English1HPeriod3

9January2015

HumansareInherentlyGood
IntheBible,AdamandEvewerecreatedwithoutOriginalsintheywereinnocentand
pure.AdamandEveonlycommittedsinbecauseoftemptation.Atopicofdebatehasbeen
whetherhumansareinherentlygoodorevil.Inthenovel,
TheLordoftheFlies,
WilliamGolding
tellsthestoryofagroupofschoolboyswhoarealoneonanislandafteraplanecrash.These
boysmustfighttheirdesiresandfocusonsurvival.Althoughsomemaybelievethathumansare
evil,theoppositeistruehumanbeingsareinherentlygoodbecauseoftheirabilitytofeelguilt,
desiretohelpandfixthings,andselfsacrifice.
Tobetterunderstandthisposition,humansareinherentlygoodbecauseoftheir
conscienceandabilitytofeelguilt.Inthenovel,
TheLordoftheFlies
byWilliamGolding,the
textpointsout,...Mauricestillfelttheuneaseofwrongdoing.Atthebackofhismindformed
theuncertainoutlinesofanexcuse(Golding60).Thisexampleshowsthereaderthatafter
destroyingsandcastlesandkickingupdirtintoalittlunsface,Mauriceknewhewaswrongand
feltguilty.
Theevidencesuggeststhatwhilehumanscanchoosetodoevil,theirconsciencewill
makethemfeelguilty,makethemrealizetheyarewrongandhelpthemmakebetterchoices.
MauriceisstillcivilandgoodontheinsidebeforebeinginfluencedbyRogertobemean.
Furthermore,intheshortstory,TheSniperbyLiamOFlaherty,theauthorreveals,The
sniperlookedathisenemyfallingandheshuddered.Thelustofbattlediedinhim.Hebecame
bittenbyremorse(OFlaherty214).Bylookingatthisexample,readerscanseethatthesniper
regrettedhisdecisionofkillingtheopposingsniper.Theauthorusesthewordremorseto

describehowthesniperfeelsafterseeingthedeath.
Remorsehasapowerfulanddeep
connotation,itisamoreemotionaltypeofguilt.
Thesnipercompletelyregretsandfeelsguilty
overhisactionsofmurder.Thisshowsheisnotcompletelyheartlessorevilbecauseofhis
shame.Basedonthetextevidence,readerscanconcludethattheabilitytofeelguiltandones
consciencemaketheminherentlygood.
Furthermore,humansareinherentlygoodbecauseoftheirdesiretohelpandfixthings.In
theshortstory,ThankYouMambyLangstonHughes,aboytriestostealawomanspurse.
Insteadofturningtheboyin,thewomantakeshimwithhertocleanhimup.Thenitwillget
washedthisevening,saidthelargewomanstartingupthestreet,draggingthefrightenedboy
behindher(Hughes88).Bylookingatthisexample,readerscanseethatthewomanis
compassionatetowardstheboyevenafterhewrongedher.
Thisshowsthatthewomanistruly
goodbydemonstratingherwillingnesstohelptheboywhoseemstohavenothingandresortsto
crimetogetapairofshoes.Othersinthissituationmaycallthepoliceontheyoungboy,butthe
largewomanseestheboysmotivesandwantstohelpgethimonabetterpath.Thewomanis
kindtotheboyeventhoughhedoesntdeserveit.Heractionscausetheboytostopandbe
gratefulforthegoodnessofothersandhelaterasksthewomanifhecoulddoanythingtohelp
her.
Inthenovel,
TheLordoftheFlies
byWilliamGolding,thegroupofboyslosehopeinthe
fireandPiggysuggests,Wegotnofireonthemountain.Butwhatswrongwithafiredown
here?Afirecouldbebuiltonthemrocks.Onthesandeven....Nowthattherewassomethingto
bedonetheyworkedwithpassion(Golding129).Piggyhelpsfindasolutiontotheproblemof
nofireand,indoingso,givestheboysanewsenseofhopeforrescue.
Histoneishopefuland
purposefulinordertokeeptheothershappyandontask.Theauthoruseswordsandphrases

suchasAfirecouldbebuiltonthemrocks.Onthesandeven.andafterPiggysspeech,
Goldingusespassiontodisplaythenewsourceofhope.
Piggysactionsshowheisgood
becausehecomesupwithanewideatogettheboysclosertorescueandtodistractthemfrom
theirworries.Theseexamplesshowthatthedesiretohelpandfixthingscontributetotheidea
thathumansareinherentlygood.
Finally,peopleareinherentlygoodbecauseofselfsacrifice.WilliamGoldingsnovel,
TheLordoftheFlies,
showsselfsacrificewhenheexplains,Simonwascryingoutsomething
aboutadeadmanonahill...Atoncethecrowdsurgedafterit,poureddowntherock,leaptonto
thebeast,screamed,struck,bit,tore...Onlythebeastlaystill,afewyardsfromthesea(Golding
153).AftermeetingtheLordoftheFlies,Simoncomestowarntheothersofthedangerahead.
Heisthenbrutallymurdered.
ThisexampleisimportantbecauseSimonactsasamessenger.Ina
way,SimonissimilartoJesusChristinthatheisdeeplygoodbutisbetrayedbyhispeerswitha
deathsentence.
Simonwantedtohelptheothersbylettingthemknowofthesavagerycoming
andunknowinglyallowshimselftobeengulfedbyamobofhisfriends.Theshortstory,
InternmentbyMargaretMcCrory,showsanotherexampleofselfsacrificewhenFather
MurphyhadbeenshotdeadwhilegivingamantheLastRites.Andwhenanothermanwentto
helpFatherMurphy,hehadbeenkilledaswell(McCrory240).Inthemiddleofawar,two
bravemenrisktheirlivestohelpothers.FatherMurphycomesintotheopentohelpgiveadying
manhislastprayersbeforedeathandafterFatherMurphyisshot,anothermanfollowsintothe
opentohelpandisalsokilled.
ThisisimportantbecauseFatherMurphyissimilartoSimonfrom
TheLordoftheFlies.
SimonandFatherMurphyarebothattackedandkilledwhiletryingto
help.Theyalsosharereligiousqualities,SimonsymbolizingJesusandFatherMurphyisa

Catholicpriest.AdifferenceisthatSimoncametowarntheotherboyswhileFatherMurphy
wasofferingprayerstoadyingman.
Bothofthesecharacterssacrificedtheirlivesforothersin
trouble.Theseexamplesshowthatselfsacrificeisonereasonwhyhumansareinherentlygood.
Althoughsomebelievethathumansareinherentlyevilbecauseofviolenceandabuse,the
oppositeistrue.Humansresorttoviolenceandabusewhentheyareinfluencedbyothers.The
firstinstinctisusuallytodosomethinggood.Thepointremainsthathumansareinherentlygood
becauseoftheabilitytofeelguilt,thedesiretohelpandfixthingsandthetendencytosacrifice
themselvesforothers.Itisimportantforpeopletorealizethatthereismoregoodthanevilinthe
world,buttheevilportionoflifeisseenmoreoftenthroughthemedia.Readersshouldconsider
thathumaninstinctsareinherentlygoodwhenfacedwithevil.


WorksCited

Golding,William.
LordoftheFlies
.NewYork:BerkeleyGroup,1954.Print.
Hughes,Langston.ThankYou,Mam.
HoltLiteratureandLanguageArts.
Austin,TX:Holt,Rinehart,Winston,1998.
McCrory,Margaret.Internment.
HoltLiteratureandLanguageArts.
Austin,TX:
Holt,Rinehart,Winston,1998.
OFlaherty,Liam.TheSniper.
HoltLiteratureandLanguageArts.
Austin,TX:
Holt,Rinehart,Winston,1998.