Essay Mae

Describe at Least one important character in the written text. Explain how this character is revealed to you throughout the text.

Jack

1. Savagery vs Civilization
2. No right vs wrong was only weak or strong.
3. Mother hen (Giving idea he gives them order and jobs like their mums, would naturally do) (Must explain properly so everyone can understand the thought)
4. No rules
5. Killed anyone who threatened his position
6. Jacks idea of utopia
7. Personality, What they are
8. Dictatorship leader
9. Ranking people by who is better
10. Ambitious
11. Evil

Introduction T.A.K.O

Paragraph 1 S.E.X.Y Manipulation:

Paragraph 2 S.E.X.Y Mother Hen: Use different sentences

Paragraph 3 S.E.X.Y Killing his rivals Use quotes and state what the author means.

Conclusion

• Lies to the littluns
• Terrifies people into what he wants
• Killing Simon
• Mother hen idea
• How?
• Refer to manipulation

• Ralph is hunted
• Ranks everyone below him.
• Kills Simon

Is violence the way forward, or is society going backward? Lord of the Flies is written by William Golding; an insightful book that explains to us that if we do not have any rules to abide by, then all goes to chaos. Jack is one of the main protagonists in the Lord of the Flies and helps shape the events within the book. Throughout the book, Jack becomes more ruthless and violent. He shows his violence and savagery by killing off his rival. Jack manipulates the Littluns into following him, by supplying a feeling of order.

“A lie told often enough becomes the truth,” said Jack. Manipulation is key to understanding the Lord of the Flies. Jack manipulates the littluns into believing he is the better chief than Ralph ever was. Jack is selfish and believes that his way is the only way. In chapter 8 Ralph calls a meeting, that Jack overtakes. He tells the littluns lies like “Ralph thinks you’re cowards running away from the boar and the beast” and “On top, when Roger and me went on, he stayed behind”. This was Jacks way of convincing the littluns that Ralph will never believe in them. He is persuading them that he will be there for them and he knows that they are hard workers. He’s stating that he will be more of a leader than a boss. Meaning that he will lead them into battle and help them. Unlike Ralph who is a boss, he orders the littluns to do jobs but doesn’t show them that he is working with them. The author was trying to show Jack as the innocent child and that everyone was against him. In reality, Jack is the antagonist and manipulated everyone into believing he was the one being targeted. Humans are naturally manipulative and are shown in The Power of One. This is because Peekay the main character is manipulated into thinking he isn’t important and no one loves him; he is also the wrong race to be treated fairly. Manipulation can have a massive change on someone’s thoughts and sanity. It’s terrifying what manipulation can do to young children.

No adults result in no order. Having no one to enforce discipline and rules means that Jack is their only source of rules. Often the rules within society are learnt from parents. This is because parents often tell children, at the ages of 1-14, how to live their lives and help them recognise what is right and wrong. Even though children naturally question and rebel from what the parents tell them. In the book, Jack behaves as this parental figure subconsciously. He supplies an order, by ordering the kids around and telling them what to do and not to do. ” I ought to be chief,” said Jack with simple arrogance.” (Chapter 1) This shows that Jack thinks he would be the best chief on the island. The kids don’t understand that what Jack is making them do is wrong. The way I interpreted it was the author, showing us that Jack was a leader from the very start. Jack accidentally portrayed this parental figure, by convincing the children he was the best leader. Jack gave the kids jobs and rules, whereas Ralph didn’t. Throughout the book, Jack subconsciously and accidentally takes the role of parents, rules and order.

Killing became a game, as well as a bloodbath. Within the book, Jack decides that it is necessary to kill all of his rivals who could threaten him and take his place as leader. Jack kills Piggy and helps to kill Simon. Jack started a chant when they began to kill Simon “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!”. As a leader, Jack knows how to excite the kids into following him and killing for him. Jack allows them to behave like animals with none of society’s rules. The biggest threat to Jack is Ralph. Ralph was originally the leader, but Jack convinced all the littluns that he was superior. He knew that Ralph was a threat and had to be killed. In the last chapter, the tribe set out to hunt Ralph by Jacks order. The kids are out of their comfort zone and do not understand that what they are doing is wrong. Jack become a dictator; his actions are very similar to Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia. This is because over the last couple of years randomly Putin’s rivals have died mysteriously. This is very similar to Jack and how he chooses to kill off his rivals with the help of his manipulated littluns. I feel that the author is showing us that if you feel threatened in an uncomfortable situation, killing your rivals would fix your problems. Jack allowed killing to become a game; allowing the littluns to become killers.

In conclusion, Lord of the Flies shows us many different themes throughout the book; by showing them through Jack one of the main protagonist. Within the book, Jack manipulates the littluns, by appearing as the only one who could get them through the traumatic time. Jack brings this kind of security, in a way as parents would. Subconsciously he acts as a parent, ordering and telling them what to do and not to do. Jack manipulated and used his authority to convince these kids to kill, Ralph, Piggy and lastly Simon. This book showed that when you’re put in a position out of your comfort zone, you often rely on the person who seems the strongest to support you. It makes the reader feel uncomfortable because of Jacks violent actions which are obviously wrong. A question that comes out of the book is what causes Jack, a 12-year-old boy, to have such savage and violent behaviour. Throughout the book, nothing is stated why he has such violent behaviour. There was nothing that was stated about a bad past or what might have influenced this savage behaviour. As a reader, it really intrigued me. Jack wanted to be seen as an important person from the start of the book, and to me shaped the book immensely. Jacks actions, beliefs and personality reveal throughout the book the most important themes.