Lord of the Flies
By: Anthony Falce
Jack's Tribe
Ralph's Tribe
I think that Ralph's tribe represents a Democracy. A Democracy is a "government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system" (Dictionary). In a Democracy, everyone has more rights and can do more things without being punished for it. They can vote for their leaders and do more things freely. I think that Ralph's tribe is more like a democracy because everyone got a say in the decision making in his tribe, unlike Jack's. A quote throughout the book came that represents this comes from Piggy when he says multiple times "I got the conch!" (Golding). This quote may not seem like much, but the entire point of the conch was that it gave the person who had it the right to speak and the right to openly say what was on their mind without repercussions. This ties to a democracy because in a democracy you have more freedoms to talk and say what you want without getting in trouble.
My Government
If I had my own island society I would pick to have a democracy. Democratic places nearly always have freer people than other places. They have the right to vote for their government so they have more freedoms and are happier people because that get to decide the policy of their nation and what their nation should be like. Another reason why I would pick this type of government is because it would not force anyone to do or say something that they do not want to.
Constitution
1. The right to vote
2. Two parties
3. Freedom of speech
4. There will be a new leader chosen January 1st of every year.
5. If you murder someone, you automatically get the death penalty.
6. Every member of society over the age of 15 MUST vote in all elections.
7. If we get attacked, every member must fight back with full force.
8. Anyone who goes against the tribe will receive the death penalty with no questions asked.
9. The government will provide each person with one meal per day.
10. You must go to at least one full year of hunting school before you're allowed to go off and hunt on your own.
11. A sentence can only be vetoed with a 3/4 vote in favor of the veto.
I would enforce these rules by either the death sentence or some type of public embarrassment so people do not want it to happen to them again.
Historical Example of Infighting
Roman Empire
In the year 476 AD the Roman Empire lost its title as the worlds greatest empire. It held that title for 500 years. The Empire fell hard and fast. Historians believe that there was a huge government collapse and there was a civil war. The civil war affected the population immensely. It divided people up into two teams and lead to a lot of deaths. It made the land a warzone and made everyone afraid to go outside. It didn't have that big of an affect on the government because the government was already in shambles, this happening just completely finished off the government that was left.
A quote that shows this is "Hands up, whoever wants Ralph not to be chief" (Golding 127). This is saying how people had a say if they actually wanted to vote Ralph to not be chief. This also is showing how people wont do it because they're afraid of the future consequences that could happen.
Current Political Conflict
An "armed conflict in the Donbass region of Ukraine. From the beginning of March 2014, demonstrations by pro-Russian and anti-government groups took place in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, together commonly called the "Donbass", in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukranian Revolution and the Euromaiden movement" (War in Donbass). "After having gained control of the Donetsk RSA and having declared the Donetsk People's Republic, pro-Russian groups vowed to fan out and take control of strategic infrastructure across Donetsk Oblast, and demanded that public officials who wished to continue their work swear allegiance to the Republic" (War in Donbass). This battle is between the Ukrainian people and the government.
Works Cited
"Democracy Is the Best Form of Government." Democracy Is the Best Form of Government. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"Dictatorship - Dictionary Definition." Vocabulary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. Print.
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"War in Donbass." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.