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William Golding's Lord Of The Flies: Are Humans Good Or Evil?

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Through William Golding’s use of symbolism in the novel Lord Of The Flies and Alan Strudler’s opinion in the article “Are Humans Good or Evil?”, one can see humans are naturally inclined towards bad behaviors. When the hunters go to “[kill] a pig,” they allow the “fire [to] go out,” which reveals the fire’s “irrelevance” to them (Golding 69). The “fire” represents civilization, where humans cooperate and have the motive to do righteous actions. However, when people are isolated from society, the true natures and behaviors of mankind become more apparent. The fire being put out after Jack’s hunters’ departure symbolizes the loss of civilization among the boys, who are forced to adapt and survive in nature. Moreover, the hunters “killed a pig” in triumph and …show more content…

The violent action underscores their inclination toward bad behaviors, a direct consequence of social isolation which is detrimental to the entire group. Therefore, Jack’s group gradually turns into savages due to their diminishing interest in rescue and prioritization in hunting, a personal desire. In support, the article “Are Humans Good or Evil?” portrays a similar scene. If people know donating to Oxfam would “save lives,” people would still not donate because “death at a distance leaves [humans] unfazed,” making humans “in ways like murderers” (Strudler). Humans are naive to the death and hardships of others. When humans have an option to help another's life, they do not take it seriously because people do not understand the impact of their donation. A donation could bring food and joy to a starving person who needs help getting out of their situation. However, people do not understand the joy of the donation receivers, due to the absence of emotional connection with the people in

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In the Roman Empire, England, France, and the Middle East, ever since people have been around, there has always been conflict and fighting. A common theme in war is inhumanity. For example, in World War I mustard gas would produce terrible blisters on soldiers who were exposed to it. Empathy for those suffering young men was not present in those causing the pain.

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During his time in the military during World War II, William Golding, concluded that human beings aren't naturally good but rather have this evil inside of them that they can act upon. We see this throughout the book with all of the boys, but we see it more so with Jack. In chapter 2 Jack states,” I agree with Ralph. We ’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, weren't savages.

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In William Golding’s book titled Lord of the Flies, many young boys stranded on an island are tested on their moral obligations towards one another. Eventually, the child Jack becomes an extremely savage leader and sets out to kill Piggy and Ralph. Adolf Hitler, the ruthless dictator of Nazi Germany during World War II, also succeeds in taking Jewish people’s lives, on a much larger scale. Jack, Hitler and their followers share several similarities, as they all possess unethical mindsets and agreed that murder is acceptable in order to maintain power and fulfill their savage selfish desires. Throughout Lord of the Flies, Jack begins to display more villainous behaviors as he goes against the chief of the island, Ralph.

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“A boy was born in this world with a heart of gold, but the way of the world made his heart turn cold” this is a quote take from the song by the band “Earth Wind and Fire” which is an excellent metaphor for talking about whether humans are born good or evil, to which one might say they are born good or they are born evil others will say they are neither. This brings up an interesting point, some people argue people are usually born neither as when you are born you have no perceived context of good or evil, and the environment on which you are raised will affect your morals and how you live your life, but some people may bring up the argument that out of all the people born in the world at least a small percentage must be born with evil intentions, this brings up an sizable dilemma that the book “Lord of The Fly’s” can answer. The book seems to allure to the answer to that question being evil as evidenced by the way the tribe changes from the beginning to the end, the changes of the two chiefs throughout the novel, and also even the world we live in today. The two tribes in the book lord of the flies is the main conflict of this book.

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“The pig’s head is cut off; a stick is sharpened at both ends and ‘jammed in the crack’ of the earth.” (207) In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, a group of (British) kids find themselves upon an island after a plane accident. Even though the kids do try to survive with each other, one group of kids wanted to set up a rescue fire, and another group of kids desired hunting for survival (because they don’t care about being rescued as much as the other group). This conflicts both of these groups from doing what they want. The kids are then separated, then separate into two civilizations after some time out of civilization.

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In an ideal society, there is order and peace. However, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies displays disturbing pictures of violent rituals and godless figures. As the book progresses, the boys lose themselves and their religious roots become less and less apparent. Golding shows how lack of religion leads to loss of morality and destruction of societies through symbolism of the Devil, references to the Bible, and allusions to ritualistic worship and breaking of the First Commandment.

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In “Lord of the Flies”, William Golding explores the theme of the cruelty of human nature through characterisation and the portrayal of characters. The novel tells of a group of schoolboys that are stranded on a tropical island with no adults. Tensions rise as the leader of the choir Jack Merridew derives into savagery, leading to the death of Simon. Through the novel, Golding successfully shocks the reader of this key event through Jack’s degradation of morals and manipulation of the other boys. On the night of Simon’s death, Golding portrays the boys as violent and animalistic under the control of Jack.

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William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, is about a group of boys who struggle in maintaining a signal fire while stranded on an island. Often, people believe that the fire does not play an important role in the novel, however, the fire is actually much more sophisticated and is able to represent how their connection to society keeps the boys alive. By continuing to believe that the fire represents the boys’ rejection of society, readers will misunderstand Golding’s emphasis on having faith and reliance in society. Throughout the progression of the novel, Golding uses the symbol of fire to represent how the boys’ necessity for societal interventions and actions are important in everyday life. When the fire goes out, it signifies the boys losing their link to civilization and represents when their savage behavior begins to take over.

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Human behaviors are easy to be changed by the experiences and environment. As the time passes by, the changed behaviors can be worse or better than before. However, most people become worse because of the specific experiences in their life time. In Lord of the Flies, the changes of behavior are occurred obviously in the characters of Jack, Roger, and Ralph.

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He writes, "Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in..." (Golding 75), the group chants when they have killed their first pig. In a setting where there are no defined standards to live by, this simple chant discreetly illustrates the savagery that has gradually taken hold inside the community.

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Adele Beleckaite Mrs. Kirkpatrick English 10 Honors - period 2 3/15/23 Is Human Nature Inherently Good or Evil? Is human nature inherently virtuous or vile? What makes human nature turn to savage ways? Why do some choose to be moral while others do not?

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Rousseau, a philosopher who has blessed history with his thinking, once claimed that “Man is born free but everywhere is in chains”, giving the Age of Enlightenment hope that man was not born evil. Like other figures of the Enlightenment, Rousseau understood that humans enter the world good without malicious thought until they undergo life. Similar to the way that people develop morals through life’s trials, William Golding formed his own beliefs through his brutal experiences in war. Golding joined the Royal Navy during World War II and perceived people as innately corrupt. After witnessing death and horrific actions that took place for the sake of power, Golding concluded that evil presents itself in human nature from birth.

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Throughout the novel of Lord of the Flies, William Golding provides a profound insight into human nature. Golding builds on a message that all human beings have natural evil inside them. To emphasize, the innate evil is revealed when there’s lack of civilization. The boys are constantly faced with numerous fears and eventually break up into two different groups. Although the boys believe the beast lives in the jungle, Golding makes it clear that it lurks in their hearts.

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