In class we have been studying and developing answers to the question “How do we make the rules?”. In order to really dive deep into what this means, we were given a series of concepts, that all play a part in making up our human nature and society as we know it. These concepts were:
Power and Authority, Humanity and Inhumanity, Violence and Destruction, Human nature, Civilization and Savagery, Innocence and Evil, and Individualism and Community.
As well as thinking about examples from each of these concepts, we had charts around the class, where we added sticky notes full of ideas to. These could range from links to Lord of The Flies, our world’s history or current events, other texts we had read in class, or just other examples from our lives.
With these ideas, we were tasked with writing three concept paragraphs, focussing on one different concept each time. For my first paragraph, I decided to write about how a sense of community is lost, as we are presented with an appealing illusion of individualism. Here I referenced my Lord of The Flies Study. In my second paragraph, I asked the question “How is it, that what we learn as we are brought up, is able to dictate the way our actions impact the lives of those around us?”. I used my prior studies of the Civil Rights movement to prove my answer. And for my third, I talked about how in the case of the Civil Rights Movement, nonviolence was a more effective way of protest and change for the lives of millions of African Americans, as seen in the countless marches lead by Martin Luther King Jr. I chose my third paragraph to expand on and use other examples to prove the answer.
Since the beginning of civilization, violence and destruction have driven shifts in society and the world, but whether these shifts were effective and for the better can be debated. World Wars have created new paths for nations and societies, riots have brought new order, and protests have eventually led to change. But these violent acts make shifts that are slow and inefficient, leading to long periods of time spent spreading this violence and destruction. The idea of nonviolent protest and resistance is also woven into our history, and even our current world, but unlike violent acts, peaceful protest has many more advantages, and ultimately creates the change we all want to see in the world, more effectively and efficiently.
In the case of the Civil Rights Movement, nonviolence was a more effective way of protest and change for the lives of millions of African Americans, as seen in the countless marches lead by Dr Martin Luther King Jr, and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. By choosing nonviolence as a tool to break down racism, segregation, discrimination, and inequality, leaders of the movement hoped that by banding together as a community, the horrors of violence in the South would be made clear to the world. By displaying this, it made the world aware of the primary reason African Americans remained in such a subordinate position because of the intense violence directed against them. Martin Luther King worked tirelessly to enter African Americans into society in a civilized manner, fighting non-violently for peace and equality on behalf of millions of people struggling, a tactic inspired by the teachings of the Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi. He believed that change could be made peacefully, without the risk of loss of human life and without adding heat to a fire ignited by destruction and violence. Although this alternative form of protesting was powerful, it was also dangerous, as it attracted hate crimes against the movement. But King continued with this method, as he believed, and turned out to be correct, that it was the only way to see a positive shift in America and around the world. Without this method of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience, the movement would have never progressed to the point where segregation was banned, and to nowadays, where equal rights were bestowed on people of any race, religion or gender.
In the novel Lord of The Flies, by William Golding, the power of violence ultimately takes over the lives of the young boys stranded on an island, with no adults or a functioning form of government. This violence tears apart any hope of civilization and ends the lives of many innocent boys. Two of the main characters, Ralph and Piggy, are peaceful, non-violence oriented boys who attempt to lead the tribe of scared young schoolboys. They try to build a society and a well-oiled community by getting everyone to pitch in and work hard to get things done, in order to stay safe and wait for rescue. Ralph was elected fairly to be the “chief”, and he did what he could to keep their tribe as peaceful as a large group of little boys could be. But another main character, Jack, didn’t care about anything but himself and his power status, and ended up making himself a leader of a new tribe, one that continuously hunts and lusts after the blood of pigs, and eventually other boys. This violent stance that Jack had towards the whole situation, ended up with the deaths of multiple boys, and left the island in ruins along with any hope of a solid functioning society. If the boys had been thinking rationally in the beginning of the novel, and had followed Ralph’s peaceful ways, or even non-violently protested against his leadership (if they hated it so much), rather than joining Jacks destructive tribe, lives could have been saved, and they may have been rescued sooner.
We also see how violence and destruction takes over, and ruins lives and communities, in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The play is laced with violent acts and events, such as men in battle, the murders of innocent people, suicide, and finally the beheading of Macbeth himself. By recognizing that all of these events were driven my the need for power, guilt, and finally destruction and violence, it can be viewed that by turning to nonviolence, rather than violence, in times of distress, lives would have been spared and disasters may have been avoided. Macbeth began as a reasonable, and peaceful character, who believed in morals and loyalty. Yet as Lady Macbeth, his power hungry wife, urged him to give in to his deepest and darkest desires, he uses violence as the solution to all of his problems. The violence through which Macbeth takes the throne from King Duncan, opens the door for others to try to take the throne for themselves through violence as well. So Macbeth must commit more violence acts, until violence is all he has left. It becomes a vicious cycle, and finally leads to a tragic, unavoidable end to the main character’s life. Macbeth shows us how violence can easily take away all that is dear to us, and then some, but only if we give into it. We have the option to do what we want, through violence and destruction, or we can think of others, and chose to peacefully oppose someone or an idea.
There are many different forms of violence in our world, whether it be a book, a play, or a part of our history. But these reinforce the idea that nonviolence is the best way to get things done and keep people safe and happy. Without this, as well as peace and tolerance, our world shifts into violence, destruction, and hurt.
