Recently in 10A Lord of the Flies Essay Category
Alex
McIntyre
Mr. Newman
10A
December 5,
2011
Fire in Lord
Of The Flies
Fire, an object that can resemble life or death, heaven or hell or
safety or danger. In the novel Lord of
The Flies, fire can be seen as all of these things in different parts of
the novel. Through the use of the symbol fire, Golding develops the idea that
when fire is used properly it resembles civilization but when it is used in an,
uncontrollable manner it can be deadly. The use of the symbol fire changes
dramatically as the story progresses from beginning to end. It starts off only
meaning rescue but eventually evolves into a symbol to represent power and
death.
When fire is uncontrollable it can be deadly. The use of fire
uncontrollably is shown multiple times in key parts of Lord of The Flies. Closer to the start of the novel, the first
example of uncontrolled fire arises. The boy's goal is a small fire with large
amount of smoke. However it is clear the boys aren't exactly expert fire
builders. This supposedly small fire on
the mountain becomes uncontrollable and leads to death, "He was a distant
relative of that other boy whose mulberry marked face had not been seen since
the evening of the great fire". (62) This displays that from the beginning of
being stranded they were aware of the dangers of fire. Fire reaches its most
dangerous peak when it is used as a weapon, "Under the thicket, the earth was
vibrating very slightly; or perhaps there was a sound beneath the obvious
thunder of the fire and scribbled ululations they were too low to her". (220)
Jack and his tribe purposefully use fire as an uncontrollable weapon to
potentially force Ralph out of thicket and get rid of him. This action really
shows how uncivilized the boys have become. It shows they are willing to do
anything to get what they want. The use of fire uncontrollably in a way is the
reason the boys are found and Ralph's life was saved. The extreme fire produced
such a large amount of smoke; the naval ship was obligated to check it out, "His voice rose under the black smoke and
before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion". (224)
This shows how distraught the officer was to find how inhuman the boys had
become to use fire in such a horrible manner. Therefore fire is used
uncontrollably throughout the novel for better and worse. It may have been one
of the best and worse decisions made by the boys in their time on the island.
Work Cited
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. London: Faber, 1954, Print
Rachel Hunter
Mr. Newman
ENG2D
5 December 2011
To Become Savage
"Savage peoples are
ruled by passion, civilized peoples by the mind. The difference lies not in the
respective natures of savagery and civilization, but in their attendant
circumstances, institutions, and so forth. The difference, therefore, does not
operate in every sense, but it does in most of them. Even the most civilized
peoples, in short, can be fired with passionate hatred for each other (Karl Von
Clauswitz)" Within many is hatred for others or notion of hate in our civilized
society; however those who allow this nature to surface are savages. They are civilized outside but as they gain
power and control they become savages.
This was a very prominent notion in the novel Lord Of The Flies. Through the use of savagery as a theme of loss or lack of connection
to civilization, Golding develops the idea that when the restraining influences
of civilization are removed, our savage nature emerges. During the beginning of the novel savagery
is much less prominent. The boys are
trying to stay connected with civilization through the creation of rules and
order. However, as the novel progresses
the restraining influences of civilization begin to fade. By the novels end there are no longer any
restraints to civilization the boys are holding onto, and they become complete
savages.
As the novel begins, and the boys first arrive on the island they
try to maintain their connection to civilization. They attempt to create some
sort of order through the use of the conch and different groups. You see "...the children obeyed the summons of
the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link
with the adult world of authority (61)" This tool is a connection to the power
and rules set by their parents back home in civilization. Ralph represents order and civilized behaviour,
whereas Jack represents desire for power and savagery. When the boys first arrive on the island Jack
is apprehensive and is still holding onto the morals he knows. He was unable to kill the pig "...because of
the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of
the unbearable blood." (29) back in civilized society killing of living things
inhumanly is wrong, and here Jack still has that moral with him. However, Jack is letting this moral go as
when they return to hunt again "...there will be no mercy"(29) We first get a
look into the idea that the boys are becoming more savage when "Roger stopped,
picked up a stone, aimed, and threw it at Henry- threw it to miss" (64). This action of throwing stones at another
little boy is an uncivilized behaviour.
The rocks were thrown, but thrown to miss because the child (Henry) is
surrounded by "...the protection of parents and school and policemen and the
law."(65)
Roger still has
some restraining influences of civilization he is holding onto, but soon they
will fade away. The boys' savage nature
is starting to take over, as the restraining influences of civilization fade.
By Rachel Hunter, Class
10A
Works Cited
Clausewitz, Karl. "Quotes." Think Exist.
N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec 2011.
<http://69.59.157.161/quotation/savage-peoples-are-ruled-by-passion-civilized/349055.html>.
Golding, William. Lord of the flies. London:
Faber and Faber Limited, 1954. 225. Print.
In
the novel Lord of the Flies, there
are many very meaningful quotes and
references to the conch. This novel study has revealed that the conch is more
than just a shell. It has a deep and underlying meaning to the dynamics of the
events, which occur, on the island for the duration of the novel. Through the
use of the conch as a symbol, Golding develops the idea that the civilization
and relations between the boys is completely shattered when the conch is
crushed by the large rock. This then reveals through microcosm and macrocosm,
that democracy is beginning to die in our world today. More dictators are
taking over. In the beginning of the novel the conch represents democracy, democratic
authority, civilization and order. In the middle of the book the boys start to
ignore it more, it is less important to them, and the new tribe of hunters do
not respect it. At the end, everything that the conch represents is completely
destroyed when it is crushed along with Piggy by the boulder. Cruelty, power,
and savagery take over.
In
the beginning of the novel, the conch is extremely important to the group of
boys. To them it represents democracy, democratic authority, civilization and
order. The boys think that the conch is, "ever so valuable"(11). Such as how important democracy is to a
group of individuals to retain social equality. Once the conch was found, it
was put to work right away: "We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting"(12). They used the conch to call assemblies,
which shows the importance of democratic authority to the group of boys. Their
assemblies and meetings were always very civilized, and they each had their
turn to say what they thought about certain things. At a dictators meeting, it
would consist of chanting and yelling, and the leader would be the only one to
express their opinion. When they began to use the conch to call assemblies, it
worked very effectively at the beginning of the novel: "The children gave him
the same simple obedience that they had given to the men with the megaphones"(14).
This quote shows how attentive and well behaved the children were during the
meetings, they were obedient to Ralph and others when they were speaking. When
Ralph blew the conch, everyone obeyed him and there was no confusion, or
disrespect to him or the conch. So in the first few chapters of the novel, the
conch was very important to the boys. It represented democracy, democratic
authority, civilization and order, which are very important to maintaining a
civilization.
Work Cited
Golding,
William. Lord of the Flies. London: Faber, 1954. Print.
Layers of Savagery
On the surface Lord of the Flies seems like a simple Robinsonade about a few kids who get stranded on an island and have to survive. However, when you look a little deeper into the novel it has many layers. There are ideas and lessons in the book that may actually be a little frightening and open your eyes to ideas previously unknown. One of these layers is savagery. Throughout the novel the children on the island slowly become more savage in nature; some fight it; some embrace it. This idea of savagery is trying to portray the idea of what is happening to our society and world. We are slowing going back to primitive ways of life. In the novel the boys become savage in a few ways, each of which relate to our world. First, their looks gradually become more primitive and savage. Second, they become more like animals in action and movement. Last, their personalities and behavior change to be more savage.
At the beginning of the novel the boys are all wearing there uniforms and clothes, this changes quite quickly however. In the opening scene of lord of the Flies Ralph, "had taken off his school sweater and trailed it from one hand"(1). This shows that the boys are originally neat looking boys with nice uniforms. This however changes very quickly as one of the first things Ralph does is take off all his clothes and go swimming. This act of wearing no clothes is originally an act of innocence as it shows that he has no worries or regrets about being naked. But later when Jack is wearing nothing, "except for a pair of tattered shorts held up by a knife belt"(48), the feeling changes more to savagery. This is because ripped shorts and a knife give the idea that he looks like a primitive hunter in the forest who wants to kill something. Jack is not the only one whose appearance has changed. At the beginning of the novel Ralph is, "the fair haired boy"(1). This changes a lot, at the middle of the novel Ralph, "flung the mass back" and wanted to "cut this filthy hair right back to half an inch"(119). This shows how much his appearance has changed, but also how he wants to fight the savagery and be more civilized. The children's change in appearance was made very clear, in fact one child was described as "a savage whose image refused to blend with that ancient picture of a boy in shorts and shirt"(203). This quote solidifies the fact that that the kids are becoming more savage, and that their looks reflect that. This idea easily connects to the real world in the sense that the clothes people are wearing now are very different and than only a few years ago. In 1945, which is only 66 years ago, women's bathing suits were one piece and covered their whole chest and stomach; now a woman can wear a strapless top and a thong bikini, and not even be looked at strange. Also a man could wear a speedo and it would be fine. Also most of the world is below the poverty line and they live in filth and dirt. These two points show how are world has some similarities to Lord of the Flies, and that at our current rate we are following what Golding predicted and we may want to be aware of this.
Work Cited
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. London: Faber, 1954. Print
On a stranded
island filled with littluns, everyone wants to be heard. One method for doing
this is by using a conch; it is
their only version of a megaphone! Through the use of the conch as a symbol in Lord of the Flies, Golding develops the
idea that organization, democracy and civilization are needed for a society to function. In the beginning of the
novel, the conch brought organization and unity to a civilized community. As
the novel progresses, the democracy shown by using the conch becomes less
crucial to the boys' survival, and more irrelevant. As their sense of
civilization vanishes and the horrors of humanity are displayed, the conch is
no longer a useful tool for leadership and organization.
It has been said that, "decency
must be an even more exhausting state to maintain than its opposite" (Crisp). During the falling action of Lord of the Flies, the conch illustrates
how the boys' right judgment and civilization completely disappear. In addition
to this, we can see how their sense of decency deteriorates into a sense savagery!
An example of this is shown just after the boys disperse in the middle of an
assembly. Ralph says to Piggy, "If I blow the conch and they don't come back;
then we've had it. We shan't keep the fire going. We'll be like animals" (99). Though
this quote we can conclude that the conch has lost its importance and power
because the hunters' savage actions have overpowered any authority the conch
once had in providing civilization. Furthermore, we can see the demise of
decency when the savages at Castle Rock ignore Ralph's attempt in reasoning
with them with his use of the conch. For the last time, Ralph says, "I'm
calling an assembly" (195). Instead of listening, "Jack made a rush and stabbed
at Ralph's chest within his spear" (196). This event confirms that having ownership
of the "ever so valuable" (11) conch doesn't mean anything anymore! By this
time, the conch becomes transparent and more fragile than ever before.
Similarly, the boys' civilization is also delicate. Lastly, Golding develops
the idea that civilization is necessary in a community when Roger throws a rock that strikes Piggy. As a
result, the conch held by Piggy explodes "into a thousand white fragments and
ceased to exist" (200). This shows the errant boys and their lack of respect
for each other. Parallel to losing their respect, the shell that once governed
a political legitimacy, was lost too. Through the
conch, these examples show that the boys' society on the island is not adequate
because of the community's lack of civilization; therefore, civilization
is needed.
Works
Cited
Golding, William. Lord
of the Flies. London: Faber, 1954. Print.
Crisp, Quentin.
"Brainy Quotes." Decency Quotes 2 January 2012
