Category: Fear

You, me and all of us have probably faced various forms of fear in this life. I think the number is no longer counted. Tens of thousands or even millions of times throughout our time, alternating like day and night. Like graphs, fluctuations up and down.

In the past, when we were at school, for example, we were afraid during the school exam. When we enter university, we are very afraid of the thesis. And when we start looking for work, we will usually be very afraid of interviews to deal with big bosses. And when we work, we will be very afraid to break employment relations with the company where we work. The worst is that we are afraid of being poor. All different levels of fear are present.

Fear is a natural event. We will continue to meet when we want to start something new. This is the mechanism of the body to continue to maintain the balance point – another term for the comfort zone. Our body continues to demand to continue its equilibrium point. Or show previous habits. This mechanism aims to prevent the body from suddenly changing at any time which can disrupt the body’s own system. Any action that is outside the habit pattern will automatically be rejected by sending a rejection signal in the form of fear. So, fear is only a symptom of the body’s warning because we have done something outside the habit pattern.

Unfortunately, the body does not know which changes lead to good or bad. Constructive or destructive. Anything that is usually rejected will be rejected in the form of fear. Way! Fear will continue to be present when we do something out of habit.

Sometimes, we face that fear with perseverance, sometimes giving it back correctly. A set of fears that we have experienced cause us to be what we are today. We have escaped a lot in the face of that fear. Competence, expertise, skills, the intelligence we have today is the fruit of that fear. We must thank him. Without it, today we can still be like a newborn baby boy. On the contrary, the delay we have reached today is the fruit of our inability to various fears.

We should welcome that fear. Challenge him, defeat him, return him by continuing to act like a bull that rages for a moment you will win. If you are weak, whiny, slow and susceptible to it then you really receive stagnation or do not develop.

North Koreans, from childhood, are indoctrinated to idolize their leaders and to never doubt the system in which they live. This manipulation and brainwashing stems from insecurity and fear residing in the souls of North Korea’s dictators, making them believe that complete control is a necessity for their rule. They believe that for the government to maintain control, it must have complete submission from their people, which creates an atrocious environment for the population to experience every day of their lives with no escape. North Korea’s system of state-sponsored violence towards those that are incarcerated in its prisons, namely those who are considered to be enemies of the state, manifests from a place of fear on the government’s part and creates the space for abhorrent conditions in that society.

The influence of Soviet leadership and inspiration from Mao, in addition to isolation, quickly established fear within the government, especially of their citizens. Basic human rights and liberties were never taken into account by the North Korean leadership, establishing a cruel regime from the outset of the country’s history. After the World War II, Soviet government officials appointed Kim Il-Sung to assume the leadership responsibilities of North Korea, but the young country was quickly led into a bloody civil war. The Korean War allowed North Korea to retreat completely into its isolationist ideals, with the war doing little except taking countless lives and essentially wasting international funds. Once fully isolated from the remainder of the world, Kim pushed North Korea through unprecedented economic growth and development, but enforced his complete control over the people; he demanded total submission, set purges in place that rivaled Stalin’s during the Bolshevik Revolution, and brutally punished any dissent from his subjects. Taking inspiration from Stalin and Mao, Kim established a social hierarchy of sorts that determined every aspect of the citizen’s lives: education, housing, goods, jobs, and food access. This hierarchy divided society into three distinct groups, with some fifty-three subcategories. The group known as the core was unwaveringly dedicated to the regime, the public masses were called waverers, and those who were outwardly judgmental of the government were called hostile (‘A Chronic Protection Problem’). Kim Il-sung established the cruel regime, and decades later, Kim Jong-un is now the country’s dictator, but all of the ideals are exactly the same. The citizens of North Korea have zero freedom to do or say what they please; the government restricts all possible civil and political liberties of their people, including religion, personal expression, assembly, political opinion, and independent or foreign media (‘Human Rights Watch World Report’). North Korea’s dictatorship successfully constructed a truly hostile environment where the citizens are fearful of doing or saying anything at all, due to the leaders fearing the power of its people.

A fearful and violent leadership will manipulate their citizens and avoid allowing them freedoms at any cost. The people crave freedom and a sense of autonomy, so many will choose to make themselves an enemy of the state and attempt to flee to a neighboring country. Thousands of citizens try to flee each year, but less than one out of every ten will succeed. Their best chance to make it out is to acquire enough money to bribe the guards at border stations or to be smuggled out, but as the majority of the country is living within the confines of extreme poverty, most attempt the harrowing run or swim across the border into a neighboring country. Crossing the borders safely, however, in no way means that someone is safe. China works closely with North Korea and will send a citizen back without blinking an eye. For this reason, many people who fled admit to carrying poison or a razor at all times in the case they are caught, because they would rather commit suicide on the spot than be sent back to North Korea and face the punishment waiting for them, which is likely life imprisonment or a horrible death (‘The Forgotten Genocide’). Allowing people to have freedoms will allow people to think freely, which is exactly what the government of North Korea is striving to avoid.

Free thought is never a reality in North Korea, due to the people being brainwashed and manipulated by the government from childhood throughout their lives. Children in kindergarten are told that their food and drink for lunch comes directly from Kim Jong-un and his hardworking self, taught that their leaders should be worshipped for everything, and that they exist merely to serve their country. When these children are told these things, they have reason to really question what’s coming from the adults in their lives, so they take it as the truth. This brainwashing doesn’t stop with young children, but extends throughout the education system as well as adulthood. According to South Korea’s KBS World Radio and the North Korean Education Committee’s ‘Compulsory Education Outline’, North Korean high school students must complete an 81-hour course over three years on Kim Jong-un’s life and history, a 160-hour course on Kim Il-sung, and 148 hours learning about Kim Jong-il (Washington Post). The citizens cannot escape this manipulation, even in their own homes. Each house has mandated portraits of North Korea’s leaders, and one must clean them with a specific cloth and keep them pristine. Failure to do so can be considered to be treasonous by the government, risking the lives of that family (Business Insider). Hyeonso Lee defected from North Korea at seventeen years old, and she reports that her family was required to thank “Respected Father Leader Kim Il-sung” for their food before being allowed to eat it. In her book, Hyeonseo Lee writes that “Leaving North Korea is not like leaving any other country. It is more like leaving another universe” (Business Insider) due to the high level of brainwashing and control that the government attempts to maintain over its citizens. This system of total indoctrination has been determined to act in the purpose of attaining to main goals: to promote total loyalty to the North Korean leaders and create a deep hatred toward other countries, especially South Korea, Japan, and the United States (‘Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’). Creating dedication and hatred all at once is essential in North Korea’s system, allowing a nature of fear to be further carried out throughout the already fear-ridden country.

Fear, a fundamental human emotion, is an experience shared by all humanity, regardless of culture or era. By definition, it is an unpleasant, often strong emotion resulting from the anticipation or awareness of danger. This primal sensation serves as a powerful catalyst in our lives, shaping our actions and responses to the world around us.

Evolutionary Origins of Fear: A Survival Mechanism

Historically, fear served as a survival mechanism designed to protect our ancestors from imminent threats. The origins of this potent response can be traced back to our early predecessors, who existed in environments teeming with physical hazards. When met with a threat, the human body instinctively enters a fight-or-flight mode. A surge of adrenaline courses through our veins, our heart rate escalates, and our senses become remarkably sharp – all with the intention of maximizing our odds of survival. While the nature of threats has evolved with time, this primal fear response remains ingrained in our biological systems.

The Psychological Aspects of Fear: Phobias and Anxiety Disorders

Beyond the physiological, fear also has profound psychological dimensions. Phobias, characterized by an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to specific things or situations, highlight fear’s power over our minds. From arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, to acrophobia, the fear of heights, these conditions show how fear can dictate our actions, sometimes in unexpected and specific ways. More generally, fear plays a central role in various anxiety disorders. These conditions, marked by excessive fear or anxiety, can have a severe impact on an individual’s quality of life.

The Societal Influence on Fear: Manipulation and Media

In our society, fear has become a tool often used for manipulation. Unfortunately, fear can be exploited to control populations, a trend observable throughout history and present political landscapes. Furthermore, the media, knowingly or unknowingly, can amplify fear by concentrating on stories and events that elicit strong emotional reactions. The cycle of fear can be self-perpetuating, causing distress and affecting our collective consciousness.

Fear’s Role in Personal Growth: Overcoming Fear and the Concept of Healthy Fear

Fear plays a critical role in personal growth and development despite its intimidating nature. Facing and overcoming fear offers a path to developing resilience and courage. Embracing new challenges, stepping outside of comfort zones, and learning from failure all involve engaging with fear. Such experiences often lead to significant personal development. Furthermore, the concept of “healthy fear” is crucial. This type of fear keeps us vigilant, encourages caution, and fosters respect for boundaries and risks.

Conclusion: The Significance of Fear

In conclusion, fear is a fundamental part of the human experience with its multifaceted nature and profound impact. Its roots lie deep in our evolutionary history; it affects us psychologically, it influences society, and paradoxically, it also provides opportunities for personal growth. Understanding our fears – their origins, their impacts, and how they manifest – can help us navigate our lives more effectively. By acknowledging fear instead of avoiding it, we can manage it more productively, transforming an often unsettling experience into a source of strength and wisdom.

Have you ever thought that you could get over your fears about college? Students have so many fears whether it’s about failing math, not having as much time anymore, etc. My two biggest fears for college are public speaking and not being able to make friends. Public speaking is one of the biggest fears that most students have.

You hear people saying to imagine the audience in their underwear, I’ve tried it for me that doesn’t help. According to Joan Lloyd from Orlando Business Journal says “Minimize into bullet points instead of reading a script. Try to get the audience involved, and to look at one person at a time.” When you minimize into bullet points not only is it easier for you it will also sound better to the audience. If you’re giving a speech and you have a script of what you are saying, you’ll end up losing your sop when reading it. If you start off with a question it gets the audience involved and the more, they will pay attention and remember what you talked about. Like Joan Lloyd said, “Look at one person at a time.” If you look at one person you can imagine that you’re only talking to the person instead of a bunch of people.

A good way to practice is with Virtual Reality. This will make you feel like you are in a real room with people. The more you do it with virtual reality the easier it will get. Using your hands when you present can help if you use your hands a lot when you talk. Pauses and pauses are great because if are reading through your paper really fast you can mess up and lose your place. There are many ways to overcome your fear of public speaking but the best one is to practice in my opinion. The best practice is in front of people that you know, or you can video yourself and watch it back.

Making new friends can be hard and scary. In high school you spend four years with the same people so never have to make new friends. But in college, there are all these new people that you don’t know, and it can become overwhelming. A way that you could make friends is if you go somewhere that you like. More than likely you can find someone there because you might have the same interest. You could also make a list of what you would like a friend to have.

When you meet someone new and they start talking to someone and then you start to get bored it’s probably a sign. People look for others that will listen to them and understand what they are talking about. According to Teen Health Series, “ Studies have shown that if teens don’t have close friends the more likely they are to drop out.”

Fear of death is not a new phenomenon. People have been scared to die ever since our species evolved into existence

One of the explanations for people developing a fear of death is the idea of the afterlife. The afterlife is a huge mystery to all human beings. The only people who know are, well, dead. Sure, many people have beliefs about what will happen to them after death, but a belief is not the same as knowing. Part of us does not fully accept the fact that we, with one hundred percent certainty, know what will become of us. For this reason, the afterlife is hand in hand with the unknown which widely explains fear. As Greenberg et al. (2010) have noted “The awareness that death is inevitable and may signal the absolute end of existence creates the potential for potentially overwhelming terror, which is assuaged by a dual component anxiety buffer consisting of a cultural worldview and self-esteem” (p.2). Not knowing what is coming next can raise questions and doubts amongst people that might have no certain answer. This causes people to assume and create expectations with no guarantee that the reality is going to be anything like what they imagined. Additionally, human beings are unknown to be curious creatures that constantly need assurance on matters being that the lack of answers can develop anxiety and other psychological complications. Lack of answers also causes the inability to identify the trigger and prevents us from binge able to remove ourselves or the threat from the situation. Buhr and Dugas (2002) further illustrate that “This worry occurs because the intolerance of uncertainty makes people feel uncertain about many aspects of their lives” (p. 391). In fact, the afterlife is to be feared because life after death is the ultimate thing we can never know while alive. We fear death for what unknowns lie in waiting.

Another reason for the cause of fear of death is defined as loss of control. Humans tend to freak out when they think they don’t have control over things. Thanks to control, people advanced to be able to live all over the world. Death, however, is something that no one was able to control. As a result, not being to control our destiny can arise fear and worry. Moreover, death can come at any time and with no warning. This exacerbates our fear of death because not just loss of control, but we can not even truly control when, where, how, or the cause of our inevitable demise. Robert W. Firestone (2018) confirms that “Whenever people move out of the familiar safety of their defenses and expand their lives, anxiety is aroused or heightened and they begin to experience their essential aloneness” (para. 7). Likewise, people afraid of losing control live continuously in uncertainty which gives them a feeling of powerlessness. Fear of loss of control causes people to not dare to surrender to what the future brings and end up in a vicious circle. The more uncertainty that comes from the idea of death and loss of control arises more fear. This fear can pile up and affect our approach to life landing the person in the well of anxiety. We fear the unknown, and death and all its details are the ultimate unknowns. Realizing that we cannot ever fully control our future because of all these unknowns scares the hell out of us, and it’s one reason why we fear death.

Fear of death may also be attributed to things left undone. in this state of mind, there is so much possibility in life and everything seems achievable but only if we have time. Time, though, is the only obstacle literally where we cannot get more of. All anyone gets is a lifetime to go after everything life has to offer; no more, no less. According to Leila Odinaiv (2020), “You can’t stop the clock or slow things downtime is non-discriminate, and it’s going to keep going whether you want it or not. Because time won’t wait for you, it becomes much more of a commodity, because every day we lose some of it” (para. 3). It is certain that time is a valuable asset due to its finite existence. Its limitation produces anxiety and worries in people planning their future or even thinking about the work they are currently doing. This is supremely scary, knowing that everything we have ever worked for and wanted will suddenly come to nothing if we do not finish or obtain them before our unknown time of death. Because our entire lives are dedicated to achieving one thing or another, knowing that we might never achieve something we have spent so much of our limited, precious time pursuing scares many people. Similarly, even if there is time and resources to fully go after one’s dreams, the is no guarantee people will not die waiting. As Thomas Curwen (2009) expressed “He fears a stroke most of all, that this life might be reduced to gibberish or silence” (para. 24). As an illustration, all the goals and achievements one has done or prepared for can all go to as a state of nothingness. The lack of motivation this brings increases the fear of death and the fear of not living life to its fullest. In that case, the fear of not being able to get all that is wanted, hoped for, or expected out of life before the time is up is another reason why people fear death.

According to Martin Gansbery from Thirty-eight Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call The Police “law-abiding citizens in Queens watched a killer stalk and stab a woman in three separate attacks”. Thirty-eight “law-abiding citizens” who after hearing “he stabbed me! Please Help me! Please help me!” did nothing but slide open their windows and turn on their lights. Even “Assistant Chief Inspector Frederick M. Lassen, in charge of the borough’s detectives and a veteran of twenty-five years of homicide investigations”, was distraught over the situation “not because it is a murder, but because the “good people” failed to call the police.” The “good people”; as a society, we believe that it is a human instinct to want to help one another and that we all strive to protect each other, yet these so-called “good people” did neither of these things, which led to an innocent woman being slaughtered brutally. Is there really such a thing as “good people” in our world, or is everyone so wrapped up in their own lives to care for one another?

Friday, May 26th of 2017 was one of the scariest days of my life, even though it was meant to be one of my most enjoyable days. It was the day of my final eighth-grade trip and my class and I were meant to go ziplining, a field trip everyone was looking forward to. Personally, I am dreadfully fearful of heights, so I was evidently not “ecstatic” about this trip. Nevertheless, anytime out of class that I could spend with my friends was a time that I could try my best to treasure. We arrived at the venue, called TreeTop Adventures, and were given a quick explanation of what we would be doing, and then we were shown how to do it safely. After much practicing, my friends and I were finally able to split off from our group and go ziplining!

Every single one of my friends knew of my dreadful fear of heights, so they tried their best to comfort me, making jokes and doing anything to get me to laugh. Eventually, all of my fear slipped away, and I allowed myself to bask in the tremendous joy that I was feeling. With my friend group, I tread up to the easiest zipline, which was made for younger kids or beginners, and slowly gathered the courage to begin. I clipped myself onto the line and slowly crept onto the edge of the platform. I breathed in shakily, looking down at the ground which was approximately ten feet below me. My friends cheered for me, some from the same platform, and some from the platform below me. Closing my eyes, I felt my chest tighten as I felt my feet leave the platform.

The wind blew in my face, causing me to open my eyes in order to ensure my glasses hadn’t fallen off, and as I opened my eyes, I saw a glorious sight. The sun was shining brightly and caused the trees around me the glimmer; it was a mesmerizing sight. Reaching the lower platform, I joined in laughter with my friends as we discussed how exhilarating the experience was! After that experience, my friends and I rushed from zipline to zipline, staying in the intermediate zones. Finally, we had finished all of the easy zipline trails and only had the difficult levels left. Giddy with joy my group and I decided to skip the advanced levels and went straight to an expert path seeing as how we only had an hour or so left. Everything was going phenomenal until we got to the part of the path where we had to walk across a path of white looped ropes, each loop was about a foot or so away from the other and it was a sort of sidestep to reach the loops. If that wasn’t worrisome enough, the looped path had nothing below it for support and was approximately 40 feet or more off of the ground.

One by one, my friends walked across the path shakily, exclaiming their fears of falling. The line that we were all connected to, which was supposed to protect us from falling, continued to shake as my friends crossed the path unsteadily. Finally, only my best friend and I remained to cross the looped path. I could tell that she saw the fear in my eyes and the tears that were starting to brim my eyes as my fear of heights started to creep back into me. To make matters worse, the sun was slowly creeping away, creating imagery in my head of terrible promises of death. Being a good friend, my best friend decided that she would go first in order to show me that my wild imagination was feeding me false ideas and that the path wasn’t as hard as it looked. As she prepared to start the path I could tell that she was just as scared as I was, and I admired her for facing her fear. Slowly, she stretched her feet out and stepped on each loop, slowly and carefully. Around the middle of the path, my friend made the terrible choice of turning around to smile at me. Through her smile and eyes, she tried to relay the message to me that it wasn’t that hard, and was even fun. However, when she turned around her foot slipped through a loop and she got tangled in the loop.

Time froze at that moment as I saw my friend struggling to untangle herself, and I could barely hear the scream that left her mouth. My friends at the lower platform yelled at her, asking her if she could move, and trying to tell her to calm down. One even tried to climb onto the path to help free her but was held back due to the fact that only one person was allowed on the path at a time for safety reasons. As this was happening, I was frozen in place trying to think of what to do. Before I was my childhood friend, tangled, unable to move, and with one mistake, could easily fall to her death. Then, once again, my friend turned her head around to look at me and this time I could read in her eyes that she needed my help. She needed me to save her.

In that instant, something clicked inside of me and, before I knew it, I was telling my friends to stay put where they were and for one of them to go ahead in the path in order to find an exit, which was a sort of zip line were you descended down to the ground in a straight line quickly. As he ran ahead, I ordered my friends to put as little weight on the line in order for the chances of the line snapping to decrease even more. I then told my best friend to slowly back out of the loops, focusing on one leg at a time, and told her to never let go of her hook. Following my lead, my other friends told her what legs to move in order to untangle herself. Suddenly, I remembered that there was an exit just a few steps behind me, so I yelled to my friends that I would be right back and ran opposite them and towards the exit. Quickly hooking myself to the exit, I jumped off the platform and descended a bit too fast, and ended up scraping my leg against the tree. Bleeding, I ran to the closest instructor and told them about what was happening. Eventually, every single one of the instructors was running off to help my friend and I was sent to the nurse to take care of my scrape, which ended up being pretty large and bleeding a very large amount. Within half an hour, my best friend was saved from that dastardly looped path, and I was sent to the hospital for stitches. Even though I had injured myself, I could only focus on whether or not my friend was going to be okay or not, which led to my nurses being rather aggravated with me. Luckily, my friends decided to visit me at the hospital, which led to a very teary meeting among us, as we all hugged each other, declaring how much we cared for one another and also promising to never go ziplining again.

Although that day led to misfortune and my fear of heights being even larger than before, something positive did come out of that day. That day I learned that my friends were “good people”, people who tried their best to do the right thing in order to save someone. Now, it’s true that my friends might’ve been a bit biased due to the fact that we all knew each other on a deeper level, never the less, they still proved to be “good people” and ultimately did the right thing. It’s “good people” like them that prove society’s idea, that it is a human instinct to want to help one another and that we all strive to protect each other, to be correct.

Bibliography:

1. ’37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call The Police; Apathy At Stabbing Of Queens Woman Shocks Inspector.’ Nytimes.com. N. p., 2020. Web. 29 Jan. 2020.

Acrophobia is defined as having an extreme fear of heights. This could be anywhere from ladders, to as high as parachuting; they all induce that intense reaction. Throughout my life, I have tested this phobia but managed to fail more than succeed. I decided one day, to make an attempt and overcome this fear, by going rock climbing. I started off strong, looking up and making my way towards the top; until the very moment I looked down.

Looking down and realizing how high I was in the air was crazy; worse was having to come back down. I for one, did not trust the individual who I was hooked on to, and being told to “sit back and jump off the wall” in order for me to come down did not make matters any better. The cognitive and behavioral aspect here is the intense fear of danger, the fear that the straps will not protect, me and that I will fall to my death. Not complying with their command (which produced intense fear in me) resulted in an inability to not only comprehend the situation rationally but also reject any advice because my head was not right.

Like anxiety, intense fear produces shakiness, cold sweats, verbal outbursts,s or negative panics. As I stated in my event, I was in a fog of war; I could not think properly, almost like I was paralyzed in fear; gripping the rope with all the strength that I could.

Emotion is definitely a variable that is not lacking when discussing anxiety from phobias. Depending on the individual and how they handle certain situations, the reactions can vary. My 6-year-old brothers would scream their hearts out like little babies straight out of the womb while an older individual like myself would panic and do my best to snap back to reality while remaining calm. Searching for something to cling to would be a reaction that almost everyone has; I gave the same exact reaction to my father whenever I went on my first 6 Flags Roller Coaster visit.

Behaviors such as fear, can be learned through the process of classical conditioning. A great example would be the little Albert experiment, and how he got scared of the white rat. As an aspiring pilot like myself, I would’ve appreciated a positive reaction to rock climbing; instead, it eventually led to my fear of high buildings and made the thought of parachuting non-existent.

The two types of Operant Conditioning that are associated with phobias are positive punishment and negative reinforcement. Acrophobia is a very broad spectrum of a fear of heights. It may be from a building, rock climbing, or up on a plane. I have no fear of planes simply because I have never been punished or reinforced negatively by them. Every airplane that I have flown on was safe at departure, flight, and landing. I am always being positively punished because of my lousy attempts at always trying to face my fears. I go out of my way to go rock climbing even though it brings me intense anxiety symptoms, just so I can eventually master my reactions.

Human nature causes similar behavior when conflict arises, regardless of what group one may be in. This is illustrated in many different writings over time. For example, the societies from Lord of the Flies and The Crucible, while they have several obvious differences, but they are very similar. Both societies had the potential to be successful, yet ultimately collapsed when conflict approached. Groups can be dangerous, controlled by fear, and are heavily influenced by their environment. This is illustrated through the many sets of comparisons between the two stories. Throughout both of these narratives, many comparisons can be drawn between characters.

One of the most prominent examples is of Jack and Abigail. Jack and Abigail are both clearly the antagonists of the stories, and are hungry for power. They strive to hinder the goals of the protagonists of their respective stories by creating obstacles along the way. Both antagonists formed their own groups to build their power, and used fear to exercise control over the members. This is proven when Jack threatens the boys after Piggy’s death in order to keep them in check. “See? See? That’s what you’ll get! I mean that! There isn’t a tribe for you anymore! The conch is gone- I’m chief!” (Golding, 18). This demonstrates how one can use fear to control the behavior of others. Knowing that the other boy have seen what happened to Piggy, Jack confidentiality uses threats to assure them that if they do not listen to him, they could experience a similar fate. Likewise in The Crucible, Abigail also uses fear to maintain control over the girls by threatening to hurt them if they share her secret. Like the boys from Lord of the Flies, the girls oblige.

While Jack and Abigail are the antagonists of the stories, Ralph and John Proctor are the protagonists, and also share similarities. To begin with, Ralph and John are both clearly the main characters, and are driven to fix their societies. Ralph and John are aware of their situations as the plots thicken, and become targets as new groups form in their societies because they stand in the was of the antagonists achieving their goals. However, they stick to their morals and remain committed to their leadership roles as they strive to help their societies. Ralph reveals his leadership qualities early on, and demonstrates them throughout the whole novel. One example is when Ralph feels the group struggling, and he calls an assembly in order to address the situation. “We need an assembly. Not for fun. Not for laughing and falling off the log. Not for making jokes, or for cleverness. Not for these things. But to put things straight.” (Golding 79). This shows Ralph’s strong leadership qualities, and his ability to prioritize the good of the group over anything else. Similar to Ralph, John Proctor understands what is happening in Salem, and that the only way to stop all of the accusations of witchcraft is to reveal the truth. Consequently, John involves himself in the trials and does all he can to help the small town.

Not only are there numerous character similarities, but the settings are very similar as well. The small settlement in Salem in 1692 from The Crucible is like the island from Lord of the Flies in several ways, predominantly with societal problems. Both are isolated, start out with a stable society that is later torn apart, and they represent the world on much smaller scales. In Lord of the Flies Ralph takes over as chief and the boys start off in a stable and comfortable society. As the story progresses however, Jack craves power and begins to destroy the once strong society. Soon after Jack gains power, Ralph’s group is left in complete ruin with Jack leading a savage tribe. One factor that heavily contributes to his actions are the environment. The deserted island isolated from other places causes the boys to go crazy until they are unrecognizable from their former selves, proving that groups can be heavily influenced by their environment. A few of the savages are talking about Jack, and how he decided to beat one of the other boys. “He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up. He’s been tied for hours, waiting.” (Golding 159). At this point the tribe of boys had turned crazy, and clearly their wild environment was a factor. Similar to The Crucible, the girls succumbed to their environment by being afraid of witchcraft.

One final comparison between Lord of the Flies and The Crucible is between what brought fear to each society. On the island the boys became paranoid with a mysterious creature rumored to roam the island, although no proof of such a being existed. In The Crucible, Salem is struck with fear when potential witchcraft is introduced. Both of these are mysterious problems that society believes exists, although no real proof can confirm it. These also act as a cover up for the truth, which causes irrational decisions, and is symbolic of fear. On the island, there is talk of some unknown creature. “They talk of a thing, a dark thing, a beast, some sort of animal.” (Golding 83). These mysterious conflicts that arise in the societies cause rash decisions by the groups. For instance after the boys became afraid of the beast, they formed a savage tribe which included giving sacrifices and offerings to the creature. This ultimately ended with two dead children. In The Crucible, the town reacts very harshly to all of the rumors of witchcraft, and within weeks they had hung 19 people. These overreactions and flawed decisions prove that groups can be very dangerous at times. Although both societies started out calm and organized, both found themselves in complete and utter chaos.

To conclude, Lord of the Flies and The Crucible are very similar. Both provide great examples as to why terror, environment, and endangerment are all possible factors of societies and groups. Both stories have similar plots, characters, and settings to help the reader understand group dynamics. While groups can make a person feel more comfortable and safe, there are many consequences that could pose a threat. All of these factors may lead people to wonder, is human nature to blame, or is it controllable?

Your fear is not real. Whatever fear you think is holding you back, does not exist. What does seem to prevail is F.E.A.R; an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real. It is an illusion. Something you fabricate in your minds and pretend is real when really there is no threat. There is no threat of immediate physical danger or loss of something loved. So why do you become so afraid? In William Golding’s remarkable novel, Lord of the Flies, a group of young british boys, marooned on a tropical island, are left to fend for themselves, paralyzed by fear. The boys attempt to dissemble their fear by ignoring it and hiding behind painted faces. They make up imaginary creatures, manufacturing fears and allowing themselves to be controlled by it. Thus proving that the boys’ inability to overcome their fears results in their destructive behaviour.

The boys conceal their fear of each other by becoming violent. To begin, they paint their faces creating masks that allow them to forget their fear and rampage in violence. When prompted to partake in the other boys atrocities, the little boys only respond because “The mask compelled them” (Golding 67). These masks are what the boys have created to literally and figuratively hide behind. When they put it on, they are relieved of responsibility and are given anonymity. This causes their evil and violence to overpower their fear resulting in them becoming fond of hunting and killing. Furthermore, the boys choose to be ignorant of the inherent evil in each of them by fearing something external. Piggy struggles to explain his idea of there being no beast, he says, “I know there isn’t no beast—not with claws and all that, I mean— but I know there isn’t no fear, either … unless we get frightened of people” (Golding 90). The other boys don’t understand and instead mock him. They fail to recognize what they should be afraid of is not the imaginary beast that they have created, but each other. This is because each one of them is capable of committing barbaric acts that would harm others. Therefore, because the boys are ignorant and easily manipulated, they are unfit to discern or overcome their fear of each other. Instead, they involve themselves in violence and callous acts.

The boys are controlled by their fear of the beast. Jack uses the other boys’ fear of the beast to uphold his importance in the tribe. After the boys see the deceased soldier on the beach, they distinguish him as the beast. Jack uses this opportunity to frighten the boys, “‘Quiet!’ shouted Jack.‘You listen. The beast is sitting up there, whatever it is—’ …‘The beast is a hunter’” (Golding 138). For Jack, the beast is his chance to make himself appear stronger and braver than Ralph; he uses the polarizing topic of the beast to draw attention to himself, capitalizing on the boys’ fear of the unknown. By instilling fear, Jack is able to control the boys, he tells them where they can and cannot go. He is equally able to ensure they stay loyal to him because he offers them protection. Additionally, the boys honor the beast in an attempt to create harmony amongst them and it. They violently slaughter a pig and set it up as a peace offering for the beast. Jack proclaims, “This head is for the beast. It’s a gift” (Golding 151).

The boys fear the beast and believe that by leaving it gifts, such as the head of the pig, it will leave them alone. This shows how much the boys have regressed in their civility. They have become very primitive; offering sacrifices to unknown and unreal entities. It’s evident to see the fear of the beast is a powerful tool used against the boys. They allow their fear to dominate them and influence their actions on the island.

We all have fear, it’s a natural instinct and we cope with those fears differently because we are all different with our own unique personalities! In the book “Lord of the Flies” the author William Golding shows the fears of Jack, Ralph, and Piggy and chooses specific ways for them to cope with that fear. Each of the three boys react to fear in their own special way. All the boys have a fear but in the end the only thing they had to fear was themselves. Montesquieu talks about how a government in most cases is run by Virtue, Honor, and Fear. The three boys show Montesquieu’s theory in their actions when driven by fear and how they each respond to that fear.

The boys leader Ralph has his own fears. However, he deals with them in a different way. At first he does not fear the beast because he is too focused and scared that the fire won’t stay lit long enough for them to be rescued. Ralph’s fear stays about the same throughout most of the book, yet his efforts to show the urgency to the group are blown off by Jack the antagonist in the story. Ralph says, “I’m chief…There’s no signal showing.” There may be a ship out there. Are you all off your rockers?”. This quote shows how he fears being stranded on the island and why he won’t stop stressing about the fire (signal). Ralph also begins to fear the other boys. After Simon dies, he realizes what the boys are capable of doing, especially under the influence of Jack. Ralph tries to find refuge from his fear in his friend Piggy.

The second boy Piggy, fears Jack and with good reason! Jack takes his anger out on Piggy and bullies him. Piggy deals with this fear by avoiding Jack and remaining with Ralph most of the time. Another fear of Piggy’s is the fear of being ignored or disapproved by the other boys. Piggy just wants to be acknowledged of his opinions and thoughts and with good reason because he’s is the wisest of them all. A quote from the book says “I got the conch…You let me speak!” This quote shows that Piggy is constantly trying to be recognized by the other boys and to make them pay attention to him. Throughout most of the book, Piggy seeks refuge from his fears in both his friend Ralph and the conch.

The Final boy is Jack and he believes that a beast really does exist! He is afraid and not ashamed to admit it. However, he deals with his fear with aggressive violence and cruelty. He chooses to hunt for the beast, to try to kill it. “If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down!” says Jack. He also uses the fear of the beast to scare the other children and make himself seem courageous when he says he’s going to hunt it. Because the boys fear the beast they are more likely to listen to Jack and follow his orders since he seems like a strong, courageous leader. Jack’s other fear is Ralph’s power over the group and Piggy’s rational thinking. He knows that both of them conflict with his need for absolute power. He responds to these fears in his normal violent way. He verbally and physically bullies Piggy, and he argues with Ralph and questions his authority. Eventually that concludes with him leaving the group. Jack eventually solidifies his power by forcing the last members of Ralph’s group into his tribe and ordering a hunt for Ralph.

I feel like Montesquieu’s theory of virtue, honor, and fear is perfect to describe the boys and how they each try to run the group of boys on the island. The three boys rule not really through virtue or honor but mainly through how they respond to their different fears. While all are driven mainly by fear the outcome is completely different. The boys all have different fears in the book, Jack’s is the beast, Piggy’s fear is Jack and not being acknowledged, and Ralph’s fear is being stranded on the island. In reality the beast isn’t real, Piggy doesn’t have to hang around Jack, and the Navy ends up finding the boys so all the boys had to fear was themselves. It was all in their minds.

In conclusion, William Golding’s book “Lord of the Flies” shows the reader to three characters Jack, Ralph, and Piggy with completely different personalities and different fears. Each boy tries to overcome their fear in a different way. Fear is a normal emotion that everyone goes through, each person deals with it differently based on their own personalities. Based on what Montesquieu says they all run the political power over the boys based on fear. It was all fear in their minds and in themselves that they should have worried about.