Lord of the Flies Project
By Matt Markulin
Different Types of Government
Jack: Jack's tribe is an example of a totalitarian dictatorship. A totalitarian dictatorship is a form of government in which a ruler has the power to govern without consent of those being governed, and regulate nearly every aspect of public and private behavior (Boundless.com). An example from the book that shows why Jack's group is a totalitarian dictatorship is when jack says "We don't need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say things. What good did Simon do speaking, or Bill, or Walter? It's time people knew they've got to keep quiet and leave the deciding to the rest of us." (Golding 102). This quote shows why Jack's group is a totalitarian dictatorship because Jack is saying that they don't need the conch anymore, and that they know who the one that talks is, and that anyone else shouldn't be able to talk.
Ralph: Ralph's tribe is an example of a democracy. A democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is retained by the people, but is usually exercised through a system of representation and delegated authority (livescience.com). An example from the book that shows why Ralph's group is a democracy is when Ralph attempts to create some form of order by saying "So remember. The rocks for a lavatory. Keep the fire going and smoke showing as a signal. Don't take fire from the mountains. Take your food up there." (Golding 81). This quote shows why Ralph's tribe is an example of democracy because Ralph is attempting to create rules and order by telling the other boys what to do and where to go to do things. A central part of a democracy is order and rules, so this quote fits perfectly.
Ralph: Ralph's tribe is an example of a democracy. A democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is retained by the people, but is usually exercised through a system of representation and delegated authority (livescience.com). An example from the book that shows why Ralph's group is a democracy is when Ralph attempts to create some form of order by saying "So remember. The rocks for a lavatory. Keep the fire going and smoke showing as a signal. Don't take fire from the mountains. Take your food up there." (Golding 81). This quote shows why Ralph's tribe is an example of democracy because Ralph is attempting to create rules and order by telling the other boys what to do and where to go to do things. A central part of a democracy is order and rules, so this quote fits perfectly.
My Type of Government for my Society
The government that I would choose for my society would be democratic socialism. I believe that democratic socialism would be the most effective choice because everyone has a say in electing their government, and at the same time having a socialist economic system that benefits all of society equally. I would then create a constitution for my society. My constitution would go as follows:
1. Everyone in society has the right to the freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition.
2. Everyone in society has the right to employment and a living wage.
3. Everyone in society has the right to food, clothing and leisure.
4. Everyone in society has the right to freedom from unfair competition.
5. Everyone in society has the right to a house.
6. Everyone in society has the right to medical care.
7. Everyone in society has the right to social security.
8. Everyone in society has the right to an education.
9. Everyone in society has the right to the protection from unreasonable searches and seizures.
10. Everyone in society has the right to a fair and speedy trial as well as an attorney.
11. Everyone in society has the right to be equally protected by the rights and laws of our society.
12. Everyone in society has the right to vote for their government and the people that represent them.
I would enforce these rules by having groups that would make sure that everyone has these rights, and to make sure that at no point anyone's rights are taken away or violated. I would also educate the people on the rights that they have and where they can be applied to.
1. Everyone in society has the right to the freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition.
2. Everyone in society has the right to employment and a living wage.
3. Everyone in society has the right to food, clothing and leisure.
4. Everyone in society has the right to freedom from unfair competition.
5. Everyone in society has the right to a house.
6. Everyone in society has the right to medical care.
7. Everyone in society has the right to social security.
8. Everyone in society has the right to an education.
9. Everyone in society has the right to the protection from unreasonable searches and seizures.
10. Everyone in society has the right to a fair and speedy trial as well as an attorney.
11. Everyone in society has the right to be equally protected by the rights and laws of our society.
12. Everyone in society has the right to vote for their government and the people that represent them.
I would enforce these rules by having groups that would make sure that everyone has these rights, and to make sure that at no point anyone's rights are taken away or violated. I would also educate the people on the rights that they have and where they can be applied to.
A Country Affected By In-Fighting
A country that I chose to research for a country that was affected by in-fighting was Russia during the Russian Civil War. The Russian Civil War took a huge toll on the population and the people that were involved. The Red Army suffered 1.2 million casualties and the White Army suffered 1.5 million casualties, as well as the Red Army carrying out at least 250,000 executions, some historians believe that this number could possibly reach the millions. The Russian Civil War also caused huge devastation to the land in Russia. The fighting combined with a drought during that time caused a lot of the fertile farming land to become useless. This led to many deaths from the peasant farmers and those that depended on the land as a source of income. The civil war also caused much of the Russian SFSR to be turned to ruins. The economy also almost ground to a standstill with many factories and mines slowing production drastically. The affect the Russian Civil War had on the government was gigantic. The result of the Russian Revolution was a victory for the communist Red Army, and the establishment of the Bolshevik Government and the creation of the USSR (Wikipedia: Russian Civil War). A quote from the book that shows why it parallels the Russian Civil War is "Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy." (Golding 202). This quote shows a parallel between Lord of the Flies and the Russian Civil War because it describes the loss of innocence that the boys have on the island just like the atrocities that the Red and White armies committed during the Russian Civil War.
Russian Civil War Day by Day: http://www.cleanvideosearch.com/media/action/yt/watch?videoId=GGIZ0iGlrno
Russian Civil War Day by Day: http://www.cleanvideosearch.com/media/action/yt/watch?videoId=GGIZ0iGlrno
Current Conflict
The current conflict that I chose to research was the Israeli - Palestinian conflict. The Israeli - Palestinian conflict has ties to the 19th and 20th centuries. The main disagreement stems from the fact that Israel is a Jewish nation, and Palestine is mainly Muslim. The 1967 war is important for this conflict because it is the war that left Israel in control of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The stance taken by Palestine to fix the issue would be to create a "two state solution" meaning Palestine would become an independent state in Gaza and most of the West Bank. On the other side, Israel is strictly opposing the two state solution and believe that the land is rightfully theirs. The reasoning behind this is that they believe that they were the rightful owners of the land and that they were there first (Vox.com). Over the years many approaches have been taken to solve this conflict, two of the most infamous ones are the Oslo Accords and the Camp David Summit. The strengths that the Palestinians have is that they are supported by many powerful nations in the Middle East. A majority of the world also supports their claim for a two state solution. A weakness that Palestine has is that they have to fight against an extremely powerful Israel with mainly old weapons and little modern technology. A strength that Israel has is that they are supported heavily by the United States as well as having modern and advanced weaponry and technology. They also aren't riddled with poverty like Palestine is. Personally I believe that Palestine will eventually become an independent state, mainly because they have support from many world powers and the international community, even President Obama has made the United States more open to the two state solution recently (Wikipedia: Israeli - Palestinian Conflict).
Works Cited
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. Print.
"Israeli–Palestinian Conflict." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Melina, By Remy. "What Are the Different Types of Governments?" LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 14 Feb. 2011. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"Russian Civil War." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"What Are Israel and Palestine? Why Are They Fighting?" Vox. N.p., 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"YouTube Search Powered by IBoss." YouTube Search Powered by IBoss. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"Israeli–Palestinian Conflict." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Melina, By Remy. "What Are the Different Types of Governments?" LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 14 Feb. 2011. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"Russian Civil War." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"What Are Israel and Palestine? Why Are They Fighting?" Vox. N.p., 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"YouTube Search Powered by IBoss." YouTube Search Powered by IBoss. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.