Lord Of The Flies Argumentative Essay

Tabula Rasa, which means to begin with a clean slate, is a theory philosopher John Locke believed in. Locke believed that the human mind begins as a blank slate, and people’s upbringings and experiences determine their moral compasses (Cherry). This idea can be referred to as nurture, which has been studied for centuries. In the book, Lord of the Flies, the author William Golding expresses this idea of nurturing through the characters. Kendra Cherry, a psychology educator, explores the same idea in her article, “The Nature vs. Nurture Debate”. Golding uses two characters, Jack and Roger, to display how the boys’ upbringings affect their lives on the island. Cherry similarly uses her text to show how life experiences and upbringings affect peoples’

One factor that influences a person’s behavior is the experiences they go through. Psychology educator Kendra Cherry agrees, stating, “Certain life experiences can also influence mental illness development, such as witnessing a traumatic event, leading to the development of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Cherry).” Being raised in a certain environment or after experiencing a traumatic event can affect the brain. A person’s mental health can reflect on their behavior. In Golding’s book Lord of the Flies, Roger, one of the boys, demonstrates this when Golding explains, “Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he (Roger) dare not to throw. Here, invisible yet strong, taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law.” (Golding 62). Growing up, it can be assumed that Roger was a troublemaker. However, the adults around him seem to have kept him in check. The grownups nurtured him into knowing when to stop, and in this case, where to not throw rocks. Roger was affected by his adult peers, in a way that kept him from harming

The “littluns”, which are the younger boys, in Golding’s Lord of the Flies demonstrates this “monkey see monkey do” theory perfectly. When Golding explains, “Some of the littles started with a ring of their own and the complementary circles went round and round as though repetition would achieve safety itself. (Golding 152).” It shows this theory in action. While the older boys made a circle and started singing and dancing crazily, the little boys saw and therefore did the same. Both the children with the dolls and the boys in Lord of the Flies execute the theory of nurture; children copy the actions of older people they observe from the point of conception to death, the environment around a person shapes them throughout their lifetime. The experiences a human goes through can determine their personality and behaviors. Watching someone, and learning from them, can help shape their actions and the way they behave. The reader of the book, Lord of the Flies, is able to see this through the way Golding describes his