Political Powers in "Lord of the Flies"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the book, "Lord of the Flies," written by William Golding which shows the destructive nature of human beings through the breakdown of a society that was formed by children due to a plane crash. The paper specifically discusses the two political powers that are evident in this story - totalitarianism and liberalism and presents examples of each.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Totalitarianism
Liberalism
Conclusion

From the Paper:

" From there, basic human natures can lead to total destruction, if it is not properly suppressed by the civilization. However, people want to find the evil and the flaws of the society somewhere else. "The characters include the elected leader who attempts to keep the group civil and united, the somewhat anal and ever-questioning nerdy kid (Piggy), the dark and misunderstood loner, several excitable followers looking to belong and for acceptance, and the self-imposed leader who splinters the group, and show how Darwin's survival of the fittest can quickly take root. The brutal and now totalitarian boys are eventually rescued...but only after the unspeakable happens."(Lord of the Flies by Jon). Our society is no better than the society formed by the kids on the island since murder is accepted when cooperating and living harmoniously is the best for everyone (Lord of the flies). Unfortunately, in real life as a society, police need that empowerment over criminals so that they can feel a little imitation when they are faced by them. This works because society as a whole does not want to be looked down upon on and will control themselves in public to avoid embarrassment. The criminal justice system can be more effective because people are extremely self-aware when being watched and will behave when they know they are being indirectly controlled. From there, knowledge is power and power is made for the police in order to have structure in prisons society. However, when this behavior took place in the book, Lord of the flies, totalitarian leadership came over the island dominantly, which destroyed the children's humanity."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Fromn, Erich. (1973). Benign aggression: The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness. 7 May 2008 http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1974/v31-3-bookreview2.htm
• Book Rags. 9 May 2008. www.bookrags.com
• Grade Saver. 9 May 2008. www.gradesaver.com
• Lord of the Flies by Jon 2008. http://www.thedctraveler.com/lord-of-the-flies/p 9 May 2008
• Lord of the flies critique. 8 May 2008 http://www.marcopolo.provincia.venezia.it/tommaseo/lezioni/Inglese/AdP_00_01/Fontanella/Lord%20of%20the%20Flies.html

More papers on Political Powers in "Lord of the Flies":

• Analytical Essay # 119851 : "Feminist Critique of "Lord of the Flies"
• Analytical Essay # 52988 : "William Golding's "The Lord of the Flies"
• Analytical Essay # 58431 : "Power in Literature"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: