The Beast, The Lord Of The Flies Essay

The Beast, The Lord Of The Flies Essay In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the use of symbolism is revealed through thoughts and feelings the boys have while being marooned on the island. The use of symbols such as the pigs head, the beast, Piggys specs, the island and the use of masks, allows the author to reveal how humans allow their ability for evil to take over and control their life. The pigs head is one key symbol in Lord of the Flies that is involved in the naming of the novel. Descriptions of the slaughtered animals head on a spear is graphic and frightening. The pigs head is described as dim-eyed, grinning faintly, blood blackening between the teeth, and is covered with a black blob of flies that tickled under his nostrils (138). The reader becomes aware of the evil and darkness symbolized by the Lord of the Flies with this image. When Simon speaks with the lifeless, devil-like object, the source of evil is revealed. Simon learns that the beast, that frightened the other boys on the island, is not an outside force. The head of the slain pig tells him, Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didnt you? Im part of you? (p. 143). The evil is symbolized by the pigs head. Simon faints after looking at the pig and seeing blackness within, a blackness that spread (p. 144). Evil had taken over, it was everywhere. The beast is used as a main symbol in this novel. In the imaginations of many of the boys, the beast is the source of evil on the island. Life on the island got worse as the evil there within each one of them became stronger. Simon realizes this before his meeting with the Lord of the Flies. During an argument over the reality of a beast, he shares his belief with the others. Simon tells them, Maybe, maybe there is a beastà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ maybe its only us (p. 89). The other boys immediately begin to argue more fiercely in response to Simons thoughts. The crowd gives a wild whoop when Jack scolds Ralph, saying If theres a beast, well hunt it down! Well close in and beat and beat and beat! (p. 91). Their fear of the beast and desire to kill it shows how strong the hold societys rules once had over them has been lost during their time on the island. The evil within the boys has more effect on their survival as they spend more time on the island, and this decline is reflected by Piggys specs. Piggy represents civilization and the rules, from which the other boys have been separated. As Piggy loses his ability to see, the other boys also lose their vision of that civilization. Piggy can clearly see with both lenses of his spectacles intact, and the boys are still fairly civilized at the start of the story. An example, at the first meeting, the boys decide that they cant have everybody talking at once they have to have hands up like at school (p. 33). After some time passes, the hunters become more concerned with slaughtering a pig than with being rescued. They return from a successful hunt in the jungle chanting Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood, (p. 69). Piggy and Ralph attempt to explain to the hunters that having meat to eat is not as important as keeping the signal fire burning. During a fight, Jack purposely knock s Piggys specs from his face, smashing one of the lenses greatly diminishing his vision. After Jack forms his own tribe of savages, he and two of his followers ambush Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric. In the middle of this ambush Piggys specs are stolen, leaving him virtually blind. In the mean time, Jack goes back to Castle Rock, trotting steadily, exulting in his achievement (p. 168), as he has discarded all ties to civilized life. Jacks ruthless nature and attitude cause his lapse into complete savagery. He enjoys the feeling of being feared by those around him. It was like he fed off of it and it made him even more evil. The island is taken up by the jungle, which shows the decline of civilization. Since the jungle is the home of the beast, it also symbolizes the darkness present in humans that is capable of ruling their lives. This evil spreads to almost every boy on the island, just as in the jungle, darkness poured out, submerging the ways between the trees till they were dim and strange as the bottom of the sea (p. 57). The experiences the boys undergo on the island expose them to the evil that lies beneath their civilized surface. The experiences affect them mentally and physically to the point where they lose their identities. The symbolic use of masks demonstrates the collapse of the boys way of life. When covered by masks the hunters have different personalities. They forget the civilized behaviors that once controlled them and now they have given in to their natural desires and urges. Jack paints his face to his liking and suddenly becomes a savage. He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling (p. 64). At home, Jack would not have behaved in this manner, but behind the mask, Jack feels free to behave like the devil. Lord of the Flies reflects the darkness that has the ability to awaken the evil beast from within. The author uses symbols that illustrate this theme of darkness throughout the novel. In Lord of the Flies, the symbols are important to the storys ideas and theme.

Aztecs :: essays research papers

According to their own history, the Aztecs, who called themselves the Tenochca or Mexica, started as a small nomadic tribe originating from a place called Aztlan. Aztlan existed somewhere in the southern part of California or the north west of Mexico. At this time they were Nahuatl speaking. During the twelfth century they started a period of wandering and in the thirteenth century they came across Mexico's central valley. There they decided to settle. The reason for this is a prophecy. The prophecy said that when they saw an eagle sitting on a cactus with a snake in its mouth that was where they were to build their great civilization. For that reason they called it Tenochtitlan, meaning place of the cactus. Since the prophecy was filled upon an island in the middle of a small lake, called Lake Texcoco, land became short. They built Tenochtitlan in the year thirteen twenty five BC. They started as a small struggling village continually fighting with other Mexican city-states. Tenochtitlan acted as a place of refuge. Aztec Empire At first the Aztecs where ruled by the mightiest of the city-states in central Mexico known as Azcapotzlaco. They helped Azcapotzlaco to conquer surrounding territory in the early fourteen hundreds. By fourteen twenty-eight they had Azcopotzlaco itself with the help of neighboring allies. Tenochtitlan, by the year fourteen thirty-one, with an alliance with the neighboring city-states of Texcoco and Tlacopan had become and independent city-state itself. This triple alliance of three city-states soon controlled all of Mexico's central valley. Tenochtitlan, as the dominate city-state in this alliance, became a base for a program of military expansion and conquest. However the program was left incomplete even when the empire fell to the Spaniards. To connect the Capitol to the mainland the Aztecs built a network of canals, bridges and three stone causeways. Aztecs didn't rule directly over the lands they concord. Instead they demanded tribute such as food, clothing, woven blankets, precious stones, furs, feathers, fine woods and slaves or captives. As a result these products became available in the marketplace and common in people's homes. The emperor's power came from his control of the military, wich was exceedingly large. Under him was his chief deputy, who would communicate with the gods and relate the gods wishes to the Emperor. Below him there was a council of four noble princes and three honored classes of warriors who managed day to day affairs in the empire. Below them were four social classes, nobles, commoners, serfs and slaves. Nobles: the nobles owned private plots of land or shared land with other families. Commoners: The commoners were the largest group who included priests, merchants, artisans, and farmers who held land in common with the nobles. Serfs: The majority of the serfs farmed the nobles land. Slaves: The slaves were the lowest

Middle East Conflict from a Palestinian Perspective

The Middle East conflict that exists between Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews began comparatively not so long ago, in particular at the beginning of the 20th century. This is true that these two nations have different religions; however, their religious differences are not the main cause of the conflict. For the most part their conflict is a struggle over land. To understand the origin of the struggle one should recall in what way Jewish people established their state.By 1929, 156,000 Jewish settlers resided in Palestine. About 4 percent of Palestine land was in the ownership of these settlers but this small amount of land comprised near 14 percent of all agricultural land. The way these lands were acquired by Jews brought about much controversy and dispute. Absentee landlords owned the land of many villages where Palestinians had lived, worked, and died. Zionists then purchased the villages from the absentee landlords and evicted the inhabitants. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isra eli)The violence and military actions that increased more and more together with the failure to conciliate Arab and Jewish peoples urged the world community to pull apart these belligerent powers. Thus in 1947 the UN General Assembly ratified the 1947 UN Partition Plan according to which the territory was divided into two states, Jewish and Arab. However, it did not bring expected peace to the area. Immediately following the adoption of the Partition Plan the Arab leadership rejected the plan. The basic reason for rejection was that two parts of the divided territory were equal. On this background almost a year later only one state was proclaimed and it was Israel.After the war of 1948-49, the territory known before as Palestine was split into three parts, the proclaimed state of Israel, the West Bank (of the Jordan River) and the Gaza Strip.The establishment of Jewish state on the Palestinian territory was historically and religiously grounded. Jewish people asserted that this land belonged to them by the biblical promise to Abraham and his descendants, and also they pointed to the fact that this was the historical site of the Jewish kingdom of Israel.Palestinian Arabs' in their turn maintain that land belonged to them as they lived there for centuries and they represented the demographic majority. What concerns the biblical explanation for Jewish land claim Arabs also state that while Ishmael, who was Abraham’s son, is the forefather of the Arabs, then the land promised by God to the children of Abraham must belong to Arabs as well. Thus, from the point of view of religion and history the position of Palestinian and Jews in regard to the land may be considered as equitable.  However, as it was mentioned above the core of the conflict is the land possession and Palestinians rejected the equal land division.The surrounding Arab states supported the Palestinian Arabs in rejecting both the Partition Plan and the establishment of Israel, and the armies o f six Arab nations attacked the newly formed State of Israel. The world has divided into the states that support Israel in its war with Palestine and the states which supported Palestine. Thus the local conflict turned into the global problem.This confrontation lasts up till now and influences the variety of fields in international relations. However, we observe here this conflict only in two aspects. That is its consequences in the context of struggle for energy carriers and in the context of dividing the world into two â€Å"camps†.As it is known the majority of world energy carriers, in particular oil, are controlled by Arab countries. These countries tried to use this factor as the impact factor on the countries that supported Israel in the military confrontation. Thus, in October, 1973, the Arab oil-producing states imposed production restraints and an embargo–their second such attempt. They did so allegedly as a punishment for those countries that supported Israe l in the Middle East war earlier that month. Their first effort at embargo occurred in 1967, following the lightning Israeli victory in the June Six-Day War. That episode is not well-known because it was a total failure. However, global oil market conditions would change substantially in subsequent years. (USA Today, 16+)The second consequence of this conflict was the division of the world into two camps. So, as it is known, Muslims of the world supported Palestine, the USA and some of European countries supported Israel. The implications of this conflict are also burdened by the fact that this division was not simply between different views this was the division of cultures and religions. Some extremists are trying hard to present this conflict as a conflict between Muslim and Christian worlds. We cannot of course assert that the opposition between Jews and Palestinians is the cause of world confrontation; nevertheless, it remains the constant irritant and booster for new conflicts .To conclude with, I suppose that the development of confrontation between Israel and Palestine could have been avoided. Since the reason of the conflict was the land division when the state of Israel was proclaimed, I think that one could not have established the state of Israel having been governed only by the simple principle of equal land division. This principle satisfied Israel but it was unsatisfactory for the Palestinians. In the given situation the world community chose the easier way without showing willingness to find out the essence of disagreement. The principle 50/50 proved to be fallacious. This confrontation should be a lesson for the world community that only through considering the interests of all parties we may reach the peace.Endnotes:1. Losman, Donald â€Å"Oil Is Not a National Security Issue: â€Å"†¦ America Steadfastly Clings to Perceptions Formed in the 1970s, and National Policies Continue to Reflect Oil Paranoia.† USA Today. Vol. 130, Januar y 2002. 16+The article by Donald Losman was useful for my work as it helped me to see the process of how the local conflict or the conflict between two nations can grow into the global problem. This article gives the comprehensive reasoning for oil prices hike in 1970s caused by Middle East conflict. It also shows that there are side parties influencing Israeli – Palestinian relations, which support either of these belligerent powers.2. Mark Daryl Erickson, et al. An Historical Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1996This book provided me with information on consequences after the state of Israel proclamation and their impact on world policy, the role which it played for world polarization. The book gives the deep analysis for various reasons that led to the Middle East conflict and presents the historical perspective of its development. It helped me to shaper my own ideas on this problem.1. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved on 24 Jan . 2006 fromhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IsraelisThe Wikipedia web page was useful in terms of history and general background information about the modern settlement of Jewish people on Palestinians territory. There was also the information about the origin of the conflict between these two nations and the history of establishing the state of Israel.Works cited list:Losman, Donald â€Å"Oil Is Not a National Security Issue: â€Å"†¦ America Steadfastly Clings to Perceptions Formed in the 1970s, and National Policies Continue to Reflect Oil Paranoia.† USA Today. Vol. 130, January 2002. 16+Mark Daryl Erickson, et al. An Historical Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Westport, CT: Greenwood,  1996Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved on 24 Jan. 2006 from

Free Essays on Terrorism And Its Effect Upon The Economy

Terrorist attacks have many effects upon the nation that is attacked; the attack can have effects on the economy, as well as the well being of the citizens. Terrorism has been an extreme influence upon aspects of a nation’s well being since the dawn of the economy. Terrorism is a social issue where in which a organization uses force to meet demands from a source of power. Terrorism can effect the media as well as the sociological, the physiological, the physical, the ecological, and the legal aspects of a nation. The sociological effect a terrorist attack can have on a nation is massive, perhaps greater then the obvious physical effect. Terrorist attacks against our nation in recent memory have had serious effects on the economy forcing it to slow down. Recently, involving the terrorist attack on September 11th 2001, stocks and profits fell so low that some economists felt that our nation would experience recession. â€Å"Forecasters, for the most part, are predicting a mild recession with recovery starting next spring†¦ consumer confidence, suggest that the recession could be much deeper than is being forecast.† (Campbell, Bruce. â€Å"What Paul Martin Should Do†.www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/35.html). Companies, businesses, and corporations also experience slow profits during periods after terrorist attacks. These economic problems also slow inflationary pressure that also puts other strains on regular living in a market economy system. In recent aftermath of a terrorist attack people’s lifestyles also change. â€Å"Terrorist friendly† areas such as airports, and large buildings increase security drastically to insure safety. Other places such as stadiums also increase security during sporting and other events held inside the stadium. Society also attempts to prevent acts against terrorism by creating many anti-programs and organizations. The programs and organizations vary in methods of prevention, howeve... Free Essays on Terrorism And Its Effect Upon The Economy Free Essays on Terrorism And Its Effect Upon The Economy Terrorist attacks have many effects upon the nation that is attacked; the attack can have effects on the economy, as well as the well being of the citizens. Terrorism has been an extreme influence upon aspects of a nation’s well being since the dawn of the economy. Terrorism is a social issue where in which a organization uses force to meet demands from a source of power. Terrorism can effect the media as well as the sociological, the physiological, the physical, the ecological, and the legal aspects of a nation. The sociological effect a terrorist attack can have on a nation is massive, perhaps greater then the obvious physical effect. Terrorist attacks against our nation in recent memory have had serious effects on the economy forcing it to slow down. Recently, involving the terrorist attack on September 11th 2001, stocks and profits fell so low that some economists felt that our nation would experience recession. â€Å"Forecasters, for the most part, are predicting a mild recession with recovery starting next spring†¦ consumer confidence, suggest that the recession could be much deeper than is being forecast.† (Campbell, Bruce. â€Å"What Paul Martin Should Do†.www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/35.html). Companies, businesses, and corporations also experience slow profits during periods after terrorist attacks. These economic problems also slow inflationary pressure that also puts other strains on regular living in a market economy system. In recent aftermath of a terrorist attack people’s lifestyles also change. â€Å"Terrorist friendly† areas such as airports, and large buildings increase security drastically to insure safety. Other places such as stadiums also increase security during sporting and other events held inside the stadium. Society also attempts to prevent acts against terrorism by creating many anti-programs and organizations. The programs and organizations vary in methods of prevention, howeve...

Free Essays on Comparing Countries

France The French Socialist party, known as the SFIO (Section franà §aise de l'internationale ouvrià ¨re), French section of the Worker's International, was formed in 1905 by a merging of different socialist groups. Led by Jean Jaurà ¨s and Jules Guesde the SFIO became a major political force. In 1914 the party supported French participation in World War I, accepting ministerial posts. By 1920 the Communists held a majority in the party, and a split was unavoidable. The minority, led by Là ©on Blum, reconstituted the SFIO and in 1924 it joined a coalition government. In 1936, faced by economic depression, government corruption, and the rise of French fascism, the Socialists, allied with Communists and Radical Socialists, won election as the Popular Front; Blum was premier (1937-38). In World War II the SFIO played a major role in the French Resistance, emerging in 1945 as one of the strongest government parties. But, surrounded by Communists on the left and conservative parties on the right, it gradually lost strength, although it frequently was the leading party in governing coalitions. Split over support for the Fifth Republic in 1958, the party made a succession of alliances, unsuccessfully opposing the ruling Gaullists. It was reorganized in 1969 as the Parti Socialiste.Socialist candidate Franà §ois Mitterrand, was only narrowly defeated for the presidency in 1974, and in 1981, again with Communist support, he defeated Gaullist, President Valà ©ry Giscard d'Estaing, then led his party to an assembly majority. U.S. In 1898 the Social Democratic party was formed by a group led by Eugene V. Debs and Victor Berger. Two years later, Debs ran for president with the support of the more moderate wing of the Socialist Labor party, and in 1901 this group, led by Morris Hillquit, united with the Social Democratic party to form the Socialist party. The new pa... Free Essays on Comparing Countries Free Essays on Comparing Countries France The French Socialist party, known as the SFIO (Section franà §aise de l'internationale ouvrià ¨re), French section of the Worker's International, was formed in 1905 by a merging of different socialist groups. Led by Jean Jaurà ¨s and Jules Guesde the SFIO became a major political force. In 1914 the party supported French participation in World War I, accepting ministerial posts. By 1920 the Communists held a majority in the party, and a split was unavoidable. The minority, led by Là ©on Blum, reconstituted the SFIO and in 1924 it joined a coalition government. In 1936, faced by economic depression, government corruption, and the rise of French fascism, the Socialists, allied with Communists and Radical Socialists, won election as the Popular Front; Blum was premier (1937-38). In World War II the SFIO played a major role in the French Resistance, emerging in 1945 as one of the strongest government parties. But, surrounded by Communists on the left and conservative parties on the right, it gradually lost strength, although it frequently was the leading party in governing coalitions. Split over support for the Fifth Republic in 1958, the party made a succession of alliances, unsuccessfully opposing the ruling Gaullists. It was reorganized in 1969 as the Parti Socialiste.Socialist candidate Franà §ois Mitterrand, was only narrowly defeated for the presidency in 1974, and in 1981, again with Communist support, he defeated Gaullist, President Valà ©ry Giscard d'Estaing, then led his party to an assembly majority. U.S. In 1898 the Social Democratic party was formed by a group led by Eugene V. Debs and Victor Berger. Two years later, Debs ran for president with the support of the more moderate wing of the Socialist Labor party, and in 1901 this group, led by Morris Hillquit, united with the Social Democratic party to form the Socialist party. The new pa...

The scientific origin of designer babies Research Paper

The scientific origin of designer babies - Research Paper Example Ole Peter Galaasen in his article â€Å"future of designer babies† attributes the current advancements made in PGD to advancements made in molecular genetics and reproductive technology (1). The future of the designer babies in regard to the current scientific advancements seems bright. Basis of Controversies in Religion & Science: Saying that the subject of designer babies is controversial is an understatement. Even controversial scholars such as Satoshi Kanazawa have expressed their doubts over this issue. In his article â€Å"Common misconceptions about science III: Designer babies† Kanazawa states: â€Å"Even if scientists acquired perfect knowledge on the manipulations associated to the human genome, a â€Å"designer baby† requires traits comprising of heritability not less than 100% †¦seeing as the traits studied such as intelligence, personality and height fall short of the specified 100%, there is no guarantee of a perfect designer baby. Parents wil l still depend on a natural course of genetic â€Å"events† and simply put their faith on probability† (2). This shows that genetic selection from a scientific realm perspective has its huddles. Most traits parents would like to modify in their offspring such as intelligence are subject to the influence of multiple of genes. Scholars are at war with themselves in regard to the political, religious and scientific debates sparked by designer babies. Zahedi and Larijani in their article â€Å"Medical Genetic Ethics: Islamic Views and Considerations in Iran† point out that Islam as much as other religion appreciates the benefits of technological and scientific advancements. Legal and health issues aside, what do scriptures and doctrines dictate? To this question Zahedi and Larijani assert that the issue of reproduction remains a sacred one. All scientific advancements in regard to reproduction are subject to rigorous religious scrutiny (1). They point out social and medical ethical issues such as fairness of use of genetic information acquired for medical trials (50). They further indicate the fear of the current medical trials aimed at the betterment of human life’s turning hazardous. In particular, they mention cloning stating â€Å"Cloning is subject to substantial prohibition due to the majority of Muslim reference decrees† (51). Kunich, an avid supporter of cloning, makes reference to religious decrees as superstition used to instigate fear: â€Å"Bad facts make bad law! If there ever was a classic example of this it is the human cloning turmoil, in which science and fact so often overwhelmed by superstition and fear† (137). Kunich reflects upon the negative debates against cloning and to extent designer babies as offensive ideas. He argues that laws against cloning do not derive from facts but rather on unsupported

National Identification System in the United States Essay

National Identification System in the United States - Essay Example National Identification System In The United States Firstly, it is national because it is used throughout the country having nationally uniform identifiers and formats. Secondly, the system is for practical and legal use only. Cards like credit cards can also be used to identify a person, but they are not national identity cards. People can have a number of such cards or no cards at all and still roam about in the country without any problems. However, if the law makes it mandatory for everyone to have such cards for identification purposes, it then comes in the category of national identity cards. Last but not the least; the system is used for the identification of an individual. It is different from a social security number. A social security number attaches a number to the name of a person and is just a national identifier. A national identity card actually proves the identity of a person. It shows that a person, previously known to the system, has once again presented himself or herself. It involves a biometric tie between the num ber and the person. The card would not only have the name and address of the person, but it also involves a compulsory facial image of a person on the card. The chip inside the card will help the law officials in identifying whether a person is on government’s watch list or not. Finger prints or retinal images on the card will also help in the identification of a person. This will help in retrieving information about the person from the government databases and immigration agencies as well. Many people are of the view that had such a system been implemented earlier, it would have probably helped in averting the 9/11 tragedy. The issue is still unclear whether everyone or a section of society should have such cards or where to use them such as at the airports or when accessing government buildings etc (Wang, pg, 1. 2002). Here it would be pertinent to discuss the National Identification Legislation in detail: NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION LEGISLATION: 9/11 COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: Evaluating the 9/11 terrorist