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Erica Marin
Ms. Kitt
English 1H
26 January 2016
To be Humane: Is it Truly Human?
Since the beginning, humans have identified as a society based off social interactions
and our overall sympathetic instinct to help others.

However, are the good Samaritans that

walk the streets indeed the kind-natured members of society they seem to be? The results are
mixed when interpreted through the scientific studies done on the topic, while most literary
sources see the negativity of humankind, through pieces like William Goldings Lord of the
Flies, Langston Hughes Thank you, Maam, and Richard Connells The Most Dangerous
Game. These literary works, when compared to scientific research experiments such as the
Milgram Experiment, Robbers Cave, and the Stanford Prison Experiment.

With these

sources combined, one can come to the conclusion that mankind is born neutral, but is
influenced by their environment, their change in character possibly connected to their
upbringing, societal values, and their desires.
Morals are an essential teachings usually implemented at a young age. Many are taught
to be respectful and to follow laws, which are emphasized through authoritative figures:
consisting of officers, teachers, and generally any adult. In retrospect, is our loyalty to the lawful
system actually a source for abuse at the expense of others, and another source of committing
or assisting an indirect evil? The Milgram Experiment supports this notion, as those tested
were forced to comply to immoral deeds by an authority figure, resulting in the cries of an actor
pretending to be another volunteer in pain from missing questions that he was tested on by the
actual volunteers. Volunteers would consequently shock them, and the researchers surveyed
how long the volunteer would shock the actor, while being under the impression of the shock
becoming greater with each missed question. Most volunteers continued, going over the levels
that were deemed life-threateningly dangerous. Did this mean society should always anticipate

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the worst in our authoritative figures because of the possibility of being manipulated? The
literary text, Langston Hughes, Thank you, Maam suggests otherwise, the story about a boy
trying to steal a purse from an older woman, only for her to take him home and use subtle hints
to teach him of his wrongs.

The older woman is the figure of authority in this situation,

pressuring the main character into behaving and following her orders when she takes him into
her home, The woman said, You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong...
(Hughes 1). Although, the story ends with the protagonist learning of the wrongs he committed,
the adult figure having taught him such with her simple words of wisdom. Each evidence piece
cancels each other, ruling out that the actions of any figure will not be distinctly of the same
nature, because of their different backgrounds and their motives.
Adolescence is one of the most significant stages in a humans life. They have grown
out of the years of ignorance and innocence as they begin to put the pieces together, seeing
reality for what it really is, whether it be a beautiful hope, or a cynical tragedy. With a few
newfound freedoms, we begin to see the nature of each human develop, their true motives and
behaviors now visible to the public. This idea is indisputably distinct in William Goldings, Lord
of the Flies, a fictional story about human nature at its raw core, heavily influenced by Sigmund
Freuds Id, Ego, and Superego. Jack, the Id, acts on impulse, committing actions out of want
and without caution, as expressed in the quote, If youre hunting sometimes you catch yourself
feeling as if- He flushed suddenly. Theres nothing in it of course. Just a feeling. But you can
feel as if youre not hunting, but-being hunted, as if somethings behind you all the time in the
jungle. (Golding 53). Ralph, the Ego, tries to level with reality and act in a socially accepted
manner, Only, decided Ralph as he faced the chief's seat, I can't think. Not like Piggy. Once
more that evening Ralph had to adjust his valuesRalph was a specialist in thought now, and
could recognize thought in another." (Golding 85). Piggy, the Superego, rationalizes each
situation, thinking of the groups goals and how they would have to accomplish them, Piggy
could think. He could go step by step inside that fat head of his, only Piggy was no chief. But
Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had brains, (Golding 85). Each character represents a different

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mindset, and conflict arises as time passes on the deserted island they are stranded on,
causing their united group to split apart in aggression as resources deplete and values differ.
This plot also follows the results of the research project, the Robbers Cave Experiment which
analyzed how two groups of boys challenged each other belligerently until they had the same
goal in mind, helping and cooperating with one another to complete it.

This leads to the

thought that perhaps humans can only willingly get along when they have the same objective,
their teamwork only an advantage to fulfillment, their conflicting values only becoming significant
as resources deplete or competition is inevitable.
Whether in literature or in the real world, roles have played a part in the values and
morals of a character. For example, a police officer may abide to the justice system with a strict
fist, while a thief doesnt see the harm of their actions toward others because they only see the
bad in people. Essentially, the role of a character determines the result of the actions each
character does in accordance to initial interaction between two characters. This same simple
element is used in Richard Connells The Most Dangerous Game, a story about a man
learning that animals arent the only ones who can fall into the role of the hunts prey. Rainsford,
a traveling hunter, meets General Zaroff who is a professional huntsmen attacking the
shipwrecked sailors that come onto the island, Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong,
and, if needs be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong
pleasure. I am strong. Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why should I not?
(Connell 8). His mindset developed from his youth to his years of experience with animals,
...My hand was made for the trigger, my father said. He was a very rich man with a quarter of
a million acres in the Crimea, and he was an ardent sportsman. When I was only five years old
he gave me a little gun...When I shot some of his prize turkeys with it, he did not punish me; he
complimented me on my marksmanship. I killed my first bear in the Caucasus when I was ten.
My whole life has been one prolonged hunt (Connell 6). Rainsford goes through a similar
change, although his transformation happens in only the span of a few days, when he becomes
Zaroffs newest game, Then it was that Rainsford knew the full meaning of terror. I will not lose

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my nerve. I will not. (Connell 12). Rainsford must make his wits effective in the battle with
Zaroff, his fear and will to live driving him throughout the course of the few days of the hunt.
Because of the intensity of the feelings that Rainsford undergoes, he begins to turn the tables of
the hunt, becoming the predator rather than the prey by the end of the story, Rainsford did not
smile. I am still a beast at bay, he said, in a low, hoarse voice. Get ready, General Zaroff.
(Connell 15). His character had developed to turn into a man of savagery and vengeance,
showing that his newfound environment and situation had influenced him to become the
bloodthirsty predator.

The similar element of situational change in behavior occurs in the

Stanford Prison Experiment, where volunteers embodied the roles of prison guards and
prisoners, becoming dedicated to their position, the prisoners suffering psychological damage
while the guards became brutal toward the other volunteers. Although, after the experiment,
the volunteers went back to their normal lives, showing no symptoms of how they acted inside
the pseudo-prison. From these results, we can infer that based off the roles assigned to the
volunteers, they developed to what they thought the right mindset was in that particular
scenario. Overall, the assignment of roles in society and/or careers can deeply affect ones
character, altering their values and morals as a person.
In resumption, mankind is born neutral, but is influenced by their environment, their
change in character possibly connected to their upbringing, societal values, and their desires.
This concept is made evident in both literary works and societal research, humans continuously
showing the diversity of their personalities through their words and actions.

As such, if

humankind wishes for the world to prosper in peace, they will have to become self aware of their
character and take the time to question and correct their moral beliefs, to benefit the both world
and its inhabitants.

Works Cited:
Aggression versus Altruism: Robbers Cave. Crash Course Social Thinking #40. 24 November
2014. Web. 19 January 2016.

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Connell, Richard Edward. The Most Dangerous Game. Mankato, MN: Creative Education, 2011.
Print.
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print.
Hughes, Langston. Thank You, M'am. Mankato, MN: Creative Education, 1991. Print.
Milgram Experiment. Big History NL. 19 March 2013. Web. 19 January 2016.
The Stanford Prison Experiment. Crash Course: Social Thinking #37. 3 November 2014.
Web. 19 January 2016.