Justice and Freedom of Speech
Almost all modern societies have a functional government to provide structure and order to the population. There are many types of government around the world. They are different in many ways but the government should always exist for the people’s benefit. When the government does not meet the people’s requirements, it is not an effective government and could be overthrown by the people. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, this was demonstrated when the boys on the island tried to form a government for survival. However, they failed to create an effective government, leading to their destruction. They failed to effectively govern themselves because they did not establish a judicial system with fair punishments
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to maintain order and protect freedom of speech . The first reason why the boys fail to effectively govern themselves is that they did not establish a judicial system with fair punishments to protect rights. According to the philosopher Beccaria, it is essential for the government to have a judicial system to ensure the protection of rights and order, with punishment that are not excessive. Without punishments and laws, people will not be punished for what they have done and therefore have nothing to be afraid of when violating rights of others. The society will become corrupted because people do not need to control their desires and can do things that they want, even when harming others. This was shown in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies as Jack had no consequences to be afraid of. In Chapter 10, the boys were treated unfairly by Jack. “He’s going to beat Wilfried.’ ‘What for?’ Robert shook his head doubtfully. ‘I don't know. he didnt say. He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up [...] tied for hours, waiting -.” (Golding 60). Jack punished Wilfred by tying him up and left him in that position for hours. Wilfred was beaten up by Jack without a good reason. “There is no parent to let fall a heavy hand” so the boys could do whatever they wanted. Jack had nothing to be afraid of when he hurt Wilfred for no apparent reason. This showed how much living in a society without punishment has corrupted him, and how little he cares for others. Because the boys lacked of the governing technique of fair punishments, violent relationships formed between the boys. Their cruel decisions and actions to each other led to the boys to lose their empathy and become desensitized to violence. This ultimately led to all destruction of any civility. Without an established judicial system to ensure the protection of rights and order without excessive punishment, the boys on the island failed to govern themselves because they were not punished for what their wrongdoings. A second reason why the boys failed was their lack of protection for individual freedom of speech.
According to the philosopher Voltaire, it is essential for individuals to have freedom of speech because every man has the right to express his opinion, whether anyone agree with it or not. Without this government component, people can not express their thoughts and their ideas could not reach the government. This was shown in Lord of the Flies, when Piggy tried to speak out his voice by getting the conch. “Piggy took the conch out of his hand[…] ‘Who cares what you believe-Fatty.’ ‘I got the conch!’ ‘you give me the conch back” (Golding 90). Piggy’s decision to get the conch to speak showed that throughout the book, the conch was always a symbol of power. Only the people with the conch had the right to speak their ideas and opinions. Therefore, the boys who did not have the conch never had the chance to voice their thoughts. It contrasted Voltaire's idea of freedom of speech because the boys on the island lacked freedom of speech. Evidently, an effective government needs an individual's freedom of speech, and the boys’ lack of this governing technique did not allow them to voice their opinions without the fear of persecution. This decision then caused the government to not be able to receive direct feedback from the public, regarding their policies and execution of policies. This ultimately results to decrease in the spread of new ideas and opinions. Therefore the government could never improve,. Without changes its flaws, the government would lose their citizens’ trust, and leading to anarchy. In the book Piggy alway had good ideas and he was usually right, but without freedom of speech, his voice was not heard by the leaders such as Ralph. Without hearing Piggy’s reminders and opinions, the boys faced more challenges and lost their chance to be rescued. The boys on the island failed to govern themselves because not everyone could say what they wanted, and
their voices could not be heard by the authority. In summary, the boys on the island in Golding’s Lord of the Flies failed to effectively govern themselves because they lacked a judicial system with just punishment and the protection of individual freedom of speech. These are two important factors forming an effective government. The boys did not follow them, and led to their destruction. A good and efficient government can not be created at once. There will be a lot of failures when creating a government. If you learn from those failures, it could make the government better over time. Through this novel, the readers will learned the importance of an effective government for the citizens, and how dangerous it would be for humans to live without justice and freedom of speech.
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.
Authority plays a vital role in the modern world through contrasting forms of government and the struggle for power between leaders. The leader of a society asserts power over its citizens with the aim to create the laws, which hold the society together. Once authority is demolished within a community, the power spreads to its citizens in which total chaos collectively overtakes the society. The process of law-making and a struggle for power takes precedence in William Golding’s allegorical novel, Lord of the Flies, through the conch shell found upon the shore. The conch grants superiority to one member of the group over the others, it is used to call assemblies and assists in choosing the speakers during important meetings. When the conch
Freedom is a fragile effect on human nature, and it allows humans to expose their inner thoughts and true feelings. William Golding's Lord of The Flies depicts scenes of disagreement and anger, which adds emotion to the book. Throughout the novel, three major characters all portray aspects of humans in the real world.
It has come to my attention that the book I read, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, has appeared on a number of banned book lists in schools and libraries across the country. Many have also tried to challenge this book, for a number of varying reasons. In this essay, I will talk about what the novel represents, where and why this American classic has been shot down in many schools across the country, and why I believe we should change that.
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).
Piggy is known for being the most intellectual and reasonable out of the boys. While the other boys are off fooling around and dreaming about their next adventure, Piggy is using reason to plan an organized method of survival on the island where everyone is satisfied. For example, while the other boys were exploring the island, Simon came up with an idea and said, “‘I’ve been thinking,” he said, “about a clock. We could make a sundial. We could put a stick in the sand, and then—’” (Golding 90). Although the boys can rule using any form of government on the island, Piggy attempts to create a civilized and orderly environment by advising Ralph to implement a democratic state. Despite his weak appearance, Piggy has a very strong moral compass and sense of self assurance, meaning, he’s very confident in the moral choices he makes. Since he bases his actions and way of thinking on reason and justice, he has a tendency to believe everyone should follow and share his methods because “rules are rules.” As seen when electing a leader, Piggy believed that because the conch and name system were his ideas, he should have been voted as leader, resulting in “Every hand outside the choir except Piggy’s was raised immediately. Then Piggy, too, raised his hand grudgingly into the air.” (Golding 29). Due to his strong confidence, Piggy is not afraid to act upon his beliefs and what is right, even if it may not be a popular
In the book, Lord of the Flies, William Golding connects a disaster to a bunch of little English kids with the government and civics. There are at least five different ways William Golding connects the civics and the boys that were stranded on the island. Some of the events are reflected directly from our government. The Constitutional principles tie into the book a lot by the popular sovereignty, limiting powers, sharing powers, separation of powers, and protecting against tyranny. There are many different elements of the government which includes voting, symbol of government authority, and committees which are of the most important.
Lord of flies is about a group of schoolboys, who got stuck on uninhabited island after a plane crash. On island they struggle with savagery and civilazation while they are waiting to be rescued. William Golding gives the examples of elements what makes society ‘civilized’ which contains rules, laws and morality. He shows the consequences of what happens if we don’t follow the rules which he lead to savagery in his book. This civilazation in book also can be a metaphor for a government, its creation.
Many people seem to have the most fantastic and revolutionary ideas, but they just don’t have the courage to say their thoughts aloud, let alone to an entire group of people who may not be too keen on what they have to say. Piggy knows that almost everybody on the island demeans him for his corpulent body shape, yet as the book progresses, he gains the courage to allow his voice to reign free in front of others.
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.
When placed on a deserted island, a group of strangers banded together to try to survive. They decided on a leader, problem-solved, fought off a beast, and formed their own society, even if it was somewhat flawed. This was the situation in the famous TV show, Lost. The Lord of the Flies and Lost are similar in these many different ways, with the exception that the show featured a tribe of adults instead of children. That just proves how difficult it is to maintain order in a society; even the adults struggled with keeping it peaceful and civilized. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding presents a broken society of savage boys fighting one another to suggest that man’s capacity for evil is brought out by the need for power and control.
Earlier this year, I became the government. Everyday, for the next few days, I woke up before the sun rose and filled my hotel room with light. In business professional attire, I would walk down the halls of the California State Capitol and into the Assembly Chambers. I experienced firsthand how the administration of our society works. There came a day, a cloudy day with rain falling momentarily, in which a protest was gathered in the streets. A man spoke, asking for the government to remove its mask. I failed to understand. What did this man want? Deep in my gut, I knew a life of terror, a life a darkness, and a life of despair could only be the outcome of the absence of government. This ideal is explained by the classic novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, which explores the universal theme that civilization is significant, regarding its role in securing that man does not return to his primitive nature of savagery.
There are many books out there that prove to be controversial and are banned from school reading lists. Some are banned because of the use of profane language, sexual innuendo, others because of historical inaccuracy. Yet, some are banned due to the overall meaning of the book and what and how that meaning is conveyed. William Golding 's novel, Lord of the Flies, portrays human beings as being undomesticated, hypocritical, and brutal. The characters, being young boys of no more than 12 years, add innocence to the entire scenario, but that innocence is greatly compromised as the novel progresses.
When the children and the littluns crash-landed onto the island they were faced with a monumental choice; should they retain their civility and order, or rather resort to their natural animal-like instincts? To this question, each of the members of the new society gave a unique answer. A few chose civility to the very end. From the beginning, Piggy was faced with the responsibility of maintaining a working system of command. “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us”. (Golding 16) He tried to restore order with the other children so everything did not get out of hand when no one knew what to do. Not all inhabitants were civilized, because some refrained against the rules and common wishes from among the rest of the group. A main rule the group formed was that whoever held the conch had the right to speak. However, even with this regulation in place, there was a constant influx of shouts from the littluns. “Whee-oh!” “Wacco” “Bong!” “Doink!” (Golding 33)...
In the beginning of the story the airplane that is going to take the boys to a safe place gets shot down and landed in an island. Ralph represents democracy, when he and Piggy find the conch, Piggy suggested “We can use this to call the others. We have a meeting. They’ll come if they hear us” (16). Ralph is being democratic because he is giving them a choice if they want to go or not. He is also fair because he is going to have a meeting to decide what they are going to do. When they get together they decide that they need to have a chief. Roger says “Let’s have a vote” “Him with the conch” “Ralph, Ralph, Ralph” (22). They started to notice that Ralph would be a good leader. They see in him what a chief needs to have, and the conch in his hands means power and authority. They all start talking at the same time and discussing about who has to be chief, the choir boys think that Jack should be the chief but the rest want Ralph to be the chief. “I got the conch” said piggy indignantly “you let me speak” (42). Piggy gets the conch because represents power so the rest of the boys had to let him talk and show respect, Piggy was really intelligent so that helped Ralph be a better leader because he would listen to Piggy and choose what was right.