Summary:
The author of Lord of the Flies, William Golding, said that "Man is a savage at heart." On the contrary, human beings are more advanced than savages, and with proper guidance, an individual under the right conditions can become as close to perfection as possible.
"Man is not Savage at Heart."
William Golding said that "Man is a savage at heart." I on the other hand believe that humanity is more advanced than a mere savage. With proper guidance an individual under the right conditions can become as close to perfection as possible.
My essay and the better half of Psychology begins with Sigmund Freud. He believed our inner selves to be cesspools of forbidden desires focused around sexual and aggressive desires. He also believed that we are influenced by our experiences that occur in our childhood. That would explain Golding's point of view.
I on the other hand do not believe things to be as grim as they look, for there are many theories. The theory I support was founded by Carl Rodgers. He believed that with acceptance and warmth at a young age, intimacy and personal relationships at adulthood, under those conditions he believed that 'We are basically good."
Abraham Maslow developed something called the Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. Its purpose is to help understand that all people have certain needs that must be met and some that can be to help improve ones self. The needs of the children on the island in Lord of the Flies were insufficiently met. They had met only three of the six physiological needs. The need to Breathe, drink and eat, and the need to sleep. In the book it said that the children were not disposing of their waste properly. Any person that grew up in conditions like that can not be expected to prosper.
Aristotle once said, "At his best, man is the noblest of all; separated from law and justice, he is the worst." Piggy, Ralph, Sam, and Eric behaved well because of the positive influences around them. Piggy had his grandmother who was cautious and kind. Ralph had Piggy whom he observed and learned from. Sam and Eric learned from Piggy and Ralph because they were older and Sam and Eric saw fit to look up to them.
There are certain limits a person can be pushed to before he or she breaks. On the island, even Jack was civilized to start with. He had trouble even killing a small piglet. Later on, after he had achieved his goal of killing a living creature, he took a turn for the worst.
Lord Acton once said, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." After Jack formed his own tribe, he became sick with power, being unopposed by Ralph. After killing Piggy he went mad, killing all who were brave enough to stand against him. In the book piggy said, "Which is better -- to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or be sensible like Ralph is....which is better -- to have laws and agree, or to hunt and kill?" Ralph had a plan to get rescued. Jacks plan was merely to survive long enough. It just proves that influences however small can make the difference between Ralph, a noble leader or Jack, a lustful killer.
At the end of the book, the majority of the children were on Jack's side. So why do I not believe that man is a savage at heart? Because in the words of Aristotle "Men are swayed more by fear than by reverence." The majority of the children like Sam and Eric were with Jack only because they were afraid not to be.
When Golding says, "Piggy, for all is ludicrous body, had brains. Ralph was a specialist in thought and could recognize thought in another." And you ask me "Is man a savage at heart." I say no man can be a kind and noble creature all one needs is proper guidance love and acceptance.
This is the complete article, containing 614 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
