LORD OF THE FLIES ESSAY

Iman Ahmed

English 2

March 25, 2019

Lord of the Flies & Presence of Civility

Since the elementary days in school, students have been encouraged to take so much pride in being American. Flags gracefully flapping back and forth, proudly chanting the Pledge of Allegiance. One of the things that Americans are proud of is being part of a very progressed and civilized society. During school, the topic of America’s great heros who founded this country is a recurring topic. Emphasizing how they fought for the freedom that is present today. The question that isn’t asked is if America truly is civilized? It is commonly thought that Americans are very just and civilized people. This might be true when it comes to interacting within the American society. Despite what we are taught, America has a tendency of not treating those who are different with the civility that we preach.

In the beginning of Lord of the Flies, we are introduced to “the fat boy with asthma”, later known as Piggy. As the book continues he becomes Ralph’s loyal companion that always considers other people’s opinions and feelings.Towards the end of the book, he oddly wasn’t the emotional one after Simon’s death: “Coming in the dark - he hadn’t no business crawling like that out of the dark. He was batty. He asked for it.”(157)  Even though Simon was part of the group, Piggy, who is presented as the sensitive smart boy in the beginning of the book, is shown to not showing much concern to killing Simon. When he was responding to Ralph’s claim that they killed Simon, he said that it wasn’t their fault because it was dark and they didn’t even know. Not only did Piggy take responsibility for his killing but he also blamed it on Simon for being “batty” and that he “asked for it”. He justified it because he was doing a foreign dance that he wasn’t familiar with. Brutality killing someone because of doing an unusual dance isn’t civilized. Part of being a moral and civilized person is not only taking responsibility of actions, but also not checking who was just murdered

In America, there are many cases shown of black people experiencing police brutality due to their race. This type of tragedy has a very long-lasting effect on people. They could have an emotional and mental effect. As New York Times said in their article, “Using mental health survey data and a database of police shootings, a team of health researchers concluded that when police officers in the United States kill unarmed black people, it damages the mental health of black Americans living in those states.” This type of negative mental impact is not just because black people have lost someone but it’s also because of the thought “What if I was in that position, what would happen to me? We have similar backgrounds so what would ensure me safety in this type of environment.”This ties in with the idea that Ralph is traumatized by the killing of Simon because he knew that it could have been him. The fear that he had affected how he reacted after he knew Simon died and Piggy also had fear but he expressed it in a different way. It shows that Fear can come from a common place but affect each individual differently.

In the 2nd and 3rd chapter of Lord of the Flies, the boys are having a crucial meeting about how to survive in this island. They were sitting around a fire, discussing set rules to follow while stranded in this island. Then Jack extended his hand for the conch and then said, “I agree with Ralph. After all, we’re not savages. We’ve got to have rules and obey them. We’re the English, and the English are best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things”(42) This statement is from Jack claiming that he is from an English civilization. When he said “the English are best at everything”, it made me think of how many English people think that their country is so civilized even though there are many known cases of the British treating people from different lands inhumanely. Later on in the book Jack has turned into one of those “savages” that he despised so much. This falls into the idea that “something is only good when I do it because we are the superiors”. Which is not only senseless but also a product of double standars.

In the modern day world, we have progressed to a society that agrees we should all be treated equally no matter one’s gender, race, or color. It’s usually is used to justify acts of cultural appropriation. People would argue that since we’re equal then that we should have equal permissions to do certain things. “In a truly equal world, you wouldn’t have to think about if you have power and privilege over the people you’re borrowing culture from. Unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in. In our world, systems of oppression create power dynamics between different groups of people.” The reason that it’s not civilized is not because it’s not humane but rather because it’s showing the impression that one thinks that they are superior. That’s why they can do this thing from a different culture that is usually not praised and sometimes degraded because they have that authority. Which can connect to what Jack was lie in the book. He claimed that he is British and civilized unlike the “savages” but then does the things that savage people do. For example, when the British went to India to take its rescources. Not only did they steal but the British turned them against each other. Which wasn’t just in anyway, but since they have the higher power then they aren’t held accountable.

We might not be aware of it but we do uncivilized things and claim it to be just. And when we are pointed out for it then we don’t take responsibility for our actions and blame it on another person or group which in it of itself is a “savage” thing to do. And we still very proudly claim that we are civilized people. Which could unconsciously show our superiority over other people.