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Stylistic analysis of Lord of the Flies by William Golding and literary devices
Stylistic analysis of Lord of the Flies by William Golding and literary devices
Use of literary devices in the Lord of the Flies
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Advocating Civility
In both Golding's Lord of the Flies and Marquez's "I Only Came to Use the Phone" emerges what is more than a simplistic story but instead an avocation for the author's beliefs. These authors use several techniques such as plot and dialectical choice to exemplify their distaste for savagery. Both main characters, Ralph and Maria, transition from an individual in a new and isolated environment to a savage who is a part of this place. When looking at Golding and Marquez's techniques of influential plot and dialectal choice, one can determine that these methods of writing are used to advocate civility.
Initially, in Lord of the Flies the main character Ralph is placed in an isolated setting being an island, that is very detached from the civility that Ralph came from, which indicates that at first he will be very opposite compared to this setting. "The fair boy began to pick his way as casually as possible toward the water" (Golding 8). It is recognized that Ralph is not comfortable with this setting since he picks his way through attempting to look casual rather than being relaxed and natural when going about walking. Ralph as well is described as a fair boy, which is used by Golding to exemplify that he does not belong here, because typically someone that belongs on an island or has been there some time would not be fair skinned but instead of a darker complexion. Golding makes Ralph so opposite to his setting as a way of symbolizing the vast separation between savagery and civility. At this point Ralph is not affected by his setting so he therefore cannot lose his civility in an instant. This is Golding preparing the audience for the changes that influence the civility of Ralph to come.
Likewise, Marquez uses...
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...ecome savage, she would have been happy to see him. All she wanted before was to see her husband again, and now she is treating it like he is a beast as well. This is done by Marquez so the audience will recognize that savagery does not work to benefit the victim but take away aspects that they once had in their life, such as love. Marquez advocates civility through Maria.
When looking at Golding and Marquez's techniques of plot and dialect, one can determine that these methods of writing are used to advocate civility. The authors of both works use their ability to tell stories as a platform for their own beliefs to be heard. These techniques they use, such as plot and dialect, serve as the hidden implications of themselves. The main characters Ralph and Maria transition from an individual in a new and isolated environment to a savage who is a part of this place.
Back in 1990, a man named Gary Soto decided to write an autobiography about himself, titled A Summer Life. One of the more interesting portions of the book was when Mr. Soto described a summer day back when he was six years old. On that day, young Gary found out what it felt like to be a true sinner, as he stole an apple pie from the local bakery. Some readers found this as one of the more interesting parts, not because of the plot, but because of the literary devices used, such as detail, imagery, and pacing. The three aforementioned literary devices are almost a backbone to the story, because without those three, the story would be shortened and fairly bland. The following three paragraphs will each describe a literary devices used by Mr. Soto to enhance the quality of his story.
Ralph's actions as a character in the novel assist in reinforcing Golding's point that the prevalent force within man is evil. While Ralph struggles, albeit unsuccessfully, to maintain a civilized society on the island, he repeatedly tries to resist the temptation of evil inside him. As the island descends into chaos under Jack's tyrannical regime, the rest of the boys on the island let their hair become longer, at the same time becoming increasingly vicious. Ralph tries to ignore the temptation of having long hair, trying to push it back to maintain the good he has inside him. Ralph wants to “have a pair of scissors” to cut his hair, but the hair is coaxing him to let evil dominate (109). ...
In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, most of the boys on the island split into an evil side due to the fall of civilization and fear. The protagonist Ralph in Lord of the Flies by Golding changed during the novel. At the start of the
In William Golding's, “Lord of the Flies”, all the young boys depict one of the Kiersey Temperaments as they conform to what they believe are the islands expectations. There are four different personality types: the Guardian, Idealist, Rationalist, and Artisian. Ralph is the young boy in this novel that portrays a Guardian the uttermost, through his responsibility, common sense and charisma.
Vega, Ed “Spanish Roulette” Reading Literature and Writing Argument. Ed. James, Missy and Merickel, Alan P. 5th ed. Boston: Longman, 2013. 417-423. Print.
of the native tongue is lost , certain holidays may not be celebrated the same , and American born generations feel that they might have lost their identity , making it hard to fit in either cultures . Was is significant about this book is the fact it’s like telling a story to someone about something that happened when they were kid . Anyone can relate because we all have stories from when we were kids . Alvarez presents this method of writing by making it so that it doesn’t feel like it’s a story about Latin Americans , when
To convey this moral, Marquez employs distinct writing techniques. He paints a vivid picture of the setting through his descriptive language. However, not all of his stories are the same, which makes them a delight to read.
Tan, Amy. “Two Kinds.” Exploring Literature: Writing and Arguing About Fiction, Poetry, Drama and The Essay.4th e. Ed. Frank Madden. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. 253-261. Print.
The use of diction is also vital to the development of the characters in Lord of the Flies. The passage opens with Ralph “smudging the sweat from his face with a dirty forearm.” This conveys to the reader an exhausted boy who is at wit’s end. The words “smudging,” “sweat,” and “dirty,” connote savagery, and they show Ralph’s animalistic characteristics coming out. He has changed from a polished, civilized boy to a dirty savage since the arrival on the island. Ralph also runs around the fire “holding up his hair” when he realizes that most of the boys have joined Jack. This reference to hair shows the savagery in Ralph, as opposed to his clean-cut original appearance.
William Golding explores the vulnerability of society in a way that can be read on many different levels. A less detailed look at the book, Lord of the Flies, is a simple fable about boys stranded on an island. Another way to comprehend the book is as a statement about mans inner savage and reverting to a primitive state without societies boundaries. By examining the Lord of the Flies further, it is revealed that many themes portray Golding’s views, including a religious persecution theme.
In William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies Ralph though not the stronger person, demonstrates a better understanding of people than Jack which gives him better leadership qualities. Ralph displays these useful human qualities as a leader by working towards the betterment of the boys' society. He knows the boys need stability and order if they are to survive on the island. He creates rules and a simple form of government to achieve this order. Jack does not treat the boys with dignity as Ralph does. Ralph understands that the boys, particularly Piggy, have to be given respect and must be treated as equals. This makes Ralph a better leader as he is able to acknowledge that he was not superior to any of the other boys. Ralph's wisdom and ability to look to the future also make him a superior leader. Ralph has the sense to keep his focus on getting off the island. He insists on keeping the fire burning as a distress signal. Ralph's leadership provides peace and order to the island while Jack's leadership makes chaos.
“With a convulsion of the mind, Ralph discovered dirt and decay. (p.82)” At home, the boys were raised with and became habituated to proper European mannerisms and dress passed down to them from parent and other adult mentors. To act upon these mannerisms and proper dress became second nature when around adults, though on the island, they had lost that adult influence. Suddenly, “Ralph was struck with this new mood of comprehension (p.82)” that he had lost that visible image of being proper that he had been raised with for so long.
Julia Alvarez was an example of how a Latina writer identified herself in a new culture outside of her comfort zone. She, as a Dominican Diaspora, had to reinvent herself as she migrated into a new scenario. Her assimilation into the United States culture allowed her to understand and relate to the reader’s needs and points of interests. After all the effort, Alvarez kept in mind that she could not comfort to all the reality that she lived in, so she re-reinvented herself all over again to process her thoughts and beliefs into her life. She put her perspective on her writing so that the new wave of readers, even if they did not understand, could relate in some way and appreciate the differences. The sole purpose of her writings was for everyone to change their perspective from “walk to the other side of the street in order to avoid sharing the same sidewalk” to “I do not know them, but I do not avoid them because I do not know them”. She instilled in her reader’s mind how ordinary events were viewed differently through other cultures’ eyes. Her story Snow was a great example of how she portrayed her technique.
At the commencement of the novel, the author introduces Ralph as an innocent boy far from adulthood. Almost immediately, Ralph is described as a "fair boy." This phrase indicates a stereotype of the perfect child--blonde hair and blue eyes with blemish-free skin--which the author manipulated to show innocence. Also, Golding used this to give the reader a feeling of Ralph's position on the scale of maturation. It guides the destination of the novel and how much Ralph needs to grow to attain complete maturity. Ralph's innocence is further implied when he says his daddy is "a commander in the Navy" and that "when he gets leave, he'll come rescue us." Clearly, Ralph's comments call attention to his inability to view matters, especially his current situation, realistically, and to show Ralph's simplistic thinking, as well. Later in the novel, Ralph views Piggy as a fat bore with "ass-mar" and "matter-of-fact ideas." Ralph is still at the point where he believes that he is on a schoolyard playground where teasing and handstands are an acceptable practice. Similarly, Ralph's thoughts are intended to show what a sheltered child he has been all his life. Thus far, Golding developed Ralph so that the reader interprets him as an ideal child without any indication of maturity. The author will build upon this to transform Ralph as a character and as a person.
Failure of individual ethics is firmly portrayed in the novel where the author says “The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that, the shape of society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical and respectable.” The predominant theme of “Lord of the Flies” is civilization vs savagery. Throughout the novel Golding argues that people are essentially savage, attracted towards violence, however humans have been able to create civilizations as the years passed by. The clash between Ralph and Jack represents civilizations vs savagery. This is expressed through the boys’ attitude towards authority, where Ralph uses his authority to create rules, safeguard the group and implement the moral and ethical values, while Jack wants to satisfy his desires through power. When Jack creates his own tribe, he wants all the boys to not only help him but worship him. This is similar to how Hitler was during WW2, his desire for power made him think that he is the most superior and he went to an extent of killing the Jews without any valid reason claiming that they are not the right race. This suggests that Golding has been able bring out Hitler through Jacks actions. When Jack doesn’t identify the importance of society and disobeys Ralph’s authority, his true character emerges. Through this Golding brings out that savagery is an unavoidable fact of humans, civilization can help alleviate its growth. The Lord of the Flies is an annals of civilization leading to savagery in human nature, the boys who are shaped by the civilized British society become savages through apprehension, superstition and