Respect the Disrespected- LOTF- Cynthia To

Why do people treat different  people unfairly? This usually happens because of miscommunications, misunderstandings, or just plain jealousy because of the different classes, race, and faith of others. In such a social society, being “normal” is the norm for our society and being special is deterring. Special needs people aren’t always treated with the same respect as people considered “normal” are. Special needs people are often looked down upon. In the book the Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, none of the other boys  would listen to Piggy when he had the almighty conch in his hand. This behavior shows that symbols are not as powerful as our society wants them to be. This is because the power ultimately lies with the individual and the social status of that individual and not the object itself.

In the chapter,5  , Beast from Water, Ralph set up a meeting about the beast and no one could talk unless they were holding the conch. That was their way for one person to talk at a time, but it didn't really work. When it came time for Piggy to have the conch in his hands, no one wanted to listen to what he had to say even though he had information. The boys treated Piggy like he was different, just because he had specs, ass-mar, and he was a bit heavier than most of the other boys on the island.“‘Sit down!’ ‘Shut up!’ ‘Take the conch!’ ‘Sod you!’ ‘Shut up!’ Ralph shouted. ‘Hear him! He’s got the conch!’” (89) The meaning of the conch is for one person to talk at a time and to show leadership and power. At the time, Ralph was on Piggy’s side and tried to enforce the rule no matter who the hand the conch in their possession. That rule worked until Piggy had the conch and then no one listened. This shows that people would rather listen to the patient with the normal appearance instead of the person with the special needs or different appearance. This shows that people that are similar to Piggy are not being appreciated but ignored.

The book is not the only time that example has happened. This social stigma has also happened in reality. In a middle school in Cleveland, Ohio, Shaker Middle School made it on the news for the wrong reasons. The broadcasting talked about a little kid with special needs was walking out of school and was targeted because he was different from the other kids. This just shows that no matter what scenario it is, different isn’t always. The people who are different are usually treated poorly through abuse and punishment like how in the book the Lord of the flies. Piggy was an outcast that had a lot of problems and no one would listen to him and would only push him around.

In our society today, people try and use symbol to indicate power. This shows that in order to get power, a symbol is needed to represent it and drive the meaning of power home towards others. Throughout history, symbol and power have been hand in hand with each other. Martin Luther King Jr., for example, stood up for people during the Civil Rights Movement. He didn’t use any physical symbols but his speeches that he wrote were emotional and vocal symbols. His speeches gave the Black communities. He gave them hope that things were going to be better. Martin Luther King Jr. never used violence or abuse to make people to believe him. He made people feel safe and comfortable. He was a great leader and very peaceful. When comparing Martin Luther King Jr. to the LotF leader, Jack, it is evident that they were two different types of leaders. Jack was similar to a dictator and used fear and cruelty to gain power.

Another example from the book showed that power ultimately lied with the individual, not the object itself. At the end of the book, the boys have no other hope in getting off of the island so they started to hunt one another and went against people, slowly killing the people that did not obey the leader. This happened until the officer came to rescue the boys from the island.

During the rescue, the boys reflected on what happened on the island and what they did was wrong. When approached by the officer, “Ralph shook his head. The officer looked past him to the group of painted boys. ‘Who’s boss here?’ ‘I am,’ said Ralph loudly.” (201) After everything that happened on the island, the boys left still wanting to gain the power that everyone so ruthlessly fought for. This shows that the kids to want to have power, even though they could be able to go back home and that they already lost two innocent lives, Simon and Piggy.

While Ralph was answering the officer’s question, he didn’t use the conch to speak. This signified the loss of the need for a symbol and power. Ralph was just glad to have this be over and that everything that happened started to sink in along with the guilt. Ralph had a greed of power and wanted to answer the questions about the island. He could not really answer to them because the only person who know the answers to the questions was Piggy, who was killed by Roger. Jack started to cry while the answering the question, “ He gave himself up to them now for the first time on island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body.” (202) Jack and the other boys finally understood what they did to Simon and Piggy was wrong and there's nothing they can do to fix it. This made Ralph forget about having his power back and made him focus on how he lost true and wise friend, Piggy.

Overall, the  Lord of the Flies demonstrated that power and greed cannot be represented by a symbol but by the popularity status and normalcy of a person. In the end, readers saw that symbols mean nothing without the leader. In the book, the boys only realized that after two deaths and a rescue.

Works Cited:

Golding, William. Lord Of The Flies. New York: Penguin, 2006.

Seymour, Chloe. Martin Luther King Jr. -- a symbol of courage. Communication Report. January 21, 2016. <http://www.tacomlcmccommunityreport.com/features/1.16featureMLKremarks.aspx>

WOIO.Family says boy with special needs was assaulted at Shaker Middle School. March 23rd 2017. Cleveland 19 Digital Team. <http://www.cleveland19.com/story/34982953/family-says-boy-with-special-needs-was-assaulted-at-shaker-middle-school>