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Argumentative Essay On Lord Of The Flies

1410 Words6 Pages

Valeria Kiggundu
Mrs.Osgood
Honors English 10
16 June 2023
Power: Friend or Foe?
Why do some people believe that having power gives them the right to control their lives? In the book Lord of the Flies, William Golding expresses this through a group of boys stranded on an island. With no civilization, no communication, and only faith and survival instincts, this ultimately led the protagonist Ralph to assume the role of leader and look out for boys. Personal power refers to the ability to stay present with and control one’s thoughts and behaviors. Robert W. Firestone, in his article ‘Personal Power,’ discusses the concept of personal power, explaining that those who understand the dynamics of personal power are better able to manage their …show more content…

Power, when used responsibly and with strong leadership qualities, can be a valuable tool for enforcing rules, solving problems, and achieving common goals as a group.
The responsible use of power can be a valuable resource for creating and enforcing rules and regulations, as demonstrated by Golding's Lord of the Flies. Power is closely associated with consequences and rules; by having laws and regulations that must be followed, Ralph is able to bring authority and structure to the island, thereby protecting the members of society's rights and welfare. He states, 'Fire on the mountain!' said Ralph. "I'll give the signal...Keep the fire burning’(Golding 53). As a result, Ralph is portrayed as an instrument of power among the boys, as he is able to influence their decisions, in this case building a signal fire on the mountain to try and attract the attention of any passing ships, as well as using a conch to let them know who is speaking and …show more content…

In addition to the article Power Of Influence written by Alex Lickerman, finding a way for both parties to meet in the middle. Throughout the novel, readers can observe how the responsible use of power by Ralph and Piggy lead to the development of a civilized society, while Jack's power-hungry and oppressive regimes prove disastrous. Similarly, Firestone's findings emphasize the importance of the ethical use of power due to its immense influence on goals, decisions, relationships, and overall success locking in the idea that integrity and humility, not greed, are vital to responsible leadership. In addition to addressing the common abuse of power, it is still possible to find a common ground between the two, offering a solution that benefits both parties. Overall, it is evident that power, although a powerful tool, should be used thoughtfully and wisely, with a focus on building bridges rather than burning

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Isolation can make a respectable leader into a discounted survivor: the trans transformation of Ralph. William Golding’s book “Lord of the Flies,” tells the story of young boys finding themselves alone on an isolated island, the events that occur on the island slowly change each boy in different ways. As the boys keep finding themselves in challenging situations, Ralph undergoes many changes throughout the novel. These changes include his way of leadership, priorities to survive, and mental state.

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One boy, Ralph was unwillingly thrust into power because of his attractiveness and easy-going personality, while a power hungry, cunning boy named Jack strives to rule them all. Power is an important concept in this novel as it causes most events to take place, such as it does in the world we live in. It causes wars, arguments, laws, and revolutions, but when the right

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Powerful or Powerless The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding is an interesting novel that shows many different circumstances that happen to civilization, for better or for worse, through the actions of children. Ralph, the main character, and Piggy open up the novel, strolling through the woods on this island that they have been stranded on after surviving a horrible plane crash. From their knowledge, there were no adults that survived the crash, but there were other boys on the island that they had yet to meet. By coincidence, they found a perfect conch shell in a pond nearby, and they summoned up their first meeting where Ralph and Piggy met Jack, a character that thinks he is born to be the leader and doesn’t care what anybody else thinks about it.

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The desire for power is one of the strongest human drives. In Lord of The Flies by William Golding there is a constant struggle for power between the main characters, Ralph, Jack, and Piggy. Ralph has power because he was voted chief and uses his power in an ugly way. Jack is struggling to get out of Ralph's power and gain his own power. The boys’ struggle for power is an ugly struggle and the author uses this to demonstrate the ugly struggle for power that is human nature.

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In Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows the progression of absolute power, and how ambition can take over one's mind. Stranded on an island after their plane crashed, the boys create their own democracy with one absolute ruler, just like many other governments throughout history. The boys voted Ralph as their ruler, but Jack slowly starts to take some of Ralph’s power, and eventually usurps him as their chief. Lord of the Flies suggests that absolute power is corrupt, and that humans are overly ambitious in wanting to take power from the person who has the most of it. Just like any large group of people, the boys decide that they “ought to have a chief to decide things” (Golding 22).

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