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Rules, authority and government in Lord of the Flies
About the human nature in the lord of the flies
Analysis for Ralph in the Lord of the Flies
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Where would humans be without nature? Scientifically, no creature could have ever existed without nature; earth could not have even existed without it. Despite this, people treat the environment in varying ways – some abuse it, while others respect and cherish it. William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies points out these assorted reactions to wildlife. Through the British boys’ characterization, Golding illustrates that humans instinctively react to nature in one of three ways: avoiding nature, harmoniously living with nature, or tyrannically trying to control nature.
Ralph represents people who fear wildlife – they do whatever possible to remain a part of civilization. Who was it that held the conch, a symbol of society and order? Who never voluntarily went out into the forest, unless it was essential for survival? Whose idea was it to focus on making shelters, dragging the rest closer and closer to order? Ralph strives for uniformity. He claims, “…the rules are the only thing we’ve got!” showing that he opposes nature’s unpredictability and lack of rules (p. 91). Untamed...
Perceptions of the natural world have fluctuated throughout humanity’s short time on this earth, going in and out of style as societies and technologies have grown and died. As is the the very nature of literature itself, literature and its authors have managed to capture these shifting views, expressed and illustrated by the art of written word. Naturally, the literature chosen for us to read based on this fluid theme of nature encompasses an array of perspectives. One of these views is that nature is sublime and above all else, a reflection of all that which is perfection. Another is that nature is cold, uncaring, and indifferent to the vanities of humanity.
Would you be able to tell what human nature is right here on the spot? Not a couple of minutes from now, but right at this moment? Would you believe me if I said that William Golding was able to do so in a whole book known as Lord of the Flies? Well, William Golding was able to take human nature and put into a story about a group of English boys and explain how harmful and harsh human beings can be. Golding was part of World War II where he joined the Navy and took part in sinking, Bismarck, a German battleship (“William”). While fighting in World War II, Golding saw just how destructive human nature made us. Not only that, but Golding was able to watch how normal people could go from being so civilized to being complete savages. In Lord of
Ralph feels the need to create a better place as he attempts to get everyone home. Although he is demanding, Ralph shows that he has good ideas and can enforce what he thinks should happen: "Shut up," said Ralph absently. He lifted the conch. "Seem to me we ought to have a chief to decide things," (Golding, 22)." His forcefulness gains respect and a confident response from the others. "Ralph smiled and held up the conch for silence," (Golding, 23)." The conch is mentioned and revered as one of the symbols of such power. As Ralph blows the conch, the others draw nearer, compelled to follow: "By the time Ralph had finished blowing the conch the platform was crowded," (Golding32). Piggy, however, was aware of the conch first, but Ralph was credited with its discovery and use. When it was first found, Ralph thought it was a stone in the water but Piggy saw it as the shell and explained what he knew about it:
n William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, British schoolboys are stranded on an island after a plane crash in an attempt to escape the war, but they end up waging a war far worse than the one they were trying to avoid. One boy, Simon, is different from all the rest and has the ability to see beyond what the other boys can. He has the capacity to recognize the good and the bad in everything much before the other boys. In spite of the surrounding chaos and dysfunction, Simon is constantly calm and comforting to others. This sense of tranquility is demonstrated in Simon’s encounters with nature, and the forest in particular. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Simon epitomizes the natural, instinctive human goodness brought by connection to the world, and he is an example of nature's calming influence on the behavior of humans.
Throughout the Romanticism period, human’s connection with nature was explored as writers strove to find the benefits that humans receive through such interactions. Without such relationships, these authors found that certain aspects of life were missing or completely different. For example, certain authors found death a very frightening idea, but through the incorporation of man’s relationship with the natural world, readers find the immense utility that nature can potentially provide. Whether it’d be as solace, in the case of death, or as a place where one can find oneself in their own truest form, nature will nevertheless be a place where they themselves were derived from. Nature is where all humans originated,
To begin with, the symbol of the conch shell demonstrates that Ralph represents civilization. For example, “The being that had blown
He tries to keep a democracy, but Jack's aggressive nature does not allow it to last very long. Ralph is probably the most likable person in the book, because of his good nature and his handsome looks, "His size and attractive appearance". Ralph means "counsel" in the Anglo- Saxon language, and he's the one who calls all the meetings by blowing the conch, and he's chosen as the leader. The conch is seen as a powerful symbol, and he holds it. Ralph does not specialize in any area of human behaviour, except maybe for having common sense (building shelters, climbing the mountain to see if it is an island) and Jack can be seen as his opposite.
Ralph is one of the few boys who realize that the only way to survive is through peace and order. Because he summons the boys at the beginning of the novel with the conch he and Piggy find, they look upon him as the most responsible of the boys and elect him as a chief over the humiliated Jack. Ralph creates a stable and peaceful society for the children to live; this significantly bothers Jack because he wants to have fun and do things that he never did back in the civilized society. Jack is eventually successful of pulling nearly all of the children out of Ralph’s control to form savages. Ralph represents the civilization, and Jack represents the primitive society.
Using plot and characters, Golding depicts the conch as a symbol of civilization, democracy, and law and order. As a tool used to summon the boys to assemblies, the conch holds significant influence as a makeshift authority figure—one powerful enough to establish some semblance of order and civilization amongst the boys despite a complete lack of adult supervision. Ralph, the boys...
From the lone hiker on the Appalachian Trail to the environmental lobby groups in Washington D.C., nature evokes strong feelings in each and every one of us. We often struggle with and are ultimately shaped by our relationship with nature. The relationship we forge with nature reflects our fundamental beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. The works of timeless authors, including Henry David Thoreau and Annie Dillard, are centered around their relationship to nature.
This passage shows many literary devices which make a big impact to make this passage more meaningful. These literary devices let the reader understand the book more, and Ralph. The irony and metaphor shows a good way how all of the civilization and order was lost, and how savagery emerged from this chaos. Also the allusion shows a good connection how the island is slowly turning hell. The cacophony perfectly mocks the animalistic behavior shown by Ralph. These literary devices and tone help reveal the characterization of Ralph, and how he feels about
However, at the end of the book, he simply stood for a common human being. In the beginning of the story, before a formal introduction, Ralph was described simply as “a fair boy.” This already sets him out in a favorable light. Then it further describes how he is apparently good-looking and has the natural air of leadership. Of course, the conch played a big role when the kids voted him for leader, but his appearance played a large role as well. For the good first part of the book, Ralph has always symbolized leadership. As the story progresses and the kids became more and more distant from the idea of civilization, Ralph became more like a representation of common sense. Golding wrote, “‘I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you can’t even build huts-then you go off hunting and let the fire-’ He turned away, silent for a moment. Then his voice came again on a peak of feeling. ‘There was a ship-’” At this part, Ralph criticized Jack for not doing the necessary civilized things in favor of quenching his thirst for a hunt. As more and more of the kids become more and more uncivilized, Ralph became one of the last voices of common sense. When Simon and Piggy died, Ralph was the last one who retained that common sense and yearned for civilization. He had no leadership powers left anymore, and he stood for nothing more than a
To understand the nature-society relationship means that humans must also understand the benefits as well as problems that arise within the formation of this relationship. Nature as an essence and natural limits are just two of the ways in which this relationship can be broken down in order to further get an understanding of the ways nature and society both shape one another. These concepts provide useful approaches in defining what nature is and how individuals perceive and treat
In the ancient and medieval ages of Europe, people were trying to find out the truth about the nature by using only observation and reflecting on it. They did not use scientific methods, indeed it cannot be called as science; it was ‘natural philosophy’. However, through the enlightenment this began to change and it was converted to ‘science’ by creating a new methodology and reflection on nature. While this process, science that existed due to the enlightenment gradually differed from natural philosophy in terms of its relationship to religion. Briefly, natural philosophy which means the way of thinking about nature before the enlightenment was different from modern science of today in terms of the relationship to religion, it was completing the religion in contrast of modern science.
The power of nature is all around us and can be found almost anywhere. One is able to study nature through experiencing it firsthand, looking at a picture, watching a movie, or even reading a familiar children’s story. I believe that by learning more about nature we can grow closer to God. Emerson states, “Nature is so pervaded in human life, that there is something of humanity in all, and in every particular” (Emerson 508). Like Emerson, I believe that humanity and nature were created by God and we can learn more about the Spirit of God by studying nature. I also see that nature has the power to influence our emotions and actions. I see evidence of this through various landscapes such as the desert, the beach, the mountains and the jungle. I thought about the vastness of the desert during a recent trip to the desert with my class. I think about nature and my love for it when I am scanning through my photo album and see pictures that capture me enjoying the mountains of Utah. When I watched the movie The Beach I was struck out how nature, specifically the beautiful beaches of Thailand, influenced the actions of every character in the movie. Of course it is hard to read a legendary story such as “Jungle Book” and not see what a powerful effect nature and its’ animals can have over humans.