...Despite humanity’s advances from hunters to civilized people, violence is always present in some form whether it is a hunt or a world war, which illustrates humanity’s inherent desire for evil that has unsuccessfully been suppressed by society. Similarly, William Golding in Lord of the Flies explores inherent evilness of mankind and its bias to violence through a group of English boys stranded in a tropical island without any adults, who struggle to keep order, but ultimately fail due to their superstitious beliefs and their transition into their state of nature. Golding agrees with Hobbes’ philosophy through Jack and his group of the savages, portraying humanity's inherent malevolence, but denouncing his advocacy of an absolute monarchy through...
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...Lord of the Flies is a 1963 British film directed by Peter Brook based on the 1954 novel by William Golding. Both the book and movie of Lord of the Flies represent popular culture in the fact that the book started out being popularized by the working class and would later become a best seller and even move into the category of high culture by becoming required reading in many schools across the world as well as wining the Nobel Prize. The Lord of the Flies and book and movie demonstrate many of the traits that are often reproduced in various form media and often imitated in other works of film, television, and reading. Lord of the Flies was remade into another film in 1990 but the 1963 film is considered to be closer to the book and is the one that is used by this paper. The 1963 Lord of the Flies film is a black and white British film that is presented in the form of a third person narrative in which the audience is a outside party looking in on the cast of the film. The film is about a group of young pre-teen to teenage boys who crash land on an island somewhere is the specific ocean as a result of their plane being shoot down. In the background of the movie there is some type of war but the film never mentioned which war is taking place. With the film being based on a book from the 1950s and the film taking place in the 1960 it can be assumed that the war in question is either World War II or perhaps a future war. In the film the overall theme is that violence and hate...
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...The Abominable Man William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies was published in 1952, seven years after the disastrous WWII. During the war, the veil of civilization was exposed very center revealing the true underlying evil of mankind, resulting in the death of millions including one victim; Anne Frank. Although she was hiding in a annex for two years because of the result of the brutality of people’s discrimination, she wrote; “It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” It is hard to think that such a young and innocent girl would perish soon after writing this in the concentration camps constructed by the Nazis. The Nazis’ brutal ‘purification’ of the world, leaving millions dead in the brutal concentration camps and the horrific gas chambers, exemplify Golding’s ideas of mankind; brutal, destructive and evil which are inherent in human nature. The use of Jack, the pig hunts, the Lord of the Flies, Simon and the island that Golding believes in the idea that evil in an inborn characteristic of the archaic human race. Golding's use of characterization of Jack portrays the capacity of evil and violence which men are capable of due to their inborn human nature of evil. This is indicated when Jack, feeling especially bloodthirsty after a pig hunt starts to chant: " Kill the pig, cut his throat! Kill the...
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...Lord of the Flies William Golding Analysis of Major Characters Themes, Motifs & Symbols Ralph Ralph is the athletic, charismatic protagonist of Lord of the Flies. Elected the leader of the boys at the beginning of the novel, Ralph is the primary representative of order, civilization, and productive leadership in the novel. While most of the other boys initially are concerned with playing, having fun, and avoiding work, Ralph sets about building huts and thinking of ways to maximize their chances of being rescued. For this reason, Ralph’s power and influence over the other boys are secure at the beginning of the novel. However, as the group gradually succumbs to savage instincts over the course of the novel, Ralph’s position declines precipitously while Jack’s rises. Eventually, most of the boys except Piggy leave Ralph’s group for Jack’s, and Ralph is left alone to be hunted by Jack’s tribe. Ralph’s commitment to civilization and morality is strong, and his main wish is to be rescued and returned to the society of adults. In a sense, this strength gives Ralph a moral victory at the end of the novel, when he casts the Lord of the Flies to the ground and takes up the stake it is impaled on to defend himself against Jack’s hunters. In the earlier parts of the novel, Ralph is unable to understand why the other boys would give in to base instincts of bloodlust and barbarism. The sight of the hunters chanting and dancing is baffling and distasteful to him. As the novel progresses...
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...follow through with. In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, Jack acts no differently. In the beginning of the novel Jack never strays from the law, he is always civil and lawful. As the novel progresses he forgets about society and wants to obtain power. He is not given what he wants and uses violence to obtain power. Powerful people often resort to violence in order to control others. As Piggy tries to correct Jacks mistakes, Jack resorts to violence towards Piggy. The text subsequently shows Jack punching Piggy in the stomach, “This from Piggy, and the wails of agreement from some of the hunters drove Jack to violence.”(pg.71) This quote shows that when people demand power, they resort to violence to obtain their power, such as Jack did towards Piggy. This is significant because when too many people want to obtain power, they will all resort in violence to achieve what they yearn. Evidence that violence leads is a means of control is reflected throughout the book. Jack uses violence and the kids fear him, therefore he gains power. Ralph asserts his dominance in chapter two by interrupting others so he can be heard over the other kids, which is another way of showing how he wants to obtain power. It is not necessarily physical violence, like Jack has done, but verbal violence. This is Ralph’s way of asserting dominance to obtain power. “Shut up! Wait! Listen!” (pg.46) This quote shows how language is power too. Instead of physical violence Ralph manipulates the other boys by dominating...
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...Does Golding Think That Man is Inherently Evil? “Man is the cruelest animal.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche. Sir William Golding, a man who survived World War II and transformed his life into that of a nobel prize-winning writer, was no stranger to the idea of inhumane behaviour. He wrote the novel Lord of the Flies, which is about a group of boys that have survived an airplane crash and are currently stranded on an island with no adults. Over the course of the story, the boys go from being civilized human beings to barbarous savages, a transformation the author likely witnessed during his tenure in the navy. Golding suggests that people are inherently evil. In Lord of the Flies, the survivors of the airplane succumb to their wicked nature. The first example of that is the sinister celebration of killing the pig, at which the boys dance like savages and chant, “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood” (Golding 2006, Ch. 4, p. 75). The fact that small children repeat such a malicious phrase implies a lack of humaneness. Another example of their malevolence are their unnecessary acts of violence. The first instance of this is torturing Wilfred. When Roger questions Jack’s motive for punishing the younger clan member, he does not get an answer: "But didn't the chief say why? … I never heard him"(Golding 2006, Ch. 10, p. 159). Further along in the book, Piggy is brutally killed by Roger. Once again there is not an ulterior motivation for committing such a deed, Roger simply...
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...In Goldberg's novel, Lord of the Flies, Jack has been a character that has remained evil, dangerous and power hungry. The author demonstrates this by Jack's emotions, behavior, and physical characterization. In the beginning of the book, Jack's emotions shows how he thinks he deserves resect right away. In Lord of the Flies, it says, “‘Kids’ names,’ said Merridew. ‘Why should I be Jack? I'm Merridew’” (Goldberg 21). In this case, Jack believes that he deserves respect from the boys’ right away. Jack thinks that he was above everyone else. When you want to go by your last name, that means you want to receive more authority and respect from others. By going by his last name, Jack has more domenice, that leads to power and respect. Another reason...
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...Zoe Mais Ms. Woodruff English 9, Period 2 September 1, 2012 Lord of the Flies: The Bad, the Horrible, and the Ugly There is a nationwide debate on whether Lord of the Flies by William Golding is appropriate for high school students to read. It is filled with foul language, grotesque violence, and the horrible effects of insanity. The worse fact it that this is all happening to a group of kids between the ages 6 and 12. In my opinion, this is an inappropriate book for high school students to read. This book is intended for mature audiences. For teenagers, at still a young age, to be reading this book isn’t good. The ages of the children in the book are almost close to the ages of the teens reading the book. The time period which the story is set in is different than the time period now, so we have a different view of the story than society 60 years ago. First, let’s talk about the language. “You’re a beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody thief!” (Golding 163). This is an example of the profanity used in the story. Ralph yells that at Jack before they’re about to fight before Piggy stops them. The boys in the story are British. In Great Britain, the use of the word “bloody” is considered profanity. Even though we don’t use “bloody” in that context, we can still understand how it’s implied. You wouldn’t want a little boy screaming “bloody” at everything. Just think of him screaming “F- this” and “F- that” at everything. It’s just the same context as “bloody” but in just...
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...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...
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...The novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, is about a group of boys who are stranded on a desolate island. They begin their struggle for survival by organizing and cooperating with each other. They elect a chief, a boy named Ralph, and a leader of the hunters, a boy named Jack. These two boys are the dominant figures of their newly formed society; however, two dominant males are by nature, unable to coexist and share power, therefore a struggle between them arises. Each of the boys wants to lead the society in the direction of their choosing. Ralph believes it is important to maintain a fire in the hope of rescue, while Jack emphasizes hunting for game and gratifying his killer instinct. Through the novel Lord of the Flies, Golding...
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...Imagine life with no rules, supervision, and no 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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...author of Lord of the Flies is set on the a island during World WarⅡwithout government or adults, only immature children. At first the boys made it seemed to be all fun and games, then all the sudden tragedy swept the island. In the novel Lord of the Flies William Golding really touched based on that society retains the humanity. At the beginning of the novel when there was a good democracy like society, there was hardly any violence. The text stated that “ In the middle of the scar he stood on his head and grinned at the reversed fat boy”(Golding 8). This statement that is made towards Ralph is to show his excitement about having no adults on the island. He has all this excitement since every teen wants to have their own rules. William Golding made a remarkable statement by saying “ They knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood”( Golding 31). The boys are not able to kill because their home environment was not allowed to hurt or kill living...
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...Lord of the Flies Review “When a plane crashes on a remote island, a small group of schoolboys are the sole survivors. From the prophetic Simon and Virtuous Ralph to the lovable Piggy and brutish Jack, each of the boys attempt to establish control as the reality and - and brutal savagery - of their situation sets in” (Goodreads.com 1). Lord of the Flies, by William Golding is a novel about a group of kids stranded on an island, and having to survive. This goal; like any other, has obstacles. Children, along with even adults are known to be very judgmental, and the result of that is bullying, which happens to a little boy crudely nicknamed Piggy more than anyone else. Waiting until they are rescued, lady luck really doesn't seem to be on their side. This book should be recommended because it connects to a real medical problem - asthma - and has the theme, there is always some kind of darkness in man’s heart, often causing extreme harm to other people....
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...How does William Golding support his hypothesis of what could possibly happen on an island when humans and boys in particular are marooned there? You may consider setting, characterization, themes and/or symbolism you must incorporate quotes from the text to support your analysis. William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies shortly after the end of WWII. The novel's plot, in which a group of English boys end up stranded on a deserted island struggle to develop their own society, is a social and political thought-experiment using fiction. The story focuses on their attempts at civilization, devolution into savagery and violence puts the relationship between human nature and society under literary observation. Golding uses several allusions to human evolution, such as when the boys discover fire, craft tools, and form political and social systems in a process that recalled theories of the development of early man. Golding's hypothesis about humanity is pessimistic, that is, there are anarchic and brutal instincts in human nature. He displays this throughout his conveying of the setting, characterization, themes, and symbolism. The novel takes place on an un-known inhabited island in the Pacific Ocean, Immediately in the novel Golding reveals the instinct of the restricted human savagery in the boys in regard to the setting. “Behind this was the darkness of the forest proper and open space of the scar” Page 10. Golding shows the...
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...“When Tears Turn to Blood” Even a slight loss in control can turn aggressive impulses into violent behavior. In Lord of The Flies by William Golding it shows that aggression is inevitable in all people and societies, and can be productive when handled in a healthy way, but when channeled improperly, can result in brutal violence. Most societies set up mechanisms to channel aggressive impulses so that aggression does not turn into violence, such as sports, the military and competitions. The hunters handle their aggression using some of these mechanisms which are helpful at first but end up causing unhealthy violence. When the boys first arrive on the island, the hunters are successful in tapping into their natural desire to channel their...
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