Issues with Government Depicted in Golding's Lord of the Flies and Jackson's The Lottery

A recurring theme among leaders in many societies today is that “absolute power corrupts absolutely” (John Acton, a 1700’s English Catholic historian, politician, and writer). In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, this idea of leadership, power, and corruption is put in the spotlight. Jack, one of the boys on the island, forces his way into the leadership position without actually earning it. It is clear that Jack has become corrupt as he turns into a person who is intimidating, egotistical, and selfish. Ralph, on the other hand, is a quality leader under most conditions as he appeals to the boys’ sophisticated side and has a

Jackson’s version of democracy was in fact a democracy. He was not a very wealthy man, he owned a home and some land. Which was more than could be said about most Americans at the time. About ten percent of the Americans living there at that time owned enough land to vote. There was a law, stating that only white males with a good portion of land could vote in the presidential election. Andrew Jackson thought this system was so unfair, he created a new way to govern the citizens of the newly formed United States.

Francis B. Sayre once stated, “Unless man has the wit and the grit to build his civilization on something better than material power, it is surely idle to talk of plans for a stable peace.” People control society because people set the rules and inform others what is right and what is wrong in which the rest follow through their actions. On the other hand, one may believe society controls the people because they view society as the one who is in charge and supposes that society advises people what to do and how to do it. People assemble the choices of what is justifiable in society, therefore controlling how society is perceived., In Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, a society is controlled by a select few: allowing the boys to develop their own society through their rules and decisions, and entitling their society to transform into savagery

When writing, authors use various writing techniques and devices to better their story. From onomatopoeia, and similes, to mood and setting, these devices are what make the stories we read astounding. Atmosphere specifically is imperative to a great writing piece as it is prevalent throughout the entire story. From the first three words to the last three words, the reader is focused on the mood they are interpreting from the storyline. In “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson, the mood is what makes the story so amazing and helps us understand the theme.

“It sows...the seeds of jealousy and ill-will against the government of which its author is the official head” (Daniel Webster’s Reply to Jackson’s Bank Veto Message - July 11, 1832). He is refusing to acknowledge that the government can do any good, and that the power comes from the people; however, the government officials have been elected by the people. “consequence of denying the government the service of an elite bureaucracy in order to serve some idealistic democratic principle” (excerpt from The Life of Andrew Jackson). Democracy is when all people have a fair and equal say in government. In Jackson’s attempts to fulfill his idea of democracy, he was ignoring the peoples representation in government, which was how he got elected in the first

There are different ways to run a society. A society can be run by a group of leaders, a dictator, or even no leader or dictator at all! Many philosophers have different points of views on how to run a society so people can live the best life. In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, different characters have different views on how to run a society. These views represent each of the philosophers view. Lord of the Flies is an allegory for the different philosophers’ speculations of “the state of nature.”

In Shirley Jackson’s "The Lottery," what appears to be an ordinary day in a small town takes an evil turn when a woman is stoned to death after "winning" the town lottery. The lottery in this story reflects an old tradition of sacrificing a scapegoat in order to encourage the growth of crops. But this story is not about the past, for through the actions of the town, Jackson shows us many of the social ills that exist in our own lives.

“Democracy... while it lasts is more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide,” said John Adams, the first Vice President and second President of the United States of America, at the beginning of the modern world’s greatest democratic nation. According to Adams, democracy never possessed a long term future, and the boys on a tropical island in William Golding’s classic novel, Lord of the Flies, make a great example of a crumbling democracy. A democratic government works with the people to serve their best interests and requires participation from it members to function properly. Meanwhile, totalitarian

Andrew Jackson’s form and thought of democracy was very different from the democracy the founding fathers originally wanted for our country. The founding fathers wanted a country mostly ruled by Congress and they didn’t want “average Americans to have a role in choosing… [the] president” (Reinventing the Presidency). The founding fathers thought of the presidential branch as being weak and only good for doing what Congress wanted. Andrew Jackson the seventh president of the united states quickly showed the people how powerful his government position was by enforcing his right to veto bills Congress passed. Over Jackson's presidential term, he was a very different president than the founders originally wanted in office, and many people thought of his presidency as being very democratic. Jackson’s term as president may have seemed democratic, but when you look deeper into his laws and policies you can realize how his term wasn’t really that democratic.

Shirley Jackson is to be considered one of the best authors of the 1900’s. Her style of writing reeled in readers from all different ages. She can be creepy, hilarious, and inspiring to the eyes that see her words. In Shirley Jackson’s short story, The Lottery, she keeps the reader on the edge of their seat wanting to continue reading beyond the final word. She uses literary devices to shape her story to grab her readers attention all throughout the story. By using these literary devices, Shirley Jackson shows off her dark and twisted side as well as her fantastic writing style to emphasize why she is one of the writers of her generation.

Jackson's biggest problem with his 'democracy' was his use of the veto. In the court case Worcester vs. Georgia ruled that Georgia could not remove the Cherokee's from their land. Jackson vetoed this and then went ahead and drove all the Indians out west in what is known as the trail of tears. This is easily an impeachable offense but since his cabinet were his friends and supporters, the proper steps were not taken. As you can see this presidency was not exactly a democracy were everyone's voice was heard.

The definition of democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. That necessarily wasn't the case back in the Jacksonian Era. During the Jacksonian Era, Andrew made a variety or changes both that were good and others that weren’t so good. During this era the Jackson did democratize politics but it wasn’t a consistent thing with Andrew Jackson constantly contradicting himself.

Lord of the Flies is an extraordinarily well-written novel that teaches one how to live life. When asked about the philosophy of the book, the author, William Golding, replied, "The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectful." This completely exemplifies the theme of the novel. Lord of the Flies truly shows that it is not the government that determines survival, it is the sheer human nature in all of us that proves whether a society can function. A person's personality will always trump another person's because of difference

“The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable.” With this quote, William Golding simply justifies the theme and moral presented in his novel, Lord of the Flies. The characters portray a modern society and depict the cruelty of human disposition. The political system in the U.S., as a whole, is a prime example of the ignorance towards ethical nature and is definitely blameworthy of the ruthlessness of mankind as individuals. Change is needed!

When a bureaucratic government is in control and individuals support it, it can lead to a chaotic end result. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson illustrates how, when people lose their morality it can result in barbaric outcomes; ultimately, this continues to be true in contemporary society.