Elizabeth
10/30/02
                            Essay: Rules for Existence

The fact that one man, with his 17 year-old son terrorized a major city from carrying out their everyday tasks, by randomly murdering 11 people and injuring others with a sniper proves the destruction of civilization in the United States. Both William Golding who wrote, Lord of the Flies and Sidney H. Schanberg who is the author of the essay, "The Rules Are All We've Got" display the savagery and primitive state people have taken part in, similar to that of the sniper murders. Golding exhibits in Lord of the Flies that without those who enforce the laws we live by or without the punishment that is given when the laws are not followed, civilization devolves and commits great amounts of crime (against society). In "The Rules Are All We've Got," Schanberg describes the ways in which civilization is becoming barbaric by not following the rules and the decreasing number of those who enforce the law. There is an enormous need for law enforcement and strict punishment, and as citizens of the United States we must support law enforcement and follow the rules.
  In the novel, Lord of the Flies, the absence of adults, people who impose the law or rules, leads the boys to commit numerous accounts of crime. Only when the boys come in contact with the "civilized" world, do they realize the violent acts they’ve committed. This event presents that fact that the boys only think logically when they are in the presence of the naval officer who symbolizes civilization in Golding’s allegory. Without adult supervision, they devolve. In the novel, Golding also mentions that all the boys on the island had previously attended a school in which they were taught right from wrong and not to take part in violent acts but after the boys were on the island for some time without adult supervision, they all took part in the killing of one member of their tribe. Golding reveals that although people are taught right from wrong they still need a person to remind them of the rules and enforce them or civilization will demolish. Another theme of the novel includes the idea that one leader with a bad idea attracts many followers to also partake in crime, especially when people are in need. Jack rose to power in the novel and led his tribe to hunt animals and eventually hunt people. Most of the older boys except for four followed him but they did not follow him until the boys had spent some time on the island. After spending time on the island, the boys missed the comfort of home, their parents, and food so, when Jack had ideas about a diversion, hunting, they all followed, in need for a diversion from the idea that they would never see home again. Jack should have been suppressed for his violent ideas and conspiracy. Jack leads the boys in a ritualistic dance that leads to a killing and says, "Do our dance! Come on! Do our dance!" (151). Because no adults were on the island to control Jack, he incited a mob, leading to a killing. In addition, Golding conveys the message that one rule enforcer, is not enough. In Lord of the Flies, Ralph acts as the only rule enforcer, the only boy to realize and be honest about what happened in the killing of a boy in their tribe and, the boys do not listen to Ralph because he does not have enough power to enforce rules just as one person. Ralph mentions a need for rules and says, "We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire… We ought to have more rules. Where the conch is, that’s a meeting" (42). Golding used symbolism, by making characters and objects of his allegory symbolize important aspects of civilization, to expose to people what happens in a world where laws are not invoked. Golding used children to represent leaders and citizens of government because people often don’t expect children to commit acts of violence or murder and he makes it seem that the destruction of civilization can be carried out that simply, in the hands of an innocent child. When there is no one to impose the law forcefully, civilization devolves.

The essay, "The Rules Are All We’ve Got," by Sidney H. Schanberg, displays the various ways in which the civilization of New York City is demolishing and the ignorance of the people of New York to follow the rules. Citizens have been casually breaking the law in mass numbers by stealing, not following traffic rules and littering. People continue to commit these crimes without a thought and without punishment. The amount of police officers have continued to decrease so, many believe they will not receive punishment for their crime while no police officers are in sight. A misdemeanor such as littering soon turns into murder or serious crimes because people believe they will not get caught by the police, exposing the destruction of society by not following the rules. As police officers decrease in number society, becomes more primitive. The domino effect becomes evident, as more and more people commit the crime and eventually someone gets caught but even then they know they will pay the consequence and then continue their lives. The fact that people do not learn to follow the law after their punishment demonstrates how punishment of crime does not truly make people reluctant to commit another crime once again, which could possibly mean harsher punishment for the future. There is a need for change because one crime leads to another and as more and more people break the rules society begins to accept these crimes leading to destruction of civilization. Schanberg points out the need for respect for the rules and authority, because without respect, people will not follow the laws. Schanberg describes one of the most important lessons we learned as children and wrote, "As we are taught from elementary school, the rules are all that stand between us and anti-civilization, that keep us from sliding into brutehood." Another aspect that endangers civilization includes that fact that people are happy breaking the law. A seventeen year-old from New York described his enjoyment of breaking the law and said, "I rob people. I like to rob people." If people continue to do whatever pleases them without even considering those who they are hurting, a primitive state becomes a greater part of reality. Citizens of New York City rape, rob and murder everyday, which displays the downfall of society, constantly hurting others and not following the rules.

As part of a civilized world, law enforcement is necessary. People must follow the rules in order to keep civilization going. The fact that someone put so much energy and planning in order to harm and murder others only demonstrates the primitive part of society, such as the case in the sniper shootings. In contrast, the sniper serial killer was caught and put in jail. New York City also has become more civilized since Schanberg wrote his article and Mayor Guliani has increased the quality of life for many but it is evident that most things occur in cycles. If once again, crime increased while the amount of law enforcers decreased, would there be a leader as strong as Mayor Guiliani to bring back the peace, or would a leader similar to Ralph in Lord of the Flies struggle and ultimately fail to save civilization?