...William Golding juxtaposes Jack and Simon’s surroundings to show how Jack has descended into primal savagery, while Simon thinks under civility and enlightenment. As Jack searches the ground of the jungle, he checks a “vast tree that grew pale flowers on its grey bark” (49). The lack of color represents Jack’s loss of civil behavior and how it has become empty, leaving his mind to descend into savagery. Jacks environment being “pale” and “grey” shows how he only sees the jungle as a place of hunting and killing. Jack’s mind is drained of the civility he once had as an english choir boy, leaving him to live in with primal savagery. While hunting, Jack is “Bent double...down like a splinter”, being described as “dog-like...on all fours” and “ape-like among...
Words: 656 - Pages: 3
...ivilization, at its core, was created to suppress barbaric instinct. However, in extreme circumstances, it is possible for instinct to prevail over civility. Driven by a God-given impulse, humanity is defined as hunters. Chastised by some and supported by others, those of us adhering to this fair chase ethic and right to take from natural resources, share a kindred spirit. When left to its own devices and given the opportunity, human nature will revert back to the inherent savagery that lies within everyone. In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, the act of hunting is initially used as a diversion, but eventually reveals the true essence of humanity, by allowing savage impulses to come within oneself, and show weakness towards materialism....
Words: 560 - Pages: 3
...How Are Power and Corruption Related? by Sebastian Sandoval "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." – Lord John Dalberg-Acton Macbeth and Lord of the Flies depict power and corruption. However in Macbeth's case it is his fear of being forgotten that leads to his ambitions for power and in turn corrupts him. In Lord of the Flies we see Jack's ambition to become chief corrupt him into doing whatever it takes to achieve that position. Both works seem to coincide with Hobbes theory that "man is naturally savage" and that savagery combined with the notion of power can only lead to one thing, corruption. In this essay the relationship between power and corruption will be explored through the lens of three texts: Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1623), Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954), and Of Man, Being the First Part of Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes (1651). Let us begin with The Tragedy of Macbeth. Throughout the play, we see Macbeth change from a noble and brave soldier into a shadow of his former self. In the beginning we see an internal struggle with the decision to kill King Duncan. This is most clearly depicted in act I when Macbeth says, "We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honored me of late,"(1.7. 28-30 ). It is after the murder of Duncan that we begin to notice a sinister change. Macbeth begins to murder anyone who has or could get in his way even his friend Banquo. In act 3 Macbeth's plan is first revealed in his conversation...
Words: 734 - Pages: 3
...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...
Words: 1171 - Pages: 5
...One of the main themes in William Golding's Lord of the Flies is the struggle between Society and Savagery. The boys' first intention on the island is to create a society based on the one they had in the adult world: one with rules, limitations and order. But at the same time, they want to have fun. As time progresses, they start ignoring the rules that they had originally set. Instead of using the designated lavatory stones for bathroom purposes, they start using the bathroom wherever they want, even near their special meeting place. The shelters that they all intended on helping to build end up being built by only a few of the boys and therefore, are not as sturdy as they could have been. According to Henri Talon, "[The boys] 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...
Words: 1752 - Pages: 8
...Lord of the Flies by William Golding is famous among the readers for its theme centered on civilization and savagery. One of the most important concepts that relate to the theme is the “essential illness of the mankind.” The essential illness is not an actual physical illness, but is a part of the mind of a human. In the novel, the essential illness is described as the natural evilness, which comes from human nature. Also, the illness is possessed by all humans, no matter their backgrounds. Most importantly, it is described to contribute to the fall of civilization without the supervision of super ego. First, according to the novel, mankind's essential illness is the evil which is part of human nature. This argument is indirectly introduced...
Words: 990 - Pages: 4
...AS ENGLISH 91479: Develop an informed understanding of literature and/or using critical lens. Literature/text: Lord of the Flies Critical lens: Freudian psychoanalytical criticism Take away parents and society and you are left with mere children, who have the instinct to only pleasure oneself. This is what Sigmund Freud theorizes in his psychoanalysis. Lord-of-the-Flies by William Golding is a novel that uses Freud’s work. The Lord-of-the-Flies is a novel that depicts a microcosm of society. A plane-full of boys are stranded on a desert island, away from civilisation. Freud’s theory is that if you eliminate rules, “children are completely egoistic” – they only care about themselves. Without any parental guidance, a child relies on its instincts and this is where Freud’s theory of personalities are cleverly conveyed: id, super ego and ego. The use of Freud’s theories exceptionally allows us to have a great depth of understanding of the characters. The first part is the id. This is the “primitive impulses” of the human being. Golding used the character of ‘Lord-of-the-Flies’ to represent the id. Freud’s theory is that the id is based upon pleasing oneself.1 The Lord-of-the-Flies is the instinct that tells the boys that they do not need civilisation anymore and thus this is when savagery prevails. Golding uses Roger to represent the id. The Lord-of-the-Flies, inside Roger, turned him from a young-civilised boy to a killer, when he violently kills Piggy, as a release of his...
Words: 1013 - Pages: 5
...10 February 2015 Lord of the Flies Essay "Humanity has evil tendenc[ies] within its nature" (David Wilson). Jack, a choir boy from England, represents the evil incarnate and explains that within human nature, evil lies in oneself even when it is not projected. In Golding's Lord of the Flies, Jack, the Devil Figure, expresses the ideas about one's inner evil as he evolves from a choir leader to a ruthless varmint while spending time on a deserted island. In the beginning of Lord of the Flies, Jack, who emerges from the jungle dressed in black, possesses a dominant trait of a controlling personality. When Ralph first blows the sound of the conch, Jack and his choir come from the jungle, and as they approach Ralph, Jack tells them to "stand still" (Golding 20). The reader can identify his authoritative nature as he demands these words, which establishes his significance and rule in the choir, and the other boys can sense this superiority as well. Moreover, the audience can analyze that Jack has a manipulative influence in the novel due to the fact that he claims he "ought to be chief because [he is]...head boy"; therefore, he is making himself out to be the most qualified for the position as he points out his role of control in the choir (Golding 22). Likewise, the other boys on the island describe Jack to be "the most obvious leader," which in return proves to the reader that Jack's commanding attitude is not the only reason that defines him as a leader; the other boys' perspective...
Words: 1304 - Pages: 6
...Theme Essay “Society holds everyone together.” In the book The Lord of the Flies, a fictional novel written by William Golding, it tells about the story of plan crashed british boys who must try and survive and fight off the savage instincts. The theme society holds everyone together is shown throughout the book. Society holding everyone together goes along with the idea of Civilization and savagery effects.. Basically the book is how savagery can affect people differently, also how civilization keeps people together for any amount of time, and finally how savagery can kill people. Savagery affects the characters differently. The character, Piggy follows his morals and stays civilized as much as possible. In fact...
Words: 473 - Pages: 2
...Dystopia ≠ Utopia A dystopia is a fictional society, usually portrayed as existing in a future time, where the conditions of life are extremely bad due to oppression, or terror. Science fiction (particularly post-apocalyptic science fiction and cyberpunk stories set in an imaginary future world controlled by technology and computers) often feature dystopias. Common traits of Dystopian fiction: The setting is the future, but often with contemporary social trends taken to extremes incorporated on purpose. A hierarchical society where there are unbending and definitive divisions between the upper, middle and lower class Society is conditioned to fear the outside world, and one of the methods for achieving this is the restriction of information and freedom. A corrupt authoritarian and 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...
Words: 4487 - Pages: 18
...Ashley Brown Mr.Everly English 10B 4/17/1 Lord of the Flies: Characterization What is good characterization? Characterization is the way an author presents and develops a character to make them believable. This essay will focus on three believable characters. One of the believable characters is Ralph. Another believable character is Jack. The last believable character is Simon. Because William Golding wanted believable characters, he made Ralph round and dynamic, Jack flat and static, and Simon round and static. One interesting character is Ralph. For example Ralph is a round character because he has multiple traits. Sometimes he borders on savagery, and sometimes he acts civilized. In chapter 2, the children are setting to get rescued. During the conversation, Ralph tells the boys, “We ought to have more rules. Where the conch is, that’s a meeting. The same up here as down there”(42). This shows that Ralph wants to be civilized, but he had times where he was savage too. The best example of Ralph’s savagery is where he helps kill Simon later in the book. Moreover, Ralph is dynamic because he changes throughout the novel. Early in the novel, Ralph is carefree and happy person. By the end, however he becomes very sad and guilty. At the end, Ralph was about to be killed by Jack, but was saved at the last second. This brought a lot of emotion. Ralph cries because he knows that man is not innocent or good, and he cries because Piggy has died (202). Ralph changes...
Words: 661 - Pages: 3
...Abbey Jolliffe Lord of the flies essay This essay is going to show the extent of which Jack and Ralph symbolise the struggle between good and evil. As you read further on you should notice that Jack goes to a much larger extent to represent evil rather than good, however Ralph is the complete opposite. Jack uses his talent and skill to become a hunter and Ralph to try and keep order and rules over the Island. Jack is quite selfish but Ralph is more caring towards the other boys. The essay will compare Jack and Ralph and show some of the few similarities that they have; it will also show the competition between them to try and become leader. My first impression of Jack was that he is used to being the leader and he thinks is better than everyone else, he is self-centred and quite arrogant; however Jack does have some good leadership skills as he was head of the choir. I think this because in the book it says, “kid’s names, why should I be Jack? I’m Merridew.” This suggests that Jack thinks that he is higher in authority than all the other boys because he wants to be called by his surname instead of his first name (Jack). I think Ralph gives a better first impression than Jack because he was immediately thinking about organising the boys on the island in order to get them all rescued. This shows that Ralph...
Words: 1313 - Pages: 6
...Hamlet and Lord of flies essay. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in the moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy,” is a strong quote by Martin Luther King Jr which is a statement that I think is true. A man cannot be judged on his actions when he is comfortable, but when he is going through challenges and hardship. Literary work that shows this is true is in the book Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the character Hamlet is found in conflicts and dilemmas that he cannot solve. This quote is also true in Lord of the flies by the character Ralph who tries to find out who the beast is but cannot see that it is the savagery between the boys on the Island and the character piggy...
Words: 1057 - Pages: 5
...A Guide to Writing the Literary Analysis Essay I. INTRODUCTION: the first paragraph in your essay. It begins creatively in order to catch your reader’s interest, provides essential background about the literary work, and prepares the reader for your major thesis. The introduction must include the author and title of the work as well as an explanation of the theme to be discussed. Other essential background may include setting, an introduction of main characters, etc. The major thesis goes in this paragraph usually at the end. Because the major thesis sometimes sounds tacked on, make special attempts to link it to the sentence that precedes it by building on a key word or idea. A) Creative Opening/Hook: the beginning sentences of the introduction that catch the reader’s interest. Ways of beginning creatively include the following: 1) A startling fact or bit of information Example: Nearly two hundred citizens were arrested as witches during the Salem witch scare of 1692. Eventually nineteen were hanged, and another was pressed to death (Marks 65). 2) A snatch of dialogue between two characters Example: “It is another thing. You [Frederic Henry] cannot know about it unless you have it.” “ Well,” I said. “If I ever get it I will tell you [priest].” (Hemingway 72). With these words, the priest in Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms sends the hero, Frederic, in search of the ambiguous “it” in his life. 3) A meaningful quotation (from the book you are analyzing...
Words: 2671 - Pages: 11
...Analysis of the Major Characters 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...
Words: 4218 - Pages: 17
