Lord of the Flies, the constant struggle for power is a central theme in the novel. Since

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies Power

    469 Words  | 1 Pages

    The concept of power is explored in Lord of the Flies through characters’ traits and the use of the tools they have. Jack and Ralph had fights over who could lead the island. Ralph wanted a civilised island where they all cooperated with each other, Jack wanted to conquer the island and be king. Power can lead to different ways of achieving it and using it for different goals.

    Read More

  • Thomas Mofolo’s novel Chaka

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to the English author and philosopher, Edmund Burke, “The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.” (Burke) This often proves to be true in Thomas Mofolo’s novel Chaka. Power is a corruptive concept. If you do not have a genuinely selfless heart, you will become corrupted by your own power, which often happened to those of power in this novel. However, even though power is often seen as having influence over others, power can also be distinctly self-centered. Power can be expressed through controlling others, but it can also be expressed by disabling others from controlling you. Powerlessness occurs when you lose the determination to stop others from controlling you. Now, power is something that everyone can relate to since everyone is affected by it in some way, shape, or form. In Chaka, Thomas Mofolo distinguishes between the powerful and powerless by making one more relatable than the other, while also showing how very few of the powerless were able to acquire power.

    Read More

  • Human Nature Inherently Evil

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lastly, an incessant urge to control marks a weak spot in human nature. For example, Jack’s desperation for control of the group in Lord of the Flies expedites the degeneration of morality. Similar to the way the antagonists in Lord of the Flies picked on the ‘littluns, bullies often target their weaker counterparts. Somehow, this provides individuals with a twisted sense of control; humans can not help but seek dominance as their innate reaction to insecurity. The only way that such intense desire for authority can manifest itself is through

    Read More

More about Comparison Essay

Open Document