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Lord of the Flies essay

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Lord of the Flies essay
Lord of the Flies as an Allegory

An allegory is a story that may be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning. Lord of the Flies is an effective allegory, even today, because it shows the innate evil within us. The article about the shooting at LAX airport is an example of how Lord of the Flies is still relevant today. The article talks about how a man named Paul Ciancia pulled an assault rifle out of a bag and opened fire. He had enough ammo to kill everyone in the terminal. Ciancia killed a TSA officer, wounded others, and then took his own life. It is said that growing up he was sort of a loner. "He was kind of a shy guy. He always kept to himself, was always walking around by himself. Didn't really talk to anyone at all" (Wright). In a way, Ciancia is similar to the boys from Lord of the Flies in that he wasn't the one expected to murder. Paul Ciancia had a sort of innocence that the boys seemed to have in the beginning, but then lost by the end. "Why Did Eric Kill" also proves how loss of innocence plays a role in the allegory that Lord of the Flies possesses. "His redheaded looks, and his age, were so completely at odds with his horrific crime that he almost got away with murder" (Leung). This story shows how there is innate evil inside all of us, even children. In chapter 9 of Lord of the Flies, all of the boys on the island, including Piggy, participate in the murder of Simon. The Lord of the Flies explains to Simon that the “beast” everyone was afraid of is within themselves. He says, "You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are the way they are" (Golding 143). What the Lord of the Flies was explaining was that there is innate evil in all of us. We are all capable of immoral behavior. The article, "How Old Is Old Enough," talks about when a person should be treated as an adult. "The answer is generally 18 - the age when the United States, and the

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