...Law and rules shape the foundation for civilization which is necessary to keep the darker side of human nature in order. The lawless country of Somalia in East Africa demonstrates that without an affective form of government and the restraints of civilization, the behavior of people will regress to their savage beginnings. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies explores the theme of civilization to savagery through the usage of symbolism to portray the premise that children are savages by nature and without adult guidance or supervision; their entire darker side will manifest itself in full force. The consequential regression of the boys from civilization to savagery is symbolized by the use of the conch, fire, and Piggy’s glasses. First of all, the conch shell manages to demonstrate civilization to savagery through its ability to establish order to build a civilization, lose its power and deteriorate civilization, and shatter to eliminate civilization. In the beginning, the conch is used to establish and uphold order and peace on the island, playing a key role in forming and maintaining a civilization. Ralph uses the conch and his leadership to summon the others, have meetings and delegate positions, assign power, and set rules such as: “[Giving] the conch to the next person to speak” (Golding 31). By adhering to the set of rules regarding the conch shell, the boys still maintain their civilized way of living back at home where there is the existence of government and laws...
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...of the main characters, Ralph, leader of the civilized group, and Jack, leader of the savage group. Golding reveals the growing tension between civilization and savagery from when a signal fire is let out, Piggy’s glasses breaking, and the pig hunts by Jack. The adventure that the boys encounter in Lord of the Flies explores the dark side of humanity showing the civilized versus the savage-like nature of human beings. Golding attempts to unearth the flaws of society back to the flaws of the nature of humans. The first key moment in the rising action that shows the growing tension between civilization and savagery is when Jack and his hunters let the fire die out, causing a ship to pass by without a smoke signal showing and allowing the group of boys to miss an opportunity of being rescued. This key moment is important because it marks the first dispute between the antagonist and protagonist in the novel. Ralph’s priorities are to build shelters and keep a signal fire going in order to get rescued, however Jack’s priorities are to hunt meat for the boys and have fun. Tension is shown in this moment when they argue and Jack ends up taking his built frustrations out on innocent Piggy. Golding writes, “he took a step, and able at last to hit someone, stuck his fist into Piggy’s stomach” (71). This event reveals a clear difference between the savage and the civilized as Jack uses violence, whereas Ralph...
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...planned order and allowed disorder to settle" (Talon). The longer they stayed on the island, the more they lost touch with the boundaries set by society, and they eventually started to resort to primitive behavior. Throughout the novel, each of the boys struggles to keep remnants of society in tact, while their primitive nature tries to reel them into savagery. Some of the boys give into their primitive behavior very quickly, while others strive to hold on to their civility as long as possible. This struggle is portrayed masterfully by Golding who uses symbolism to enhance the reader's understanding of it. The first prominent symbol of society that we see is the conch shell that Ralph finds near the shore at the beginning of the novel. Upon Piggy's suggestion, Ralph blows the conch in order to see how many boys have survived the plane crash. Because it brings all of the boys together, the conch immediately becomes a symbol of authority, and since Ralph is the one who found and blew the conch, the boys quickly give him authority by electing him chief. Golding gives further insight into this by noting that: "None of the boys could have found...
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...world's society. A few examples of this is the littluns, piggy's glasses, and the scar on the island all show faults of human nature. Golding uses the littluns to symbolize the masses of people and how they blindly follow anybody and don’t speak their opinion. In the story when all the older kids laugh the littluns start to laugh because the older kids did too. “A storm of laughter arose and even the tiniest child joined in” (Golding 21). This quote shows the fault in our society by using the littluns who blindly follow and do whatever the older kids do. Once Ralph and Jack start to laugh the littluns laugh but only after they start to. Another way Golding uses the littluns to show faults in our society is people not speaking their opinion. When one of the littluns tries to speak and he’s laughed at and doesn't share his opinion “The small boy held out his hands for the conch and the...
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...By claiming that Ralph is discrediting the hunters, Jack appeals to the hunters’ pride. Furthermore, Jack attacks Ralph’s ethos, claiming that all Ralph does is order everyone around without doing work such as hunting. The irony in Jack refusing to “play” with Ralph’s group is that Jack is the only one treating the island as a game. Ralph and Piggy both realize how dire the boys’ situation is and attempt to organize the group in hopes of better chances of survival and rescue. However, Jack cares only about hunting and having a fun time, which is to say Jack is treating the island similar to a vacation. Regarding the beast, all the boys attempt to rationalize the situation with their own minds. However, Simon remains skeptical of these arguments. Rather than completely fearing the beast or disregarding it, as the two popular schools of thought on the island have, Simon chooses to verify the existence...
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...True and “B” for False. 1. When Ralph is elected chief, Jack is so frustrated that he refuses to hunt. 2. Ralph starts the signal fire by rubbing two sticks together. 3. The signal fire goes out because Jack and the hunters neglect it. 4. A wild boar eats the littlun who has a mulberry-colored birthmark on his face. 5. Piggy’s parents will come find them. 6. The conch provides a symbol for authority that the boys recognize as civilized. 7. The main source of food on the island is food scavenged from the wreckage of the airplane. 8. The boys murder Simon because they think that he is “batty.” 9. Piggy is not afraid of Jack because he knows that SamnEric will protect him. 10. Ralph and Jack initially had a mutual respect for each other that diminished by the end of the book. Match the following descriptions with the choices given (A-E) a. Ralph b. Piggy c. Jack d. Simon e. Roger 11. dies when a rock falls on him 12. the elected leader of the group 13. the most evil character; kills Piggy 14. puts his own lust for hunting ahead of everyone else’s needs 15. sees people for what they really are 16. represents the power-hungry dictator in society 17. represents the mystic philosophers in society 18. represents the good-hearted rule-following leaders in society 19. represents the evil sadist figures in society 20. represents the scholars in a society Multiple Choice 21. The boys are on...
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...and most will turn into savages. In developing the theme of the predatory, bestial atavistic nature of man, Golding employs numerous symbols using characters, symbolic acts, and objects. Of the groups of symbols, characters in Lord of the Flies symbolize different aspects of man. Some characters represent the different personalities that are involved with Sigmund Freud's id, ego, and superego. Piggy, a fat boy who wears spectacles, represents the superego as he is...
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...Lord of Flies is a novel that is written by William Golding and it is published in 1954.It was adapted to film in 1963 and second time in 1990.The plot of the film is about a group of British schoolboys were shot down on a desolated island. They decide on to survive on the island they have to govern themselves and the boys elect the boy called Ralph as their leader. Ralph chooses another boy called Jack, to be in charge of the boys who will hunt food for the entire group. First Piggy and Ralph found a conch they begin to use that for their communication. Ralph and Jack looked for to discover the island and what can be done to live there. At first, the boys enjoy their life spend much of their time playing games. Ralph, however, complains that they should be maintaining the signal fire and building a shelter. Ralph always thought that one day they will be rescued but Jack had an opposite idea of that they will be living there till they die so he always tried to find explore new things in the island. Jack declares himself the leader of the new tribe of hunters and organizes a hunt and a violent. Ralph is the athletic, charismatic leader of the group. Ralph is the primary representative of order, civilization, and productive leadership in the movie. While most of the other boys initially are concerned with having fun, Ralph sets about building a shelter and thinking of ways to maximize their chances of being rescued. For this reason, Ralph’s power and influence over the other boys...
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...answer 1. What are the purpose and effect of Jack’s generosity with the meat he and the hunters obtained? What do you think his decision to give meat to even Ralph and Piggy is meant to show? 2. Why does Jack command the boys to dance and chant, and why is this an effective leadership tactic? What psychological effect does dancing and chanting have on the boys? Think back to the effect that putting on makeup had on them in Chapter 4. Jack commands the boys and chants to display his leadership. In addition he does this because he saw the “beast” and were luring to kill him. This is also shows the savagery because they aren’t thinking straight and are being savages. Their dance is very wierd or creepy because according to the text, “ The hunters took their spears, the cooks took spits, and the rest clubs of firewood” (151) shows what the hunters do, who are kids. The psychological effect is the kids obeying Jack to do a dance; stealing the freedom of the kids. 3. What is the “beast” that the boys kill? How is this event ironic and especially tragic (not only for the “beast,” but for everyone on the island)? How is it symbolically significant? The “beast” that they killed was Simon. This was tragic to the whole island because they killed one of their peers. It’s tragic because they...
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...evacuating a group of schoolboys from Britain is shot down over a deserted tropical island. Two of the boys, Ralph and Piggy, discover a conch shell on the beach, and Piggy realizes it could be used as a horn to summon the other boys. Once assembled, the boys set about electing a leader and devising a way to be rescued. They choose Ralph as their leader, and Ralph appoints another boy, Jack, to be in charge of the boys who will hunt food for the entire group. Ralph, Jack, and another boy, Simon, set off on an expedition to explore the island. When they return, Ralph declares that they must light a signal fire to attract the attention of passing ships. The boys succeed in igniting some dead wood by focusing sunlight through the lenses of Piggy’s eyeglasses. However, the boys pay more attention to playing than to monitoring the fire, and the flames quickly engulf the forest. A large swath of dead wood burns out of control, and one of the youngest boys in the group disappears, presumably having burned to death. At first, the boys enjoy their life without grown-ups and spend much of their time splashing in the water and playing games. Ralph, however, complains that they should be maintaining the signal fire and building huts for shelter. The hunters fail in their attempt to catch a wild pig, but their leader, Jack, becomes increasingly preoccupied with the act of hunting. When a ship passes by on the horizon one day, Ralph and Piggy notice, to their horror, that the signal fire—which...
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...Lord of the Flies Double Entry Journal 5-8 Conch: "Exposure to the sun had bleached the yellow and pink to near-white, and transparency." (78). The conch symbolizes law and democracy, and gives power to whoever has possession of it. However, throughout Lord of the Flies, the conch gradually loses its power and hold over the boys. The boys disregard the rules set during the first meeting by speaking without the conch and interrupting those who have the conch. As the conch loses power, democracy and law on the island fade. The boys no longer listen to rules, such as taking care of business on the rocks because the tide washes it away, and feel there is no true leader (this is indicated by the boys not giving Ralph the respect he deserves and not listening to his commands). The boy’s disregard for law is a flaw. It is natural for humans to rebel against the law because it is authority; however, law is needed because it keeps the savage nature...
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...electricity. We commute to work by car or mass transit. We live by rules, values, and ideals that keep the peace. Our world is organized, convenient and technologically advanced. What would happen if suddenly our civilization disappeared leaving us with only the things we were wearing, the ideals we were raised with, the things we could find is nature and our instincts? This is exactly what happened to the boys in Lord of the Files by William Golding. Ralph, Piggy, Jack and the other stranded students find themselves on a deserted island. Golding’s motives for choosing the island setting for the novel, Lord of the Files was to have the characters isolated, where the laws of their governments could not reach them. The boys on the island represented a microcosm of world society. Golding chose children because they have not yet been fully conditioned by society to understand right from wrong and thus are guided by their instinct and what is inherent with them. Golding uses a great deal of symbolism throughout the novel. Different characters provide different symbols. Jack is a symbol of savagery and anarchy. Golding relates the inherent evil with Jack to the evil and cruelty of the larger world, which we all share. The conch shell becomes a powerful symbol of civilization and order, Piggy’s glasses represent the power of science and intellectual endeavor in society, Roger...
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...totalitarian government creates or sustains the poor quality of life This government makes people believe that society is proper and just, even perfect. State propaganda makes citizens worship the state the leader of the state and the government. There is strict conformity among citizens and the general assumption that having opinions and individuality is bad The penal system often employs psychological or physical torture Violence, cruelty and aggressiveness are always present. Dystopias are frequently written as warnings, or as social satire, criticizing a current trend, norm or political system. In order for the dystopia to have an effect on the reader, the author uses characteristics of every day society so that the reader knows what he’s talking about. Therefore, the society portrayed has echoes of today, of the reader's own experience. Authors can use a dystopia effectively to highlight their own concerns about societal trends. Common traits of the dystopian protagonist: often feels trapped and is struggling to escape believes that something is...
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...How effectively does Golding anticipate de conflicting forces of good and evil at the beginning of the novel? In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding permanently creates situations where good and evil are confronted. This contrast is made evident through different resources: behaviour of the characters, forces of nature, metaphors, contrasts and other literary devices. These dense forces flow within a primitive environment where leadership based on physical superiority will take over the ethical principles of civilisation. Conflicts between good and evil, represented through the contrasts of civilization versus savagery, order against chaos, and reason in opposition to impulse, will take over the island and pull the children apart. But how does the author introduce us to this rivarly and what is he trying to show us? I would say that Golding’s approach, so as to make the reader perceive the permanent parallel between good and evil, runs along three strategic lines or levels. The first way in which he approaches the conflicting forces involves actual behaviours of the children that bring forth good or evil ways. These are built upon the characters’ actions which are based on their values, morals and ethics. By doing this, Golding begins to expose the theory that there is always a power struggle present in human beings. This is firstly unmasked in pages 29 to 30. When the time arrives to choose a leader, Jack blurts, "I ought to be chief because I'm chapter chorister...
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...1. W. Shakespeare « Hamlet» (Renaissance) Character List Hamlet - The Prince of Denmark, the title character, and the protagonist. About thirty years old at the start of the play, Hamlet is the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and the nephew of the present king, Claudius. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncle’s scheming and disgust for his mother’s sexuality. A reflective and thoughtful young man who has studied at the University of Wittenberg, Hamlet is often indecisive and hesitant, but at other times prone to rash and impulsive acts. Hamlet is extremely philosophical and contemplative. He is particularly drawn to difficult questions or questions that cannot be answered with any certainty. Faced with evidence that his uncle murdered his father, evidence that any other character in a play would believe, Hamlet becomes obsessed with proving his uncle’s guilt before trying to act. Claudius - The King of Denmark, Hamlet’s uncle, and the play’s antagonist. The villain of the play, Claudius is a calculating, ambitious politician, driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for power, but he occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feeling—his love for Gertrude, for instance, seems sincere. Gertrude - The Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother, recently married to Claudius. Gertrude loves Hamlet deeply, but she is a shallow, weak woman who seeks affection and status more urgently than moral rectitude or truth. Polonius - The...
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