Sallie Johnson

1-14-14
3B

Integrity Essay Final

Confucius once said, The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the
home. This implies that a group or community cannot function correctly without the
support of its individual members. However, it is also important for those individuals to
have the ability to decide whether it is the best choice to support the group, or to act as an
individual member of society. It is an individuals decisions that have the power to
impact others lives. The choices one makes also decide whether or not the individual has
integrity. Overall, it is important to have the power to judge if it is a good decision to
support popular beliefs or not. An individual can show their integrity through the choices
they make and what they believe in, whether or not it supports a groups opinions.

In the novel, The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the main characters
struggle to create a functioning society, since the moral integrity of the individual
members is almost nonexistent. Ralph, the protagonist, slowly starts to realize that no
amount of political structure he implements on the boys can create civilization if the
individual people do not act ethically. One example of this dilemma is Ralphs
relationship with Jack. Their relationship constantly consisted of Jack countering Ralphs
attempts to hold together their order, like when he exclaims, Bollocks to the rules, after
Ralph tried in vain to enforce his rules. This outbreak is one of the many examples as to
how an individual lacking of integrity can destroy an entire group. Another way this
novel shows the individual effect on a group is Ralphs close-mindedness. Throughout

the novel, as order begins to fall apart, Ralph refuses to change his opinion on his rules,
causing the boys to revolt against him even more. For example, on page 80, Ralph
explains that he believes the fire is the most important thing on the island. Throughout
the entire novel, he firmly stands by the necessity of the fire, making it hard to negotiate
with him since he puts the fire before everything else. The boys that have different
opinions about the fire do not feel as if they can openly express their belief, which is part
of the reason why they left in the first place. Overall, The Lord of the Flies depicts the
destruction or creation of a groups integrity through the actions of an individual.

Integrity also explains how a person acts when they are not in a group setting, or
no one is watching them. It is important to know how to act well both within a group and
by oneself. One important trait to have, even if no one is aware of ones portrayal of it, is
acceptance. For example, in the short story Kabulliwallah, by Rabindranath Tagore, the
main family goes against the caste system and their prior beliefs to help out the young
Kabuliwallah who is trying to provide for his own family. This act of selflessness shows
true integrity, even though no one knew about it. This shows that the family was not
looking for attention by helping the man, but rather was genuinely trying to help him.
Another important characteristic to have, even when people are ignorant of the presence
of it, is honesty. It is vital to be frank with people, even if the results may not be optimal
for oneself, since people deserve to know the truth. In the story, The Yellow
Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrators husband chooses not to be
honest with his wife, or himself, resulting in her slowly going insane. The results end up
badly for both of them; since he was not even willing to admit that she had a problem, in

order to properly take care of her. In conclusion, it is important for a person of integrity
to uphold high moral standards in order to keep from obtaining disastrous results.

Integrity is not limited to being expressed through stories. There are also several
real people famous or not, that show integrity throughout their day-to-day lives. One
strong example of a person of integrity is Albert Einstein, who was faced with many
conflicts throughout his lifetime concerning whether or not the popular scientific beliefs
were true. For instance, during Einsteins lifetime, the ideas for the speed of light created
by Newton were widely accepted throughout the world. However, Einstein agreed with
the less popular equation created by James Clerk Maxwell, even though the idea was
practically shunned by others. This shows that he is able to make his own decisions, and
is open minded towards other ideas, not blinded by the groups belief.

Although there is a strong relationship between whether or not going with popular
beliefs is the best way to show integrity, people of integrity do not always have to choose
whether or not they are going against the majority with their ideas. There are some
occasions where people have chosen to create new popular beliefs by finding a less
common, more innovative outtake on the situation, and convincing other to join them in
this new belief by spreading the word about it. One great example of a person who was
able to pave the way to a new era of peaceful oppression is Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi
was one of the first leaders to lead a non violent resistance, eventually able to
successfully lead India to an escape from the colonial rule. Even though the idea of a
peaceful revolution was foreign and strange at the time, Gandhis practices led to many

other widely known fights for freedom, including the civil rights movement and Martin
Luther King Jr.s non-violent resistances. However, not all the ideas brought up by
people show integrity in the way that Gandhis does. Some past leaders have been able to
make terrible, and destructive ideas become popular. One person who was able to
accomplish this was Joseph Stalin. Through the Russian Revolution, he was able to
spread ideas of communism to other countries, like China and North Korea, and
eventually started the Cold War between Russia and the United States. During his reign
over Russia, many people died due to starvation, and non-communist supporters were
killed off. Overall, people in our past have made it possible to pave the way into integrity
for generations to come
The choices people make are vital for their success, and the paths they choose,
whether they defy a group or not, can decide whether or not they are a person of integrity.
For example, Ralphs integrity in The Lord of the Flies helps to keep the boys in order for
some time, and Albert Einstein and the family from Kabulliwallah both went against
the popular beliefs of the time in order to do what they thought was right. However, in
some cases, people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. have been able to create new
beliefs and customs in the world that are still valid today. Their actions and hard work
have evidently paid off, and are still providing inspiration for people today. In conclusion
even though a nation or group needs the strength of its individual members to support it,
it is the individuals choice whether or not they feel the commitment is best for others.