...Gattaca and Lord of the Flies Comparison Essay By: Lauren Cody Gattaca and The Lord of the Flies have many overlapping themes like the loss of individuality or the abuse of power. The loss of individuality is shown through Jack and his tribe wearing their masks and hiding behind them when they hunt and run wild throughout the island. In Gattaca individuality is taken from people because their parents choose their children's genes before they are even born and individuals are grouped into genetically modified and invalids. The abuse of power is shown through Jacks power hungry nature while taking over island. In relation to Gattaca, business owners, the police, and the government all feel that they have the right to see your genes and judge...
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...evil ways.” In essence, this quotation denotes that because every human being has a brain, they also possess the ability to think and act in a malicious and inhumane manner. Considering this, William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, illustrates that uncivil behaviour will prevail on the adult-free island. In a like manner, Macbeth by Shakespeare gives insight to the lengths people will go to so that one can achieve personal profits at a rapid pace. Through similar fashions, both novels depict the true nature of human beings. Similarities between the characters of Jack from the Lord of the Flies and Macbeth from Macbeth reveal that power and greed is the root of all evil. In addition, the use of knives and representation of blood in both novels plays large roles in the quests for power. Also, similarities in plot structure help to further establish the sinful nature of humans. One can conclude that both Macbeth and Lord of the Flies give insight to the fact that human nature is predominantly evil through the characterization of Jack and Macbeth, symbolism of knives and blood and similarities within plot structure. Initially, the predominantly evil aspects of human nature show through the characterization of Jack and Macbeth. In the Lord of the Flies, the society the boys live in begins to crumble as Jack becomes less and less civil while the others follow. Jack quickly turns from an innocent young boy to an uncivil animal, “He looked in astonishment, no longer at himself...
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...During a world war, a plane crashes onto an uninhabited island. A group of English schoolboys survive, including a boy named Piggy and another named Jack. Although these two boys are put in the same environment they act completely differently, but why? William Golding's Lord of the Flies teaches us that regardless of the situation, we will act according to who we are and what we value. There are different factors that contribute to who we are and our values. In Lord of the Flies, when comparing all the characters, Piggy and Jack stand out. They seem to be the most different or the opposite of each other. When Piggy is introduced, he is a fat boy with glasses and asthma. His parents died and back in Great Britain, he lives with his auntie. His name is also Piggy, not the most decent name, and he even declares, “I don’t care what they call me...so long as they don’t call me what they used to call me in school...they used to call me Piggy!” (11). Automatically you feel...
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...LOTF In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Jack and Ralph are very different. They have different views on how they think the group should be governed and disagree on what is more important. Ralph’s father was part of the army so he has experience with strong authority and having things in order. Jack, on the other hand, is very power-hungry and feels like he should lead everyone. Jack and Ralph are characterized differently in Lord of the Flies based on their ways of leadership, morals, and style of government. When the boys’ first get together, the first thing they do is choose a leader. On pages 22 and 23 of Lord of the Flies, the group votes for Ralph to be leader because he had the conch. To the littluns the conch held a certain power of authority so when they saw him holding it they automatically saw him as a leader-type. When Ralph blows the conch for the first time on page 17, he feels a sort of masculinity and power because of how strong and loud the conch was. Ralph didn’t forget to give Jack some authority. He told him...
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...There is no such thing as an inherently good or inherently bad person. We are all just humans capable of good but susceptible to evil based on our surroundings. Both William Golding (author of Lord of the Flies) and Jack London (author of White Fang) show this fact in their novels by having characters who come from different strata’s of society face similar obstacles but react (differently) and attempt to overcome them based on their nurtured backgrounds. I the reader strongly agree with this view point because both authors came to this identical conclusion using different mechanics. It is our surrounding/society that ultimately decides who we become. William Golding uses the characters Jack & Ralph to explicitly communicate this by pitting...
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...Every person has their own individual personality, both good and bad. There are many different types and they can determined by a person’s thoughts, actions or attitudes. The two books Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury, and Lord of the Flies by William Golding, include characters that possess several distinct characteristics. Those traits either pertain to me or were caught in my interest for incorporation. Those characters include Guy Montag, Ralph, and Mildred. In the story Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag displays courage and bravery which leads him to undergo a period in his life when he sees reality for what it really is then takes action. This is a trait that I lack, a sense of boldness. Guy realizes that the authority, which has control over their society, has created a movement that is irrational. I believe that just because someone has a great deal of power and control over a mass of...
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...Human Nature: Analysing How Crisis Affects Human Nature in "Lord of the Flies" and "Blindness" Aim of the Study: The aim of the study is to highlight the roots of evil in human nature, and how crisis can change a lot of things in a human being when it strikes by analysing two novels: "Lord of the Flies" and "Blindness". Abstract: "Lord of the Flies" tackles the theme of human nature. Throughout the novel, William Golding illustrates how sick and twisted human nature can get when faced by crisis. On the other hand, "Blindness" which is a novel by the Protégées author Jose Saramago, questions the good and conscious part in the heart and brings it to test. Both novels dig deep in human nature and go under the surface to reveal the source of evil in human nature. This study is designed to employ scenes and events in both novels to prove how fragile the sense of civilisation is in human beings, and how easy it can be to fall in the ambush of savagery as a last resort for survival. The research will analyze both novels separately from a psychoanalytical point of view then compare the findings of the two works. Introduction: The research is about two novels that tackle the same crucial theme of the evil nature in human beings. The two novels were written in different eras and as a result of different circumstances which in one way or another affected the philosophy of both of the writers. Lord of the Flies is an English novel written by William Golding in 1954. The...
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...Frankenstein and Lord of the Flies both have characters with comparable personalities living in similar environments. Both Golding and Shelly use them to present their ideas on human nature, and monster and ‘monstrous’. Comparison: The effect of environment on a person's character is an idea which is examined in both novels. In Lord of the Flies the boys’ inherent evil emerges when society and rules and regulations are withdrawn, whereas in Frankenstein the lack of human society and its nurturing and love is responsible for the evil that the creature does. Golding's idea of humanity is that it is integrally flawed by evil. That every human has evil within them. Golding used the names Ralph and Jack deliberately as they are characters from...
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...Comparing the dystopian features of 'Lord of the Flies' and 'The Handmaid's Tale' 'Lord of the flies' and 'The Handmaid's Tale' are two dystopian novels that I'm going to compare. These two novels have got various dystopian features. Dystopia refers to a work of fiction that describes an imagined place or state where everything is unpleasant or bad due to terror or deprivation. Lord of the Flies is a very gory dystopian novel. This novel includes various dystopian features. One of them is greed which has been reflected by the behaviours and attitudes of the characters. Greed has been shown by Jack's obsession over killing the pig as once the pig escaped, getting it back and killing it was his only goal. He proclaimed that he was hunting for the group but his desperation to kill the pig said otherwise. This act showed his greed for pride as his ego got hurt when the pig escaped. Another way greed has been shown is by Ralph's desire to constantly be in charge and have control. This has been shown when Ralph first went with the hunter group he saw that the boys had started lazing about so in order to get control over them, he yelled at them to get back to work and light the fire. At denial, his ego got hurt and so he screamed at them until they agreed to do do. This reflects Jack's greed for authority and control over others. One other way in which greed has been shown is through Jack's intense and selfish desire for power. Jack's greed for authority and power has been shown...
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...How could Lord of the Fliesbe described as an allegory? If it is an allegory, what message does Golding want to get across to his readers? What allegorical roles are the characters playing? Allegory Allegory is a form of extended metaphor, in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative, are equated with the meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. The underlying meaning has moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often personifications of abstract ideas as charity, greed, or envy. Thus an allegory is a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning. Types of allegory 1. Political allegory 2. Social allegory 3. Religious allegory POLITICAL ALLEGORY Political Allegory in William Golding's Lord of the Flies’ “Lord of the Flies is an allegory on human society today, the novel's primary implication being that what we have come to call civilization is, at best, no more than skin-deep" Though the need for civilization is focused on in this novel, the significance of political order, shown allegorically, is consistently referenced to. When utilizing political allegory, the characters are used as symbols that, overall, represent some kind of political organization. In Lord of the Flies, the persons, or characters allegorized include Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Roger, the biguns, and the littluns; each considered an important component of their political establishments. For most every society, there is a system...
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...Lord Of The Flies And Othello Comparison Essay, Research Paper Lord of the Flies and Othello Comparison The age-old theme of good versus evil is presented in both William Golding s Lord of the Flies (LOTF), and William Shakespeare s Othello. The characters are used to show the battle between the two. Simon and Desdemona who represent purity and embody an innate goodness are challenged by many characters that do not possess the same holy qualities- who have actually subsided to the evil that is, in every way, their opposite. Jack and Iago represent the evil in the novels. Unfortunately in both pieces we see the loss of life for the pure characters through the clutches of evil. The evil does not necessarily win, as both characters maintain their standings as upright and completely pure individuals, even in their brutal murders. Simon and Desdemona clearly represent all that is good in the world. The characters are portrayed by the authors to be very understanding and compassionate individuals. Desdemona expresses in her language and actions, an innocent, unselfish love and concern for others. This is evident when Desdemona makes pleas on behalf Cassio for Othello s forgiveness, and in her inability to comprehend a woman s desire to cheat. Cassio has asked Desdemona to make a plea to Othello for his return to office. Desdemona, being the compassionate woman that she is asks Othello the first chance she gets, Good my lord, If I have any grace or power to move you,...
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...In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, a group of boys have survived a plane crash and have landed on an island. Without any grownups, the boys are forced to learn how to survive and cooperate by themselves, but the boys will soon be uncoordinated. The boys lose their innocence, and most will turn into savages. In developing the theme of the predatory, bestial atavistic nature of man, Golding employs numerous symbols using characters, symbolic acts, and objects. Of the groups of symbols, characters in Lord of the Flies symbolize different aspects of man. Some characters represent the different personalities that are involved with Sigmund Freud's id, ego, and superego. Piggy, a fat boy who wears spectacles, represents the superego as he is...
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...slavery, although it is banned, if the dominant is to have complete power, is able to force the slave to complete all the commands. The Abu Ghraib prison is an institution where the guards force the prisoners to perform tasks ignoring their opinion and values. The guards had the power to be able to force the prisoners to ‘jerk off’, participate in male orgies and have females strip. All of these acts had pictures taken. Some of the guards who had worked at the prison fled and reported the issue with the media which had gotten public attention and understanding that the acts that were performed are indeed obstructing the laws of society and an obstruction of justice. Parallels to this can be seen in the Abu Ghraib and William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ as there are characters that act in a way which would be seem as questionable. Jack and the hunters gained a sense of superiority as they understood that they had full control of the pigs and had the power to do anything that they wish towards the pig. The hunters even went as far as spearing the pig in the anus and laugh while it is happening as they weren’t told off for doing so and wasn’t afraid of...
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...****Take note of points 2 and 6**** Title: Good grief: Lord of the Flies as a post-war rewriting of salvation history Author: Marijke van Vuuren 1. Introduction "It is a great pleasure to meet you, Mr Golding," said King Carl XVI Gustaf, presenting William Golding with the Nobel Prize in 1983. "I had to do Lord of the Flies at school" (Monteith, 1986:63). The Swedish king's words may well be echoed by countless people worldwide who have "had to do" Golding's first novel in various English courses. Indeed, this "unpleasant novel about small boys behaving unspeakably on a desert island" (1) may well have been done to death by exhaustive but reductive reading and teaching. Where Lord of the Flies has been read reductively, Original Sin writ large over it, readers have tended to respond to the novel in terms of its doleful view of humanity or its perceived theology. Its initial success reflected post-war pessimism, the loss of what Golding (1988a:163) has called his generation's "liberal and naive belief in the perfectability of man". Although the novel does not groan under a dogmatic burden to the extent that some critics have alleged, it has seemed the prime example of Golding's earlier writing, a tightly structured allegory or fable. … It is not surprising that the Bible's first and last books, on humankind's "origins and end" beyond the horizons of knowledge, turn to symbolic narrative. In Lord of the Flies Golding draws heavily on imagery from Genesis and the Apocalypse...
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...Evil is more of an intellectual concept than a true reality. Evil cannot be defined by a definition, but can be present in a situation. Simon is the only boy on the island to truly understand the meaning behind ‘the beast’, and how it represents all gruesome and evil aspects in mankind. He exemplifies a saint or a visionary on the island in Lord of the Flies. The role Simon plays is to simply exist between Jack and Ralph’s conflict, to be a peace-keeper when there is conflict amongst the group. Simon is a passive character whose role is to be a peace-keeper when conflict arises between Jack and Ralph. Simon seems to live between the conflict caused by Ralph and Jack, and his own thoughts. However, his kind and generous nature is evident through...
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