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.