Rules are Good by Caroline

Rules are Good by Caroline - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

Reading can have many different effects on people. Some books tug at the heartstrings of the reader, some cause the reader to learn something new, some cause the reader to laugh hysterically, and still others cause the reader a combination of all of these feelings. I had to read the book The Lord of the Flies in tenth grade, and it opened my eyes to something that I had never thought about before. I believe that every high school student should have to read it also, so they can see what would happen if society had no rules. In The Lord of the Flies, a group of boys were stranded on an island with no adult supervision. The lack of supervision led to udder chaos. The storyline of the book showed me that people need rules.

In The Lord of the Flies, a group of boys were involved in a plane crash, in which there were no adult survivors. Like any group of children without adult supervision, they had a range of emotions. They originally tried to set up a leader; but like most boys, they did not agree on everything. Eventually the group split apart and chaos ensued. The boys believed that they were not alone on the island; however, they thought that there was a “beast” on the island. During one night, a little boy comes into the group to talk about the beast, but the boys ended up killing him. They later on kill another little boy and attempt to kill a third before they are rescued.

In high school, most students do not stop complaining about the ridiculous rules enforced upon them by both their parents and the adults in their schools. Students do not realize that the rules that are enforced by the adults in their lives cause their lives to run more smoothly. This knowledge carries on to life after high school. Without rules, the world would be complete chaos. For example, in high school, if there was no rule about attending class or being late for class, students would be late for class more or even skip classes entirely. Likewise, if there was no law against stealing, more people would commit robberies. Rules are a good thing.

Like the boys in The Lord of the Flies, I learned that authority is a good thing. Without rules, the world would be a very different place. I believe that all high school students should read the book The Lord of the Flies so they can learn that rules are helpful, just like I did. The Lord of the Flies is the kind of book that can tug at some people’s heartstrings, but it is mostly informational. Some readers’ emotions are tugged when two of the boys are killed, but after reading the book most people have gained the knowledge that rules are good. This knowledge can help high school students not be so critical of rules which can lead to them not breaking as many and them holding more respect for the rules.