Statement of intent: I am going to write a persuasive essay about how humans are born evil and are conditioned by society to act civilised, using Lord of the Flies and Goldings idea that humans are inherently evil, as well as current and historical events to expand on these ideas. “The greatest trick the devil pulled was convincing the world that there is only one of him”- David Wong. The critically acclaimed novel Lord of the Flies written by Nobel Prize winning author William Golding explores the idea that humans are inherently evil, among other ideas such as the loss of innocence, civilisation versus savagery and much more. Golding portrayed the idea that humans are inherently evil through the masterful use of symbols and motifs. In the …show more content…
One text that stands out to me is The Hunger Games. In the book, 12 teenagers are forced against their will to fight each other to the death, purely for the amusement of the rich. It is obvious that the rich spectators and the organisers are evil, but out of the teens nominated, none of them try to put an end to the bloodshed. But instead, they compete and without hesitation murder their peers. In Lord of the Flies, Golding used children as characters instead of adults because they possess a pureness of innocence, which shows the readers that the evil that they portray comes from within them. In The Hunger Games, the characters are all in their teens, I believe that the author Suzanne Collins did this intentionally to portray similar views to Golding, that humans are inherently evil, and that under certain circumstances people can be forced to succumb to their inner evil and …show more content…
World War II was the setting for some of the most horrific atrocities man has ever committed. Events including the Holocaust, concentration camps, atomic bombings and many more were the cause of over 80,000,000 deaths, which at the time was about 3% of the world’s population. The acts of Hitler and the Nazi party in the war were acts of pure evil. Hitler can be directly compared to Jack from Lord of the Flies as Jack’s leadership was based purely on striking fear into others. He made people believe that if they didn’t join him he would hunt and kill them. Hitler’s leadership also followed some of this vicious dictating. Another example of Golding’s idea that humans are inherently evil was the murder of James Patrick Bulger. James who was murdered on the 12th of February 1993 at the age of two. He was abducted, tortured and murdered by two ten-year-old boys, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. The mere facts the two murderers were of such a young age and came from such good families is a perfect example of humans are inherently evil and that evil is not taught or learnt, it is simply a part of
Are humans inherently good or evil? The simple question has been asked many times, even though the answer isn't so simple. In William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, he further explores the concept. His novel is viewed through young boys trapped on a deserted island, striving to survive. In The Most Dangerous Game, Richard Connell investigates influences and integrity. In non-fiction texts, like "Why Boys Become Vicious" also by William Golding, the author defends his position and gives specific examples to support his stance. In other non-fiction works, authors have given their own views of human's natural behavior. Although some authors believe humans are good and others believe they are inherently evil, based on the evidence humans are born balance with both good and evil. Different situations however, shape their behavior and cause them to be either more good or evil.
The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding questions individuals whether humans are naturally good or evil. Throughout the novel, there are certain events and people that show humans are good. Not only is it shown in books but in real life too. Martin Luther King Jr. is a great example of this because what he did changed millions of lives and not in a bad way. As of the book, there are two characters that support the idea of humans being good. One of them is Simon and the other is Samneric. These two characters in Lord of the Flies help shape the answer of this question because the island never changed them. Humans have the choice of whether they want to turn evil or remain good. As seen by Simon and Samneric in Lord of the Flies by William
At its core, is mankind essentially good, or does it use law and order to mask its evil? Through his book The Lord of the Flies, William Golding causes questions concerning the ethicality of humanity to rise to the surface of the mind. The stripping away of distractions and structure he depicts in his all-too-real novel reveals society’s true nature. As a reader studies the settings, characters and plots of Lord of the Flies and how they relate to significant events in recent times, Golding’s message of the evil nature of humanity becomes increasingly clear and impactful.
Although humankind attempts its best at preventing evil actions, eventually evil rises above all else. While humans are living ordinary lives and living in ignorance, evil is always scheming and waiting to slide up behind the turned backs of society as depicted in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. One could argue that this is not the case and that good deeds always overshadow evil and that evil is just an occasional blip. However, what one’s opinion of society does not outshine the cold hard facts of humankind’s natural tendencies; specifically, how things are never as they seem, how easily humans can betray their emotions and how humans choose to ignore difficult situations in the search for an easy
All humans are or have the capacity to be evil. No matter if they choose to act on these sinister urges or not, the desire to violently cause destruction is always within a person. In recent months, countless acts of violence, acts of pure evil have occurred not only in America, but around the world as well. These tragedies verify the truth: humans are inherently evil. No matter what is done, nothing will ever truly prevent the existence of evil among humans. Human beings are savages by nature, and are motivated by the environment around them, society’s demanding expectations, and their natural primitive desire for evil.
In the novel Lord of the Flies, the author, William Golding, is trying to convey that humanity is fundamentally evil, on the island, through the actions and personalities of Roger and Ralph. For example, in the first chapter, when Ralph and Piggy were first being introduced to each other, Piggy tells Ralph his name and “Ralph shrieked with laughter” (11). With only the first chapter, Ralph is being very rude as he mocks Piggy’s name. Ralph is humanely fundamentally evil because with no influence of savagery in him, he is already cruel and uncivilized as he acts towards Piggy. Another example, after Ralph first blew the conch, calling and gathering all boys to the island, each of the choir boys introduced themselves and Roger “was a slight furtive
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a gritty allegory of adolescence, innocence, and the unspoken side of human nature. Countless social issues are portrayed, however one of the most reoccurring is the nature of man. Throughout the novel there is an ever-present focus on the loss of innocence amongst the boys, shown by the deterioration of social skills and their retrogression into a barbaric form of society. Also portrayed is the juxtaposition of a cruel, evil main character and a more classically good counterpart, and their eternal rivalry for power and authority over their younger subjects. Does society or the lack thereof create evil in human nature, or simply magnify a pre-existing
Literature for many years has described human nature as being evil once they fear something or are in a chaotic situation. In William Golding?s novel ?Lord of the Flies? which describes horrific exploits of a group of young boys who make a transition from civilized to barbaric. Golding
“All human beings are commingled out of good & evil” was a quote once said by notable Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson. This quotation discusses and supports William Golding’s, the author of Lord of the Flies, belief that all humans have a distinct character flaw that, when left unchecked by morals and laws of society, will eventually corrupt the individual. In Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, it’s shown how due to their environment and lack of supervision, the young boys slowly progress and evolve into barbaric, bloodthirsty individuals.
In the words of the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, “Our greatest evils flow from ourselves.” In other words, humans harbor an ever present looming evil nature within themselves. Evil is the force in nature that governs and gives rise to wickedness and sin, or the wicked or immoral part of someone. This concept of inner evil rising to the surface permeates William Golding’s dystopian novel Lord of the Flies, that evil exists in every human, proven through the characterization of the marooned boys. There is foreshadowing of the dangers of the boys’ inner immorality from one of the boys, Simon. As the novel progresses, evil starts asserts itself as the boys cast off their innocence and humanity, and turning against each other. Even the
Despite the progression of civilization and society's attempts to suppress man's darker side, moral depravity proves both indestructible and inescapable; contrary to culturally embraced views of humanistic tendencies towards goodness, each individual is susceptible to his base, innate instincts. In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, seemingly innocent schoolboys evolve into bloodthirsty savages as the latent evil within them emerges. Their regression into savagery is ironically paralleled by an intensifying fear of evil, and it culminates in several brutal slays as well as a frenzied manhunt. The graphic consequence of the boys' unrestrained barbarity, emphasized by the