William Goldling's Lord Of The Flies Argumentative Essay

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William Goldling’s Lord of the Flies (1954) is an allegorical novel that employs the realities of our society and human nature. The story takes place on a deserted island where a group of schoolboys, including Ralph, the protagonist, who survived a plane attack, build a society in order to survive and get rescued. Although its context is controversial due to its brutal violence and disturbing ideas presented by children, it is still studied by many people and schools due to its deep exploration of humans and the way of life in society. The society built by the boys in Lord of the Flies gradually changes its form from peace to violence due to its barbaric environment and the use of violence to control people and control fear. The uncivilized …show more content…

The society Ralph built in the beginning was similar to that; Ralph became the leader by a democratic vote, gave people orders on what to do, and moved as a group in order to survive and get rescued. However, this form of society was established when people’s basic needs were assured and there were adults to obey, so in the boys’ situation, where everyone was worried if they could survive or not, the system disintegrated quickly. They prioritized hunting, gathering food, and satisfying immediate desires over the big goal, which is to get rescued and maintain a civilized society. This is seen earlier in the book where Jack, the mean leader of the boys’ chorus group, let out the fire signal while being too focused on hunting the pig. The presence of wild fear is also a big factor in why Ralph’s peaceful society didn’t last long. The boys, who had rarely used any violence before, became savage as violence became normalized and justified in their lifestyle. As they went hunting using …show more content…

Ralph was the leader of the whole tribe; however, after the hunting, Jack’s leadership gradually became stronger than Ralph's. Jack’s leadership style relies heavily on fear and violence. While Ralph led the group with cooperation and agreement, Jack dominated the group through intimidation and coercion. He exaggerates and uses the fear of the beastie to control the group, solidifying his power and position. He punishes those who fail, making not only the victim but also the people around them follow him. Because fear is contagious, and the more people there are, the greater the fear, most of the boys on the island will be on Jack’s side at the end of the story. Anyone who went against Jack, or anyone who threatened Jack’s position in power, was silenced. Piggy’s death is a perfect example of this. Piggy was intelligent and tried to figure out a way to bring everyone together peacefully, but was silenced by Jack and his crew. Piggy was often not treated properly, not just because of Jack’s selfish behavior but also because of human nature's tendency to look down on people based on their appearance and other superficial qualities. The boys joined Jack's side not only because they were scared of being attacked, but also because of the fear of exclusion. The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology states that “humans have a fundamental need to form

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