Two Powers Essay, Research Paper
The Two powers
Each person is born with a tendency to rule ,and in order for people to
achieve this purpose, they use different means of power. As a result , many
methods of power have been developed; perhaps the two most common types
of ruling are authoritarian and democratic . When we talk about ruling , we
are referring to the act of governing. The difference between authoritarian and
democratic power , is best illustrated in The Lord of the Flies , by William
Golding. In this book , Ralph and jack struggle to carry these two different
methods of ruling in their respective roles.Ralph and jack portrait the
difference between authoritarian and democratic power with situations that
compare in our world today.
One of the most influential means of government is Authoritarian
means, unforcing unquestioning obedience to authority, as that of a dictator,
rather than individual freedom of judgment and action (COMPTOM S
ENCYCLOPEDIA). Authoritarianism is any form of government in which
relatively few people run the country and the rest of the population takes little
or none in the decision making. in a authoritarian government the rulers make
prohibit or manipulated elation s in a way that makes them win. This
governments may not only restrict individual freedom , but also limit the
power of those who represent the people . govermets such as , absolute
monarchy , dictatorship, and totalitarianism are also under the same
government. People that live under an authoritarian set of rules are many
times treated with unjust and cruel power . Those who tried to go against the
ideas of the government are punish , put in jail , and many times killed. As a
result, in an authoritarian government all people must do what the ruler said
even if the majority disagree. Several authoritarian governments have develop
throughout history , and some of them have let enormous distruction and
suffering such as Nazi Germans under Adolf Hitler .
In the lord of the flies the character that best describes authoritarianism
is Jack. Jack, a tall, thin red-head, initially appears in the novel as the leader
of the boys’ choir. After losing the election for leader to Ralph, he voluntarily
takes charge of hunting and maintaining the signal fire. As the structure of life
on the island breaks down, Jack forms a tribe of savage boys on the far side
of the island. Jack’s name, Hebrew in origin, means “one who supplants,”
reflecting his use of force. This character does not believe that the Beast
exists and is the leader of anarchy on the island. From the start of the novel he
does not like to follow rules of any kind. He simply wants to hunt and have a
good time. Not seeming to care about being rescued, Jack and his tribe are
examples of the Beast running angry. Jack began as the arrogant and
self-righteous leader of a choir. The freedom of the island allowed him to
further develop the darker side of his personality as the Chief of a savage
tribe. As the story progresses he becomes less and less attached to any
societal rules. Near the end, he feels no shame about the deaths of Simon and
Piggy, or his attempt to kill Ralph. Jack tried to be the leader of the group by
using terror. I m scared of him, and that s why I know him. If you re scared
of someone you hate him but you can’t stop thinking about him. You kid
yourself he s all right really, an then when you see him again; it s like
asthma an you can t breathe. (golding 93). He led his choir by
administering much discipline resulting in forced obedience from the cloaked
boys. His anger was well expressed through his rude way of saying, “Shut up,
Fatty.” at Piggy. (p. 23) .As show, jack is well characterized by the
authoritarian ruling. Jack illustrates some types of government seen in the
world ,where terror has been use to manipulate society.
Democracy , as opposed to Authoritarian ,is defined as government in
which the people hold the ruling power either directly or through elected
representatives; rule by the ruled. Democracy was defined by united states
president Abraham Lincoln as Government of the people, by the people , for
the people (World book Encyclopedia). In a democratic system , people take
action in all political activities, either directly or indirectly. Since most of the
countries that practice democracy are very big countries , then most of them
use the indirect democracy system . In an indirect democracy , the people
elect a certain number of people to represent them, and make the laws.
democratic governments allow the participation of all the citizens because ,
according to them , majority rules . People are guaranteed freedom and equal
rights . The only time in which a democratic country may temporarily adapt
cruel punishment is during times of war.
Ralph, a tall, blond twelve year old, establishes himself as the leader of
the boys when he blows the conch shell to call the first assembly. Throughout
the story, he struggles to maintain order, forced to compete with Jack for
respect. Ralph’s name, derived from the Anglo-Saxon language, means
“counsel.” Ralph is somewhat energetic and is chosen for chief, who makes it
his job to lay down rules and try to organize a society. Throughout the novel
he is always in conflict with Jack, who wants to be chief himself. Alth Ralph never reaches the understanding about the Beast that Simon does, he
knows right from wrong.Since the beginning Ralph wanted to create a society
in which all of them will take part in the decision making and creating rules to
be obeyed. I agree with Ralph. We ve got to have rules and obey
them (Golding 42).
By using different characters the author was able to show different
types of people found in our society. Their true selves were exposed in the
freedom from adult supervision. Under the rulers that jack lived, his real evil
was kept secretly. But when the rules no longer existed, he was free to do
whatever he wanted and desired. Ralph had grown up with rulers of a
civilized world, that the changes they had were difficult for him to
understand. Lord of the Flies understating of evil is such that it shows
through symbolism, to remind the natural condition of man and which is
illustrated the influence of authoritarian in jack character as in the
manifestations of Nazi regression .However, It also shows Ralph
interpretation of democracy in a set of rulers in which everyone participates.