Do you remember having to watch your little brother or sister while you parents were at work? Remember how annoying or reckless they would be? You would always want to tell but as soon as your parents came home they were the nicest human beings ever. You always wondered, “why do you have to be so evil when they’re not around.” This is because kids only remain civilized when under the authority of their parent. When their parent are not around they become savage, due to not having consequences for their reckless behavior.

In chapter one of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, two of the main characters, Ralph and Piggy’s plane has crashed, they were now on a mysterious island with no clue of what happened. As they meet each other they begin talking about what might have happened as they walk around their new found environment. While still exploring, one of the boys Ralph says to Piggy, “‘Aren’t there any grownups at all?’ ‘I don’t think so.’ The fair boy said this solemnly; but then the delight of a realized ambition overcame him… ‘No grownups!’”(8) Based on this quote you can notice that when Ralph discovered there were no grownups, the feeling of delight and freedom seemed to overcome him. He was happy with this information because it now allowed him to do what he wanted without worrying about the consequences he would usually face when around his parents. Since there were no grownups Ralph now had a wide range of freedom, which he then uses. As described in various parts of the book, Ralph had fun and did things that didn’t really help them in survival ways but allowed them to be the young boys they were. Even if allowing by them to do this, it sometimes ending in a very savagual way, there were no sorts of consequences or punishments that followed their actions. This is what they liked and continued until the grownups would show up and put them back into a civilized mindset.

This type of savage behavior that the boys of “Lord of the Flies” have been portraying not only occurs once, but in multiple occasions of this book, like in chapter four. One of the boys named Roger decides to throw rocks at one of the younger kids named Henry. The narrator explains that Roger does not hit Henry, he left space between Henry and where he threw the rocks. They explained how Roger was older and strong and could have did anything to harm Henry, but he didn’t. “The taboo of old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents… Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins.”(62) You can see from this quote that Roger was brave enough to be savage and decide to throw rocks at Henry, but when it came to actually hitting Henry there was doubt. In the quote it even states that the invisible circle portrayed to be around Henry represents the protection of parents, which makes Roger scared that if he actually hits Henry there will be consequences. Rogers understands that he is alone with Henry on this island without any bigger authority to oversee him, but in his mind he still fears the thought of consequences from higher authority. Roger does not want to accept the fate of punishment so he acts only a little bit savage towards Henry but not dangerously savage because he still fears the need to be civilized to not have to face a consequence from the authority of the parents.

These types of behaviors not only happens in “Lord of the Flies” but there are also many cases of it in the real world. For example, one of the largest riots ever experienced in Los Angeles, California, the Watts riot of 1965. This riot destroyed many buildings and places and also injured over one thousand people; it was also lead by many of the teenagers in that time. In the recent documentary “Bloodz & Crips - Made in America” one of the men who participated in the riot, Kumasi said, “Our elders felt you should bite the bullet, suck it up… The parents are coming from places where black men are expected to step off the street and say yes sir to a twelve year old white boy… Their children however have a very different perspective… You took it, were not” This quote shows how the kids were being savage and starting huge riots when they were not with the parents. Most of the parents were civilized and didn’t find the need to fight, they knew what was happened but they accepted it as life. Whereas, the kids weren’t in the presence of parents and decided to think savagely and recklessly by themselves. Most of the kids who listened to their parents were civilized and safe within their houses. This shows how when the kids used their own thinking they decide to act recklessly and non-civilized.

Another example of kids and their savage behavior when not under the authority of their parents is a recent girls fight at Edison High School in Philadelphia, PA. There was a group of girls at that school who cornered one girl in a bathroom and physically beat her up. The video is now viral and many parents and other classmate have spoke on this topic. One classmate actually made the remark, “It’s not a bad school, it’s the kids in the school.” This quote explains how it is not the authority or the higher people who make the school seem savage but it is the kids in the school whose behavior have been very savage and effect the looks of the school. The kids are not in direct contact with their parents allowing them to be very mindless and make reckless decisions. Also, the kids went into the bathroom, neglecting themselves from any possible authority to intervene. This allows the kids to completely forget anything that could possibly turn their minds civilized and allows their minds to just go dramatically savaged.

Overall, kids do what they want when given the freedom to make that decisions. Parents are the switch that sends the kid’s brain civilized. So, next time you’re watching your little brother or sister, be aware that there will be some complications that only the parents can fix. Until they come home, well good luck.

Work Cited

1. Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin, 2003.

2. Bloodz &Crips - Made in America. N.d. 22 May 2012. Web.

3. Hopper, Jessica. "Caught on Tape: Teen Girls Fight at Philadelphia High School." ABC News. ABC News Network, 07 Jan. 2010. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.

4. "Watts Riot Begins." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.

5. "Watts Riots." Watts Riots. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.

One could argue that structure is a key factor in not only the conservation, but for the advancement of humanity as a whole. The foundation of of all civilization comes from laws, which are meant to be a system of rules recognized to regulate the actions of members in a specific area. These laws by governmental viewpoint, aims for the protection of the people, as well as their desires. The very rules that people are almost manufactured to believe will be of help to society, can have significant impact on the people, and the system itself, even if they know this to be incorrect. This begs the question of whether people obey for the fact that one is expected to obey by law, or that it’s the laws themselves that influence people on whether they should follow. Laws are implemented with the intent to efficiently tend to a constant progression in society, and while not always effective, it’s up to the followers to decide. whether they should be obeyed

Throughout the duration of the book, Lord of the Flies, the boys made several rules they thought would be valuable in keeping the group civilized and calm until their eventual rescue. One of the  most important rules, was that of the conch shell. Shortly after crashing on the mysterious island, in uncertainty and disbelief concerning the actions that had just taken place, newfound companions Ralph and Piggy roamed in a confused state when after a short swim they found a shell. Ralph seduced by this new object carried it around, using it to signal the boys to come to the beach. After being appointed leader, Ralph claimed, “And another thing. We can’t have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have hands up like school...Then I’ll give you the conch.”(page 33). The conch was used as both a source of communication where the boys could get their message across to the entire group, but more than that one of the most pivotal sources of power, as the person holding it was the temporary voice of the group. The conch was supposed to be a vessel to make the communication between the group better, and to create better group dynamic. It proved to be successful in the beginning of its implementation as Ralph was able to maintain order in the group as well giving everyone the opportunity to speak their opinions and offer suggestions. However, overtime it began to lose it power as the group increased into a more savage state. It was an object that the group highly respected when they were fresh and new to the island, but as the boys grew with time on the island, the conch couldn’t settle the boys who were no longer living in an immature state. The boys agreed to its terms, but once it became a hinderance to their plans, it would then be something they felt was unneeded. Specifically the boys on Jack’s who aimed to rebel against the rules, this was a core rule and the first one they chose to stop cooperating with.

This type of structure is not just something that takes place in fictional world, but very much so applies to the real world. A prime example of this would be the creation of the Jim Crow laws that lasted from the late nineteenth century to the mid twentieth century. The Jim Crow laws were a policy of segregating or discriminating against African Americans, in public places, public vehicles, or employment. Pbs states that they were put into place following “an incident where a black man in New Orleans attempted to sit down in a whites-only railway car, prompting the eventual 1896 Supreme Court which was founded on the scheme of equal but separate.” This is an instance where a law was meant to benefit a certain group of people, granting the thought of whether it actually worked. It was beneficial to prejudiced southern Americans as they did not have to have close interaction with blacks, and in turn maintained a firm grasp on the south as a whole. This very notion conflicts with the feelings and actions taken against Africans Americans during the very same time. Because of this law, blacks lost all of the progress they had made during the reconstruction period, and against their will once again settle as submissive. This also made it so where white americans could abuse the rights of blacks which created much friction in the south. This all came to head during the beginning of the civil rights movement when blacks began to fight back against their oppressors. Jim Crow laws came to an end in 1954, but proved that laws are not always meant to protect everyone. It showed that while a rule may help one group continue their ways of life, it can in turn force another to negatively change, which disrupts the entire system as everyone is not being defended. For a long period of time both African Americans and whites did in fact follow the law, but once the social injustice was really being pushed against by those oppressed, they did what they could to fight against it, which would then cause a change in the law or abolishment that would then be something that they could in fact follow because it suited their needs and wants.

While the severity of these rules might not always be on as grand scale as an entire region of a country and affecting an entire race the way Jim Crow laws did, they stilled showed the parallel between the differencing in how laws can work, and if there needed. Soon after the assembly of boys appointed Ralph chief and established a weak social order, in sudden excitement all of the boys, lead by Ralph ran to the mountaintop where they attempted to make a fire in a frenzied state that nearly got out of control causing Ralph to utter, “We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages.”(page 42). This is one of the first instances where Ralph commands control to almost set a law about following the rules so that they can progress and live accordingly. He thinks that by working together in a school like way they will be able to get rescued earlier. Being that it was the first day the boys, especially the little ones, did not oppose as they were just getting to know the island, and themselves. While Ralph was able to get this method to work as they constructed shelter and hunted quickly and efficiently, it proved to be a great flaw as the young boys were not in a state where the wished to be ordered around by a parent like figure, to do what they would consider to be uninteresting things. The modern mind would agree to this being a good vehicle to get things done, but being that Ralph’s audience was a group of younger boys to bask in the idea of no adults, did not agree with his style as they wanted to go have fun and quench their need for adventure rather than that of survival.

A means of survival can be the be what determines if people will determine whether it is in their best interest to take part in or support a ruling. The summer of June 26, 2015 saw the legalization of same sex marriage in all 50 states in the United States. This was a landmark moving to gay people all across America as they had been fighting for since the resurrection of the gay rights movement prompted by the Stonewall riots in the late 1960s according to CNN politics. The argument against same sex marriage has been fueled throughout years since the legalization by the Supreme Court that limiting marriage to only those of opposite sex does not violate the Constitution during the case of Baker vs Nelson in 1971. Or September 1996 when president Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act(DOMA) which would deny federal benefits to married same sex couples. For centuries, generations of same sex couples had to cope with the constant discrimination against them, applied in the form of many different laws, but with repeated opposition managed to achieve their goal. Despite having numerous road blocks they were not only able to prove that they should be granted the right to marry, but draw attention to a ruling that was unfair in their case. Not allowing them to wed, was only to benefit of those who had moral or political issues with the idea of same sex couples, but put those who were gay aside as they were forced out of their rights. They showed that a law can be discriminatory in itself, and can be something that does not prove worth in following.

Groups of people have the natural intuition to form rules to keep themselves and each other safe from a possible harm or things their uncomfortable with. It is the idea behind the laws, and the people who are affected to truly decide if the laws themselves are needed. It can be said that no one law can efficiently benefit every person, as the circumstances of people in America as well as across the world greatly vary. Despite this laws improve and decline society based on the group or person themselves. The point of laws in society are to effectively tend to a civilization that is always growing, and while they might not be considered the best functions originally, it’s the result of the people to decide so. Whether it’s a fictional book about boys discovering their inner savagery on an abandoned island, or real people fighting for their rights in modern society, laws are a staple in the interacting of people, and the way the system works. Controversial, acceptable, wonderful, and ludicrous, almost every law can be described in one of these ways, just depends on who you are.

Work Cited

Golding, William, Lord of the Flies. New York:Penguin Group,2003.

Wolf, Richard. "Timeline: Same-sex Marriage through the Years." USA Today. Gannett, 2015. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.

PBS. PBS. Web. 06 Apr. 2016

"Supreme Court Rules States Must Allow Same-sex Marriage." CNN. Cable News Network. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.

Have you ever been in a uncomfortable situation ? Have you ever reacted in violence? For many people, when they are in a uncomfortable situation violence occur. Violence is a behavior involving physical force intended to hurt , damage , or kill someone or something. Uncomfortable situations or fear can turn into turned into an ugly situation with someone getting hurt or killed. This is a everyday thing that happens in our world and nothing is changing. Innocent victims (mostly young black males) are dying and none of them are getting justice. In the united states, U.S police officers killed 776 people in 2015 .  161 of them were men who were unarmed. ”When people encounter a new and dangerous situation, they often aren't sure how to react so they resort to violence”.

The book I read was ‘’Lord of the Flies” by William Golding. Lord of the flies is about a group of young boys who were in a plane crash and landed on a  mysterious island. They went through a tough time trying to look for food and stay together as a team. Unfortunately that doesn't last the group split up because they wanted good leaders. Eventually, they get saved but not all the boys survive . While the boys are on the island they see pigs and they are frighten. So being uncomfortable with pigs roaming around they react to fear by killing the pigs and putting their head on sticks.  ‘’ Kill the pig! Cut his throat ! Kill the pig ! Bash him in!’’. (74-76). This quote is referring to when the boys were on the island and they saw pigs running around, at this point they didn't know what to do. When they said kill the pig and bash him in etc. they picked up the pig and start stabbing it until death occurs.When they were stabbing the pigs, the young boys were yelling and screaming  with the pig's head in their head.  An example of this behavior also takes place in the real world with police officers killing young teens.

Mike brown was a young black man who lived in Ferguson. The police officer that shot brown was Darren Wilson. Darren said he was afraid of Brown because Brown hit him. Darren reacted by pulling his gun out and firing a couple shots at Brown.’’ At this point I'm like why isn't this working this guy is going to kill me so I pulled a third time’’. Darren pulled more than one trigger and that one last trigger was Michael Brown life. According to the news article about Darren testimony  Darren said he didn't mean to kill Mike Brown it was just self defense and he was scared he thought his life would be over if he didn't do what he had to do. . ‘’ I felt that another one of those punches in my face could knock me out or worse,” Wilson said. “I mean it was, he’s obviously bigger than I was and stronger and the, I’ve already taken two to the face and I didn’t think he would, the third one could be fatal if he hit me right ...Or at least unconscious and then who knows what would happen to me after that’’. Darren said he was carrying a mace a baton and a flashlight. He didn't use none of items to attack brown because he said those items would have not saved him from Brown. Ferguson had massive attacks bombing up buildings and attacking police officers.  This real world example is similar to when the boys killed the pigs.

Trayvon Martin was a black man who was shot by a neighborhood watch in Florida. The cause of the shooting was that Zimmerman was suspicious that Martin was doing something suspicious so he followed him. Zimmerman letting his fear get to him he shot him and Martin died at the scene. Zimmerman would not testify because Martin was the aggressor and he was the victim. ‘’ I was trying to save my own life , Martin was the aggressor I was the victim’’. Zimmerman followed Martin in the neighborhood because he was a black young man with a hoodie on coming out of 7/11. According to the news article Zimmerman did not want to testify because he said it's not his fault for Martin to look so suspicious for him to go follow him. Trayvon Martin family wanted justice for their son because he didn't live his life it was to short. Zimmerman had no right to follow their son and automatically put out a weapon.  There was no testimony because Zimmerman did not testify to say he was guilty of killing the 17 year old. People all around the world made rallies and protest for the 17 year old back in 2013.  Zimmerman was charged for manslaughter and aggravated assault.  Zimmerman had no right to follow Martin but he did and Trayvon is now gone and Zimmerman is now roaming  as a free guy.  In the book the boys are free they are not in trouble or anything because they are alone with no supervision.

I compared the lord of the flies to police brutality. Police brutality has gotten out of hand throughout the last couple of years. Lord of the flies is a fiction book but some aspects from the book relates to my thesis. Police officers are in uncomfortable situations and they react with violence and fear.  Lord of the flies was a very funny and interesting book. The reader connected the fear the boys had toward the pigs and the reaction the boys had to some real world problems that occur in our society today , not with pigs but with human beings. Its very hard to get justice for victims because they always use the card self defense. The self defense excuse helps all the murders who killed people. Comparing both of these ideas together they were very similar because they had the same topic about being in uncomfortable situations. Sometimes fear can get out of hand because we don't know what to do so we use violence to make us less scared. I chose this topic because humans react to different things but police brutality is very popular. Humans reactions to different subjects can be different but to police brutality everyone has the same reaction.

Children are little people who enter the world with no perspective. They are guided by adults who help them to understand how and why things work the way they do. It is expected that as children learn and grow they interact appropriately with others inside and outside of their communities. Following rules, behaving appropriately and doing what they are told are among a few of the things that are expected of children. However, if children were left alone with no adult supervision, support, or guidance, how would this impact their growth and development? How would this affect their knowledge of rules and basic laws and expectations? Without parental supervision or guidance, children would have no idea of structure or standards to guide and direct them, and as a result they would act uncivilized.  

In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of younger boys were stranded on an island without any adults to help teach or guide them. Without any adult supervision the boys had no choice but to provide for themselves. They were forced to create their own rules and standards by which they would abide. The littlun, with the mulberry-colored birthmark, begins to think that a ‘snake thing’ is a beast who only comes out in the dark. He informs all the boys which later causes them to display uncivilized actions, but for now all the boys think that itś funny and unbelievable. ¨Ralph, the leader of the group, laughed and the other boys laughed with him ‘ Tell us about the snake-thing, now he says it was a beastie...’¨ (Pg.35) At this point in the story the boys are laughing at, and taking advantage of this young boy’s feelings and ignoring his sense of safety and security. Given these boys have never had an adult teach them about respecting others feelings  they  do not realize that laughing at the littlun shows a lack of respect for his ability to feel safe and secure. Parents are usually the first people to teach children that they are safe and secure. From the moment a child is held in its mothers arms at birth till a time s/he has to be comforted when awoken by a really scary dream, it is through these child/adult interactions that reinforces a child's sense of safety and security.

As children grow there is an expectation that they engage in appropriate behaviors whether they are with their parents or not. When children do not act as they have been taught their behaviors can be interpreted as unruly and disrespectful. For instance, there was an incident that occurred on a septa bus where a few boys were seen cursing and spitting at people. According to 6abc.com, these 6 and 7 year old boys were also heard shouting vulgar language and hitting other people that were on the bus. In this situation, although adults were around the young boys had no respect for each other or the elders that were on the bus along with them. This example illustrates that kids are more subject to engage in unruly and uncivilized behaviors than adults.

With the absence of an adult or parental figure it is customary that the older children in the group would want to assume the major responsibility as the leader. Golding demonstrates this through the characterization of Ralph and Jack who began to compete over who had the power over the group. Jack and his choir made up one tribe while Ralph assumed control over the rest of the boys. In chapter 11, Ralph and Jack began to argue, they didn’t see eye to eye on anything. Ralph tried to get Jack to see the importance of the signal fire and following the rules of the island. They began to fight while Piggy tried to make peace; but, he struggled to make himself heard over the noise. In the meantime, Roger who is at the top of a  mountain, shoved a rock down the mountainside which hit Piggy in the face, subsequently leading to his death. “The rock bounded twice and was lost in the forest. Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea”. (Pg.181) This  moment in the story shows the lack of power that either of the boys had. They had no control over themselves or the other boys. Given the lack of control and influence exhibited by Ralph and Jack the two self proclaimed leaders of the group, a beloved brother was killed. When there is a lack of order and stability there is a greater chance that chaos will ensue.  

As children become older they get involved in situations that are avoidable; yet, knowing the consequences of their actions can be life changing. For example, in the media a few years back there was an incident where two girls were arguing and one of the girls grabbed a shovel and hit the other with it. There was a video that was recorded and it went viral. The girl that got hit with the shovel could have lost her life or had a lot of complications with her body which could have lead to death. While the other could have gone to jail for a very long time. Although death was not not a result in this situation, both girls will have suffered a life altering event.  According to a few major news outlets, “one of  the girls got arrested and was brought up on misdemeanor charges and the other was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.”  More often than not  most children  have an understanding of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors.  When they make a conscious  decision display uncivilized and savage behaviors it can not only have a major impact on them but those who they come into contact with as well.

Structure and order are fundamental principles that rule and govern society.  When anyone, adults or children, act outside the laws that guide them they can be considered disobedient.  However, when behaviors have a negative impact on others they can be considered uncivilized and savage.  While adults can exhibit these types of behaviors, it is more reasonable to think that immaturity, lack of experience and emotional development are among the major factors that result in the inappropriate behaviors of children.  These negative behaviors are exacerbated when children lack the support and guidance of adults who teach them what is and is not acceptable.  Negative behaviors are further impacted when there is lack of consistency and continuity, which are opportunities children have to continually see and understand how to appropriately interact with others. When adults can properly guide children and consistently reinforce the right ways they are supposed to behave, there is a greater chance that children will act respectfully, responsibly and reliably in any situation.   

Works Cited

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Group, 2003.

"Young Boys Caught on Video Hitting, Cursing and Spitting on Train Passengers - but Behavior of Adult of the Group Is Equally Shocking."The Blaze. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. <http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/03/30/young-boys-caught-on-video-hitting-cursing-and-spitting-on-train-passengers-but-behavior-of-adult-of-the-group-is-equally-shocking/>.

We are always told that only bad people are capable of doing bad things, and thousands of crimes are unexplained due to this notion. What if humans were instinctively capable of doing evil? Well, the answer is simply that we are; starting from the first people, Adam & Eve, who despite God’s direction and personal morality still partook of the forbidden fruit. As we’ve grown and evolved as a race, we have developed systems to keep us as far away as possible from those urges. Nevertheless, no matter how hard we try, there is no truly escaping the impulses that drive us to do what is wrong.

In Lord of the Flies, William Golding takes us on the journey of young boys being stranded on a desert island after a massive plane crash, leaving them without adult supervision or guidance. Using nothing but their wits and bare strength, they have to develop a system through which to survive the harsh conditions of the wild. When first introduced to each other and the environment they would share for the next few months, they came with their happy, fun loving, excited and juvenile selves. As the book explains, one of the boys, Ralph, was doing cartwheels and swimming in the lagoon (pg. 12), seeing that being stranded was more of a tropical getaway than a vacant wasteland of unknown horrors. So far, the reader is being shown how civilized and kind the boys are to each other; willing to play and get along, free of disputes. After having spent some time on the island, they began to lose their once childlike innocence and subconsciously created new patterns of life that were completely out of their character.  

The Stanford Prison Experiment was one of the most controversial psychological experiments of the twentieth century. Led by Dr. Philip Zimbardo, twenty-four participants were chosen at random to either play the role of prisoner or prison guard. At first, the men were simply acting, complying with the description given to them and none of their actions had any effect on their character or mindsets. Over the course of a week though, the men  had begun to physically embody the roles they had been given and ignored all sense of morality. This experiment displayed how instinctively, authority satisfies something within us and when given the chance to power or be powered over by someone. This is a representation of how the boys’ environment changed their ethical thinking dramatically since the plane crash.

In the book when the boys had become accustomed to life on the island, new fears and behaviors started to manifest among the small group. At night, some would complain of hearing sounds of  an unidentifiable “beast”, with many more reports of sighting its presence. When faced with this creature, or so they thought, they had acted in the most groundless of ways. The young boys began clawing at it, chanting “Kill the beast, cut his throat, spill his blood” (pg. 152), an impromptu warcry that they had manipulated into a ritualistic proverb. While taking turns maiming the monster, its cries were identified as being that of one of the boys, Simon. Ignoring his painful shrieks, they continued to partake of the murderous game until they had left no sign of life in the beast a.k.a Simon. The whole time, they knew that the creature was in fact Simon, saying: “It was an accident. That’s what it was. An accident. Coming in the dark--he hadn’t no business crawling like that out of the dark. He was batty.” (pg. 157). Now, of course they didn’t want to, when in their right minds of course, to kill anyone out of pure urge. However, when isolated from the polished luxuries of the society one is used to, the ethics that one has been instilled with start to dwindle considerably. This is a notable change from the children frolicking on the island and playing carelessly with each other at the beginning of the book.

During World War II, the Japanese bombed an American Military base, Pearl Harbor, in an attempt to weaken its forces. Having been devastated by this surprise ambush, the United States figured the only way to repel Japanese military powers was to fire back at them and show the extent of their true power and influence. The “Manhattan Project” had been in effect for a while before the actual attack, so they figured why not send an even more dangerous message. After the creation of the first atomic bomb in 1945, America decided that its purpose was best served claiming the lives of those behind enemy lines. On August 6, 1945, more than 100,000 lives were claimed due to the detonation of that bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Now, the U.S. only wanted to finish what Japan started, right? It was only fair for them to fire back...or so the idea was at the time. They only meant to “send a message” per say, but they knew the significant difference between blowing up a few ships and annihilating two entire cities. Similarly to the boys on the island, their hunting for the beast was a simple game until when actually confronted with it, their craving to kill and thirst for control had been triggered and began going absolutely riotous with the thought of tearing the innocent child to shreds.

Merriam-Webster defines civilized as: “characterized by taste, refinement, or restraint.” Humans have tried to create the most civilized society possible. From childhood we are taught how to be functioning members of society; right from wrong, how to share, and being kind to everyone. Today’s social systems, functions, and processes have all been formulated to accommodate the ever-changing state of humanity and how we as humans want to live collectively. However, we are naturally wired with the need for power, influence, control, along with many other undeniable impulses. These traits thrive within all of us, no matter how “civilized” humans have been conditioned to behave.

Works Cited

1. Golding, William, Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Group, 2003

2. History.com Staff. "Pearl Harbor." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 01 Jan. 2009. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.

3. "The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki." About.com Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.

A civilized society is defined as civilized because they have a strong set of rules that are upheld, and punishable if not.  The rules are designed around safety and the people's well being.  Most people will not break the rules because they are indoctrinated into believing that the creation of the rules were based upon the correct moral values.  Furthermore, people should be scared of the repercussions.  However, there will be some who fall off course and disobey rules, and in turn, the morals they once believed before they broke the rules.  Straying from one's virtues constitutes savage behavior in any given environment.  

In the book “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, a group of boys find themselves on a remote island, and quickly for a tribe.  A tribal meeting has been called.  This is one of the only times that everyone is expected to behave very civilized, and respectful.  They once felt as though they needed the meetings in order to organize and think out the best plan of action.  However, as they become less civilized, many do not feel the same desire for the meeting, and a huge turning point occurs.  During the meeting, the antagonist Jack, interrupts the flow by calling the whole tribe into a savage dance.  During this, the tribe acts wild, screaming violent things, and worst of all, killing one of their own.  “At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore.  There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws” (153).  The flesh the boys were were tearing up is that of Simon.  They were so into their dance which involves shouting savage things such as, “spill its blood” that the reality of what they are doing did not dawn to them them until the moment has passed.  Because of the savage behavior they had become accustomed to, they allowed themselves in their minds the right to kill one of their friends.

Piggy and Ralph have been outcasted from the others on the island.  They made a trip to where the tribe lived, and while they were there, Piggy made a speech.  He said, “Which is better?  To have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill” (180).  The former two things have been replaced by the latter, and the gradual decension into savagery has wiped away their morals.  The fact that the best way to escape the island, which was initially everybody’s main goal, now has taken a backseat to wild tribal activities, this shows how savage behavior goes hand in hand with the abandoning of ideas created at a time when the behavioral state was civilized.  Furthermore, after Piggy gives this speech, the tribe actually goes on to kill him.  Clearly, the boys that make up the tribe have lost the moral compass they went into the island with, and because of it are now committing heinous acts and reacting to them without remorse.  

People of numerous religions kill and injure others during war.  Religion comforts them before performing the life threatening actions they must complete to protect their people and themselves.  However, many religions state that it is wrong to kill and that violence should be avoided.  Religion is tied in with morals, and moral values are many times based off of religion.  Pope Francis, the Roman Catholic leader himself said, “War is never a satisfactory to right injustices”.  

He goes on to bash the idea of war and claim it only brings many negatives.  He is considered the leader and voice for a huge religion with followers all over, however there are obviously Roman Catholics who are enrolled within the military and who have and continue to fight in combat.  Therefore, some people who kill in the military are abandoning their morals due to the dangerous environment they are in.  Furthermore, killing is a savage activity, especially in war where people come prepared with weapons with only the intention to wipe out their opponent.  Therefore, during war people abandon their morals to kill, which is savage.  

Another example of people in today's world going against their morals and being savage can be seen within child labor.  In many cases, this is when people hire children to work in ridiculously low quality settings, for minimal pay, and treat them as slaves, that way their business can thrive financially.  However if it were their own children, or their children's friends were put in a position like those poor children doing labor currently, I am sure a protest from the same people who operate or own these work forces would be heard.  

Even if one were to ask these people, “Do you think children should be treated savagely, or overworked and underpaid?,” it would become a life journey to find someone who said, “Yes.  Yes I do.”

 A man by the name of Kailash Satyarthi, who knows the struggles of child labor due to his long experience as a child's right advocate and educator had this to say:  “Child slavery is a crime against humanity.  Humanity itself is at stake here.   A lot of work still remains, but I will see the end of child labor in my lifetime.”

Clearly these children are suffering, but people are turning a cheek and going against their belief that children should be treated well, in order to make a profit.  Many of these children may work across the world in places like India, however the work they do is for large companies that many of us see or use everyday.  Therefore, by directly causing children's suffering, acting as if it is not important because these people live very far away, and knowing these things are wrong, business people who use child labor are going against their morals, and are acting savage.  

In book and our world, breaking rules constitutes savage behavior.  In each of the given examples, whose foundation is applicable to any others, the group or individual who goes against their morals, ends up committing a savage action.  This is because morals are supposed to guide decision making in a civilized and non rule breaking way.  However if one does not follow their morals, savagery will follow in suit.

Work Cited:

Golding, William.  Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Group, 2003.

"Pope Francis Says War Is Never Right Way to Stop Injustice; Distances Himself From Support of Airstrikes Against ISIS Read More at Http://www.christianpost.com/news/pope-francis-says-war-is-never-right-way-to-stop-injustice-distances-himself-from-support-of-airstrikes-against-isis-126010/#ByRcKvfJebxjshIF.99 Read More at Http://www.christianpost.com/news/pope-francis-says-war-is-never-right-way-to-stop-injustice-distances-himself-from-support-of-airstrikes-against-isis-126010/#iFCXQvu1URHZCBFH.99." CP Wolrd. 8 Sept. 2014. Web. 5 Apr. 2016. <http://www.christianpost.com/news/pope-francis-says-war-is-never-right-way-to-stop-injustice-distances-himself-from-support-of-airstrikes-against-isis-126010/>.

Kailash Satyarthi. "Child Labor Quotes." Brainyquote. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.

Savagery is in all of us. It is how we choose to consume the true beast within ourselves that makes us civilized. But the question is in what state or setting would it take for us as humans to release it. What does it take for humans to go back to our caveman style of living and when exactly do we lose that way of living? In our adulthood?  In our adolescence? When we as people are young we don’t know as much about the world and how to survive in it. Children are more savage than adults because they have been in civilization for less time and they rely more on their animal instincts.

Fear takes a heavy toll on our lives. Out of fear people make some very drastic actions such as shooting up a school. In those moments of fear they are completely vulnerable. In William Golding's Lord of the Flies a group of young schoolboys are stranded on an island from a plane crash and are fighting to stay alive. In the book the boys lose sight on the humble life they once had and turn into complete barbarians. School boys who have never once been outside of society, away from adults, truly on their own lose control of themselves. They are on this island trying to find food and become excited from the rush of hunting commenting “ You should have seen the blood¨(pg.70). They experienced the thrill of the chase. It was at this moment in the book that you could see changes in the boys. They were not the domestic people they started out as and this was just the beginning of the decivilization. All they were doing was hunting pigs but what ended up happening was their animalistic instincts returning to them. Getting blood on their hands changed them in the worst way possible.

No one should commit murder, but when someone does they are frowned upon in society.  They are seen as a monster. So when a child commits such an act as murder it is truly disturbing. According to New York Times, ¨The best predictor of violence is past violence. The earlier the violence, the worse the prognosis''. Meaning that children are influenced by the things they see and hear. They aren´t born a killer they are made a killer. The parents are usually the blame for this. People always wonder how they let their child become a mass murder. But what about society's impact on a young mind? With the things that are shown on tv and the crimes happening in everyday life their are millions of possible faults that are to blame for children who murder. Most of them feel no remorse as to what they did. A 15 year old murderer who killed an elderly woman and a little girl commented on his actions stating ''I don't know the girl so why should I have any feelings about what happened to her?'' The fact that he does not feel guilty about his felony says a lot about the mindset of a young executioner.  At an age so young these kids minds aren't developed enough to know that what they are doing is wrong. They weren't taught this yet. So being as these kids watch the life go out of someone and have no empathy is quite barbaric.

In life, things can go from going really well to very bad almost instantly. Something as simple as a game went from laughing to stabbing very quickly in Lord of the flies. Jack one of the older more violent boys in the group decided that the boy should play a game reenacting the moment that he slaughtered a pig when they were hunting. They decided one of the boys would represent a pig and that he would show what he did to kill it. Things took a turn for the worst when the boys began biting and scratching the boy completely ignoring his cries for mercy. ¨ Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Bash him in!¨ (pg. 114), they chanted completely forgetting that this started out as game. This is a prime example of animal instincts taking over. They became vicious in a childlike game showing again no signs of remorse stating “ that was a good game¨ ( pg.115) while the boy they attacked laid on the ground crying. Coming back to the idea that children don´t know the fault in their actions because their minds aren't fully developed yet. Them not having any repentance makes them even more savage than they already are.

Than again ¨some children do kill knowing exactly what they did was wrong¨ or so everyday psychology. com states. There are cases where kids committed acts of violence and were well aware of what they did. A 13 year old boy was being bullied by an older boy who he played football with. His parents told him to do what he had to do in order to protect himself, so he got a knife and stabbed the bully in the heart. He knows that what he did was wrong but he did it anyway. Again coming back to the concept of children's minds not being completely developed when they commit these crimes, one can assume that they would know not to kill someone. But knowing they aren't supposed to do it makes them want to do it more. In a kids mind that's the game, seeing how far they can go with something without having any repercussions.

Savagery is in all of us. But when it is seen it in the eyes of a child it´s different. Pity is taken on the fact that the criminal is so young. Children are more savage than adults because they have been in civilization for less time and they rely more on their animal instincts. Adults have been in civilization longer than children so therefore they are more domestic than them. Most adults know wrong from right and are charged because of this. They have been exposed to the world and all that it is. Children have not been. Children are uncontrollable. They can be trained like dogs but they could turn on you like dogs.

There seems to be a frequent analysis of Lord of the Flies by William Golding regarding the children and their resortment to savagery as opposed to remaining civil. However, while they may appear more savage than people who live in a civilization, they are only showcasing what humans are naturally. The only reason the children can be considered savage is because they were able to live in an environment where society’s restrictions of people don’t have their full effect, so they can showcase humanity’s inherent savagery.

At the beginning of the book, there is a plane crash to start the story. Two survivors of the crash are young boys, around the age of 8-12 years old. They were having a discussion about the crash and whether there had been more survivors of the crash. When “the fat boy”, who we eventually learned is called Piggy mentions to “the fair boy”, who we learned to be called Ralph, the prospect of surviving adults. When Ralph thinks about this, he reaches the conclusion that no adults would have survived, and grows excited. “[The] fat boy hurried after him. ‘Aren’t there any grownups at all?’ ‘I don’t think so.’ The fair boy said this solemnly; but then the delight of a realized ambition overcame him. In the middle of the scar he stood on his head and grinned at the reversed fat boy. ‘No grownups!’”(8). What this quote from the book shows is a rapid change from a civil mindset the boys were in before the crash to this new, savage mindset that humans inherently possess. This is very clearly shown in the section about “the delight of a realized ambition”. This realized ambition is an escape from society’s rules and standards that people don’t want to have. Children haven’t lived long enough to understand the importance of these rules, so given the opportunity to escape, they immediately jump on it, as Ralph did. Him standing on his head represents him escaping from the rules of society. People aren’t supposed to stand on their head; they stand on their feet. Ralph standing on his head is him saying “I don’t have to follow the rules anymore, so I am going to do this.”

This idea can also to be related to current Republican candidate Donald Trump’s speeches, during which he speaks about the sponsorship that candidates usually get to help with their campaign. While doing this, he brings up that he doesn’t get sponsors and uses his own money to fund his campaign, and how sponsors control the candidates in their speech and actions. He doesn’t need that, so he isn’t corrupted by the sponsor’s ideas and gets to say what he wants. “[The other candidates’] lobbyists...will start calling President Bush, President Clinton. And they’ll say: ‘You have to do it, they gave you a million dollars to your campaign.’” Trump is able to use his money in a similar way Ralph and the other boys use the island. He doesn’t have to follow the societal norms that people usually have to. He is allowed to say what he wants without having to deal with the rules that others in his society of politicians has to follow. He can do and say what he wants without repercussions that he will usually have because he lives on this island, or a world different from the others and society. Trump creates this platform where he can say what he wants and act as savage as he wishes, just as the children from the book did.

In addition, Trump, during his speeches, has a habit of spreading his ideas that people who read or hear about think are savage in nature. However, Trump currently is high in the standings of political polls that have been taken. An example of one of his ideas is his idea of building an enormous wall along the Mexican-American border. This would prevent almost all immigration from the people of Mexico to the US. He says, “I will build a great wall—and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me—and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.” This idea would be generally considered savage. The USA is heavily built on the idea of liberty and freedom, and what this wall does is it completely contradicts that idea. In addition, the wall idea is Trump basically saying that the people of Mexico are of a lesser caliber than the people of the US. This wall would not be in place to keep people from the US in, but to keep the people from Mexico out. That sounds like a very savage idea, something that no other candidate running for office would ever say publically. However, Trump basically crashed the plane himself, leaving him on this island where society’s rules can’t touch him. The US is generally considered to be a civilized nation, and Trump, who is running for the right to be leader of the country, should not be able to propose these sorts of ideas that completely ignore the basis of the country, but Trump is able to hide on his island.

Ultimately, the argument of whether children are more savage than adults isn’t really an argument that has any reason to be discussed. Instead, the focus should be placed on whether humans in general are inherently savage. This quote by Woody Allen from “Hannah and Her Sisters” sums up the idea nicely. Regarding the Holocaust, generally considered to be very savage, he states that “[t]he reason they can never answer the question ‘How could it possibly happen?’ is that it's the wrong question. Given what people are, the question is "Why doesn't it happen more often?’”.

In life, fear can be a powerful thing. Fear is said to be the most dangerous thing on this planet. It can completely distort reality into something unrecognizable and sometimes even lead people into doing reckless things. Without the guidance of a clear mind, savagery can even take place. In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies, the characters are also representations of those that make bad decisions because they fear what they don't know. When people fear what they don’t know it leads them to savagery when there’s no authority to stop and inform them. It shows that when humans are put in a position that they do not understand, in one way or another, they become barbaric.

After the explosion over the mountain, the boys woke Ralph up from his dream of feeding ponies. They told him that they had seen “the beast” and as they said that, Piggy tried to move them out of the way and go outside. The twins said it's horrible and to not to go anywhere. So, they all laid there listening to the island and the descriptions the twins said between the silence. “Soon the darkness was full of claws, full of the awful unknown and menace...They began to stir though still the world outside the shelter was impossibly dangerous.” (99) This quote shows that even though the boys had not seen anything outside, they were afraid. They did not know what could hurt them on this island so they had given a name to something that had not seen, felt, etc. The words “awful unknown” create a picture for the reader to indicate that it was so terrible because it was uncertain; there is no definite to what could happen. Situations like this also take place a lot in the real world. According to a U.S. News article, it is said that many times when a police officer is in a situation where their gun has to be used for their safety and for the safety of others, a cop “can get into a state of mind where they're scared to death”. They become terrified and sometimes as a last resort, violence is the only option they have. Not knowing how a criminal, thief, or suspicious character will act is fuel their actions which can (depending on the cop) turn from shooting an unnecessarily fatal shot to an all out rain of bullets. A shot in the dark can be better than no shot at all when you fear for your life.

The boys had just discovered a pig nursing it's piglets in the shade. Jack had been practicing so much that he was as silent as the shadows; the pigs did not suspect a thing. He left for a moment to inform his other hunters and, with caution, they all began to inch closer and closer to the animals.  They then (seemingly) strategically attack the pigs, gruesomely striking them with sharpened spears. In the end, the pig is dead and they put it's head on a stick. “‘The head is for the beast. It's a gift.’” Once Simon is alone after all the boys have gone, he is left “talking” to the pig (the Lord of the Flies). He is losing consciousness so the pig talking is a huge hallucination. “‘There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And i'm the Beast.’...’Pig’s head on a stick.’ ‘Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!’ said the head.”(136-138)

In this scene, a great deal of events is happening. The boys go out and kill a pig, which was already an act of savagery because they put it's head on a stick, which doesn't benefit to anything. There is no one here (no grownups, no authority, etc.) to tell them that this is wrong or to tell them better ways of handling this situation. Throughout the book, these young boys are only getting increasingly more afraid simply of the darkness and the silence of the island, so they make up a terror that they can try to fight and eventually appease. The pig's head on a stick is a gift for the beast so that it won't harm them, even though “it” hasn't hurt anyone so far because no one's seen it. Simon’s hallucinations are also just subconscious thoughts being said to himself and the line “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!” really says a lot about what he's thinking. He doesn't even think the beast is physical. He is terrified of being on this island and doesn't know what is actually causing the terror, so it is the Beast.

In the real world, people also have a hard time keeping a clear head in the heat of the moment. For example, a police officer in Texas was seen “cursing at several black teenagers, slamming the girl to the ground and unholstering his gun.” When police were called to the scene of a pool party where several teens were at the local pool. The altercation had just been an argument, but quickly escalated to a 14-year old being held down by a grown male police officer. It was said (and caught on video) that he did grab for his gun and indeed bring it out, waving it around the other teens. He only returned it to its holster when a fellow police officer told him to. If no one had been there to momentarily calm him down and not allow him to keep his gun out, the situation could have gone awry very fast. If you were to look at the video, you can see that this police officer was acting especially aggressive and excessive compared to the other cops. It was said by his lawyer that “he allowed his emotions to get the better of him” and that “He never intended to mistreat anyone, but was only reacting to a situation and the challenges that it presented,” People can be driven to acts that they do not even want to do because of fear and this was clearly shown here.

When police are put into stressful, sometimes even fatal situations, a lot can go wrong. And in the Lord of the Flies, that's exactly what happened. In modern day America, there are people to tell police what is right and wrong about their actions, but usually after the fact. In the novel, no one was there to ever say anything their barbaric ways. Killing the beast would obviously make them safe if their was such a creature in the first place. Fear plays a huge role on our actions and can even mean the difference between life and death. People are controlled by fear and they will continue to do savage acts if there is no one to stop them.

Works Cited

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Group, 2003.

"When It Comes to Police Brutality, Fear Is Also a Factor." U.S. News. Joseph P. Williams, n.d. Web.

   6 Apr. 2016. <http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2014/12/05/

   when-it-comes-to-police-brutality-fear-is-also-a-factor>.

"Texas pool party chaos: 'Out of control' police officer resigns." CNN. Ashley Fantz, Holly Yan and

   Catherine E. Shoichet, 9 June 2015. Web. 6 Apr. 2016. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/09/us/

   mckinney-texas-pool-party-video/>.

"Texas Officer Was Under Stress When He Arrived at Pool Party, Lawyer Says." The New York Times.

   N.p., 10 June 2015. Web. 6 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/11/us/

   texas-officer-was-under-stress-when-he-arrived-at-pool-party-lawyer-says.html?_r=0>.

In October 1917, one event stunned the world and shook politics to its very core, the Russian Revolution. Built upon the principles of Marxism and Leninism, the most recognizable goals was to create a socialist state without economic or social status. During the early days, there was no doubt that the idea worked well. Though some, realistically many, of the former bourgeoisie were upset having lost their power, Soviet citizens rejoiced at the newfound freedoms. As time went on, connections and influence made their way back into society with unacknowledged social classes reforming. Compare this to the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a book chronologizing the adventures and tragedies of school boys on a deserted island without adult supervision. When a group of boys arrive on a deserted island, they form a group to survive. Just like the Revolution and numerous other uprisings, the boys too fell into the trap of organizing social classes from a classless society. Therefore it can be stated that when a group is created, even if it is for the goal of unifying the public equally, the group ends up benefiting a certain few.

The Lord of the Flies is a book chock full of analogies, references, and inferences to be made into today’s society. One of these is a distribution and confluence of power. Since the boys all arrive and meet up on an island without grown ups, they get to start anew as they try to survive. One of these ways was electing a chief to run the group and so the classes again re-form, starting with the words of a boy named Jack Merridew. “‘I ought to be chief,’ Jack said with a simple arrogance, ‘because I’m chapter chorister and head boy.’” (22) Even though the boys cannot entirely see it, Jack is trying to use his past social status, much like bourgeois did in the Russian Revolution, to gain influence and an advantage in the new, naive society. Although in the end, Ralph, another boy who stood quiet and held a conch for the whole time, is elected chief, a resentment would build in Jack and reveal itself at a later time. That resentment, stems from a loss of power which needs to be regained.

Similarly to the boys, the complete upheaval of social order during the Russian Revolution made many upper class citizens lose their power, and many of them were unhappy with that fact. One of the driving forces behind the Revolution was the Marxist/Leninist belief that a classless social system with common ownership of the means of production and with full social equality of all members of society, was one that was most effective and fair. This belief however, would be trampled almost instantly. As described by Polish defector, Józef Światło, in 1953 when he defected to the west, one of Poland’s top party members, Boleslaw Bierut had “No less than ten lavishly and luxuriously furnished palaces … all fitted out with legendary magnificence.” Now in today’s society, capitalism allows for such people to have that many residences. In the 1950s communist bloc, that was direct contradiction of the Revolutions’ beliefs of classless society. When the boys on the island in the Lord of the Flies originally create their work groups, they actually create social structure!

That social structure comes to a head towards the middle of the Lord of the Flies when Jack (now leader of the hunters) begins to argue with Ralph, the chief, about purposes of each group. “You and your fire!” Jack blames Ralph, of not having purpose and pushing his agenda too much. Ralph responds, “All you can talk about is pig, pig pig!” Which Jack counters with, “Because we want meat!” (54) The exchange of hostilities exemplifies how from creating the classless group, the boys have degenerated to insulting each other's worth. The insulting is due to the conflicting ideals and goals of each member and they do not seem to be working together. So even as the boys try to work together for survival, the refusal to put aside differences eventually would split the group for all the wrong reasons and create a new structural order.

Much like the boys, members of the Soviet Union also began to split themselves socially. The Party officials and members of higher status families (diplomats, state factory owners) were more likely to reap the benefits of the proletarians (workers and lower classes). “This [upper] class enjoyed privileges such as roomy apartments, country dachas... access to special stores, schools, medical facilities...Members of the urban working class (proletariat), in whose name the Party purported to rule, generally lived in cramped apartment complexes, spent hours each day standing in line to buy food and other necessities.” Looking back to the original goal of the Russian revolution however, this rigid and unfair structure clearly blasts the original Marxist-Leninist belief and proves how a revolution for all turned into a Country for few. Much like how Jack would splinter into a group to accomplish his goals.

Frustrated with the lack of attention he is being given with his goal of eating meat, Jack finally becomes fed up and announces, “ I’m going off by myself. He [Ralph] can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants hunt when I do can come too.”(127) This split now signifies the full separation of social order on the island. You have Jack on the one hand who wants to find meat, compared to Ralph who wishes to create fire so the boys can be noticed. Jack who has slowly gained more power over time, now seizes the opportunity to split and reap the benefits, much like Stalin did. Ralph would then represent the proletariat, who would be weak and oppressed. Now not so like under Stalin but the lack of a hunting group and still using a relic of a bygone era (conch=Patriotic fervor) puts Ralph at a huge disadvantage and gives all the power and benefits of the group to Jack.