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Democracy In Lord Of The Flies

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In the novel the Lord Of The Flies written by William Golding the role of government changes throughout the book because Democracy is a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections (Merriam Webster.com). In the Lord Of The Flies democracy occurred in the beginning of the book when Ralph was elected as chief because they all voted for him to become chief (Golding, 19) that's how Golding represents the act of democracy. Ralph as a character represents democracy because firstly he tries to give everyone a voice and opinion when he used the conch as an act of civilization as well. Ralph also tries to …show more content…

Jack represents dictatorship which is a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator or a small clique (Merriam Webster.com). Dictators usually just boss people around and behave as if they are powerful than everyone else and belittle everyone around them.(Enotes, 2016) Dictators are also very selfish and an example of Jack being selfish was when he says to the boys that “I ought to be chief,’ with simple arrogance, ‘because i’m chapter chorister and head boy” (Golding 18). So here he tries to demand that he should be chief because he has the advantage of being chorister and head boy. Jack also doesnt care about others just which relates to a dictator because he hurts Piggy both verbally and physically when he calls him fat “Shut up, Fatty,’(Golding 17), and physically when he snatched his glasses off his face “Jack pointed suddenly. “His specs–use them as burning glasses!” Piggy was surrounded before he could back away. “Here–let me go!” His voice rose to a shriek of terror as Jack snatched the glasses off his face” (Golding 38). He also shows a violent side when he suggests that they use a littlun to reenact the pig hunt (Golding 126). Jack threatens Samneric to join his tribe and obey him because they were afraid of the consequences (Golding 202). (Enotes,2016). Regardless of Jack's character trait and the evil he portrays he fulfilled promises unlike Ralph because he said that he would provide food (meat) from the beginning and he did keep that promise unlike Ralph so that is the one of the reasons that lead to anarchy. But was the location also not fit for

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In the book, The Lord of the Flies, the boys’ are unable to establish a successful government that is led by an absolute monarch and incorporates a strong justice system. The novel illustrates a simple scenario that highlights the consequences of an ineffective government. With a society similar to the stranded boys, modern day governments are bound to fall into destruction and death if a sovereign leader and a fair and equal justice system aren’t

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Jack represents the corruption a thirst for power can easily influence on a person, the island turns him into a confident, jealous, violent, and manipulative tyrant. Of course Jack doesn’t necessarily start off as a the monstrous image the book paints him in. In fact, in the

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Jack stood over him. His voice was vicious with humiliation. … and Jack smacked Piggy’s head. Piggy’s glasses flew off … ” (Golding 71).

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Jack has always been a natural-born leader, in the beginning, he was in control of the hunters and thought he would be elected chief. But since Ralph had the conch he didn’t become chief so ever since then Jack has tried to do things that a chief would do he wasn’t allowed because he wasn’t the chief. For example, “Jack stood up, scowling in gloom and held out his hands… But you’ve talked and talked… Jack sat down grumbling”(Golding 81-82).

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Even though Ralph and Jack managed to cooperate, Jack held that little grudge of being chief against Ralph which is also what fueled his hatred for Ralph more. By building up this hatred, he “All at once the crowd swayed toward the island and was gone-following Jack. … Ralph was

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In the beginning, Jack came off as a little bit cocky, and he wanted to be the leader of everything. "I ought to be chief," said Jack with simple arrogance, "because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp." (Golding 24) He came off as stuck up, bratty, and overall a mean person.

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Piggy is fat, brilliant, lacking in social graces, and wears glasses, in other words the outsider on this island. Due to Piggy being such an foreigner, Jack feels that he is above Piggy, and feels better when he causes Piggy pain and sorrow. For example, “‘You’re talking too much,’ said Jack Merridew. ‘Shut up Fatty,’” (21). In this scene you can see power in Piggy’s lack thereof.

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Part of Piggy’s appearance is his glasses, and they constantly get Piggy harassed or bullied, Without the aid of his glasses, Piggy is practically blind, and as a metaphorical aspect, Golding tries to tell us that Piggy is blind to the word if he isn’t wearing his glasses. When Jack constantly hits Piggy and ends up cracking the lenses of the glasses, Jack is breaking apart of Piggy; Jack is taking parts of Piggy and shattering them, making it almost impossible for Piggy to see what is going on around him. In another perspective, Piggy uses his glasses almost as a safety net, relying on them to help him survive and get through the rough times. When the boys realize this, they start taking his glasses from him to light the fire without even asking for Piggy’s permission, Jack starts slapping Piggy which breaks the glasses and causes Piggy to

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Democratic power can be used to control a society, as well as establish a closeness as civilians. To lose sight of this can mean the corruption of a civilization caused by the lack of order. One’s choice of independence in order to better the chances of their survival requires complete dedication and willingness to risk. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Ralph loses his democratic power due to his failure to ensure survival and protect the boys as a leader. Ralph’s failure to lead the group is due to his initial and chronic independence and inability to compete with Jack’s followers, accounted for mainly by fear.

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Jack says that he is unwilling to be a part of Ralph’s group any longer. This goes to show that he has left the civilized part of him behind in favor of his savage side. If Jack had stayed with the civilized boys, then the two groups would still be as one and the conflict between the Jack and Ralph would not have reached the high peaking point of which it

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The oppressive leader in Lord of the Flies is the antagonist, Jack. Jack is not only oppressive, but incredibly authoritarian. When Ralph won the leader position, Jack “ took command of the hunters, the forces of naked power. “We'll have rules!” he cried excitedly.

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In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph and Jack compete to have the title of chief, this illustrates Golding's message that in society dictatorship can be more successful than democracy. Characters in this novel resemble people in WWII. Jack is a symbol of dictatorship and Ralph is a symbol of democracy. Though in the beginning of the novel Ralph had control, Jacks dictatorship caused him to take total control. Between the two boys Jack is the more successful leader.

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But, as the story continues, the freedom the island has gets into Jack's mind and causes him to becomes power-hungry, evil and savage. His hunger for power starts off small with comments he makes like this one he says in the beginning of the book, "I ought to be chief, because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp" (chapter 8 page 21). But the hunger for power gets out of control and he

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Lastly, Jack is known as the rebel of the story who disagrees with the leaders, and is pure evil from middle to end. Although Jack is evil, his bad character trait ensures his survival and alliance with the boys. The first example of when Jack’s evilness is shown in the story is when Jack hunts the pig and puts its head on a stick, the line says “ Jack held the head up and jammed the soft throat down on the pointed end of the stick which pierced through into the mouth. He stood back and the head hung there, a little blood dribbling down the stick” ( Golding, 150). This shows Jack’s evilness because instead of fearing the beast he is offering him the head of the pig that he just brutally murdered.

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In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Golding attempts to compare and contrast two opposite strategies of control. Golding portrays that while Ralph and Piggy’s government may have been a morally sound solution, the boys chaos is too strong to be controlled by a democracy. It must be controlled by a feared dictator. While the idea of democracy, represented by the conch, is a pure concept and can provide an equal opportunity for all of the boys on the island, the animalistic need for power and chaos that controls the boys can only be reined in by a powerful dictatorship. Democracy on the island could have provided an equal opportunity for all the boys on the island.

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