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Reaction Paper - Lord of The Flies

1) The document discusses the eternal struggle between chaos and order, with chaos representing the natural tendency for disorder and decline, while order represents the structures like laws and societies that humanity creates to exert control. 2) It uses the Lord of the Flies novel as an example, showing how a group of boys descended into savagery and chaos when marooned without the structures of society. 3) The conclusion argues that while chaos is humanity's ultimate destiny, laws are needed to prolong order and allow for justice, as the struggle between chaos and order is essential for preserving humanity.
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100% found this document useful (1 vote)
71 views3 pages

Reaction Paper - Lord of The Flies

1) The document discusses the eternal struggle between chaos and order, with chaos representing the natural tendency for disorder and decline, while order represents the structures like laws and societies that humanity creates to exert control. 2) It uses the Lord of the Flies novel as an example, showing how a group of boys descended into savagery and chaos when marooned without the structures of society. 3) The conclusion argues that while chaos is humanity's ultimate destiny, laws are needed to prolong order and allow for justice, as the struggle between chaos and order is essential for preserving humanity.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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TUBELLO, Mark Lemuel J.

Thursday 5:00pm-7:00pm
LAW2032300 Block JDIA Atty. Jun Lopez

LAW AND THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN CHAOS AND ORDER

INTRODUCTION
Entropy dictates that the natural order of things is to decline into disorder. No matter how
methodical, organized, or structured the world may be, in the end, all shall descend into chaos.
This is the reason that dynasties fall and why great and long-reigning empires perish. In due
time, everything shall slowly fail – even human values.

But while all shall fail given sufficient time human ingenuity has found a way to preserve
order and exert control over the havoc of the universe. In order to protect society, its members
surrendered some of their liberties and limit their freedoms in exchange for their mutual
protection and benefit. The goal of the imposition of such limitations is to prevent anarchy.

This eternal tug-of-war between chaos and order gave birth to laws. Laws are defined as
rules of conduct, which are just, obligatory, and promulgated by legitimate authority for general
observance and benefit. These laws are our safeguards against the natural tendency of the
universe to plunge into pandemonium. The world is a sea bombarded by a relentless storm that
is chaos and the law is our lighthouse. It is essential because the lack of such clear guiding
principle will lead humanity astray.

Without law, humanity is no better than any other animal in this world. That is why,
mankind should hold into it dearly. It must be cherished, hallowed, and respected. Never shall
it be relinquished lest we forget that what makes us human.

CHAOS VERSUS ORDER


The Lord of the Flies by William Golding might be the best illustration to show the
struggle between chaos and order in society. Imagine a group of boys stuck in an isolated island
with nothing to their names but the primitive desire to survive. For some, survival means
preserving civilization as it is best known. Given much importance are higher order needs such
as culture, tradition, and values. To others, giving in to the innate and primeval inclination of
savagery is more desirable. So long as it leads to seeing another day.

For the boys however, they just survived a plane crash. All of them were alone, afraid,
and clueless as to what lies ahead of them. They were fleeing a war-torn country. Disorder is
well-known to them to say the least.
In an untouched yet bountiful island, the boys found their selves in a remarkably close
equivalent to the Garden of Eden. They all had a fresh start. The war is far-away and society
cannot dictate what they must do in this remote location. This can be their Utopia if they chose
to let it be so. They have found paradise the question however is if they can keep it a paradise.

Interestingly, one of the first things they discovered is a conch shell. Only the person
who is holding the conch may speak out. It signifies authority. This shows the tendency of
mankind to look for order in chaos. It shows how every person when randomly stuck together
would act, even war-orphans who survived a crash in an uninhabited island.

Despite the clear presence of authority, rifts began showing because of an apparent
difference in interest and values of the leaders. For Ralph, the elected leader, civilization is the
key to their survival. On the other hand, brutal savagery seems more important for Jack who is
the head of the hunters. Each of their tasks fit their respective agenda and personality; and they
are both obviously essential for the survival of the group. So, in theory, they may have been
able to live with each other if only they can renegotiate their differences. They could have
offered mutual protection and enriched each other by providing what each provides best.

Evidently, this is a society where laws do not exist. Nothing guides the leaders but
politics, their personal values and interests, and their conscience. The story represents these by
using two symbols: the signal fire and the beast. The signal fire is the manifestation of Ralph’s
will to keep their connection to society and the good values it stands for. Adverse to this, the
beast encapsulates the savagery, the desire for power, and perverse gratification of Jack. While
the signal fire was being tended to, the feel-good human values are discernably residing in the
boys. However, when the flame was set aside the beast became a stronger figure and even
transforming into the more graphic figure of the butchered pig’s head given the epithet as the
Lord of the Flies.

In the end, chaos won. Ralph, the symbol of order and human values was chased out of
the jungle by a pack of bloodthirsty savage boys completely enthralled by the notion of killing
him. The ironic thing is, once they were found by the Naval Officer, it is as if they reverted to
being normal children who will return to a world divided by war. Even though they have
experienced the complete ordeal of fighting and losing against the natural tendency of the
universe to chaos. This trope signifies that the struggle between chaos and order is a never-
ending cycle and, in my opinion, the only way for humanity to win is to strong-arm its way
into order.

ESSENCE OF LAW IN SPITE OF CHAOS


It may seem pointless to fight for order when chaos is and has always been the only
sure destination. Why should mankind bother trying to be better when everything we try to
build will only be buried and hidden by the sands of time? Because it is our duty to do so. If
we cannot and if we do not, the world will not have meaning.
In the midst of chaos, there is structure. Randomness and unpredictability are governed
by deterministic laws. That, in its simplicity, is the argument behind the Chaos theory.
Therefore, even if the universe is on a highway towards chaos, we are blessed by small infinities
wherein there is social order and peace.

Chaos not unlike the presence of a one true Deity is a vast unfathomable perfection.
The fault, in its incomprehensibility, lies not in its immeasurable vastness but in our very own
imperfections. We know that we cannot grasp its completeness, yet we appreciate its beauty
and try to give meaning to this boundlessness through law and order.

It shows that us human beings are active and conscious actors of the world. Our
consciousness is evidenced by our effort to know the unknowable. Rene Descartes succinctly
put it when he said, “I think, therefore I am”. We are not mere fish that are thrown hereto and
yonder by the waves of chaos.

Take for instance, one case of murder which we shall take separate and distinct – apart
from everything else in this world. Will it have the same implications and repercussions
compared to when we scrutinize it vis-à-vis our laws, culture, and the concept of order? One
might argue that killing someone is merely a fulfillment of an inescapable destiny of death that
all must face sooner or later. But such assumption discounts the fact that the killer is an active
component in a murder. We cannot excuse the act of killing as a mere consummation of destiny.
Because the actor prior to acting out the act of killing had the opportunity to think about the
propriety of the idea of killing before fulfilling it. He was knowing and willing when he did it.

Based on the idea of chaos, an act of murder is both probable and improbable at any
given point of time. We bridge this with order by placing laws to prevent murder generally
because of its dire effect on the person being murdered and society at large. Laws take this
further by providing exemptions under incredibly special circumstances to absolve anyone of
the crime simply because it might happen that the suspect was either unconscious or unwilling
to do the act. This provides structure on the proper way of treating such incidents.

That is why we need laws. Without the order and structure that it provides, we cannot
impose our will into occurrences surrounding our lives and disorder will prevail. If disorder
rules, then we cannot bring justice to the wrongful acts continuously happening in this world.

CONCLUSION
The ultimate destiny of humanity is chaos. To prolong this era of peace and order,
safeguards are placed by society by the surrendering of individual rights and liberties in
exchange for mutual protection and benefit. The law is our lens in comprehending disorder. To
bridge the gap between the potentiality of order and the reality of chaos, humanity must fight
using laws. This relentless struggle is the cost of our humanity. It is our sacred duty to balance
the scale of justice and to keep the structure and reason amid boundless entropy.

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