# The Human Nature is that People are Generally Followers



## ChrisBird (Dec 18, 2009)

Edit: The title is an opinion, not a fact by any means.

Hey everyone, 
Sorry for making another thread so soon after a previous one. However I just wrote an essay for my English class about Humans Inner Nature where you had to respond to the prompt stated below, and answer using your opinion, and back it up with examples from the books Lord of the Flies, The Tragedy of Julius Caeser, Gawain the Green Knight, King Arthur, Beowulf etc. You did not need to use all the books, but at least 2-3.

My question is a two part question.
1) What do you think of the essay, including grammar, spelling, punctuation etc, as well as how it is worded etc. Feel free to correct anything you see fit.
2) What is your opinion on this issue of Humans inner nature?

Please note, I chose this topic myself, and based an argument around it, while it accurately reflects my opinion (Of MOST people, not all) I am not trying to force it on others.

The prompt is: "As humans, are we likely to be noble knights, or resourceful pirates or brutes or ________? (something else)"

I have proofread this a couple times, fixed GSP, awkward sentences, but I am not perfect so I may have missed something. So thanks for reading =]

The Inner Nature of Humans: Good vs Evil​ In the world that humans inhabit, many influential people have come an gone. Whether they have a positive impact on the world or a negative one, it is true that these people are a rarity. Why is this? It is because people have joined together to create countries of people united under the same government. This society that has formed brings about peer-pressures, do's and do-not's, and a guideline that a “normal” person has to follow. With this being said, humans are not likely to become great leaders or artists, nor are they likely to become evil dictators or serial killers, but rather a follower, a part of an ever-growing mass of people who want to be different and the same simultaneously. This is backed up in many great historical stories and tales such as The Tragedy of Julius Caeser, Lord of the Flies, and Beowulf. In these stories there must be a community of people who are together in order for a clear and definite leader to stand up above them and lead them. 

People are not controlled by society, as this may suggest, but willingly follow the latest 'trends' and 'fads' in order to be accepted by their peers. In The Tragedy of Julius Caeser, Brutus and Antonius give speeches to the crowds of people who are swarming to find out about Caeser's death. This mob is a perfect model of average society of the modern world for these reasons. First, the mob outnumbers Brutus and Antonius easily 500 to 1 if not more, proving that only a few out of many will become a great influence. Also, the mass is easily swayed from position to position on any given topic. When Brutus speaks, the previously angry crowd begin to agree with him, then whole-heartedly take on his opinion as their own. However, within about 10 minutes, Antonius comes out and states his position that is completely opposite to what Brutus said, and they swell over and take his side immediately, without almost no thought. This is similar to the media of today is so many ways. Advertisements are constantly being shown, for example, on what the standard and definition of beauty is. If you look around, most people will be following that with little or no changes. 

This sheep-like mentality of following the media/influential people causes there to only be a few leaders, or great people that stand out. This is necessary for a normal society to function as if there were more leaders, people would be to busy fighting for power rather then getting things accomplished. Brutus is an honorable man, as stated repeatedly by Antonius and the crowd of people, but what would happen if there were five people in the position of Brutus? How about ten, or even a hundred people in that position? If there were more then one, their drive for power would be too overwhelming and thus cause disorder. 

The Lord of the Flies, states a much different opinion of people then the one that has been explained here. It explains people in general as savage and self-centered beings who care about nothing more then their own well-being. While this may be true, it is only brought out of humans when in situations of great stress or low survival possibilities. When pushed to that point, people will disregard their care for others and focus on themselves. But even in the Lord of the Flies, the idea of followers play an important role. The first thing the kids do as they arrive on the island is elect a leader to lead the rest of the kids. They form a small society, make rules, and all but two of the kids on the island follow the whim of the two leaders. Jack and Ralph influence the other kids, and tell them what is right and wrong. Already they are showing the human tendency to follow. 

The assumed human feelings of greed, need for power, desire, and ambition are all stifled and hidden in a society. Whether it is a chosen submission of these feelings or a forced one, humans rarely show these on any major scale. If these were shown King Arthur would have never been accepted as a leader, because what kind person who wants power is willing to relinquish it to someone who pulls a sword out of a stone. It is not an arguable fact that whether humans agree with it or not, there is a 98% majority of followers in the world rather then leaders. In society, the influence of all people is generally a net zero on society as a whole. While there will be people who help create advances in technology, there will be someone on the other side of the spectrum who will add an equal amount of negative into the system. 

A final example of this point is the story of Gawain and the Green Knight. When the Green Knight rides into the hall in all his green majestic splendor, everyone is awed by the sight of him. But when he proposes his challenge, no one, aside from Gawain, is willing to take him on. The people in the room are the perfect example of followers. They will reap the rewards of the system, and reap the disasters, but their lives are rarely in danger because of it. However Gawain, King Arthur, Ralph, Jack, Brutus and Antonius lead these people forward in their search. Using their elected power to aid the followers in a stable long-lasting community.

In conclusion, humans in general will be neither great, nor terrible, but they will be followers of the few who are. Their inner nature leads them to the safety of a large community and blocks their lust for power so the order is preserved. As shown clearly in each piece of literature, there cannot be a outstanding leader if there is not a crowd for them to lead and serve. With this being said, humans' inner nature is to be a commoner, trading large scale ambition, desire, and emotions for community and someone to follow.

(Paragraphs were separated with an extra line to aid in the reading of the essay)

Thanks again =]
~Chris


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