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  • Essay / Power and Control in Mockingjay and Lord of The Flies

    Both texts, Lord of the Flies and Mockingjay, contain elements of struggles for power and control. The characters in each text each have their own struggle for power, and the pathological lust and need for it is ultimately what causes their downfall. William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" is about the human condition and how humanity is on an eternal quest for power. Along with this, Suzanne Collins, "Mockingjay", as well as her other predictors in the series, speak of a society filled with power, contrasted with a powerless society. The novels both explain how the lust for power and control brings out the worst in us. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Jack Merridew, the choir director of a posh private school, has lived his entire life under the thumb of society, forced to obey every rule. This withholding of his power creates his lust and desire for power, which overturns his clear head and mind. “The chief sat there, naked from the waist down, his face masked in white and red. The tribe stretched out in a semi-circle before him. » The contrast between the beginning of the novel and now shows the change that the power that Jack has had over him. In the first chapter, Golding describes the group of altar boys as "a group of boys", who wore eccentric clothes. The island and their lust for power haven't just changed their way of thinking. But physically, it also changed them. They are no longer orderly boys, walking in parallel lines, but a tribe of boys sitting in a rough semi-circle. They are no longer led by a well-built boy, but by a savage possessed by his need for control. This new character is mentioned in Chapter 4 - Painted Faces and Long Hair. “He started dancing and his laughter became a bloodthirsty growl. He reared up towards Bill, and the mask was a thing of its own, behind which Jack hid, free of shame and embarrassment. » This mask that he creates with paint, creates not only camouflage to better hunt pigs, but a new character for Jack, which reduces the shame that Jack feels into dust, creating a new Jack, who is not no longer bound and limited by his power. “Then there was this indefinable connection between him and Jack; who would never leave him alone; never” This thought that Ralph has while Jack is at his worst, explains that because Jack sees Ralph as a threat to his power, and because he is still alive, he fears that Ralph will take away his power. This thought is the idea that drives Jack to attempt to hunt Ralph like a wild pig and kill him; because he thinks that if Ralph stays alive, it's only a matter of time before Ralph can overthrow him. This hunt for Ralph is also a warning to those who might still favor Ralph like Sam and Eric. Jack's tyranny brought out the evil that resided within him, making him do terrible things to people in order to contain the power he so wanted. Jack, as choir director, was used to having power, and the idea that it should not be given to him can shock and humiliate him: “I am the conductor then. » The circle of boys applauded. Even the choir applauds; and the freckles on Jack's face disappeared beneath a blush of mortification. "This small battle for power at the beginning of the novel causes Jack to stir up negative feelings between him and Ralph, causing a connection, albeit a bad one, that ends up being worse for both of them. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins, is about a society dystopian, ruled irresponsibly by.