Himanshu Gupta Ms. Pacio Period 4 - English 10H 21 December 2023 From Democracy to Dictatorship: How Individuals Gain Power in ‘Lord of the Flies’ Seventeen million people were murdered when Adolf Hitler was in power. In history, bad people have obtained power in various ways, despite their coarse political standing. This is seen in, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, where a group of young boys finds themselves on a deserted island with no signs of civilization or government. Among these boys are two natural leaders, Ralph and Jack, who govern the island in two different ways: democracy and dictatorship. As they juggle the role of leader on the island, the question arises: how do people become powerful? Through symbolism and dictatorship, …show more content…
Golding’s use of dictatorship juxtaposes how Jack maintained order forcefully, in contrast with Ralph’s idealistically equal approach. One of the key differences between Jack and Ralph’s leadership was their stance and solution to insubordination. Ralph’s attempt to control the group through meetings failed, and later on, we see Jack taking a different approach. Instead of talking to the boys, he uses force to guarantee that he can control the group. This is shown when we hear some members of his group saying, ‘’He's going to beat Wilfred.’ ‘What for?’ Robert shook his head doubtfully. I don't know what to do. He didn't say anything about it. He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up. He's been’he giggled excitedly’ he's been tied for hours, waiting’ ‘But didn't the chief say why?’ ‘I never heard him.’" (Golding 159). By harshly chastising his members, Jack can condemn his tribe and create fear to prevent future …show more content…
By saying that only select members have the right to speak, Jack demonstrates another vital dissimilarity between him and Ralph’s leadership. Ralph gave the right to speak to everyone as long as they had the chance to promote a democratic society, yet Jack pursued a more controlling government. In making sure that only certain people can talk, Jack can veer away from the mistake Ralph made in enabling the right to speak to everyone, as Ralph’s meetings always ended in a vicious uproar of colliding ideas. Overall, Jack’s physical abuse of his tribe to induce fear, and his dictatorial front to control who could speak to promote ideas that align with his own, are key to fostering the control of a government in which he holds absolute power. As Lord of the Flies progresses, the degree to which fear and manipulation are abused increases exponentially, although the seemingly irrational intensity of incivility demonstrated by the boys is proven realistic by a psychological study. The Stanford Prison Experiment had a total of twenty-four participants, who were healthy before the experiment. Twelve of the participants became guards and the other twelve were
The influence of power, or “power hungry”, has had a huge effect on many people who feel that they must be in charge. These people often have trouble being told no or being told that they can’t be in charge. People throughout history have done it in many ways. Our own government displays this when we elect a new president every four years. These candidates often tell the public what they want to hear and how they’ll make it a better place, when, in reality, they only mean half of it and they just want to be able to have the power of the president. In the novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the antagonist, Jack, shows throughout the book that he craves power and feels that he deserves it more than anybody else.
The Lord of the Flies is one big allegory, the way the boys are formed on the island is similar to different governments our world has had before, and currently have. The type of government that the island has, changed throughout the book. In the beginning the government is a democracy, but towards the end it changes to a dictatorship. This dictatorship is run by Jack who gathers followers when he promises pig meat, and fun. This idea is shown throughout the book, in many places, through objects, and actions.
The Lord of the Flies is a gruesome story about young boys stranded on an island, who underwent a transformation from polite British choir boys to savage hooligans. One of the main difficulties the boys face during their adventures upon the island, is their method of government, they either follow the path of Ralph, the democratic leader whose main focus is to escape the despairing island; or Jack a power-hungry monarchical leader who won't ever take no for an answer. The two boys are constantly bickering and arguing over who deserves the leader-position. We all understand Ralph wants to be leader so that he can ensure that the boys will return back home, but in Jack's case, it is a constant mystery to us about why he wants power over the other children. But we do get much small hints from the author, William Golding, that Jack's biggest fear among the other children on the island is public humiliation. This becomes more and more evident the farther on into the book, and his fear seems to be what persuades him to reach for a powerful position.
In the Lord of the Flies there are many themes that stand out. After reading Fredrick Douglass’ speech, “If I had a Country, I Should be a Patriot,” the theme that Goldings’ book that is most relatable to me is the lack of democracy and equal rights. Jack reminded me of a southern slave master and his primary focus that had no regard for others’ rights. In conclusion, in The Lord of the Flies, the rivalry between democracy and dictatorship is evident in Jack and Ralph’s relationship and relates back to the North versus the South rivalry for democracy for the
Jack, William Golding’s antagonist in Lord of the Flies, reveals through his experience on the island that it is an individual’s assertiveness, manipulative abilities, and charisma which dictate who commandeers power and privilege over others, and that possessing these traits often negatively impacts the lives of the people leaders seek to control.
Comparing Governments in Novels William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a story much like the true events of the totalitarian Soviet Union. The original leader in Lord of the Flies introduces himself simply as “Ralph”(Golding 8). Although his priorities are good, his way of governing is certainly harsh: “ ‘You voted me chief. Now you do what I say’”(115).
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel that represents a microcosm of society in a tale about children stranded on an island. Of the group of young boys there are two who want to lead for the duration of their stay, Jack and Ralph. Through the opposing characters of Jack and Ralph, Golding reveals the gradual process from democracy to dictatorship from Ralph's democratic election to his lack of law enforcement to Jack's strict rule and his violent law enforcement.
William Golding’s novel ‘The Lord of The flies’ presents us with a group of English boys who are isolated on a desert island, left to try and retain a civilised society. In this novel Golding manages to display the boys slow descent into savagery as democracy on the island diminishes.
Democratic power can be used to control a society, as well as to establish a closeness among civilians. To lose sight of this can mean the corruption of a civilization caused by the lack of order. One’s choice of independence over the reliance on others in order to better the chances of their survival requires complete dedication and willingness to take risks. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Ralph loses his democratic power due to his failure to ensure survival and protect the boys as a leader. Ralph’s failure to lead the group is due to his inability to compete with Jack and gain followers, mostly because of Jack’s reign of fear. Ralph’s integrity enables a growing confidence in his ability to avoid reliance on leadership power in
Without government, society degenerates and people lose their capacity for moral behaviour. Survivors in Haiti say that if other countries had not provided aid and restored order, there would be much more violence and everyone would only serve themselves. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the author uses the events on the island to demonstrate that people require government to restrain their impulses. The creation of a democratic government with Ralph as chief allows the inhabitants of the island to make decisions together and take everyone’s viewpoint into consideration. Soon, however, the democracy begins to be disregarded. When Jack creates a dictatorship, he fails to restrain the impulsive behaviour of the boys, which demonstrates the superiority of Ralph’s government.
In William Golding’s novel, the Lord of the Flies, even though Ralph became chief of the stranded boys, Jack eventually rose to power through scare tactics, confidence, determination, and control. When Jack demonstrated his leadership skills, it was evident that he was superior to Ralph and would use his sense of Social Darwinism (survival of the fittest) and his oratory skills to surpass and isolate Ralph completely. Regardless of Ralph’s strengths, such as his conch, democratic maneuvers, firm motives, and kind demeanor, Jack’s mere presence ousted Ralph’s chances of taking effective leadership. By using propaganda against Ralph, gaining support from his partisan tribe members, and overpowering Ralph through his persuasive techniques and appearance, Jack clearly demonstrated how his leadership of the island was inevitable.
William Golding said “I learned during World War II just how brutal people can be to each other. Not just the Japanese but everyone”. In the book “the Lord of the Flies”, Golding tells us about World War II and the Holocaust by making Ralph represent democracy and Jack represent dictatorship.
Then Jack abandons his citizens needs in order to protect his position and power. This was a reflection of Hitler during World War 2. HItler oppressed and fed his citizens propaganda in order to Maintain control over them. When this did not work he would punish his citizens by locking them up in jail or killing them. This led to his citizens to be afraid of their leader and of the outside world as well. As World War 2 continued and Nazi germany started losing the war, Hitler became more desperate as he wanted to win, sending in suicidal missions in order for him to maintain his power. But as we saw because he was willing to sacrifice his people for his mission he in the end lost and had nothing left. Golding Wants to show a leader is supposed to be responsible for his people and must try to complete his responsibility. Golding shows that a leader who does not respect this responsibility is able to throw his citizens away just to accomplish their desires. But a leader is not a leader if they have no one to
Golding immediately shows how voting procedures of a democratic society can help stop evil from taking over. During the first encounter between Jack and his choirboys and Ralph and his group, it becomes clear the differences in between both groups. Jack, during the first meeting, yells at the boys to “Stand Still!”(Golding 20) and even when “one of the boys flopped on his face in the sand” he makes the others choirboys move “the fallen boy to the platform and let him lie” (Golding 20). With this brief peek into the leadership of Jack, it is evident that Jack has no concern for the common men in his choir, furthering the illusion of his dictatorial skills. The theme of leaving the masses of common citizens uncared for, while the elites are given exclusive powers is a major notion of the totalitarian government. When these boys see how mistreated Jack’s choirboys are, the vote for chief is affected. When Ralph asks, “Who wants Jack for chief?” the choirboys “With dreary obedience [they] raised their hands”(Golding 23). Then, when Ralph asked, “Who wants me? Every hand outside the choir except Piggy’s was raised immediately. Then Piggy, too, raised his hand”(Golding 23). Evident here is how the public and Golding perceive the two contradicting types of government. This tiny glimpse shows that even when a dictator has all the power over his citizens, he cannot beat a democratically elected leader in an election. The undertone of this situation shows that citizens prefer a democratic leader that they elect than somebody who attempts to usurp the throne. While this was only the first time the two sides meet, the two sides only become more distanced by every time they meet.
Lord of the flies is not just a story about boys trapped on an island; it is a story about power struggle over democracy and dictatorship in societies. They are many objects used in the novel to show dictatorship and democracy. Also, they are many situations between characters in the novel to show the power struggles between the two ideologies. Between the power struggle, characters also use these objects to control emotions and people’s decisions in the novel. People and societies give away too much power to objects and let them control their lives.