Stealing Valuables

Jacob Prunés

Ms.Pahomov

English 2

21 March 2019

Stealing Valuables

What drives people to success? For most, it is money. People desire valuables, which drives them to reach their goal at any cost. A lot of politicians and leaders use their power and status to reach their goal. The only problem is that most leaders don't see how their ambition affects others because they are focused on goal. Determination and greed blinds leaders into using their power to take what they want, not realizing the repercussions of their actions.

Donald Trump is famous for saying, “I would just go in and take the oil,”. He says this to Matt Lauer at the Commander-in-Chief Forum. He decides it would be a better idea if they went in and took the oil without negotiating because, “We’re reimbursing ourselves … at a minimum, and I say more. We’re taking back $1.5tn to reimburse ourselves” says Trump according to Foreign Policy. This statement is referring to Donald Trump and his decision to take Middle Eastern countries oil as reimbursement. To the common people, it is blatantly stealing and illegal because you cannot take civilian goods or seize them. Donald Trump believes that because of the casualties America has faced, we need to be reimbursed for it. Trump is using his power and status to get what he wants. When a leader has the power and will to get something they want, they won't hesitate to get what they desire.

In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Jack and his new clan need a way to make a fire for their feast. Since Jack has new power role, he decides that the best way to get what he wants is by taking it with force. When asked by his followers about how to start the fire, he states, “We shall take fire from the others.” (161). Instead of negotiating, Jack decides to use his power to overpower the other side. If Jack had asked to use the glasses than Jack and Piggy would have gladly handed over it to them. Even if there was two different sides, they still would have had a better connection if Jack had not used strength to get the glasses. When leaders have that kind of determination and strength, they would rather use that strength rather than using their head.

Moreover, a lot of people disagree with Donald Trump's reasoning and say that he is being irrational and stupid. One of the reasons people say that is because he is not thinking about how it's going to affect the other side. According to the guardian.com, Jay Hakes says, “Even our allies in the Middle East regard oil in their lands as a gift from God and the only major source of income to develop their countries. Seizing Iraq’s oil would make our current allies against Isis our new enemies.“ This shows how important oil is in these countries. By taking it, Donald Trump is depriving these countries from their most valuable material.  Donald Trump does not care about the effects or consequences from taking the most valuable resource that that nation has. This is what happens when a leader is blinded by his greed and determination to reach his goal.

Likewise, Jack steals Piggy's glasses, which causes him to be vulnerable. In the book, it says, “They blinded me. See?“(169). Now that Piggy can't see, he is no longer valuable to the group. He is now seen as a liability and now doesn't have any power. To the rest of the boys he is less and doesn't hold any power status. This is the same as the middle eastern countries. Without their oil, Iran and Iraq's economy decrease and are not seen as valuable to other countries because oil is the most valuable resource in the middle east Also, middle eastern countries view oil as sacred and special to them. This is the same as how Piggy viewed his glasses. Throughout the book, he wiped them often to keep them clean and he always made sure he had them with him. With his glasses lost, Piggy feels lost and worthless. This is another example of how a leader can be blinded by greed and doesn't see the damage of their deed.

To summarize, using power and strength to grab what you want isn't the best way to reach your goal. Negotiating with the other side not only benefits you but it improves the connection with allies and neighbors. Stronger countries love taking whats not theirs without thinking about their actions and the consequences that will eventually come.

Work Cited

Borger, Julian. “Trump's Plan to Seize Iraq's Oil: 'It's Not Stealing, We're Reimbursing Ourselves'.

The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 21 Sept. 2016, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/21/donald-trump-iraq-war-oil-strategy-seizure-isis.

Friedersdorf, Conor. “Trump's Speech to the CIA Made America Less Safe.” The Atlantic, Atlantic

Media Company, 24 Apr. 2017, www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/01/in-seconds-at-the-cia-trump-made-america-less-safe/514193/.

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Penguin Books, 2006.

Klare, Michael T. “Trump Wants to Steal Middle East Oil, and He's Not Alone.” Foreign Policy,

Foreign Policy, 13 Oct. 2016, foreignpolicy.com/2016/10/13/trump-wants-to-steal-middle-east-oil-and-hes-not-alone-iraq-war-elections/.