Lord Of The Flies Power

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William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies is about how people gain power. The book starts with an airplane crash, killing all adults and leaving a bunch of adolescent boys stranded on an island. Golding introduces us to Ralph and Piggy. Piggy is a scared, timid boy who gravitates towards Ralph as soon as they land. At the same time, Ralph is just living life and doesn’t seem to care that they are stranded on an island. The reader meets Jack and his fellow choir members as Golding continues the introduction. From the first moment the reader meets Jack, they know he is a natural leader. He comes marching his choir mates down the beach in a crisis with a complete and calm demeanor, showing the audience right from the beginning that this book is …show more content…

Ralph and Jack wrestle for power throughout the book, and the other boys sit back and pick sides. Ralph and Jack successfully use multiple of the nine power tactics, so they constantly fight for power. The difference between Ralph and Jack is that Jack wants power with everything in him. On the other hand, Ralph wants power to a degree, but not nearly as much as Jack. The power tactics become more evident through Jack because he is trying very hard to gain power again, meaning his actions are more noticeable throughout the book. Ralph's approach is more subtle, so it takes more work to pick up on his tactics. Throughout the novel, Jack is always with a group of people. At the beginning of the Lord of the Flies, Jack marches his choir down the beach to meet Ralph and Piggy. As the story continues, he becomes responsible for the hunters and is only seen with them. All his choir members and hunting members always have his back and supply his support; this is an example of coalition power …show more content…

Jack uses this same tactic throughout the book. One scene specifically is when the twins are supposed to keep the fire going, and Jack and his hunters run up to the top of the mountain, telling the twins that they can’t catch a pig without them. Because Jack had all these people who also agreed with him, the twins gladly joined them (Golding 63-70). Giving a great example of how much power numbers can bring. Jack uses his numbers to gain power over the other kids, just like politicians gain votes, by having an extensive support system revealing one approach to gaining power. In politics, there is a lot of higher authority. The best example of higher authority is seen at the beginning of Lord of the Flies. The boys are all gathered around when Ralph grabs the conch from Piggy and says, “‘We’ve got to have special people to look after the fire”’ (Golding 42). Ralph uses the word special to show the boys that not just anyone can tend to the fire because it's essential. Putting “special” people in charge of the fire is an excellent example of higher

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