Recently in 10B Lord of the Flies Essay Category

Brendan Kirby

Mr. Newman

ENG2D

December 5, 2011

The Atavism of Fire In Lord of The Flies

      Throughout the novel Lord of The Flies there are many symbols used to give a deeper meaning and interest to the reader. One of the biggest symbols used is fire. In the novel, Golding uses fire to represent civilization and how when people act in an uncontrolled manner, civilization can suffer. At the beginning of the novel, fire is positive and beneficial, but then goes through a destructive transformation, ending with a very negative effect.

        At the start of the novel, rules are put in place to ensure that there was a possibility of rescue, warmth and safety. One rule was that at least two people were to tend to the fire at all times, even during the day, for a signal to boats or planes. Everyone was fine with this rule because it gave them hope that they could one day be rescued. At night, some would gather around the fire for warmth, and this united the boys and kept them from the cold of the night. Without the fire, the boys also were afraid of the dark, and felt unsafe. This deprived them of sleep and was an issue. The fire acted as a light and kept them safe from the darkness of the island. The fact that they can control fire is what separates them from being savages. Without the ability to control fire, the boys would lose the hope of ever being rescued, safety, warmth, light and possibly even life.   

Aureon Oroomchi

Mr. Newman

ENG2D

Monday, December 5, 2011

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a prime and great example of how when governments and societies are left to live alone in solitude, the community falls apart and often takes other things down with it. The symbol of Piggy's glasses within Lord of the Flies is a prime way to show it. Through his use of the symbol Piggy's glasses, Golding communicates the idea that as knowledge and intellectual endeavor are made to carry a community alone, there is only so long they can last before they fail and even turn on themselves. This change of it state can be seen at three key points in the novel, the first time the fire is lit, when Piggy's glasses are broken, and finally once they are stolen.

The true beginning of the loss and extermination of knowledge and human nature are shown once Jack and his tribe of hunters break Piggy's glasses. As Jack "Stuck his fist into Piggy's stomach" (75), Piggy was sent flying and his glasses hit a rock causing one of his lenses to crack. The example here isn't the fact that the glasses broke, but that since Jack was living away from adult civilization for such a stretch of time he resorted to physical abuse punching Piggy. The community continued to fall apart once Jack put down the authority the conch represents, splitting the original group apart into two. Since himself and his group "shan't hear [the] conch " (167) , Jack rejects the leadership the group previously had with Ralph in charge running the group as a democracy, and replaces it with his own thundering dictatorship. At this point Jack no longer remembers the importance of being organized and working together in a group, all of the lessons he's learned have vanished; the understanding of the importance of leadership is diminishing and the community and connection between the children go down with it. Eventually, Jack and the others not only lose their sense of knowledge, but also their sense of life. As they chant "kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!" (168) and "screamed, struck, bit, [and] tore" the so-called beast, they were killing Simon without even knowing it. The ultimate evil to kill another man was committed by young innocent children. Transforming from the beginning of the novel while the children, although a little rough with each other, were together as a group. A group was set to hunt, another to build shelters, another to build a fire, everybody knew where they were and the thought of murder didn't even cross one of their minds. But as time went on, and the evil within the boys sprouted, killing was considered a noble deed, one that was done to kill the Beast. Once damage was dealt to the lenses of the glasses, not only did the children lose access to fire, but also they lost their access to knowledge and thought. Everything started to rocket downhill as murder, anger, and frustration came out of the children at their full potential.

Fire, The Key to Survival

Golding uses symbols throughout the novel Lord of the Flies.  One of the main theme symbols is fire.  In the novel Lord of the Flies fire remains a very important part in survival, civilization and mutual cooperation.  However throughout the novel the use of fire changes from an innocent survival fire to a savage killing fire.  Throughout this essay I will be explaining how the use of fire is changed.

            At the beginning of the novel fire is mostly used for survival.  It is used to keep warm throughout the night and was the beginning of the signal fire.  This makes the fire seem more innocent than it becomes later.  At the beginning when the boys first decide to make the fires.  The boys all chant, "A fire!  Make a fire!" They then make a fire, "The flame flapped higher and the boys broke into a cheer" page 40.  All is going well with the fire and the boys are able to keep it going.  Without the signal fire or the survival fire the boys would not be able to survive, they would freeze at night, they would not be properly nourished and they could potentially never be rescued.   

Fabian Liebermann

Mr. Newman

ENG2Dd (English)

12/5/2011

Democracy shown through the symbol of the conch

In the Lord of the Flies

Over the course of the novel the Lord of the Flies by William Golding, symbols are described for having a significant role in the lives and lifestyle of the boys on the island. An important symbol is the conch, which follows the children from the beginning of the novel when Piggy and Ralph first find the conch, until the end when it gets destroyed, at the exact time of Piggy's death. The conch is portrayed as a symbol of democracy and order, two important factors for a working community. Throughout the novel, the conch's importance and meaning are changed and forgotten eventually, showing a decline from a democracy to an almost dictatorship, as this symbol loses its value.

         As time progresses the boys become more uncivilized through mostly acts of Jack, as he is not for the democracy and therefore the symbol of the conch. The conch maintains a symbol of free will, respect and democracy over the course of the novel, yet it loses its value steadily as the novel progresses. In one of the meetings the boys have, when Simon gives his thoughts about the conch, and how he believes that there might be a beast but that it is only a figure of fear and not a realistic "beast", there is tumult among the boys, so Ralph shouts: "Hear him! He's got the conch" (96). This shows that the conch has a big part in holding order and having a diplomatic and democratic conversation in the way that everyone gets to speak their mind. Later in the novel when Jack and two of the other as described "savages" come to Ralph's tribe and ask them to join their feast on the freshly caught pig tonight, Piggy assumes the "savages" are there to steal the conch and holds it protected near him on an elevated position. When the savages leave, "the group of boys [look] at the white shell with affectionate respect" (155-156). The way Golding describes this shows us the massive respect that the kids have for the conch and how they cherish the meaning and symbol of the conch and don't want it taken away. The last event the conch is talked it about is, when Roger sets off the rock to kill Piggy, which takes Piggy's life, yet also in that exact moment, "the conch [explodes] into a thousand white fragments and [ceases] to exist" (200). This event literally can be described as the destruction of the minimal democratic way that was still present at this time in the novel, as the event after clearly shows, when Jack's tribe, which is everyone beside Ralph, goes on a hunt and turns into an uncivilized and barbaric act to kill Ralph. All of these example show that the conch clearly is a symbol of democracy and order, but its value declines over the course of the novel until in the end all democracy, by the final act of the destruction of the conch. 

Elizabeth Hodgson

Mr. Newman

ENG 2D

Dec. 5^th

Wolf in Sheep's Skin- Lord Of The Flies

In the book Lord of the Flies Golding uses themes and symbols to covey underlying messages throughout the novel. Golding is developing the idea that the beast is linked to savagery. Fear is the thing that brings out the more savage side of people. In scenes throughout the novel, like when Simon is mentioning the beast in a meeting and everyone is getting scared and angry, when the tribes are attacking Simon because they think he is the beast, and when the tribes are dancing and pretending to hunt Roger, anytime the beast is mentioned, the boys experience fear, and then they revert to a more primal state of savagery. The boys are the sheep, and the wolf is hiding inside, waiting for fear to bring the other side out.  

When Ralph calls a meeting to discuss the beast, Simon mentions that the beast might just be the boy's themselves, and the boy's get angry and act savagely. An example of this is when the boys start shouting, "'Sod you!' 'Shut Up!'"(96). The boys get stressed, and the scene turns into chaos. As soon as the beast gets mentioned, the boys get scared, and this fear leads to violence. The wording that Golding uses is very short and simple "'Sit Down', 'Shut Up'" (96). This also reflects the primitive nature. Because the beast is a sort of metaphor for fear, whenever it is mentioned, the fear in the boys takes them over, and to counteract that they act violently to feel safer. Simon also finds it hard to speak after everyone's outbreak: "Simon became inarticulate in the effort to express mankind's essential illness" (96). This demonstrates that the only boy who realizes what the beast is is the one who does not succumb to the fear it inspires. Because fear is what brings the beast out, Simon is one of the only boys who does not act savagely. This shows that understanding and knowledge and civilization all combat the fear the beast influences. When the boys concentrate on the beast they lose sight of the goal they are trying to achieve, getting home. Simon still is a sheep, but he understands that there is a wolf inside him as well.

Tristan Mills

Mr. Newman

ENG2O

3 December, 2011

The Literary Use Of Fire In Lord Of The Flies

Fire is a fickle thing. It can harm or heal, depending on how it's used as a tool. In Lord Of The Flies, fire is shown in different ways to reflect on the way the boys use fire and how it affects them. Through the use of fire, Golding develops the idea that tools only do things based on their users, whether the users intend to do something or not. In the novel, the three states of fire are: under control, out, and out of control, each one doing different things to reflect on the boys based on their actions and state of mind.

...

...

When the fire is out of control the boys are either behaving rashly or savagely, leading the fire to go out of control. During the first incident with fire, the boys start a fire without thinking it through and Piggy says: "Then when you get here you build a bonfire that isn't no use. Now you been and set the whole island on fire. Won't we look funny if the whole island burns up?"(46). The boys were excited about a fire and ran off with Jack to start it. By behaving rashly they set a large part of the island on fire, killing the boy with the birthmark, if not more littluns. Right before the final chaos starts, Ralph notices that  "Smoke [is] seeping through the branches in white and yellow wisps, the patch of blue sky over head [began to turn] to the colour of a storm cloud, and then the smoke [billowing] around him"(216). Here the fire is getting started but from the tribe of boys, it is clear that the fire will soon be out of control due to their lack of care. Finally, near the end of the novel Ralph notices: "Now the fire was nearer... The fools! The fire must be almost be at the fruit trees - what would they eat tomorrow"(220). With the savage state the boys are in, the fire gets out of control on their hunt for Ralph. The fire and the boys are similar at this point in time because the boys lead the fire to be destructive. When the boys are in a state to let or make the fire get out of control it represents their inability to think properly so that they don't see that it is hindering them.

Keenan Carragher

Mr. Newman

ENG2D

Monday, December 5, 2011

Piggy's Glasses: an Exploration in Civilization and Savagery

In the novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the author uses various objects as symbols that undergo radical changes throughout the novel as the theme they are representing changes. Through his use of the symbol of Piggy's glasses, Golding communicates the idea that knowledge, wisdom, intelligence and civilization can be used for the good of the people or ignored altogether. Piggy's glasses play an important role throughout the novel and the affect they have on the novel changes as we pass the major points in the novel such as the introduction of Piggy, when the fire goes out and the passing ship does not notice them, and when Simon encounters the Lord of the Flies.

After Simon returns from where he "talked" to the Lord of the Flies, civilization has been forgotten and the savagery among the boys is released. After the hunters kill Simon thinking he is the beast, Ralph and Piggy return from their camp. In the morning they are silent until Ralph brings up the events of last night, "That was murder[Jack says this]." "You stop it!" [says] Piggy shrilly. "What good're doing talking about it"(193).This shows that Piggy, the figure of intelligence and knowledge, is trying to unlearn what happened the night before. This is relevant because it has always been Piggy who has tried to talk sense into the boys about the tales of the beast, and he now also is trying to come up with a reason why they killed Simon, but this time he tries to reason because the alternative is too horrible and scares Piggy. This is important because Piggy was never scared of the beast, only the people around him. It is almost as if Piggy(knowledge) is trying to forget knowledge. Later, when it is night time, Piggy and Ralph along with Samn'eric are ambushed in their hut. In the resulting melee, Ralph manages to get in some good hits on his opponents before the fled. Thinking they had come for the conch, Ralph asks Piggy if the conch has been taken. Piggy replies "They didn't come for the conch. They came for something else. Ralph, what am I going to do?"(207). Outside the hut, the hunters from Jack's group run back to their camp excitedly, and from their leader's "left hand dangles Piggy's glasses"(207). This event perfectly portrays how Jack and his group are turning away from civilization, ignoring wisdom,  because instead of asking for the glasses, they use brute force. Also, it is as if intelligence (Piggy) can do nothing to stop savagery (Jack) without civilization (Piggy's glasses). This attack indeed leaves Piggy useless and reliant on the others. As Piggy and the others go to get his glasses back, they are confronted by Jack and his hunters. After Jack and Ralph fight with their spears, Roger gets bored and sends the boulder crashing down on Ralph and Piggy from the Castle Rock. Ralph manages to leap to the side but Piggy does not, and "the rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee"(222), causing him to fall forty feet down a cliff and break his skull. This event can simply be portrayed as the death of civilization and intelligence on the island, leaving savagery to take over. From these examples it is clearly evident that if the naval vessel had not picked the boys up, the school boys would have gone completely savage and killed each other off eventually.

Sources Cited

In the Lord of the Flies, a group of boys have been stranded on an island in a plane crash. These boys have put together a small society in which they attempt to enforce rules and routines, with the conch acting as a symbol of democracy. Golding develops the idea that the conch represents the many parts of democracy as a whole, and when democracy is put under too much pressure it may fail. In Lord of the Flies, the conch is used to symbolize democracy, authority, and order.

Primarily, Golding enforces the idea that the conch represents democracy, so when the conch falls apart, so does the democracy. Democracy means that everyone has input into making decisions, and everyone has a voice. The conch is used as a democratic symbol because when any of the boys are holding the conch, they are allowed to speak and everyone will listen: "Conch? That's what this shell's called. I'll give the conch to the next person to speak" (31). This shows that using the conch, everyone gets a chance to speak and give his or her opinion. As the novel progresses, a lot of pressure is put on the democratic system that the boys have implemented, and it starts to fail. This pressure includes the fear growing among the boys, and the forces working against the system, which is mainly Jack. At one point, Jack tries to take control and overrule the conch: " 'Conch, conch!' shouted Jack, 'we don't need the conch anymore, we know who ought to say things'" (110). This particular quote represents a turning point in the novel, when Jack devalues the conch so that he can have more power among the boys. As the conch loses value, so does democracy. Eventually, when "the conch exploded into 1,000 white fragments and ceased to exist" (200), the democracy also failed and the boys' society became chaos. When the conch was smashed and democracy failed, Jack, the force acting against democracy, rose above as a dictator. Therefore the idea that Golding has developed about the conch symbolizing democracy is that in the face of fear, democracy and order may fail.