In contemporary society, people are capable to become violent regardless of where they come from or where they stand in society. Anyone is susceptible to violence. Societies are characterized by people living together in a more or less ordered community. The human mind is characterized by its ability to control one’s actions and thoughts. However, such control can vanish if encountered with situations that are extraordinarily stressful.
Debate often rages on about what constitutes “extremist” ideas and behaviors and how these ideas tend to spread. Despite this, ask anyone to give you an example or define the term, and they are quite likely to tell you something along the lines of “Islamic terrorist organizations”, immediately classifying an entire religion under the extremist umbrella, or “white supremacist groups” politicizing the issue and jumping past a critical point. What is this idea that people so quickly skip over, in favor of the cliché examples previously mentioned? -- The idea that one does not need to look far beyond their community, or magnify the issue to a global scale in order to find examples -- real, and potentially dangerous examples of extremist ideology
In the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, one of the main characters, Jack, struggles to get along with Ralph, the leader of the group of boys on the island. Jack constantly challenges Ralph’s authority and only cares about hunting food for himself. Not only does Jack challenge Ralph’s authority, but he also decides to take the fire for himself without regarding anyone else. Rather than compromising with Ralph about who gets the fire, Jack takes it for himself. According to Freud’s Theory of Personality, Jack’s actions are motivated by his id as shown by his lack of caring about the rules and the other boys on the island.
Witness behavior had a large effect on the actions of the boy in the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding. There are many instances throughout the book that lead to the findings of John Darley and Bibb Latane experiments. For example, when all the boys choose Piggy as their target, that was social influence pushing them into becoming a bystander. Many of the situations the boys face are impacted by social influence or diffusion of responsibility. It is through these effects that the boys change, and react in ways they never would have, if not for the influence and diffusion around them .
The novel of Lord of the Flies uses the regression of main characters to show savagery and primitive human nature. This can perhaps best be seen in the development of Jack. During the first voyage into the jungle, he is unable to kill the pig with his knife; [Jack] raised his arm in the air. There came a pause, a hiatus… The pause was only long enough for them to understand what enormity the downward stroke would be; by the end of the book he is hunting human quarry.
Imagine a world without laws. Everybody could do whatever they wanted to with any consequences for their actions. Maybe to some it would sound fun. Others it would sound like complete chaos. This kind of world is shown in William Golding The Lord of the Flies.
Lord of the Flies is a passage into the very existence of humanity. The very last part of the book is full of rage and violence. The violence could be blamed on the lack of vital nutrients the boys where facing but more likely the motives of Jack and his party is related to the emotional impact of their stay on the island. The impact of the island and lack of adults lent to the overall outcome of their stay. Starting out the group of boys were scattered around the island and in tiny huddles of boys.
Evil has always been evident, throughout the history of man examples of evil are apparent, so why would our literature be any different? Written in 1959 William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies is no different, as its theme explores the natural evils of man through the plot. The book tells of the events that occur after a group of young boys are marooned on an island, the main characters Ralph, Jack, Piggy, and Simon, grapple with finding food and water while they struggle with the return of more animalistic instincts without the guiding hand of civilization. The intrinsic evil and unavoidable sins of man are are exposed through William Golding’s characterization and overlying themes in Lord of the Flies. Man as an individual carries evil
In the novel, Lord of The Flies, author William Golding tells the tragic and profound story of a group of boys stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashed and mysteriously disappeared during the 1940’s. By repeatedly showing the boys lust for power and disregard for others when fighting for the conch and control of the island, Golding suggests that selfishness leads to the downfall of relationships and society. Selfishness is one of the main themes throughout the story, though it mainly surrounds Jack and Ralph. Jack wants to be chief; he promises fun and full stomachs. Ralph wants to be leader; he promises order and rescue.
The American dream is a shifting concept, not always clear, almost never constant. It has meant many things over the years of this country’s existence: wealth, power, hard work, happiness. But no matter what it seems to be, the American dream has always been about the underdog. Dating back to our unlikely success in the revolutionary war, Americans have always integrated that pride of improbable success into our culture, but few have ever stopped to ask whether or not the underdog is always the one we should be supporting. Golding gives a prime example of this when he shows the fear Ralph has of the tribe that threatens him in the later chapters, all culminating in a man hunt.
The desire for power is one of the strongest human drives. In Lord of The Flies by William Golding there is a constant struggle for power between the main characters, Ralph, Jack, and Piggy. Ralph has power because he was voted chief and uses his power in an ugly way. Jack is struggling to get out of Ralph's power and gain his own power. The boys’ struggle for power is an ugly struggle and the author uses this to demonstrate the ugly struggle for power that is human nature.