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How Does Golding Present The Power In Lord Of The Flies

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Dictators and humans throughout history have sustained their reign of terror through fear and violence. These people are influenced by power, and this brings them to little to no regard for innocence. Their control has left many stories to tell throughout history and leads many authors and scholars to question and criticize human morals and their patterns. Throughout Lord of the Flies, Golding implies that human nature is easily swayed into evil by the temptations of power and conveys this through the imagery of savagery and violence, much like other events in history and literature. Golding presents human nature as easily swayed by outside influences and desires, such as power and violence. When the boys initially get stranded on the …show more content…

Orwell makes it a point throughout his novel to use allegories to prove that ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely. Napoleon’s rise to power led to the destruction of morals, previous rules originally set in place, and violence and terror. His motives are clouded by desire, and his character is formed by the human characteristics of selfish needs and yearning for power or a feeling of control. His change to the tyrannical ruling of Animal Farm, an allegory for the Soviet Union, is represented by the Commandments. These commandments are set in place by Old Major, who has these beliefs because of humans, which are are inherently evil and cruel. The irony in this is when Napoleon is tempted by power, he becomes just like the corrupted humans. By the end of the novel, only one commandment remains: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” (Orwell 112). The original commandment, stating that all animals are equal, being changed to this goes back to a theme of personalized power, and the desire for control. Napoleon ends up intensifying the violence and cruelty, simply because he knows that he will get away with it. The animals are unable to fight back against the control and reign of their dictator, and he uses the power of fear, and the use of a scapegoat to ensure that his corrupt views are held in place. This is like Jack in Lord of the Flies, with his tactics of manipulation and fear to ensure the boys are on his side, turning them against Ralph, and the haunting reminders of the “beast.” Both leaders are corrupt and are unable to resist the temptation of power, and the violence that ensures their constant

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935 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding a group of boys becomes stranded on an island after a plane crash. With no adults with them, they have to learn how to survive on the island through themselves. Things get out of hand however when there becomes a greater greed for power rather than civilization. Conflict results and power changes through the duration of them being on the island. Throughout the novel we can interpret that, Golding sees power gained, used, and justified when the mentality of the boys shift while the power from Ralph to Jack shifts as well.

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1099 Words | 5 Pages

The arrival of a naval officer, who rescues the boys, starkly contrasts the boys' descent into savagery with the expectations of civilized society. The boys' return to civilization is marked by a profound sense of loss and a recognition of the darkness within themselves. Golding's novel serves as a powerful commentary on the fragility of civilization and the inherent darkness in human nature. " Lord of the Flies" ultimately warns of the destructive potential of external influences and the importance of maintaining moral integrity in the face of adversity.

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At first, Jack's desire for power was subtle, but as he became more consumed with the idea, his actions became more aggressive and violent. This caused a rift between him and Ralph, who was initially elected as the leader. The rest of the boys were caught in the middle of this struggle, and they had to choose which side to align themselves with. Jack's influence over some of the boys, combined with his aggressive tactics, led to the breakdown of the democratic system and the emergence of a brutal dictatorship. This resulted in chaos, fear, and violence among the boys, and it ultimately led to the loss of their innocence and their descent into savagery.

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1085 Words | 5 Pages

While there is a big struggle between civilization and savagery, the big question is: what dominates the human mind? Though people naturally think differently, the crowd tends to follow the more substantial group. Opposites create war mentally and physically, especially when it comes to disorder and order, and the sole fact that children are the ones choosing between sides. In the storyline, some see that there is hope for good in being saved, such as Piggy and Ralph. The contrasting opponent visualises creating his own world while manipulating the followers into believing there's good from his side, which is Jack, who follows his mission to be leader.

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767 Words | 4 Pages

Thesis Statement: In Lord of the Flies William Golding throughout the book is trying to show you that society should recognize man is evil. Introduction Paragraph: In the book Lord of the Flies the author William Golding shows a group of boys losing their innocence throughout their life stuck on this inhabited island in the pacific ocean. These boys go from being quiet and shy to violent and dangerous young little boys. Golding uses the pigs, hunting, and the boys face painting to show their lose of innocence throughout the story. There 's no rules of any sort on this island these boys landed on they are free to do whatever they want whenever they want.

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1050 Words | 5 Pages

Golding believed that in the same way that bees are mindlessly driven by their instinct to make honey, humans’ basic instincts are rooted in evil. Growing up, Golding was a victim of abusive outbursts, which later led him to engage in violence himself. In the Lord of the Flies, he redescribes his feelings of bloodlust during the mock pig hunt, in which the boys in the novel brutally beat Robert. During his service as a naval officer, Golding witnessed the atrocities of war and realized the evil within man that allowed him ruthlessly kill. In conclusion, Golding incorporated his opinion on humanity, which was greatly influenced by his own life events, into the Lord of the Flies through the novel’s theme that humans are inherently

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1480 Words | 6 Pages

In Lord of the Flies, Jack, like Hitler, becomes a dictator and starts to take control over the boys” (Okuhata, 13). In conclusion, William Golding's estimate is quite accurate as it draws the connection between the power struggles among the leaders and the evil side of each. When Golding states that man's capacity for greed, cruelty, and selfishness is hidden behind a kind of political pants, he ensures that his readers understand that titles and authority are obtained through underhanded games that scare people (Golding, UCLA, 86-87). After all, a system that does not take into account the interest of the people will never work, because it merely exists to satisfy the leader or

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945 Words | 4 Pages

In Animal Farm, George Orwell warns how power will often lead to corruption. Napoleon was placed in a position of power after Major died, and he slowly starts to lavish in his power and become addicted to the lush life of a dictator. When Napoleon first becomes a leader, he expresses how everyone will work equally, but as his reign goes on, he shortens the work hours. At the very end of the novel, the observing animals even start to see that pig and man had become the same. The irony present in the above example, illuminates how regardless of how much a ruler promises to maintain equality and fairness, the position of power that they hold, will corrupt them.

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1424 Words | 6 Pages

Golding illustrates the boys' loss of identity due to their focus on survival rather

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797 Words | 4 Pages

Human Nature Many people believe that humans are born naturally evil, but this is not the case. Throughout the novel Lord of the Flies, the boys on the island start out sane and innocent. As time progresses, they start to become influenced by the society they have created, their loss of morality, and the chaos that ensues when the boys conflict with each other. In Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, he portrays human nature as evil when influenced by society and when faced with power. This is proven by the malicious actions of the boys on the island and the loss of control throughout the book.

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684 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel Lord of the Flies, author William Golding explores the topic of human nature, as well as its impact on people and society. Golding portrays this through a story, a story in which a group of British school-boys are stranded on a lone island, trying to survive by any means until they are rescued. During this period of time, the boys grow savage, Golding begins to reveal the inherent evil that exists within humans, the struggles we face between being civilized and primal savages, as well as the environment which can cause these instincts to show. Golding emphasizes the innate darkness and savagery inside individuals from the start of the story.

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1319 Words | 6 Pages

This mob mentality leads them to their own destruction as they hunt and see the "beast" as they run around like savages. They don 't listen to reason as fear of the beast consumes them. The school boys are imperfect and an example of human nature. They play and have fun like boys do, but the darkness comes out to play when they worry about their survival. It 's survival of the fittest all over again.

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775 Words | 4 Pages

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton) This quote is telling us that when people get into roles of absolute power they tend to become corrupt, as a result of that power. This quote can be applied to Napoleon from the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, because at the beginning of the novel Old Major’s words inspired Napoleon. As a result, he believed that humans were evil for forcing animals to work for them and that animals should be able to live freely, not under anyone’s control; however, as the story progresses his belief changed and the animals did not get to live their utopian dream. At the start Napoleon and the other pigs strongly believed that all animals were equal and had the right to live in a place that took care of their well being.

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717 Words | 3 Pages

This theme is demonstrated by the animals, they have different thoughts about Napoleon from when he was murdering the animals just for having different ideas about him and other things. The theme “Not everybody is equal; some people believe that they are more superior than others” is shown throughout the book, but in different ways. In the beginning of the book after the animals rebelled they created a version of the seven commandments to fit their needs. On page forty-three the seventh commandment states, “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL” but by the end of the book on page one hundred thirty-three the seven commandments are now one commandment, “ALL

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1118 Words | 5 Pages

Originally, the commandments were made to create ‘fairness’ and ‘equality’ among the comrades. However, the novel reveals how “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others” (Orwell, page 134) through the commandments, as Napoleon uses his skillful rhetoric to get away with breaking the very commandments that every animals are suppose to follow, while the other animals are punished for not doing so. For example, in chapter 8 when the pigs purchase a brewery to to produce and later drink the alcohol, even though the fifth commandment says “no animals shall drink alcohol” (Orwell, page 25), which shows that the pigs are hypocrites. Thus, the novel shows the difference in intelligence between the animals that made it easy for Napoleon to manipulate and make them obey

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