Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a valuable read for students in high school due to it’s valuable lessons. Lord of the Flies is a story about a group of young boys who have crashed landed on a deserted island. The children try to maintain the society they once lived in, but struggle to uphold the boundaries of the society they once lived in. Golding illustrates the horror man can dish out through brilliant language and literary devices. Lord of the Flies by William Golding should be a staple in English curriculum.

One way that Lord of the Flies illustrates the horror man can do by the steady downfall of the society they are trying to uphold. When the group crashes on the island, they try to resemble the government and social norms of the society they came from. The children fail to set up a leader, but instead give power to a conch. The conch, holds the power to speak, and the person who handles the conch is the only one allowed to speak. The downfall of this social norm is jealousy among the children. Everyone wants to speak, so they all want the conch. When they don’t get the conch, things becomes violent. The two outspoken leaders Jack and Ralph are polar opposites. Ralph, trying to maintain the world they once lived in, while Jack slowly slips further and further away from society. Jack resorts to violence to get his way, which is the downfall of any law in society. Ralph tries to figure things out diplomatically which is trying to maintain society. As the book runs its course, both boys slip further and further away from the lives they once lived and into barbaric lives. Jack more so than Ralph. The two main characters are two great examples of how the main staple of society washes away.

Another way Lord of the Flies illustrates the horror man can do by the transformation of the children as the book evolves. The group goes from trying to recreate the society they lived in, to creating an entire new society. At first, the boys set up a form of power in the conch. But, the boys fight over the conch, and Jack wanting power for himself, takes a group across the island to set up a new society under his direction. The kids try and maintain the old society in their actions. They build makeshift homes. They gather food from plants. They refuse to hunt and kill animals because it’s “barbaric.” They sit around a fire every night and pass the conch trying to think of ways to survive. The transformation occurs when Jack takes his tribe across the island. Under Jack’s direction the tribe follows no old social norms. They hunt and kill animals as they please. Jack has slaves that do whatever for him. They paint themselves which is symbolic of barbarians. The paint truly symbolizes Jack and his tribe’s transformation from civilized to uncivilized.

Finally, Lord of the Flies illustrates that man will do anything to survive. In the beginning, the group rules out killing. They try to have everyone follow the laws of the society they once knew. As the book rumbles on, they grow further and further from this. By the end of the book, the kids will do anything to survive. Piggy is killed by a boulder that is pushed free from atop of the mountian by Roger. Roger see’s Piggy as a threat to the groups survival and does not hesitate to kill him. The rest of the tribe including Jack, sees no wrong doing in the matter. This is a true transformation from civilized boys, to uncivilized boys. In the end, Ralph is left alone, up against all of Jack’s tribe who is trying to kill him. Jack sees Ralph as the final barrier to the tribes ultimate survival on the island and does not hesitate to order all of his tribe to hunt Ralph down. This is the prime example of the change the group made. Overall, Lord of the Flies is a great example of the changes man can go through when face with a threat to himself.

 
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is the perfect book for high school kids to read. It teaches kids about the morality of man. About how man can shrink from this high and mighty form, into a low murderous creature that will do anything to survive. The book can teach students that when faced with a drastic situation, that resulting in violence and get people hurt, or even killed. Instead of violence, result to diplomacy, or better, just walk away. The book also provides class with great discussion topics. A class can discuss the morality of characters. Why someone did something. Try to unravel someone’s thinking while committing an action. Lord of the Flies not only teaches student all of those things, but teaches them that humans can become barbaric. Lord of the Flies should be a main staple in high school English curriculums for years of come.