The Stanford Prison Experiment: Lord Of The Flies

In Lord of the Flies, the “bigguns” always had control and a higher title than the “littluns”. The younger children were almost hypnotised into believing anything the older children on the island said. Gaining this control came from the older boys on the island giving the younger children a feeling of protection and ability to survive. In society, a similar event takes place in the form presidential election along with other government positions. For example, when an individual runs for President, they make specific and important promises involving health care, immigration, educational advantages, etc. and the mass of society, by casting a vote, has acknowledged their trust that that person will give them the same kind of reassurance. Our power structure has always had a higher title and they have the thought that the mass of society is more or less irrelevant and an unnecessary contribution to anything of power. The littluns never really understood or knew what the island transitioned too. They followed the people that provided them the care they need. Jack, an older boy who was declared a “leader”, gave them meat and taught them how to defend so instead of choosing right or wrong, they went towards the one that kept them protected, even though Jack really didn’t care about them. In the transitioning stage of becoming a savage, the boys liked to play a “hunting game”, which consisted of the boys pretending to murder an individual boy who represents a pig. After using the boy named Roger as the pretend pig and stabbing away at him, they wanted more. Jack then suggests to “use a littlun” and the boys proceed to laugh. Related to the lack of care towards the littluns, at the very end of the book, an officer who had finally come to their rescue, asked if any deaths had occurred on the island. Instead of giving the honest answer, Ralph, the leader on the island, told the officer that there were “only two”. Clearly recorded, there had been at the very minimal, three deaths: Simon, Piggy and the unnamed littlun with the mulberry birthmark. As well as any death they were unsure of. The littluns seemed completely irrelevant to Ralph, and he wouldn’t even account their death(s). In relation to the “insignificance” of the littluns in the novel and the little care the older kids have for them, the quote “Desperately, Ralph prayed that the beast would prefer littluns.” is evidence showing that the lower power, doesn’t matter as much higher. Even though there are far more littluns on the island, they often aren’t mentioned and their existence is hardly taken into consideration. Simon, from Lord of the Flies is an older kid on the island, but he was never identified as a “leader” so no one ever listened to him. Simon was the only kid on the island that would have been able to tell the other boys that there was no beast on the …show more content…
Like Lord of the Flies, the experiment presented set rules and morals that stated how an individual should act towards one another, causing not only the guards, but the prisoners to fall into internal decadence. Through the sickening experience, the power the “guards” had most definitely got into their heads. “The Stanford Prison Experiment degenerated very quickly and the evil and inhuman side of human nature became apparent very quickly.” Also proven in the experiment is that the environment played a huge factor with the result of the guards beginning to harass the prisoners and play a more savage …show more content…
It’s hard to say for sure how the upper class looks at us, because I am not one of them, we can only speculate. I don’t feel that anyone can fully understand a category of people unless they’ve lived that life. I feel like I’m a little bit close to what a poor person feels, but I don’t think that an upper class individual could ever feel what a lower class person could.” After asking if she personally believes if these practices are dangerous to society she proclaimed, “I think it’s somewhat dangerous, yes. Why? Because, they’re a little untouchable and or unapproachable as far as humanity