Lord of the Flies is an allegorical metaphor between the rivalry of two binary opposite, competing impulses that prevails all of mankind and the human psyche; the primitive state of savagery, defined by a lack of communal values, versus the social stratification of shared morals and ethics that helps bind an orderly society. The conflict generated by the opposing ideologies is seemingly the internal driving force of the novel, as Golding best represents this through motifs such as ‘the conch’ and ‘fire’, as well as protagonist Ralph, and antagonistic Jack.
Within ‘Lord of the Flies’, savagery is a result of a lack of civilisation; on the contrary, for Not my Business it is the civilisation itself that is savage. Early on in LOTF an attempt to form a coherent civilization was prompted, as boys who were influenced and shaped by the supremely civilized British social class they grew accustom to, individualism was a huge factor and subsequently roles were assigned. However, the social conditioning rapidly deteriorates, most prominently in Jack’s character. In stark to his prior notion of “We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything” Jack frequently impugns and disregards conch – the main bearer of a democracy. His fascist motives attribute to him representing a totalitarian system, similar to the running motif of ‘Not my Business’ in which in each following stanza repetition is used of the verse
“What business of mine is it
So long they don’t take the yam
From my savouring mouth?”
‘Not My Business’s main focal point is the accusation of the murderous dictatorship of Gen, set in Nigeria. Niyi Osundare – the author, expresses to the reader his grave concern on how his people sat and observed the oppression so long it does not directly affect themselves. Hence, the repeated stanza symbolizes the lack of empathy shown and motivation to change.

‘Not my Business’ and ‘Lord of the Flies’ share a common symbol, the yam and pig/meat both hold instrumental value and are markers of materialism.