Human Nature and Lord of the Flies-ISU# 13) BulliesBullying occurs when a person or group frequently harms someone who is weaker or more vulnerable than themselves. They do this through physical, verbal or mental abuse. Bullies can be male, female, young or old. The nature of a bully depends on many factors such as gender, age and past experiences. Depending on the nature of the bully, their actions can have many negative effects on others. Bullies display many characteristics such as aggression, rivalry, and competitive behavior. Bullying occurs in many different places, a good example is in the novel Lord of the Flies. Jack, the antagonist of this novel, displays many characteristics of a bully. Many children have been victims of terrible acts of bullying. There are bullies everywhere you go, some obvious and some not at all, you may not recognize a bully because they come in many different forms. The abusiveness of bullies is usually intentional and not accidental. There are bullies at work, online, in the public and especially at school. So who is a bully? A bully is a person who causes emotional, psychological, or physical harm using two different types of attacks. The first type is direct attacks, which consist of threatening, teasing, insulting, insulting, stealing, damaging personal items and hitting. Studies say that this type of attack is more common among males. “While both boys and girls say that others bully them by making fun of their appearance or talking, boys are more likely to report being hit, slapped, or pushed” (Nansel, Overpeck, Pilla, Ruan, Simons- Morton, Scheidt 2001 ). The other type of attacks are indirect, spreading rumors and encouraging others to reject someone else. Studies say this type of attack is more common among women. “Adolescent girls are more often the target of sexual rumors and comments” (Nansel, Overpeck, Pilla, Ruan, Simons-Morton, Scheidt 2001). Bullies usually target different people, it can be physical differences or even intelligence, and they also tend to target people who don't retaliate. They usually harass the person by attacking their differences and imperfections. So a bully is someone who continually causes harm to others. Bullying has many negative effects on many people, such as the victim, the bully himself, and society. Studies show that these effects can be short- or long-term.