Lord of the Flies

Alex Dudley
Mr. Williams
English II 6 April 2011

Lord of the Flies Essay In society, we have rules, and regulation that we live by to make our streets and cities a much safer place and equal for citizens. When criminals and gang members disrupt the structure that we live in by not following these set rules and laws, we end up in multiple issues. In the story “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, it relates to gang(s) and criminals not being able to abide by the law in our society. To get a better understanding about why gangs do not follow the follow the law, we study what indeed gang members do, why members choose not to abide by the rules, and what Golding was trying to prove by incorporating the idea into the story. “Lord of the Flies” relates to gang in society by the negative actions that they participate in. “Most gangs specialize in one or more types of things that are illegal. [Activities include] car theft, robbery, embezzlement, firearm sale, racketeering, and drug trafficking” (Driscoll 2). By doing this, it sets back the community as a whole. In the story the group of boys set rules that they were not able to obtain to. Gang members do not follow the legal system and try there hardest not to get caught. In the story, you can see how characters and gang members relate by society not following the rules. Gangs can lead to unsafe risk for the people who surround them. “Gang-related violence and illegal activities continue to pose major safety risk to individuals in the twenty-first century” (Whittaker 2). If society does not learn to abide by the law, they might end up destroying the community and even worst, the lives of innocent civilians. “A group [of men called [BAM] (Becoming a Man) is working on getting to those youngsters before they’re drawn into gang life or drop out of school” (Corley 1). Some of the males in the story tried to prove there masculinity by terrorizing the younger boys and commanding them to do things they didn’t feel comfortable doing. At the same time, the cruder males created rules for the community that they didn’t follow. If gang members follow the law instead of trying to find ways to promote the type of violence they partake in to younger children, then we can make society a safer place for everyone. Lord of the flies not only connects to gangs by the activities they do, but the overall message William Golding was trying to explain beneath the lines of those pages. Both characters/members show no sign of respect for the law which affects the community as a whole. “As gangs gained more momentum they spread to other neighborhoods, cities, and states in the form of ‘set’, or groups that would affiliate themselves with one major gang even when not knowingly sanctioned by the home gang” (Driscoll 1). Due to the fact that gang member do not follow and agree to the law, it has made an impact on the way society approaches rules. Society does not know how to follow the basic structure of life by the rules created to make our surroundings safer. Gangs and “Lord of the Flies” can relate to society by the actions that they possess. The citizens in our world today need to realize that without a set amount of rules to live and obey by, it will only bring down the community and destroy their environment.

Work Cited
Driscoll, Sally, and Flynn. "Gangs: An Overview." Points of View: Gangs (2009): 1. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 5 Apr. 2011.
Kingsbury, Alex. "The War on Gangs." U.S. News & World Report 145.13 (2008): 33. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 5 Apr. 2011.
STEVE, INSKEEP. "Getting To Chicago 's Boys Before Gangs Do." Morning Edition (NPR) (n.d.): Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 5 Apr. 2011.
Whittaker, Anne, and Heather Newton. "Point: Gang Violence Necessitates Action through Legislation." Points of View: Gangs (2009): 2. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 5 Apr. 2011.

Cited: Driscoll, Sally, and Flynn. "Gangs: An Overview." Points of View: Gangs (2009): 1. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. Kingsbury, Alex. "The War on Gangs." U.S. News & World Report 145.13 (2008): 33. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. STEVE, INSKEEP. "Getting To Chicago 's Boys Before Gangs Do." Morning Edition (NPR) (n.d.): Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. Whittaker, Anne, and Heather Newton. "Point: Gang Violence Necessitates Action through Legislation." Points of View: Gangs (2009): 2. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 5 Apr. 2011.