Matalai Lee

Ms. Pahomov

English 2

26 March 2019

The Effect of the Social Hierarchy

William Golding’s, Lord of The Flies, depicts how being stranded on an island affects a group of prepubescent boys. It explores ideas about human behavior, human nature and at what point the boys begin to abandon their civility. The novel illustrates what aspects of society would stay the same in this situation, as well as the disparities that there would be. One constant that was shown is how instantaneously someone is repudiated. The need to create a hierarchy in their society acted rapidly, leaving certain boys at the bottom of their fabricated class system. William Golding wrote the Lord of the Flies with the intention of symbolizing how people are unfairly misrepresented and mistreated due to social hierarchies.  

In the novel, it is quickly decided who will be the leader of the group, but it was also decided who the outcasts of the group would be. Upon their first introductions, one of the main characters, Piggy, was called this name despite not wanting to be, saying “‘You told ‘em. After what I said.’ ‘About being called Piggy. I said I didn’t care as long as they didn’t call me Piggy; an’ I said not to tell and then you wen an’ said straight out-’, ” (25) . It is implied that Piggy was given this nickname by former classmates and possibly bullies, based off of his appearance. Being called Piggy makes him feel inferior because of its connotation and origin. Despite Ralph’s intentions not being malicious, he still misidentified him and gave the rest of the boys a demeaning name to call him. He is unaware that this will lead to him being tormented and continuously ridiculed.  

The boys desire for an informal social class system can be related to that of our current society. Many groups of people are still marginalized and pushed to the bottom of our social hierarchy, namely, people of color, women and members of the LGBTQ community. Specifically, the world still struggles with the acceptance of transgender people and tend to regard them as less than human. One big issue that they face is being misidentified, whether intentional or incidental. In an article recently published by CNN,  Jen Christensen wrote about the issue of the identities of murdered trans people being misconstrued in the media. The simple act of not calling someone by their proper name or labeling them as the incorrect gender invalidates them as people. It makes the person being misidentified feel inferior and creates an unnecessary divide between them and everyone around them. It has been established in society that referring to someone by their name, as opposed to not, is a way to show respect. People take the opportunity to disregard this when interacting with and talking about transgender people, and feed into the power that they hold over them, treating them as lesser. This is similar to Piggy being misidentified because both are not respectfully being referred to as how they identify as.

For both Piggy and Simon, the effects of being forced to the lower levels of their island’s social hierarchy are catastrophic. As the novel progresses, Piggy and Simon become more and more susceptible to ridiculement and persecution, which leads to their inexorable deaths. In addition their deaths were treated with a sense of nonchalance from all of the boys, with only one of the characters, Ralph, being the exception. On page 157, in reference to Simon’s death, Golding writes Piggy saying, “Coming in the dark-he hadn’t no business crawling like that out of the dark. He was batty. He asked for it,” (157). The boys were not just reluctant to take responsibility for what they had done but Piggy also insisted that Simon was partially responsible. They felt that Simon was not entitled to their respect or even recognition that he had been murdered by them. His status among the rest of the boys resulted in his death being written off as an accident. Piggy’s death, which happens not long after that of Simon, is also dealt with in a negligent matter. A character in the book, Jack, used Piggy’s murder as a warning and a threat for Ralph. Who was allowed no time to mourn the death of his friend, because of how quickly him dying was brushed under the rug. “This time the silence was complete. Ralph’s lips formed a word but no sound came. Suddenly Jack bounded out from the tribe and began screaming wildly. ‘See? See? That’s what you’ll get? I mean that!” (181).  Golding even writes that Piggys, as well as Simons, body was washed away by the water surrounding the island soon after his death. Further insinuating the lack of importance that Simon and Piggy had in relation to the rest of the boys on the island.

These events in the book are comparable to how the murders of transgender people are underreported by the media. Their deaths are periodically overlooked by media outlets and forgotten by society. Despite the magnitude of murders of transgender people, the overall coverage and recognition of the tragedies that face this community is miniscule, and in some ways insignificant. A direct quote from an article written by Raquel Willis and published by Out states that, “It has become customary for reports on murdered trans women to gain a slight bit of traction with jarring headlines — only to be forgotten about the next day.”.  The article talks in depth about the extremely noticeable trend of the dismissing of violence that trans people, specifically women of color, face and deem them and their struggles as nugatory and unimportant.

In summation, the social status of an individual or group of people heavily influences how they are treated and regarded by society. This is represented in Lord of the Flies through the characters of Simon and Piggy, and their murders. As well as in the overall treatment of transgender people. Through forceful establishment in the bottom of the social hierarchy in their respective societies, Simon, Piggy and transgender people became subject to unfair tormenting and violence.

Works Cited  

Christensen, Jen. “Killings of Transgender People in the US Saw Another High Year.” CNN, Cable News Network, 17 Jan. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/01/16/health/transgender-deaths-2018/index.html.  

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

Greer, Evan. “Powerful Gay Rights Groups Excluded Trans People for Decades - Leaving Them Vulnerable to Trump's Attack.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 Oct. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/10/29/trumps-attack-trans-people-should-be-wake-up-call-mainstream-gay-rights-movement/?utm_term=.0a8f54bae572.

Nate, what are you doing with my phone? Come on just -sighs- ok yes, I’m cheating on you. Baby, please, I’m sorry. Please just let me explain, alright. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, it just kind of did, ok. I know you’re upset, more than upset, but just hear me out. How long? 2 months, his name is- you’re right, he doesn’t matter right now. What matters is me explaining myself.

When it first started you were working crazy hours, I was proud of you for getting that promotion, but Nate, you changed. Haven’t you noticed what it’s done to you, to our relationship. You’re distant, and you’re always too exhausted to have a conversation. You became monosyllabic and when you did talk in full sentences it was only ever about work. Did you really just say that to me, Nate? You were selfish, you didn’t care about what was happening in my life. And I tried to keep this relationship going, but you gave me nothing. If you had been complaining about your boss or some co-workers the day before, I would make that dish you like, chicken cordon bleu, to cheer you up. Maybe I’d get a quick thank you, maybe, but that was it. I even went to that stupid networking event with you and you know how much I hate wearing cocktail dresses and heels. I spent the whole night hanging out with someone’s grandmother while you were busy kissing up to your boss. I tried to save this, but it takes two to tango right? I don’t know why you’re so surprised. I mean, did you think I was just going to sit around and wait for you to remember how to be a good boyfriend? If that were the case I’d be waiting an eternity.

I’m sorry that this was so abrupt, but I was worried. I was worried that if you didn’t have anyone in your life things would get bad, or at least worse than they already were. (pause)I know that this isn’t a good time, but do you realize that this is the longest conversation we’ve had in what seems like forever. Laughs What’s he like? Are you sure you want to hear about him? Ok, um well he’s really sweet and smart, he works in marketing. Um, we met at that networking party, oddly enough, and he was actually someone else’s date. He came over and he asked me to dance. When I said sure, he joked and said that he was actually talking to the old lady next to me. He made me laugh so much that night, I hadn’t had fun like that in awhile. Listen, he’s a good guy, I’m the one at fault here. I cheated on you, I lied and I’m sorry. Look at me, what I did was wrong, I’ll admit to that, but don’t act like you’re so innocent. Nate, you’re not the same person that I met a year ago, you let your job change you. You lost your compassion and your heart, and I deserved better than what you gave me.

Do I still love you? Honestly, I think I stopped a while ago, but I did at one point. Sometimes I thought that things would get better, I prayed that they would. There was one night when you came home and you were hammered, but you gave me a hug that lasted longer than 2 seconds. You apologized about letting your job change you, and for a split second I saw a nice future together. Then you woke up, got sober and went to work. Things didn’t change and I found myself wondering how I could still love someone that I didn’t even recognize? Nate, we can’t do this anymore.

In many countries around the world there are laws that prohibit people from getting married before they are 18 years old, in some cases 21. With that said, there are 93 countries that allow people to get married before they are 18, and with parental consent. These laws fuel child marriages and support the tradition that is held in so many countries. While child marriages affect both young boys and girls, the marrying of young girls is rooted in gender inequality and poverty. I am eager to learn about this topic, because it is something that heavily affects girls my age. I want to educate myself and help reduce the severity and rate of child marriages.

In many parts of the world, girls are not valued as much or the same way that boys are. In most countries that have different ages for when boys and girls can get married, the ages for girls are lower than the ages for the boys. They can sometimes be seen as a financial burden on their families. When families marry their young daughters off, they are transferring that “burden” onto her husband and his family. It is also seen as a practice in some places simply because it’s been happening for so long. Marrying off a daughter after they hit puberty is seen as the next step to her becoming a woman, and someone's wife or mother. In some cases families think that by marrying their daughter, at a young age, they’re protecting her from sexual assault and violence.

Below is a graph that shows the amount of girls that are married before 18 in the different regions of the world.

While child marriages are common in parts of the world like Niger, Chad, and India, there are still cases and issues with child marriages in the United States. Most people probably think about places like Africa and the Middle East when they hear the term “child marriages”, but what they don’t realize is that it was, and to some degree still is, an issue in the United States as well. An article that was posted by the  National Public Radio (NPR),stated that 25 out of 50 states don’t have a minimum age for when a person can get married and there are only 8 states that have the age set at 16 or lower. This article also discusses the judge and judicial approval of a marriage. There are 2 states with laws that specifically say that a judge can’t approve a marriage solely based on parental consent. Even in states that have the age set at 16 or higher, judges are usually allowed to disregard the law and allow for the marriage to happen.

Everywhere child marriages takes its toll on the children being forced into marriages. Marrying as a minor could lead to dropping out of school, mental/physical health problems, and they become very susceptible to abuse from their partners. Around the world girls who marry before they’re 15 are 50% more likely to be physically and sexually abused by their partner. Unless they fight back and resist the marriage, they lose their right to an education and the right to how they want to live their lives. This is one of the most damaging systems/practices in my opinion.

Below is a map of the United States, that shows the minimum legal age for marriage. It also shows the 25 states that don’t have a legal minimum age.

The unofficial but official board game known as “To the Death” is based on Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. There are a lot of references to the play as well as third-party references that aren’t.There are four playable characters in the play, them being Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, King Duncan, and Banquo. They all die in the end, but the objective of the game is to be the last one standing. All four characters have their own unique path to take around the game board, and the game will be finished by the first two players to enter the center of the board (the other two are just out). While in the Battle Zone, the two players fight with different kinds of cards they collected on their way to the center.

In our board game, there are three (motif) kinds of cards to select, the first type being the attack cards. They will be used once two players enter the Battle Zone, which is in the middle of the field. Every attack card represents a weapon, and weapons include Swords, Axes, Bows/Arrows, and Spears, which were all used in the 1500s, if not specifically in the Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. There are two one of a kind cards, one that says ‘Skin them from the Nave to the Chops’, which is a reference to Act 1, Scene 2 of the play. The other card is like the opposite, and it says ‘SUICIDE’ in big letters. This is a reference to Lady Macbeth’s demise in Act 5. It is exactly what it sounds like; whoever picks up the card has to use it right away, and once they do, they’re out the game.  

There are also some health cards in the game that increase players’ defense. Health cards include (but aren’t limited to) horses, wine, and Chain Armor. Chain Armor was worn by Macbeth and Malcolm during the final few scenes of the play, because of the war between Scotland and England. Horses were occasionally ridden in the film. There is no direct reference to wine in the play, but it’s been around since 1500 BC and has some health benefits to it as well. The last type of cards are called movement cards, which are used before two players enter the Battle Zone. The cards don’t just say ‘move x spaces forward’ or ‘move y spaces back’. There are references to major or minor situations from the actual play, like how Macbeth became mentally unstable etc. The cards also include certain motifs from the play like death and sleep.

Instructions:

Winning the Game

The winner will be whoever beats their opponent in the Battle Zone, after the first two players get there.  

Losing the game

There is more than one way to lose. The first way is picking up the SUICIDE card in the health card deck. You’ll have to use it instantly.

The second way is when someone uses the ‘Skin Them From the Nave to the Chops’ card on you in the Battle Zone. That card causes instant death on the one it was used on.

The third way is to lose the race to the Battle Zone, finishing in third or fourth. You then won’t play anymore.

Playing the game

1. Race to the Battle Zone

The game starts with all four players at the beginning of their labeled paths to the Battle Zone. Every character has their own path to follow, and they’re all designed differently. The players take turns picking up movement cards from the deck, following whatever the card says, and picking up attack and health cards on the way.  If you’ve picked up a card that says to move back when you’re at the start, then just put it at the bottom of the deck and pick up another one. The first player to enter the Battle Zone will have to wait for the second player, and the game will continue with those two players.

2. Battle in the Battle Zone

   The two remaining players use the attack and health cards they have collected to fight each other (if you have somehow managed not to take any card at all, just take five of both kinds of cards). Both start with 30 health, and every card says weather it reduces or increases it. Attack cards reduce your opponents health, while health cards increase your own, and also have a ‘tag’ in the corner that says ‘health’ so you’ll know which  ones are which. You can only choose one card to put down every turn, so choose wisely. If the card allows more than one use (it will say so in the bottom right corner if it does), then you can take it back after you put it down and it goes into effect. The game ends once someone’s health goes down to 0.