Final Essay

Introduction

Universally, humanity is always reaching for the unreachable, but never achieves that task because of the condition of being human. Keeping a society on the brink of destruction in terms of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, allows those in power to manipulate the population who are incapable of thinking beyond their basic needs. If a human being does not attain the necessary needs, it seems impossible that they will ever achieve their unique potential as an individual. In Orwell’s Animal Farm and in Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Napoleon and Jack become dictators as a result of their environment. This affects everyone in their community.

Body 1

The lack of feeling loved or belonging to a group makes people feel anxious and tense. The horse named Boxer from Animal Farm is driven to work harder. He worked extremely hard to impress Napoleon and showed others that hard work can make things better. He felt valued by the members of his community by working hard. “...the other animals found more inspiration in Boxer’s strength and his never-failing cry of ‘I will work harder.’” Orwell, p.49. Even under the rough and unrelenting conditions of the farm, everyone still found heart and appreciated one another. Maslow’s basic need for belonging was stronger than that of food for the animals.

Body 2

According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, ones physiological needs are most important. These needs include food, shelter and sleep. In Animal Farm, Napoleon uses food as one way to control the other animals. The animals’ hunger motivates them to do absolutely anything, which is why Napoleon uses this tactic. People in power can create social order which forces other members of society to obey them. In Lord of the Flies, the basic need of adequate shelter was a significant issue as was food. These two basic needs help to divide the boys into two opposing groups.

Body 3

People and animals must have a strong sense of self to overcome diversity. Unfortunately, all the animals in Animal Farm lacked courage and knowledge to take down the pigs. They did not realize the power the pigs were accumulating. Only Benjamin, the donkey, understood the gravity of the situation but he was too old to act out. The pigs’ strong sense of self allowed them a privileged position on the farm. Maurice and Roger from Lord of the Flies had an inflated sense of themselves. They controlled the littluns through fear and pain. This act of bullying strips the younger boys of their power and diminishes their sense of self. The stage of losing your innocence involves transitions like confronting your fears or possible obstacles. “And as for the fear- you’ll have to put up with that like the rest of us.” Golding, p.88. This is said by Jack who is trying to teach the boys a lesson to make them stronger willed.

Conclusion

It has been illustrated in both the Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Animal Farm by George Orwell that communities can be manipulated by bullies. The ones in charge merely need to take one or more of the human basic needs as stated by Maslow, to upset people’s sense of self. Without a strong sense of self, an individual is compromised and so is the community in which that individual lives.