A Comparison of Lord of the Flies by William Golding to Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Similar to most literary classics, William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies contains allusions to the Christian Bible and character archetypes that convey universal ideas. Golding’s story focuses on a group of British schoolboys who are stranded on an island and ultimately succumb to their innate savage tendencies. Literary analysts often compare components of Lord of the Flies to various aspects in the Christian Bible. For instance, the setting in Lord of the Flies is often linked to the Garden of Eden, and some characters are thought to have religious-inspired names. Critics believe Simon’s name originates from Jesus Christ’s disciple, Peter, whose name was originally Simon. Biblical allusions exist throughout the novel associated with

Throughout the history of humanity, humans have different behaviors that change depending on what situations they are in. Psychologist Philip Zimbardo spent many years exploring human nature and has developed many theories about human behavior. One of Zimbardo’s ideas is about situational factors that states “one’s behavior is assumed to be dependent upon their current circumstances, situation or the environment that they are in.” He concluded the concept of situational factors after his Stanford Prison Experiment, in which he gave authority to regular people and observed any changes. The experiment proved that people’s behavior will change when they are in different situations. Zimbardo also believes that evilness is the exercise of power to harm people in anyway possible, so a five year old who teases others to Adolf Hitler would be classified as perpetrators of evil.

Literary devices are techniques often used by authors to portray in-depth analyses of major characters, storylines, and central themes, which take place in a story. These analyses help readers understand a message the author is trying to convey. In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses different literary devices in order to demonstrate the boys’ struggle against the lack of society and law on the island, as well as the consequences that have transpired due to this loss. This conflict is evident through the different instances of irony, foreshadowing, and symbolism that occurs throughout the novel.

Many philosophers believe that a correct government can make a strong society. However, these philosophers do not agree on what form of government is the most “correct”. English philosopher John Locke believed that Man is inherently moral and that the purpose for government is to grant the fundamental rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to its people. Another philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, however, held the belief that mankind is naturally evil and that society needs an absolute central authority to contain this evilness and grant its people with the common protection. Hobbes believes that in a state of nature, when there are no rules and everyone is granted equal power, the inherent evil impulses of Man are exposed. One

In William Golding’s, Lord of the Flies, a few dozen boys are stranded on an island after a plane crash. The six to twelve year old kids turn to savages under the lead of the older males, and ultimately cause their own deaths. However, the smaller boys, such as Piggy and Sam and Eric, are the hope and reason of the group. Golding’s purpose of writing the book was to show that the defects in society originate at the defects in human nature. Golding allows the little ones to have no identities or personalities. This is symbolically showing that in society, the ignorant and innocent children are the only hope to a humane society. Innocence is purity, and the innocent children, in which are not corrupted by the bad people and things in the

English novelist and politician Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton, once said, “The pen is mightier than the sword.”. We,as humans, have always had the feeling of fear. No matter how many people say they don’t have that feeling, they have it somewhere within them. This fear has always thrived us to think in a radical way and has pushed us to make some good and bad choices in life. Because of this fear human beings have felt the need to protect themselves as much as possible and they believe that by having the most sizable, vigorous, and lavish weapons, they will be safe and protected from all harm and will keep order within society stable. But what Lytton wants us to realize in his quote is that you really don’t

Leadership is a huge aspect in Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Jack may not have been voted in as the leader, but he obviously possessed the best leadership traits. The article “10 Unique Perspectives on What Makes a Great leader” by Brent Gleeson provides ten detailed descriptions of the way a leader should be, and Jack seems to fit most of them. One view that the author had on a leader, was that they focused on helping others. Gleeson states “[being a leader is] about making sure your team stays focused on their goals” (Gleeson).

To be an effective society, itś important to have a few key qualities such as teamwork or cooperation and order. These make achieving goals much easier, and in the end, it leads to success by completing the tasks needed to get towards the goal, whether that be obtaining food or conquering an entire continent. In Golding 's Lord of the Flies, a lack of mutual respect between the leaders and followers as well as the failure to unite themselves to work together for the same goals, resulted in chaos, and ultimately, the division and failure of their society on the island.

“Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes” (Peter Drucker). In the novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, a decent sized group of boys are marooned on an island. This island starts as somewhat of an oasis, containing everything that the boys need to survive and thrive, except for one thing: a leader. One of the older boys would need to step up, and it comes down to Ralph, a boy around the age of twelve who finds the conch, which is used as a beacon for civilization, and Jack, a boy of Ralph’s age, but is also the leader of a group of choir boys, who advocate for Jack from the beginning. The decision comes down to a vote, and Ralph is chosen with all the

“Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty, and dies with chaos.” -Will Durant. This is demonstrated when a new war begins, and a group of boys are left to fend for themselves on an abandoned island due to a plane crash. They must learn to live without adults, rules, or structure, however, as time goes on and conflict grows, this becomes increasingly difficult. William Golding 's Lord of The Flies explains how without order, unity, and rules a society will resort to chaos/savagery and becomes useless, as shown through the character archetypes of Learner, Ralph, and Shadow, Jack.

Golding believes is human nature and descending into savagery. This is clear through the chaos surrounding the island that follows not too far behind that of the adult world. On the island morals are quickly forgotten, dehumanizing those who have not held on to the last trace of humanity. Man turns to its primitive self and becomes lost in evil. Those who have held on to civilization are struggling to defeat this evil that is quickly spreading. This evil that is in human nature is visible within all boys on the island, however it is most prevalent through Jack, Roger, and the Lord of the flies himself.

In William Golding's novel “Lord of the Flies” tells the story of a group of British schoolboys who survive a plane crash only to find themselves the sole inhabitants of an island. They are forced to hunt for food, create shelter and develop their own civilization to survive. A leader is someone who has the ability to take control and charge of a group. A leader is there to guide, manage, and provide assistance to a group in a specific situation. A good leader shows respect to his companions, determination to show he is not giving up and as well as being civilised.In William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, the character of Ralph is shown to be a good leader. He displays specific characteristics that define a good leader.He is attractive,

William Golding’s 1950 novel Lord of the Flies, is generally thought to construct a microcosm of humanity. As soon as the boys scar the earth and find themselves on a deserted island, Golding begins his exploration of humanity and what happens when humans are reduced to their initial primal environment. After the plane full of boys hits the island, most of the boys naturally begin to gravitate towards stronger leaders. Two boys that emerge as superiors are Ralph and Jack. Golding uses Ralph as a more of a democratic leader who appeals to the others boys’ logic. Jack on the other hand, represents a more dogmatic leader who appeals to the other boys’ fears. As the novel progresses, readers begin to explore the idea that Golding is projecting

"Maybe the beast is us" (Golding 85), in the novel, Lord of the Flies, by author William Golding, Golding uses the entire book as social commentary. The social aspect he focuses on is man’s ability to be evil and destructive. William Golding uses three specific literary devices to convey this idea; characterization, diction and symbolism.

Lord of the Flies and Heart of Darkness are exceptionally well written novels that teach the readers how to live life. The novels portray how a society depends on the ethical nature of an individual rather than on a political system. Both novels explored the idea of darkness in humans that caused by having desire of power and savagery within society. Conard and Golding believed that if a man is kept isolated from a civilization for long time they would be tempted by evil which leads them into iniquitous conflicts. The dark tone left a negative impact on the characters but, the situation they were in explains their actions. Although human thoughts can be potentially wicked and vicious, the prominent qualities of having moral values and realization demonstrated by different characters prove that human nature is truly good.