In class Ms. Willemse put up concept charts all around the room and for ten minutes at the end of everyday she encouraged us to add a few ideas. At first I didn’t know why we were doing it, but then she later revealed that we would also be developing three concept paragraphs of our own on top of the research that we were doing for the debate. In my first paragraph I wrote about the concept of Fear, then I took on Power and Authority, and for my last one I wrote about Individualism vs. Community. Originally I wanted to expand on my paragraph about individualism because that’s what I connect with most closely. However, in my honest opinion I believe my concept paragraph about fear is the best example of my work.

When I was reading Lord of The Flies I noticed that the concept of fear is prevalent throughout the book. Fear in it’s most basic definition is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

In Lord of The Flies by William Golding, many of the boys let the prevalent yet irrational fear of the so called “beast” cloud their judgement, and affect their ability to survive affectively and cohesively. This irrational thinking led to the slow decay of compassion, empathy, and common sense amongst the group.

The littluns were so caught up in the fear of the beast that they neglected to acknowledge the fact that they were trapped on a deserted island with little to no chance of rescue or long term survival. These irrational fears led to not only irrational thinking, but to the sudden and rapid decay of laws, society, and civilization set forth by Ralph and Piggy. Jack and the hunters were so focused on killing the beast and becoming warriors that they lost all sense of civilization and succumb to savagery, the bases of human nature.

The Concept Of Fear:

Everybody experiences fear, whether it’s rational or irrational. Some are scared of heights, snakes, spiders, or needles, others are afraid of certain death, but how does fear, rational or irrational, override common sense and affect decision making in the famous novel: Lord of The Flies by William Golding. In Lord of The Flies, it’s evident that irrational fears are prevalent, not only affecting the morale of the entire group , but also threatening their ability to think logically and survive cohesively. As a group of young boys, many of the littluns are terrified of the so called “snake monster,” yet none of them seem to fear the fact that they’re trapped on a deserted island with limited food, water and shelter: “Simon felt a perilous necessity to speak; but to speak in assembly was a terrible thing to him. ‘Maybe,’ he said hesitantly, ‘maybe there is a beast.’ The assembly cried out savagely and Ralph stood up in amazement. ‘You, Simon? You believe in this?’ ‘I don’t know,’ said Simon. His heartbeats were choking.” They don’t have their priorities straight, neglecting to build shelters and establish a signal fire, only to play all day, swim, and hunt when they want to: “’The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going? Is a fire too much for us to make?’ He flung out an arm. ‘Look at us! How many are we? And yet we can’t keep a fire going to make smoke. Don’t you understand? Can’t you see we ought to—ought to die before we let the fire out?'” Fortunately, Ralph and Piggy understand the seriousness of the situation, attempting to host group council, establish fair rules, and assign specific jobs that are crucial for survival. However, Jack is only focused on hunting and constantly trying to prove his own dominance within the group, driven by jealousy and the fear of losing his authority to Ralph: “’I’m not talking about the fear. I’m talking about the beast. Be frightened if you like. But as for the beast——’ Jack paused, cradling the conch, and turned to his hunters with their dirty black caps. ‘Am I a hunter or am I not?’ They nodded, simply. He was a hunter all right. No one doubted that. ‘Well then—I’ve been all over this island. By myself. If there were a beast I’d have seen it. Be frightened because you’re like that—but there is no beast in the forest.’ Jack handed back the conch and sat down. The whole assembly applauded him with relief.” Influenced by fear, and a relentless hunger for prestige and authority, Jack has lost all common sense. He went from being a civilized leader in uniform to a hunter, thirsty for blood and praise: “If Jack was chief he’d have all hunting and no fire. We’d be here till we died.” In conclusion, fear can override common sense, making the irrational seem rational, not only affecting the boys ability to exist cohesively, but to make decisions effectively and efficiently

In Lord of The Flies, it’s evident that irrational fears are prevalent, not only affecting the morale of the entire group, but also threatening their ability to think logically and survive cohesively. However, through looking at the Cold War and other historical and written examples it becomes increasingly clear that fear, rational or irrational, affects logical decision making in almost any situation.

Following the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, many people feared the world was on the brink of an all out nuclear war. The doomsday clock stood less than a minute from midnight, defcon 2 was in full affect, and mutually assured destruction seemed imminent as the world hung on the brink of an uncontrollable nuclear holocaust. A nuke could drop with less than three minutes warning, and if you weren’t killed from searing heat, flying debris, or the impending shock wave, you could still easily succumb to deadly amounts of poisonous radiation. Let’s face it, people hated anything to do with nuclear and it is still very much the same today.

However, now more than ever, with the increasing threat of climate change knocking on the door, nuclear energy may be detrimental to the successful development of the future. In my opinion, I believe that the fear and stigma surrounding nuclear energy is relevant yet irrational and based off of selective evidence. When we think about nuclear energy, many of us automatically associate atomic bombs, catastrophic nuclear accidents, or the deadly prospect of radiation exposure, but nobody focuses on the positives. In reality nuclear energy is one of the safest and cleanest sources of sustainable energy, and it’s because of irrational fears of a society in ruins and a world plagued by radioactive fallout that people fail to admit the astounding benefits of nuclear energy.

Currently over 7 million people die a year from air pollution and our atmosphere is heating up faster than a pot of boiling water, yet only 28% of people approve of nuclear power, and its all based on irrational fear. Nuclear power plants generate electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, while emitting less carbon dioxide then solar. So should nuclear energy really be our most prevalent fear? Or something we should implement into every society to guarantee a safe and sustainable future for all of humanity.

When relating the topic of fear to examples of texts that we read in class, it’s evident in both Macbeth and throughout the plot of Three Day Road that fear clearly affects logical decision making. In the famous Shakespeare play Macbeth, Macbeth was influenced to commit murder through believing in the irrational fear that he needed to prove both his man hood and his ability to be a ruthless leader. However, after committing the initial act of murder Macbeth was then influenced to kill not only his best friend, but an innocent mans wife and children through fearing that he would be caught. This endless need to kill, influenced through both irrational and rational fear, led to decay of logical decision making, the death of Lady Macbeth, and the death of Macbeth himself. If he had ignored lady Macbeth from the very beginning and not let his fears influence his actions throughout the play, Macbeth would be alive and he would still be widely respected as the powerful Thane of Cawdor instead of being remembered as an evil traitor.

In Three Day Road, similar to Macbeth and the boys in Lord of The Flies, Elijah was influenced through fear to commit unspeakable acts, losing all sense of civilization and succumbing to savagery, the bases of human nature. In the brutal setting of war it’s hard to hold on to morals and distinguish the difference between right and wrong, and this is evident in Three Day Road when looking at Elijah’s character transformation from the beginning of the book to the end. In the beginning of the book Elijah was in touch with his morals and culture, but some where along the way he became ruthless and obsessed with killing. However, this endless bloodlust wasn’t the product of his morphine addiction or the fear that existed on the battlefield, but the fear that existed in his head, the fear of not being respected as one of the most deadly Cree snipers in history.

In the book Xavier and Elijah started out working together as a team of snipers, but when he started to receive a reputation for being a good shot he began distancing himself from Xavier and going out in his own. Looking back I now realize he did this because he wanted to be better than Elijah, and he wanted to people to know that he was better, and that’s what fuelled his original quest for fame. However, throughout the duration of the book it became much more than that. He no longer wanted to be better than Xavier, but he wanted to be better than everybody, and it was this endless desire to be the best along with the fear that people didn’t respect him or his accomplishments that led him to become a savage killer.

At one point in the book Elijah was talking to a French soldier behind the lines and in the conversation the French soldier brought up a highly renowned native sniper named Peggy. After the conversation, Elijah, overcome with immense jealousy, feared he would never live up to the same reputation as Peggy so he began to scalp his enemies and collect the pelts after each kill to make a name for himself: “‘If they did not know last Christmas that I am a hunter to contend with, they do now,’ Elijah says. ‘All they did was stare when I showed them my trophies.’ He smiles at the memory. ‘They acted nervously around me after that. My reputation is sealed, I think.’ (Elijah) His hunger for power and his fear of not being respected as a deadly sniper has blinded him to the point that he doesn’t blink twice about being questioned for carrying around a sac of scalps, he’s proud of it.

It was the same fear and obsession to be the best that led Elijah to be power hungry to the point that his quest for endless fame and his deadly bloodlust consumed him whole, blinding him to the point that he killed his own sergeant and turned on his life long friend Xavier. He had told himself so many times that he was willing to do whatever it took to be respected by the other soldiers and to be renowned as the best that he lost all sight of his true morals and in the end it led to his ultimate demise.

From the very start it was his fear of not being respected as a deadly sniper just because of his Cree background that caused him to distance himself from Xavier, the only person that was truly there for him. And it was this fear that also led him to become addicted to morphine, scalp his enemies, kill for fun, and lose sight of all his morals as he attempted to kill his only friend: “The others watch Elijah in action, say that he is brave, a warrior of the highest order. To me he is mad. I am the only one now to know Elijah’s secrets, and Elijah has turned himself into something invincible, something inhuman.” (Xavier)

To conclude this blogpost, it’s evident through looking at historical examples such as the Cold War and the stigma around nuclear power, and other examples from Lord of The Flies, Macbeth and Three Day Road that fear, rational or irrational, affects logical thinking and decision making in almost any situation.

Below is a visual collage that I made using Pic Collage to link all the ideas that I talked about in this blogpost.

Below is my explanation of what the images represent. I made it using Explain Everything.