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Comparing Beowulf And Lord Of The Flies

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“If life is a battle, then my inner scars are medals for valor, for swiftness, for courage, for passion. Evil is the dark haired brother of Good; they walk hand in hand -- always..” -Storm Constantine
We all know there’s a difference between good and evil. The real question is, how do we differentiate between the different types of each evil? Is evil borned within the human spirit, or is it encouraged by one’s setting? And how does each author incorporate certain types of evil? In both pieces of literature fighting and battle was a main focus, the poem Beowulf describes the evil that is influenced by external sources, while the novel Lord of the Flies demonstrates the natural born evil in the human spirit.
The great poem Beowulf focuses …show more content…

Yes, their unusual setting has an influence on their behavior. But no, that is not the main trigger for their savagery. After days stranded on a deserted island the group of boys suddenly get overwhelmed with their thirst for the death of the infamous beast that they end up murdering one of their own (Golding). This frenzy depicts the inner evil in each of the boys because none of them had the ability to stop themselves from committing a crime. The were so caught up in the chant, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (Golding 152) that they didn’t care that the “beast” they were stabbing, biting, and clawing at was actually one of their own people. Clearly, someone with self-control, someone like Beowulf, would not be caught shouting this mindless chant and acting in this manner. The boys, however, were so caught up in the moment that they were unable to contain the evil that was hiding in the depths within them. Their savage behavior was never gone, it was simply being pushed back, until one night they finally snapped. It is hinted throughout the book that “the beast” was actually inside of all of them, “Maybe there is a beast...What I mean is... maybe it’s only us” (Golding 89). Towards the end of the novel the sense of civilization is stripped away and many of them adjust themselves to the idea that murder is a pastime instead of realizing the severity of their

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Most of them turned to this savage figure by having this idea of a beast put into their minds. They aren’t sure what could be lurking in the terrain of the island. The boys want to be able to protect themselves and most of them transform into savages. With this fear in them they did indescribable actions. They killed an innocent boy because they were afraid of something that might not even be real.

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At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore” (Golding 153). In describing several verbs, the fast-paced intensity of the scene can be better comprehended. The fact that the boys attacked Simon without giving thought to the fact that it may not be the beast further depicts the savage nature of humanity. Golding brings to light that savagery is not always voluntary, but can also be impulsive, contributing further evidence supporting his theory of savagery in human

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Beowulf the Epic: A three part poem written in near Omnipotentness, jumping from year to year, and character to character. It is about a man, if you can call him a man, with superhuman strength, with the ability to swim for eight days straight, breathe underwater, and to contest with nightmarish monsters in hand-to-hand combat. Just to name a few. He, notably, combats Grendel; a spawn of Cain himself. Grendel’s mother, who tries to avenge her son’s death.

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It is shocking how quickly people can change from being calm to becoming savages. In Lord of the Flies, a plane crashed and some schoolboys got stranded on an island where they have to survive on their own but end up failing and become savages. Chapter 9 concluded with having Simon go out to find the beast and discovers there is none; on his way back everybody is dancing in the rain and eating meat, but when they see this figure coming down, they think it’s the beast so they end up killing the it, which was actually Simon. Therefore, the events above connect to the theme due to the cause of fear that got inside of them once they saw a dark figure and turned them into bloodthirsty savages.

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They soon adapt, and learn the ways of the island. They find out how to make fires, and build shelters. Yet as the days go by, they quickly learn about a mysterious beast lurking nearby. Soon their natural instincts change. Golding suggests that violence is overwhelming because makes you act peculiarly different when you usually wouldn’t, as shown through the beast.

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It is shocking how quickly people can change from being good to becoming savages. In Lord of the Flies, a plane crashed and some schoolboys got stranded on an island where they have to survive on their own but end up failing and become savages. Chapter 9 concluded with having Simon go out to find the beast and discovers there is no beast; on his way back everybody is dancing in the rain and eating meat, but when they see this figure coming down, they think it’s the beast so they end up killing the beast, which was actually Simon. From the events above, they connect to the theme because fear got inside of them once they saw a dark figure and turned them into bloodthirsty savages.

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The first reason I think the boys savage and immoral behavior is based on biology. I said that because there was no adults to guide them. And, that led them to go crazy simply because there was rule or authority there. I can support my reason from the article “ Why boys become vicious”. It shows kids

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Violence is prevalent throughout the novel. Immediately after losing the ‘election’, Jack, who later becomes the leader of the savages, or Lord of the Flies, goes hunting for a pig. Giving us a taste of his wicked side, he declares “You cut a pig’s throat to let the blood out” (Golding 31). After failing to kill the pig the author makes it a sense to wickedly declare that next time he will not hesitate to kill one. Following the splitting of the tribes, a boy comes running down to the beach to inform the other boys that the ‘Beast’ is not real; upon arriving, Jack declares that the Beast has taken this boy over and orders his ‘flies’ to “Kill the beast!

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