...Literary Devices in Lord of the Flies Ayomide Fakuade English III - 2nd Period 4-18-13 Is every human being predisposed with the capabilities to do evil? This question has stimulated minds since the beginning of time. In the Bible, as far back as the book of Genesis, we find the ineluctable capacity of man to commit evil. Likewise, in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies we find the depiction of the proclivity of man to transgress. William Golding “presents the universe under the guise of a school adventure story on a coral island” (Forster V). Golding presents the universe and the inescapable struggle of human kind between good and evil through his prolific use of symbols and metaphors. Symbols are one of the principle literary devices used by Golding in Lord of the Flies. Golding uses many of the devices discovered by the boys to represent vital elements of structured society. Ralph makes the statement, “The fire’s the most important thing” (Golding 162). The fire symbolizes the structured society the boys want to exist on the island. The fire represents structure and organization. Without the fire, the boys will never be rescued, and without an organized, structured society, they will not survive. Just as organization and structure are essential to the perpetuation of a society, the fire is vital to the survival of the boys on the island. When describing the setting of the novel, the narrator states, “It [the island]...
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...William Golding's Lord of the Flies Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding a group of children are stranded on an island when their plane crashes. The freedom of having no parents while living in a society that doesn't enforce rules and laws are eliminated. As the novel progresses the kids find use for different items each symbolizing something of different significance. In this novel William Golding uses different objects to symbolize the difference between civilization and savagery. Through out the novel, the conch shell represents a way to maintain organization and unity within the group. Ralph and Piggy discover the conch shell on the beach and use it to inform and call the boys together after the crash separates them. The conch shell then becomes a powerful symbol of civilization and order in the novel. This shell effectively influences rules during the meetings. This rule is; whichever boy holds the shell holds the right to speak. "He can hold it when he's speaking," (Golding 33), this explains how whoever is holding the conch has the right to speak; this shows a sense of civility. In this regard, the shell is most definitely a symbol. As the island civilization dissipates, the boys descend into savagery; the conch shell loses its power and influence among them. Also, the boulder that Roger rolls onto Piggy crushes the conch shell, signifying the demise of the...
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...With savagery being a strong human impulse, it can abruptly arise and entirely change a person’s state of mind. William Golding develops the theme that savagery is a delicate human trait, where it can be contained but not abolished through Jack progressively becoming more violent and cruel. ‘“I went on. I thought, by myself —“ The madness came into his eyes again. “I thought I might kill.”’ (Golding 51). This passage shows Jack being exposed to the savagery within him. Golding develops savagery as a symbol using various methods. Golding uses savagery as a central theme in Lord of the Flies. Jack uses hunting as an outlet for his rage, putting it over other imperative projects. “The fire’s only been out an hour or two. We can light up again.”...
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...responsibilities. Does it sound great? A group of boys found that the greatness of total freedom was short-lived. In the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of boys find out certain things they were once grateful for. This novel is an allegorical novel because of its major symbols. These symbols represent the fate of the boys and how they should appreciate what they had. The first major symbol is the conch shell. The shell is first used to gather everyone out of the forest. The group crashed on this island and were separated throughout the forest. By blowing the conch shell, everyone was reunited. However, the conch shell took on a very different meaning shortly after. "'That's what this shell's called. I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he's speaking'" (Golding 33). The conch is now a symbol of power. Whoever has the conch is allowed to speak. No one else is allowed to interrupt the speaker with the conch. This power soon goes to the boys' head. "The rock struck Piggy a...
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...of the conch." ( Golding 282 ) There is no order there is no rules, stranded on the island all alone with no adults and there is only person on the whole island who wants order and his name is Ralph. Ralph’s character in The Lord of The Flies is pictured to be like an all around athlete, a class clown and a class president all in one. He may only be twelve, but he makes a major impact throughout the story. In Lord of The Flies the author points out some of Ralph’s major character traits, which are that he is carefree, insightful and motivated. William Golding shows how Ralph can be a laid back carefree preteen boy who in the beginning does not worry about being stranded and just wants to have fun while he is on the island. He also shows that Ralph can be a insightful leader who remains calm in scary situations, and that he can make good quick decisions while under pressure. One final trait is that Ralph is also...
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...then, one finds themselves taking a deeper look inside of their soul, often times resulting in the discovery of an inner being. This inner being is perfectly depicted through the lord of the flies. Contrary to the boys’ beliefs, the lord of the flies, or in the novel the symbol of the "beast", is not "something you could hunt and kill" (164), but rather a spirit that dwells inside of a soul, and slowly seduces one into complete and utter savagery. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding gives the reader a glimpse into a society composed of a group of young British boys, all raised in a civilized and orderly manner, that find themselves stranded on a deserted island. Fighting for survival, many of the boys surrender to the Beast that engulfs them. Others, like Ralph, find themselves in a much more complex and compromising battle- one that takes place inside the mind. In his novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses the motifs of the pig dance, the conch, and the masks to convey the theme that man becomes a corrupt and savage being without a strict system of order and civilization. By dancing and singing to celebrate the brutal murdering of a pig, the boys enter into a society, or even a cult, surrounded by sadistic and brutal thoughts. The first time the boys perform this ritual, Golding describes their actions as “relieved and excited…making pig-dying noises and shouting” (81). Clearly, the boys feel a rush of exhilaration and excitement when they escape their civilized...
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...Symbolism in Lord of the Flies In William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”, the boys who are stranded on the island encounter many elements that are actually symbols. These symbols are significant to the story and change over the course of the novel. It is important to understand what each of these symbols mean in order to fully understand the novel. The conch shell, Piggy’s glasses, and the island itself are three important symbols in “Lord of the Flies.” The first symbolic element in “Lord of the Flies” is the conch shell. This symbolizes the rule of law and civilization on the island. Ralph uses it as a microphone and calls assemblies with it. Whoever is holding it at the assembly has the right to speak. “Jack stands and reaches for the conch so he can talk. But Ralph refuses to hand it over and Jack sits back down” (Golding, pg 81). Jack’s actions show that even though he might not agree with Ralph, he still respects the rules of civilization. When the conch is broken, Jack exclaims that he can now be chief. That is because without the conch shell, civilization and power is gone....
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...How would you survive an island full of rambunctious boys? Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding is an allegorical novella that uses allusions, symbolism, and irony to convey the idea that evil is within us. The story takes place during World War II, when a group of schoolboys are being evacuated from England. They crash on a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and have to fight for their lives in a new and strange environment. Two of the boys, Ralph and Piggy, find a conch and use it to gather the other children in an attempt to form order. The elect Ralph as the leader and they work together as a civilization, at least at first. Unfortunately, some of the elected hunters would rather have fun, hunt, and play savage. This leads to a feud between the boys. Eventually, Jack, the leader of the hunters convinces the majority of the boys that fun...
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... The Lord Of The Flies Which is better, to have laws and agree, or to hunt and kill? A symbol is something that has great value. William Golding wrote the novel, “Lord of the Flies”. His purpose in using symbolism is to send certain messages to certain people. He wants to send a message to make people realize that you can change for the better or for the worst. I believe the most important symbol in LOTF is the conch. The conch is the most important because it represents leadership and unity. The conch represents leadership. With the help of the conch, Ralph became the tribe’s leader. “But there was a stillness about Ralph…yet most powerfully there was the conch.” (pg.22). This shows that Ralph became leader mostly because of the conch. The conch was powerful to them. Ralph became their leader. In the article, the author states, “Ralph: leadership: order: Civilization.” This shows that Ralph is capable of being a leader. In society, leadership is important because without leaders, there will be no one to lead us to a great change. The conch represents authority. The stranded boys are deciding for a chief. “He lifted the conch. ‘Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things.’” (pg.22) This shows the boys voting for a chief to have order. Anyone who has the conch may speak with no interruptions since it was tumult. On the article, the author states, “…Anyone holding the conch in the meeting could speak his...
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...Leadership and Knowledge Using symbolism, Golding enhances the meaning of the book itself and objects in the book. Many objects or event in the book have a meaning behind them that help to give the book more definition and expand Golding’s intentions. Some objects used in the book to symbolize something more meaningful could be Piggy’s glasses and the conch shell. In the book, Golding has Piggy’s glasses and the conch shell’s symbolism pop up many times. Throughout the book Golding gives certain objects a meaning behind them to make those objects symbolize important things that enhance the meaning of the book. One of the many symbols in the book is Piggy’s glasses. Piggy’s glasses are brought up in the beginning of the book and the symbol...
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...Final Essay Lord of the Flies By: Cole William Golding was a famous author and one of his most famous novels was Lord of the Flies. It is about a group of boys who survived a plane crash and are stranded on a island. He liked using symbols to represent different objects from civilization. Piggy represented civilization, piggy’s specs repressed power, and the conch represented democracy. Goulding uses lots of symbols in his book such as the conch, Piggy’s specs, and Piggy. Golding uses a character named Piggy to represent civilization. Piggy was a biggin that was smart and had all the good ideas but nobody listened to him. He represents civilization because he is the only level headed kid on the island and likes how Ralf runs things. He comes up with a lot of good ideas such as writing the names of all the children in the island which would have helped in different parts of the books. The character Piggy has a pair of glasses that are very important for the boys. If they didn’t have the glasses later on in the novel they would have been stuck there till they died. Golding uses Piggy's glasses represent power. They use Piggy’s glasses to make fire to signal any ships that come near the island. In chapter eleven tribe Jack and tribe Ralf fight over them because without fire they can’t cook there pigs. The reason why...
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...Lord of the Flies Symbol is a thing that represents or stands for something. It could also be a mark or character used as a common representation of an object, function, or process. In the lifetime that anyone has lived so far, there is at least one symbol that is of importance in your life. Everyone has something that symbolizes them or some part of their life. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, shows a lot of mental/physical symbols and their importance. Some of the symbols that Golding shows and introduces in the novel are the conch, the beast, and Piggy’s glasses. One of the symbols that Golding showed in the novel was the conch. The conch was something that Ralph, a 12 year old boy, and Piggy, Ralph’s “lieutenant”(helper), had discovered and it was used to gather the group of kids that got stuck on the island along with them. In the group of kids, whoever had the conch, was the person who the the right to speak, meaning that the person was the leader of the group. Although later in the novel, the conch was no longer of use because of the savagery that came out of the kids made their ways of thinking different, which led them to become violent and out of control. Similar to an anarchy because if there is no control, then everything is chaotic. Soon after the boys have become savagery, the conch was crushed along with Piggy by a boulder that Roger, Jack the new leader’s “lieutenant”, pushes and so the conch shell is now of no use. The conch shell was a powerful...
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...In Lord of the Flies by William Golding In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in English 140 Submitted by: Ryan Mark L. Catanio Submitted to: Prof. Donna Alna C. Cortez September 08, 2014 A. Author’s Biography William Golding Biography Author (1911–1993) a. Synopsis William Golding was born September 19, 1911, in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England. In 1935 he started teaching English and philosophy in Salisbury. He temporarily left teaching in 1940 to join the Royal Navy. In 1954 he published his first novel, Lord of the Flies. In 1983, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. On June 19, 1993, he died in Perranarworthal, Cornwall, England. b. Early Life William Golding was born on September 19, 1911, in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England. He was raised in a 14th-century house next door to a graveyard. His mother, Mildred, was an active suffragette who fought for women’s right to vote. His father, Alex, worked as a schoolmaster. William received his early education at the school his father ran, Marlborough Grammar School. When William was just 12 years old, he attempted, unsuccessfully, to write a novel. A frustrated child, he found an outlet in bullying his peers. Later in life, William would describe his childhood self as a brat, even going so far as to say, “I enjoyed hurting people.” After primary school, William went on to attend Brasenose College at Oxford University. His father hoped he would become a scientist, but William opted...
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...Levi Wenzel 1/20/2014 Mr. Jackson Period 2 Lord of the Flies Symbolism Symbolism is an object, animal, idea, or a person that stands for itself and something beyond itself. Symbolism is used many times in Lord of the Flies by William Golding. The Conch is one example of this symbolism. Another example is the fire and Piggy’s glasses. The Beast is a great example of symbolism. The Conch is used to summon the boys after the crash and later used to call assemblies or meetings. The shell effectively governs the boys’ meetings, for the boy who holds the shell holds the right to speak. In this regard, the shell is more than a symbol: it is a vessel of political legitimacy and democratic power. “Which is better--to have laws and agree, or to hunt and kill?” This quotation states what the conch originally stood for. The conch shell becomes a powerful symbol of civilization and order in the novel. As the civilization erodes and the boys descend into savagery, the conch shell loses its power. The boulder that Roger uses to kill Piggy also destroys the conch shell, signifying the demise of the civilized instinct among the boys on the island. One of Ralph’s original ideas to create a signal fire to catch the attention of passing ships. The only way fire can be started is by using Piggy’s glasses. Piggy is the most intelligent, rational boy in the group: his glasses represent the power of science in society. This is clear from the start of the novel; when the boys use the lenses...
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...society, always has been and will likely continue to be throughout many centuries to come. Capturing the cruelty of society is a concept that William Golding and John Steinbeck both vividly exemplify. Steinbeck’s use of racism and discrimination through characters powerfully demonstrates cruelty. Golding illustrates cruelty through examples of bullying, self-preservation, and abandonment. However, although man's cruelty to other men is expressed clearly in William Golding's work, Lord of the Flies, as well as John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, they are both epitomize the concept in alternative ways. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, cruelty is shown by targeting people over things they can’t control,...
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