Lord of the Flies Final Essay

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Arrogant, disparaging, fearless, and merciless, this resembles the characteristics of an evil dictator. He rules not to serve the people, but to serve himself. He is in absolute control; nothing can stop him from being the king. In Lord of the Flies, Jack is mean, irrational, and scornful, and does not care about anyone’s interest. Jack symbolizes absolutism because he expresses divine right, emphasizes war, and removes the basic rights of others. Absolutism is a type of government that is ruled by an absolute ruler. They claim to rule by divine right, meaning that God chooses them to rule. Citizens have no part in determining who will lead their country. Because of this, most absolutist rulers are inclined to be boastful, self-centered, greedy, and ruthless. They are in control of every part of their land, including “…competing jurisdictions, institutions…interest groups,” and “…religious sects” (McKay), in their territories, and they constantly desire to expand. War is the only solution, so kings have to have a strong and organized army. “Discipline is the soul of armies; without it there are no soldiers, only confusion and defeat” (Oakeshott). Brutal rulers, such as Adolf Hitler, Ivan the Terrible, and Genghis Khan, had exceptional armies. Absolutist kings rule with terror. Fear sweeps over their territories, which causes their subjects to be obedient and docile. Citizens have to be disciplined to protect the nation. They are suppressed from rebellions and protests because of the consequences that might bestow upon them. Simply put is that they are not allowed to speak against the king. Consequently, they do not have much opinion in the government. The ruler’s decision is solely based on his discretion and none of his subjects’. A major rebellion has to break out in order for the king to realize a fault in his order. As exemplified in the French Revolution, the

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