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An essay into literary devicees
Literary devices and their effects
What literary device is used in everyday use
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William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies, creates a dystopian society which displays civilized English schoolboys transform into human natures barbaric state. It starts after the crash of their school’s plane onto an uninhabited island where Golding demonstrates how humans have an innate compulsion to be corrupt and chaotic. The boys first want to mimic their British civilization, but later on their mindset starts to change when they lose hope on being rescued. In the beginning, they make a miniature democratic society which had the flaw of higher power. After hope of rescue starts to dwindle and the fear of the “beast” dawns on the boys, their sense of civilization begins to diminish, and the democratic society starts to crumble. The conditions that the boys went through shows how civilized citizens can turn into barbaric savages. …show more content…
The obstacles that the boys face to survive on the island makes them become savages.
For example, in the beginning, when the boys first came to the island they gave some respect to the pig they killed, as though they killed it with some decency. “‘Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood.”’ (96). This quote is from Jack, the leader of the hunters, even though it sounds inhumane, their knowledge and mindsets were limited and straightforward at that time. They mutilated another pig further into the book, as the result of them thinking they don’t have future consequences. “‘Right up her ass! Did you hear? Did you hear what he said? Right up her ass!’” (195). The way that they killed the pig shows how twisted their mindset have become, and how barbaric their thoughts are by thinking it’s decent to mutilate animals. Robert was an example on the corrupt actions that they did while on the island because there were no restrictions. The killing of the pigs validates the before and after mental state of the boys and the journey they went through to become
savages. The reason that they allowed themselves to become savages is because their hope of being rescued starts to dwindle and the idea of having future consequences had the same effect. One of the largest losses of hope was when the signal fire went out as the ship was close by the island. “‘Come back! Come back!’ He ran backwards and forwards along the cliff, his face always to the sea, and his voice rose insanely. ‘Come back! Come back!’” (95). Ralph, the original leader, was the biggest activist on being rescued, under those circumstances it had a rippling effect on the other boys. After they understood that what they did on the island was taboo in normal civilization they start to come to terms of their barbaric actions. “‘...Simon was dead—and Jack had....’ The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body” (290). The ending of the book allowed them to react to their lost hope of being rescued and review what they had lost while on the island. When they first made their democratic society the boys were aligned with each other, but later on they start to have distinctive wants, which led to their failed attempt at civilization. Like when the older boys have to take extra responsibilities to cover for the little ones. “All day I’ve been working with Simon. No one else. They’re off bathing, or eating, or playing.”(46). The younger boys do not fully comprehend what type of situation they’re in, while the older boys have contrasting personal interest. For example, Jack cares about hunting, Ralphs focuses on being rescued and Piggy wants to plan for the future. Since they have different focuses they begin to have conflict over who has power in the community. In conclusion this led to the downfall of what was left of their civilization on the island, which then made them savages. Lord of the Flies explores the idea of a society in a barbaric state, in addition to what would happen to a society in anarchy. When the boys lose hope on being rescued they become more savage because of the lack of future consequences. The reasoning on why their civilization didn’t work was because of their conflicting viewpoints. Lastly, it demonstrates what it would be like in a society that is lawless and doesn’t have a government controlling their citizens. If these factors were to happen to civilized citizens then human natures [add power endings]
A group of kids got stuck on an island after their plane got shot down and they all have many different personalities. Being stuck on an island usually brings out the worst of people.But, there were two characters in novel, “The Lord of The Flies” that had good morals. These two characters were Ralph and Simon. Ralph and Simon weren’t intimidated by not having any adults around, instead, they tried to bring out the best of themselves and not take part in any horseplay the rest of the boys did.
William Golding, the author of the novel The Lord of the Flies, lived through the global conflicts of both world wars. World War II shifted his point of view on humanity, making him realize its inclination toward evilness. His response to the ongoing struggle between faith and denial became Lord of the Flies, in which English schoolboys are left to survive on their own on an uninhabited island after a plane crash. Just like Golding, these boys underwent the trauma of war on a psychological level. Ralph, one of the older boys, stands out as the “chief,” leading the other victims of war in a new world. Without the constraints of government and society, the boys created a culture of their own influenced by their previous background of England.
Jack’s negative effects on others are shown when “Maurice pretended to be the pig and ran squealing into the center, and the hunters, circling still, pretended to beat him” (75). This quote displays Jack’s evil influence because he has made perfectly normal British boys act like mindless savages and participate in this sadistic ritual. The hunters seem to regress to more prehistoric times as they enjoy performing this act. Jack also changes the boys’ behavior when, “The beast struggled forward, broke the ring and fell over the steep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws” (153). This quote is essential because it conveys that Jack has altered the boys’ minds to such a degree, that they are blinded by their bloodlust and can’t even tell that the “beast” that they are mutilating is really Simon. It also shows how delirious Jack has made these once civilized children. As you can see, Jack is not a necessarily evil person, but he creates evil
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies portrays the lives of young British boys whose plane crashed on a deserted island and their struggle for survival. The task of survival was challenging for such young boys, while maintaining the civilized orders and humanity they were so accustomed too. These extremely difficult circumstances and the need for survival turned these innocent boys into the most primitive and savaged mankind could imagine. William Golding illustrates man’s capacity for evil, which is revealed in man’s inherent nature. Golding uses characterization, symbolism and style of writing to show man’s inhumanity and evil towards one another.
When the boys first arrived on the island, their behaviour was civilized and they attempted to convince themselves that they would soon be rescued by their parents. As the days passed, the boys began to open their eyes and realized that sitting around was not going to benefit them in any way, and most importantly it would not help them survive. Because of their new unrestricted life on the island, the boys become ruthless and replaced their previous identity.
William Golding’s novel ‘The Lord of The flies’ presents us with a group of English boys who are isolated on a desert island, left to try and retain a civilised society. In this novel Golding manages to display the boys slow descent into savagery as democracy on the island diminishes.
Lord of the Flies is an intriguing novel about a group of English boys who are stranded on a remote island during World War II after their plane was shot down. The schoolboys quickly use the resources they find and create a temporary form of order. As they continue to stay on the island, their proper English ways quickly turn into savage like instincts. In William Golding’s, Lord of the Flies, Golding uses the conch, the Beast, leadership, murder, and fire to show that without rules there is chaos.
William Golding’s novel ‘The Lord of The Flies’ tells the story of a group of English boys isolated on a desert island, left to attempt to retain civilisation. In the novel, Golding shows one of the boys, Jack, to change significantly. At the beginning of the book, Jack’s character desires power and although he does not immediately get it, he retains the values of civilized behaviour. However, as the story proceeds, his character becomes more savage, leaving behind the values of society. Jack uses fear of the beast to control the other boys and he changes to become the book’s representation of savagery, violence and domination. He is first taken over with an obsession to hunt, which leads to a change in his physical appearance This change of character is significant as he leads the other boys into savagery, representing Golding’s views of there being a bad and unforgiving nature to every human.
Golding has a rather pessimistic view of humanity having selfishness, impulsiveness and violence within, shown in his dark yet allegorical novel Lord of the Flies. Throughout the novel, the boys show great self-concern, act rashly, and pummel beasts, boys and bacon. The delicate facade of society is easily toppled by man's true beastly nature.
At the beginning of Lord of the Flies, the boys create a democratic government. As the story progresses, the initial democracy on the island is ignored, and a dictatorship rises in its place. This dictatorship fails to keep the boys in order. The author, William Golding, shows that without the institution of a strong government and set of rules people will become impulsive and seek instant gratification. In the absence of order, people tend not to become disciplined of their own accord, but rather dissolve into destructive chaos.
Like Jack, the boys no longer value kindness, compassion, or empathy, Instead, they resort to violence and force. This is shown when the boys do their dance and chant “kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (Golding 168) This chant is one of violence and savagery. When the boys see Simon crawling out of the jungle, they don’t care if it’s a human or a beast, their first instinct is just to kill. Another example of the boy’s lack of compassion and empathy, is when they participate in tying up Wilfred and allow Jack to beat him for no apparent reason. Jack’s tribe continues to slip further into savagery. They rebel against, and destroy everything that represents kindness, order and civilization. This is evident when Jack, Roger, and Maurice go to Ralph’s camp, taunt Piggy, steal his glasses to make a fire, and beat up the civilized group. Piggy’s death and the breaking of the conch also represent the group’s disintegration of humanity. Piggy says while holding the conch: “Which is better-to be a pack of painted niggers like you are, or be sensible like Ralph is?” (Golding 200) The tribe chooses savagery over order when Roger releases the boulder that kills Piggy, and shatters the conch. The evolution of savagery is complete when the group’s morals and values become the laws in which they abide
One of the main themes in William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies is that without civilization, there is no law and order. The expression of Golding's unorthodox and complex views are embodied in the many varied characters in the novel. One of Golding's unorthodox views is that only one aspect of the modern world keeps people from reverting back to savagery and that is society. Golding shows the extreme situations of what could possibly happen in a society composed of people taken from a structured society then put into a structureless society in the blink of an eye. First there is a need for order until the people on the island realize that there are no rules to dictate their lives and take Daveers into their own hands. Golding is also a master of contrasting characterization. This can be seen in the conflicts between the characters of Jack, the savage; Simon, the savior; and Piggy, the one with all the ideas.
On the dystopian island of Lord of the Flies, authored by William Golding, one can observe the boy's’ descent into madness. When a group of young children were abandoned on an island without adult supervision, chaos rampaged. This loss civility is most clearly demonstrated by Jack and his effect on others. The text illustrates how quickly he succumbed to the savagery, the way his thirst for power and his dire situation brought him to barbarity, and how the boys followed suit, losing all their humanity.
In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a group of boys is evacuated from England during a time of war. During their evacuation, their plane crashes onto a deserted island in the middle of the ocean. Throughout this allegory, readers follow the boys attempt to create civilization and their basic human instincts take over. According to Golding in an interview in 1955 “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 or respectful.” This book laid out more than a story about boys on an island, but of how humans revert back to basic instinct when they are distanced from society. The characters and prominent items in the book display this theory on human nature.
William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies examines upon the defects in human nature and society. The boys in the novel are stranded on an island, like in Coral Island by R. L. Ballantyne; but unlike Coral Island where all of the boys get along and learn to live in harmony, the characters in Golding's novel do not get along ultimately making them realize they are more like savages than humans. Golding writes in an entertaining way on certain defects in human nature, power, envy, violence, rebellion, arrogance, and guilt are the most noticeable.