In both the novel, “The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding and the article “Lynch Law in America” by Ida B. Wells, some sort of creature or beast was mentioned several times and turned into a major theme in both texts. In the book by William Golding, a group of boys is trapped on a deserted island and later on, there is talk of a “beast”. This beast created lots of tension in the group and brought lots of fear to all of the boys. Due to their anxiousness surrounding this creature, the boys turned into more of savages opposed to human beings. In one particular scene, the boys almost kill one of their own just trying to recreate their hunt. Hunting and killing have also fed their actions as savages, but this killing and hunting However,
Ida Wells-Barnett, writer of Lynch Law in America, offers an eye-opening article that reflects back on the negative experiences the black community suffered just because of their racial background. Wells-Barnett first starts by describing that there is an “unwritten law” that justifies every action against blacks because it proclaimed that for certain crimes no white person should be compelled to charge an assault under oath. This unwritten law, according to her, was advocated by “red-shirt” groups whose purpose, initially, was to “intimidate, suppress, and nullify the negro’s right to vote” (71). Then, she describes that in order to accomplish the main purpose, it was necessary to “beat, exile, and kill negros” (71). Therefore, the lynchings began in the South; and, on average, two hundred women and men were put to death annually. These lynchings were extremely publicized; the lynching mobs cut off extremities.
Golding himself even suggests it in an interview(Doc C). As the boys on the island get more uncivilized the beast becomes more of an obsession. When Simon tries to tell them that the beast is human, he is killed by the hunters who have become savage. When he is writing about Simon being killed, Golding uses words like “clawing”, “biting”, and “tearing” to get across the point that the beast is actually human savagery(Doc F). The way we are raised in civilization keeps us from being completely savage, but there is always the mob mentality when your uprising and conscience are taken over by the overwhelming sense to become an animal. We see it everyday in the news when there is a raid or a
How, within every kid there is evil, this evil eventually leads to savage like nature. The boys "become" the beast when they kill Simon. Golding describes the savages' behavior as animal like. In Document F when they kill Simon the savages drop their spears (which is man's tool) and "screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.
As the boys grow more savage, their belief in the beast grows stronger. By the end of the novel, the boys’ behavior is what brings the beast into existences, so the more savagely they act, the more real the beast seems to become. ( Sparknotes, Themes, Motifs and Symbols). Jack one of the young boys who were stranded on the island is very savage, for example when Jack cannot bare the thought of someone else telling his story about how he killed a pig, he begins, “ we spread round. I crept. On hands and knees. The spears fell out because they hadn’t no barbs on. The pig ran away and made an awful noise- it turned back and ran into the circle, bleeding we closed in- I cut the pigs throat.” (Golding 79). Jack had reverted back to uncivilized ways because his civilization had been shattered because of being stranded on the island. Jack even gets the rest of the boys to join in dancing around the fire as they were cooking the meet from the pig they were saying “ kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in.”( Golding 79). Savagery can destroy civilization. It only takes one person to become uncivilized and the others will slowly follow after. But on the other hand is it only children who become savages when left unattended or can young people who have grown up in good neutering homes become savages, the answer is ‘yes’ according to an article called In Harms way, “ One in three Canadian girls will experience a controlling, abusive dating
Despite his efforts, the alluring desire of the Savages won over the want to be rescued. The nature of the boys changed as their wants changed. In the beginning they wanted to go home and be rescued, but as soon as they discovered hunting, all they wanted was to hunt and have fun. They didn’t like the rules and regulations, instead they wanted freedom to do as they pleased. Thus changing what they valued. They had no issue killing other boys who got in the way of their
Civilization in Human Nature Humans are by far the most complex species on Earth. We have emotion, knowledge, diversity, and the ability to make decisions. However, man’s nature goes deeper than that. Human nature consists of two components that conflict with each other: savagery and civilization. The civilized characteristics we have are to live peacefully, morally, and orderly.
“There is a savage beast in every man, and when you hand that man a sword or spear and send him forth to war, the beast stirs” ― George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords. Once a man is placed into the wild, he is soon to turn savage to gain power and thrive through uncivilized situations. They will do barbaric actions when left from civilization. In the book, Lord of the Flies By William Golding, he uses the group of boys to illustrate that while one may start as a civilized human, when there is a chance to seize power, he will turn savage to take and keep that power. At first, the boys remain calm and work together, until Jack moves to a more savage state making him do inhumane actions. This idea is also stressed in an article analyzing people without civilization.
I think the boys’ savage and immoral behavior should be blamed on environment. When you are put in a certain environment I believe you’ll act a certain way to fit into that environment. From small things like going to a to crashing on an island going to act a certain way to get settled into that environment. In the fictional story, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, he writes about refugees who get plane wrecked on a deserted island.
Though once cultured and refined, the boys inevitably revert into a cavemen-like state in a matter of a few months. The leader of the savage boys is Jack. Through Jack’s regression into savagery due to his rejection of society, Golding proposes that civilization suppresses mankind’s irrational, egotistical id. Upon
Savagery is a very important topic in William Golding’s novel The Lord of the Flies. When a group of young boys show up on an island with initially no government, there is a big chance that some type of savagery might occur. Some boys such as Ralph and Piggy do their best to keep the rest of the boys civilized. Ralph represents order and leadership because he uses the conch to initiate meetings and declare the rules. Additionally, when the book gets deeper into its plot savagery is sparked by Jack and the beastie. For example, Jack does not respect Ralph’s authority or rules on the island. Also, when the boys become more afraid of the imaginary beast, savagery increases. The boys preformed a sacrifice for the beast out of their fear. Furthermore,
Golding notes, "At once the crowd surged after it, poured down on the rock, leapt onto the beast,
The inner savagery within every one of us can only be restricted with civilization. In the allegorical novel Lord of the Flies written by William Golding, a group of British boys aged from 6 to 12 gets stranded on an island where everything is provided for them. Without any adults, the boys only have each other to rely on due to the great fear of the ‘beast’. As the boys are liberated from civilization, the fear of the beast brings out the inner savagery of the young boys. The most important techniques used by Golding are symbolism of a conch, dialogue, and foreshadowing. These techniques reveal an important message to the readers, that the inner savagery exists within everyone and civilization is the only thing that can restrict the destruction.
Could you ever imagine small children killing each other? Stabbing or crushing one another to death? Probably not, however in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” these exact events occur in the boys regression into savagery throughout the novel. The more time that passes by on the island, the more savage like they become. From the hunts that they set out on, to the creation of several “tribes”, these boys slowly become more and more like animals.
George R.R Martin once said that "there is a savage beast in every man, and when you hand that man a sword or spear and send him forth to war, the beast stirs." In the book The Lord of the Flies, a group of boys are stranded on an island and struggle to form a balanced society and end up removing it completely by destroying all hope for civilization. As the story progresses, the boys use their masks to disguise their identity, to bring out their inner beast, and to intimidate others.
Humans have displayed a progressively increasing sense of order and civilization, albeit sometimes overshadowed by a primitive sense of savagery. In William Golding’s novel, The Lord of the Flies, the theory that an inherent savagery is present within mankind is explored through the experiences of young boys left to fend for themselves on an isolated island. The deterioration of order and rationality ensues and the boys become increasingly differentiated, showing the reader the two facets of a person’s nature. While some people prefer to observe human nature on a surface level - determining that it is without flaws and detriments, possessing an instinctual sense of civilization - the unique nature of savagery bears a more primitive premise