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Nature Vs Nurture Lord Of The Flies Research

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The nature versus nurture debate centers on the contributions of genetics and environmental factors to human development. Much research and from the book “Lord of the Flies,” both prove that people behave as they do and become who they are based on the way in which they were raised/environment or simply being born the way they are. Jack, in “Lord of the Flies,” and his tribe become more and more violent throughout the book. This leads many to think whether Jack was raised or born a savage. Reflecting on this, research has determined that children’s genetic makeup is determined in many ways by their own experiences in their environment. In “Lord of the Flies,” the author, William Golding, explores the idea that children are born with a natural capacity for good or evil, …show more content…

In chapter 1 of “Lord of the Flies,” Jack starts to show signs of savagery when he becomes obsessed with hunting along with the idea of power. Jack says frustratedly, “‘Next time-!’ He snatched his knife out of the sheath and slammed it into a tree trunk. Next time there will be no mercy” (Golding, 31). Jack gets embarrassed when he can’t defeat a pig during his hunt. At this moment, he feels pressure to prove himself as a talented hunter. This embarrassment heats up his determination to show his skills on the island later on. Equally important, Roger is influenced by Jack’s increasing savagery and desire for power. As Jack becomes more aggressive and dominant, Roger is drawn to his display of authority and starts to exhibit more violent behavior. Jack explained to Roger, “ ‘For hunting. Like in the war of war. You know - dazzle paint. Like things trying to look like something else-!’. Roger understood and nodded gravely” (Golding, 63). Roger’s behavior changes under Jack’s influence as he becomes more violent and aggressive. Roger starts to reveal the cruel and vicious side of

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453 Words | 2 Pages

His obsession with hunting became a symbol of his descent into savagery. The madness came into his eyes again. I thought I might kill.' " This quote captures Jack's growing infatuation with violence and power, marking his shift from a structured, rule-abiding boy to a figure driven by primal instincts. The act of painting his face and the ritualistic hunting dances further detach Jack from the civilized world, symbolizing his embrace of a more barbaric

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384 Words | 2 Pages

Lord of the Flies was an overall “sad’’ book, but it taught about society and how humans act under great pressure. I chose to base this essay off of prompt#2 because even I was confused why these kids acted in such a brutal manor. The author of this book, William Golding blamed this evilness on human nature. He believed humans were naturally evil and just had hatred in their blood. In later parts of this book this selfishness will lead to missed opportunities for these boys.

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644 Words | 3 Pages

Golding stresses,”Jack. . . stabbing downward with his knife. . . Roger [pushing]. . . with his whole weight.

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731 Words | 3 Pages

Golding uses one character named Roger to show that there are those who resort to violence and savagery when laws against violence are not in place. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding is able to portray Roger as a dangerous character early on in the book. When Roger and Maurice disturb the littluns, the reader can sense Roger 's violent mentality. Consider the

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809 Words | 4 Pages

Jack is willing to exploit the littles on the island, showing how the desire for authority can bring about the darker side of human nature. Clearly when Jack describes the pig hunt with “lashings of blood” (69) he implies his aggressive nature. Jack had begun to find enjoyment out of slashing and brutally killing the pigs. The hunts are now not simply for food, but instead for the enjoyment of slaughtering

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1035 Words | 5 Pages

However, this controlling and manipulative side of him has shone through. As the story progresses and we see Jack more, you can start to see the change in him over time. In the third chapter, there are many examples of him being compared to animals, which describes that his hostile side is coming out. The text states, “Then dog-like, uncomfortably on all fours yet unheedily his discomfort, he stole forward five yards and stopped”(48). From this sentence, it is obvious we see his almost savage-like technique when hunting.

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637 Words | 3 Pages

Roger killed “...one pig, with a demented shriek, [as] it rushed into the sea trailing Roger’s spear” (134) then “Roger found a lodgment for his point [...], he began to push [...] with his whole weight (135). Many readers may comprehend that he was just killing the pig for food, but going forward as a reader gets to understand Roger, it was just the author foreshadowing that more violence to is to come from him moving forward. Then when Jack tells Roger to sharpen the spear at both ends, “[Jack] spoke over [Roger’s] shoulder [...] to tell him to sharpen a stick at both ends” (136). This act was another setup from Roger because Roger was to put one end to the ground and Ralph’s severed head on the other end of the spear. Roger’s acts in the middle of the story put lives at a huge risk to their society on the

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404 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel The Lord of the Flies, author William Golding fails to embrace the symbol of innocence children possess. Golding depicts the true nature of children to be violent, selfish, and without instruction deemed dangerous. Golding emphasizes his perspective of adolescents through savagery and inhumane acts done by the children. Golding paints the children within this novel as lacking an understanding of humanity. Golding stripped the boys within the story of true compassion, leading to the boys being reckless.

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1051 Words | 5 Pages

“Often it is not so much the kind of person a man is as the kind of situation in which he finds himself that determines how he will act” (Stanley Milgram, Obedience to Authority). In life there is always a choice to be made, and in most circumstances there is most likely a right and a wrong option to choose from. William Golding addresses this inevitable cycle of life through the youth of society in the novel Lord of the Flies. The children’s constant struggle to choose between right and wrong and for the most part, choosing wrong; has readers of the best-selling novel perceiving its purpose is to expose the embedded evil mankind possess. Furthermore, by using characters as young as 6 years old and seeing them with such bloodlust just a few

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885 Words | 4 Pages

He use his new power that Ralph has given him for hunting. Jack began hunting, and at times felt that he, himself is being hunted. At this point he became afraid, and decides to put on a brave face; by putting pigs blood and mud on his face, so he would not have any remorse when he hurt anyone or anything. “ … But you can feel as if you’re not hunting, but-being hunted; as if some-thing’s behind you all the time in the jungle.” (Golding 53)

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692 Words | 3 Pages

The boy’s mindset diverges in multiple ways throughout the novel. Jack’s identity of savagery is shown when he first is a leader of a choir group but slowly evolves into a hunter. His presence always made him seem angry as he mentions “I cut the pig’s throat” pg. 73, this shows jack is ruthless, just stating cutting the pigs throat specifically truly shows the intentions of a ruthless murder.

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858 Words | 4 Pages

Roger is a character who is evil from the beginning but restricting himself. In the beginning of the novel, when the boys were once civilized, “Roger stooped, picked up a stone, aimed, threw it at Henry-threw it to miss.” (64). Roger hesitates to aim at Henry because of the teachings of society remain in him, but still throws because of his natural cruelty. However, when the society’s rules that constrain the evil within Roger’s human nature cease to exist, the evil will take over him and lead the society to corruption.

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538 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the novel, Lord of the flies, human nature is evaluated by the characters’ actions. In the beginning of the novel, the boys act innocent, they start a democratic society. Driven by Jack and his hunter's desire to feed the population, they lack moral value. With a new sense of thrill, associated with hunting, the boys felt a rush of power, and with this power, they began to inflict pain on others. As a result, Golding believes the nature of man is good but is enticed by evil through the internal conscious.

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816 Words | 4 Pages

These impulses, often sexual, seek to provide pleasure without regard to the cost” (Henningfeld). Jack continuously exhibits such impulses in addition to openly violent ones throughout the novel. At the conclusion of the very first chapter of the novel, he foreshadows his sadistic tendencies when he very nearly kills a pig. Later, he is shown acclimating to his environment (i.e. the forest) and refining his hunting abilities. All of these events lead up to Jack’s eventual split from Ralph’s rule and his complete succumbing to his negative impulses.

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957 Words | 4 Pages

Prior to being stranded on the island, Roger is “conditioned by rational society to avoid hitting the littlun Henry” (“Lord of the Flies”). The struggle between reason and emotion is evident because Roger wants to hurt Henry but remembers what he had learned in his old life, an indication of civilized behavior. However, on the island, Roger is represented as a sadist who is “liberated from shame and self-consciousness” (“Lord of the Flies”) and is “freed...from the ‘taboo of the old life... the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law’ to unleash his savage instincts” (“Lord of the Flies”). Roger’s ferocity is also evident when he is asked to “sharpen a stick at both ends” (171).

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