lord of the flies Essay

Submitted By wilsolivia
Words: 893
Pages: 4
Open Document
Lord of the Flies

The book “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding depicts mankind as bad,

because even though goodness still shines through a person deep inside more seem

greedy, and hostile. I believe humankinds greed takes over them and what really matters

goes to the side as they become more jealous of what their neighbor has. I also believe

that power gets to peoples’ heads because no one really wants to be a follower but some

must be in order for the real leaders to show. In “Lord of the Flies”, Jake one of the main

characters’ fights for power against Ralph for power over the group of boys stranded on

the island, Jake also shows his inner “savage” to get boys to follow him other than Ralph

for uses thinking. The last reason I believe why mankind is bad is what it ends up

teaching to the boys who follow Jake.

The first reason why I believe mankind is more bad is because of the way they

portray how the boys on the island act, to how it’s like in our lives today. Although a not

very older boy still fights for power and refuses to be under another. This boy’s name

is Jack and he is not going to let Ralph take control of his group of the boy’s, as he starts

to resent Ralph. Jake finally giving up listening to Ralph makes his own group and tells

the boy’s “Listen, all of you. Me and my hunters, we’re living along the beach by a flat

rock. We hunt and feast and have fun. If you want to join my tribe come and see us.

Perhaps I’ll let you join. Perhaps not.”, (Golding 140). This is the action of Jake, who

cares more about hunting the pig and finding the beast then getting off the island.

Although his emotions might have got the best of him. Golding is trying to show us how

also convincing people can be. Also how they trick others into following what they’re

saying.

The second reason for my belief that mankind is more bad, then good is that Jake,

the boys’ he now controls become savages and beast of their own. “Faces of white and

red and green rushed out howling, so that the littluns fled screaming. . . The three others

stood still, watching Ralph; and he saw that the tallest of them, stark naked save for the

paint and a belt, was Jake.” The actions they take are attacking everyone not to kill but to

scare as they try to make a point, and Jakes perception is that he is now aware that he can

try to take control to make a new tribe. Golding here shows us that Jake is so obsessed

with power he takes in by force.

My last and final reason is that when it comes down to it in the end that greed and

struggle for power will lead to a loss in something or a failure in something. In this case

the control got so far ahead and the fighting got so out of hand that they lost a dear

innocent friend. “The rock struck piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch

exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. Piggy, saying nothing,

with no time for even a grunt, traveled through the air sideways from the rock, turning

over as went. Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the

sea.
Show More

Related Documents: lord of the flies Essay

Lord Of The Flies

Lord of the Flies Major: Ralph- Ralph is the protagonist of the novel. He is the leader of the group. Responsible- Ralph is responsible for the failures of the group since he is chosen to be the leader. He tries his best on everything that could be done in order to get rescued from the island. Brave- Ralph is brave because he is willing to go on to the mountaintop even though he is scared. He also helps Piggy to get back his glasses and fight gainst the hunters by himself. Jack- Jack is Ralph's…

Words 2392 - Pages 10

Lord Of The Flies

Ruba Osman Mr. Jackson ENG3U November 6th 2014 Knowing one’s evil: William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” Since human conscience began, civilization has been built on law and figures of power. Structured society relies on rules with humans naturally conditioned by their own restrictions, contrasting an unsuccessful barbaric, savage or primitive way of life. With the loss of restraint, there would be no stopping humans descent into madness—with a lack of punishment and order, there is a lack of justice…

Words 1399 - Pages 6

Lord Of The Flies

The boys from “Lord Of the Flies” were stuck on an island and had to help themselves and each other, as there was no adult with them to lay down rules. By being by themselves someone had to set rules but these rules helped at the start when they were co-operating as it progresses the boys become wild and do whatever they want. At the start Piggy found the conch and this helped them to keep their assembly’s, also whoever had hold of the conch had the power to talk. These boys had lots of discipline…

Words 788 - Pages 4

Lord Of The Flies

How does Golding portray his ideas in the Lord of the flies? Golding portrays the disagreement between the two boys from the start of the book, during the time when they dispute between who should become the leader, which creates a small anecdote of the smaller world that we have today in society. The beginning of chapter 3 starts with Golding hinting to us that the boys are starting to become less civilised, and becoming more savage, as for Jack, “eyes in this frustration seemed bolting and nearly…

Words 754 - Pages 4

Lord Of The Flies

A running theme in Lord of the Flies is that man is savage at heart, always ultimately reverting back to an evil and primitive nature. The cycle of man's rise to power, or righteousness, and his inevitable fall from grace is an important point that book proves again and again, often comparing man with characters from the Bible to give a more vivid picture of his descent. Lord Of The Flies symbolizes this fall in different manners, ranging from the illustration of the mentality of actual primitive…

Words 374 - Pages 2

Lord Of The Flies

There are those who believe that people are essentially evil. In William Golding's novel Lord Of The Flies, he explores the idea that, even if given a beautiful, untouched island paradise, a group of innocent children would destroy both themselves and their environment. By examining how a group of young, innocent boys are placed on an island paradise but are gradually reduced to savagery, the reader can witness Golding’s view of man. Golding’s novel teaches that, if given the opportunity , people…

Words 562 - Pages 3

Lord Of The Flies

In the novel The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the boys turn from well behaved British schoolboys into savages. There are many things that cause this, like the boy's fear, their young ages, and their hunger, but the biggest cause of the boys turning into savages is Jack Merridew. Jack doesn't care about other people, thinks that he is better than everyone else, and thinks that he is always right and loves violence and bloodshed. After Jack leaves and starts his own tribe, Ralph and Piggy…

Words 402 - Pages 2

Lord Of The Flies

Lord of the Flies In Lord of the Flies the boys are stripped of the boundaries that civilization and society bring and savagery takes over while the evil inside each boy is unleashed. Through the deaths of Piggy and Simon, it becomes obvious that there is no more intellect and morality on the island, and savagery has become more prominent and stronger than civilization. In Simon’s death we see that the boys were so focused on hunting, and killing is second nature to them as they murder Simon thinking…

Words 942 - Pages 4

Lord Of The Flies Themes

books need a theme to help build onto the plot of the book. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies has many themes that help grow the plot and make the book more interesting. From themes such as loss of innocence to civilization versus savagery, Lord of the Flies contains a numerous amounts of themes that are shown throughout the book by the various symbolic characters and objects. One of the major themes of Lord of the Flies is civilization versus savagery. Jack represents savagery while Ralph and Piggy…

Words 466 - Pages 2

Lord Of The Flies Essay

Hadrian Burton Mr. Martinez English 2 5/8/15 Lord of The Flies Essay Crash! Suddenly the peaceful field trip you were having with your school has become a scramble for survival when the plane you were in has to make an emergency crash landing in a remote area. The Pilot and chaperones at the front of the plane are dead leaving only you and a large hand full of other students that you don't know alive. The boys in the book Lord of The Flies face a similar situation when the plane they were on to…

Words 916 - Pages 4