Symbolic Leaders
When a country finds itself in times of struggle, the citizens often look towards a leader that symbolizes something positive, just as the boys elected Ralph as Chief because of his symbolic power. The 2008 United States Presidential Election is the most recent example of this type of behavior. Voters saw Barack Obama as a symbol of change--both because he expressed ideas different from that of then-president George W. Bush, and because his election would make him the first African-American President in the history of the United States, a symbol of the great strides our country has taken over the years.
As the election progressed, "Change" became synonymous with the name Obama; it was seen on iconic posters and heard throughout his campaign speeches. Though many people took the time to research his goals and political views, it was ultimately this positive symbol that swayed voters to elect Barack Obama as their president.
When a country finds itself in times of struggle, the citizens often look towards a leader that symbolizes something positive, just as the boys elected Ralph as Chief because of his symbolic power. The 2008 United States Presidential Election is the most recent example of this type of behavior. Voters saw Barack Obama as a symbol of change--both because he expressed ideas different from that of then-president George W. Bush, and because his election would make him the first African-American President in the history of the United States, a symbol of the great strides our country has taken over the years.
As the election progressed, "Change" became synonymous with the name Obama; it was seen on iconic posters and heard throughout his campaign speeches. Though many people took the time to research his goals and political views, it was ultimately this positive symbol that swayed voters to elect Barack Obama as their president.
Political Parties
The formation of two separate groups in Lord of the Flies, Ralph's "followers" and Jack's "followers," leads to the total loss of unity on the island. In The United States' government, there are two main political parties that often struggle against each other: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
The country was not always so divided; in fact, George Washington warned against the creation of political parties as he believed it would divide the country and ultimately have a negative effect on the people. In his farewell address he stated, "However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion." In short, the creation of political parties will result in leaders working towards their own goals and ambitions rather than working for the greater good of the people. In the end, disunity will lead to the destruction of civilized society.
Lord of the Flies is a prime example of how political parties ruin the union of a group of people. Although Ralph and Jack never identify themselves as "political parties," there is a clear distinction between their seperate groups. When they fail to work together, total chaos emerges and the island is literally destroyed in the flames of their mistakes.
Weak Societies
A loss of structured society has been seen throughout history when government collapses. The country of Somalia is a recent example. In November 1991, a power struggle was raging after the former dictator, Mohamed Siad Barre, was overthrown. Two clans (led by Mohamed Farah Aideed and Ali Mahdi Mohamed) fought over control of the country. Their struggle led to thousands of civilian deaths. Foreign countries, including the United States, attempted to intervene. The most famous of these attempts is known as Black Hawk Down, which highlighted the violence present in the area and ended U.S. involvement.
Fighting continued long after American involvement, leading to more power struggle and deaths. The tragedy serves to prove that when government is lost and civilians fail to work together for the common good, society falls apart.
The formation of two separate groups in Lord of the Flies, Ralph's "followers" and Jack's "followers," leads to the total loss of unity on the island. In The United States' government, there are two main political parties that often struggle against each other: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
The country was not always so divided; in fact, George Washington warned against the creation of political parties as he believed it would divide the country and ultimately have a negative effect on the people. In his farewell address he stated, "However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion." In short, the creation of political parties will result in leaders working towards their own goals and ambitions rather than working for the greater good of the people. In the end, disunity will lead to the destruction of civilized society.
Lord of the Flies is a prime example of how political parties ruin the union of a group of people. Although Ralph and Jack never identify themselves as "political parties," there is a clear distinction between their seperate groups. When they fail to work together, total chaos emerges and the island is literally destroyed in the flames of their mistakes.
Weak Societies
A loss of structured society has been seen throughout history when government collapses. The country of Somalia is a recent example. In November 1991, a power struggle was raging after the former dictator, Mohamed Siad Barre, was overthrown. Two clans (led by Mohamed Farah Aideed and Ali Mahdi Mohamed) fought over control of the country. Their struggle led to thousands of civilian deaths. Foreign countries, including the United States, attempted to intervene. The most famous of these attempts is known as Black Hawk Down, which highlighted the violence present in the area and ended U.S. involvement.
Fighting continued long after American involvement, leading to more power struggle and deaths. The tragedy serves to prove that when government is lost and civilians fail to work together for the common good, society falls apart.