Nathan Ang
Ms. Cler
World Core Lit
October 9th, 2015
Hobbes’ Ideas Within Lord of the Flies
The majority of mankind, especially adolescents, have felt an inexplicable urge towards violence and uncivilization. Humans constantly crave violence, as boxing is one of the most entertaining and violent sports. War is the product of human hunger for power, and results solely the devastation of society and civilization. Thomas Hobbes, an Enlightenment philosopher, includes the concept of mankind’s natural “desire of power” in his most prominent work, the Leviathan (Hobbes). Golding’s Lord of the Flies illustrates the destruction of civilization is caused by the fact that humans are innately malicious and crave absolute power through Hobbes’ views. …show more content…
Hobbes states that, “I put for a generall inclination of all mankind, a perpetual and restless desire of Power after power, that ceaseth onely in Death. And the cause of this, is not always that a man hopes for a more intensive delight, than he has already attained to; or that he cannot be content with a moderate power: but because he cannot assure the power and means to live well, which he hath present, without the acquisition of more” (Hobbes). All humans naturally will never be satisfied and will always strive for more power until death. The use of “all mankind”, “restless”, “power”, “hope” and “delight” shows how Hobbes believes all men have an inherent restless “desire of power”, in hopes of happiness (Hobbes). The use of stating “Power” and “Death” as names/titles personifies these inanimate concepts, giving them more value, which corresponds to man’s irresistible hunger for power, but is ended by death. Similarly, Jack has already gained absolute power, except for his only slightest competition left, Ralph. When Ralph is being hunted by Jack and his followers, he saw, “the fathom-wide grin of the skill, no longer ridiculing a deep blue patch of sky but jeering up into a blanket of smoke. Then Ralph was running beneath the trees, with the grumble of the forest explained. They had smoked him out and set the island on the fire” (Golding, 197). Jack decides to st half of the island ablaze in efforts to kill Ralph, just as Ralph runs into the Lord of the Flies. The words or phrases “fathom-wide grin”, “ridiculing”, and “jeering” illustrates how the Lord of the Flies, symbolic of the innate evil and desire of savagery in the boys, is entertained and laughing at them, as if there is nothing they can do to resist this human nature. This proves true as Jack literally sacrifices half of the their resources to kill his
Ms. Cler
World Core Lit
October 9th, 2015
Hobbes’ Ideas Within Lord of the Flies
The majority of mankind, especially adolescents, have felt an inexplicable urge towards violence and uncivilization. Humans constantly crave violence, as boxing is one of the most entertaining and violent sports. War is the product of human hunger for power, and results solely the devastation of society and civilization. Thomas Hobbes, an Enlightenment philosopher, includes the concept of mankind’s natural “desire of power” in his most prominent work, the Leviathan (Hobbes). Golding’s Lord of the Flies illustrates the destruction of civilization is caused by the fact that humans are innately malicious and crave absolute power through Hobbes’ views. …show more content…
Hobbes states that, “I put for a generall inclination of all mankind, a perpetual and restless desire of Power after power, that ceaseth onely in Death. And the cause of this, is not always that a man hopes for a more intensive delight, than he has already attained to; or that he cannot be content with a moderate power: but because he cannot assure the power and means to live well, which he hath present, without the acquisition of more” (Hobbes). All humans naturally will never be satisfied and will always strive for more power until death. The use of “all mankind”, “restless”, “power”, “hope” and “delight” shows how Hobbes believes all men have an inherent restless “desire of power”, in hopes of happiness (Hobbes). The use of stating “Power” and “Death” as names/titles personifies these inanimate concepts, giving them more value, which corresponds to man’s irresistible hunger for power, but is ended by death. Similarly, Jack has already gained absolute power, except for his only slightest competition left, Ralph. When Ralph is being hunted by Jack and his followers, he saw, “the fathom-wide grin of the skill, no longer ridiculing a deep blue patch of sky but jeering up into a blanket of smoke. Then Ralph was running beneath the trees, with the grumble of the forest explained. They had smoked him out and set the island on the fire” (Golding, 197). Jack decides to st half of the island ablaze in efforts to kill Ralph, just as Ralph runs into the Lord of the Flies. The words or phrases “fathom-wide grin”, “ridiculing”, and “jeering” illustrates how the Lord of the Flies, symbolic of the innate evil and desire of savagery in the boys, is entertained and laughing at them, as if there is nothing they can do to resist this human nature. This proves true as Jack literally sacrifices half of the their resources to kill his