Lord of the Flies
Aaron Birdy
Types of Governments
A true democracy functions by holding private voting sessions where all member of a community get an equal vote and voice in the political practice. In America we have a representative democracy because the number of voters in a given area is too large to gather for a meeting. In a republic the citizens choose representatives either directly or indirectly to vote. In a monarchy one person or a small group of people rule with absolute power until they die or are replaced (democracy).
Relation to Text
In lord of the flies Ralph represents the true democracy from the start being fair and just. He finds a conch shell and uses it to hold meetings and keep order. In chapter five he says "If I blow the conch and they don't come back; then we've had it (92)." this quote represents a loss of order and power that Ralph is trying to hold on to. Jack represents a totalitarian dictatorship, he rules by fear and by being an alpha. A good quote to represent Jack's behavior is when he calls the rocks on the island a castle, this location is where he occupies after he breaks off from Ralph's group.
My choice of government
If I was stranded on an island I would focus most of my time trying to gather food and supplies and much less time concerned with a government. After I got settled and jobs were assigned to sustain us, I would create a small set of rules and rights similar to our constitution. The rules of the constitution are as follows
- The leader is chosen by a unanimous vote
- Everyone in the group is to listen to the leader
- The leader makes the decisions
- The group has the right to overthrow the leader if he is unjust
- The leader may have a co-leader that helps to make decisions
- If the leader is voted out he may not vote on a new leader
- All acts of violence or thievery will be punished
- All members are entitled to personal possessions
- Disagreements will be settled by a fight
- A fair fight is not punishable
- Any violation of these rules will result in punishment
Historical Examples
The United States Civil War is a good example of a country devastated by fighting. The civil war caused great devastation costing 620,000 american lives. The development of modern weaponry devastated land and created a large mess to clean up. With the governments divided it was a difficult process absorbing and rebuilding the south. A good example of this is shown in Lord of the Flies when Simon is accidentally killed by Jack's hunters (153). After this happens Jack splits his group off to occupy castle rock and Ralph continues to lose his control. This is similar to how the south seceded from the north at the battle of Fort Sumter. The confederates fired first on the Union fort sparking the civil war (History).
Modern Connections
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine was spiraling out of control until an international treaty was reached to help keep the peace. Russia rebels invaded ares close to Ukraine in order to gain territory. Russia believes that they are entitled to this region and therefore can take it, Ukraine is defending their home and cultural differences from Russian aggression. The ceasefire was broken because both sides did not trust the ceasefire and began fighting again. Currently there is a 13 point plan in effect that is aiming to stop the violence starting with a ceasefire followed by pulling artillery and rocket equipment out of the area. This plan has problems because both sides do not trust each other and also because Russian rebels will not listen to the agreement and will become angered by the ceasefire. I believe Ukraine will eventually win with the help of other eastern European nations and the diplomatic impact that the U.S. has over Russia (Ukraine).
Bibliography
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.
"The History Place - U.S. Civil War 1861-1865." The History Place - U.S. Civil War 1861-1865. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
"Ukraine Conflict: Why Is East Hit by Conflict? - BBC News." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.