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Literary analysis lord of the flies
Literary analysis lord of the flies
Examine Lord of the Flies as a psychological novel
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Golding uses chapter eight to show the changes within Ralph and Piggy. The experience on the island has caused them to mature early, and Golding develops this maturity in order to provide the reader with a believable story and memorable characters. He develops the characters through vivid details, distinct diction, simple syntax, and congested figurative language.
Golding uses detail to show Ralph’s change from a civil leader to a mindless savage. When Ralph sits and pokes holes in the sand, he is “surprised” to see blood. He examines his nail and is interested, not concerned, about the blood. He originally was disgusted at the site of blood. This act shows his savage-like fascination with blood. Piggy’s development is also dependent on Golding’s use of detail. Within this passage, Piggy wipes off his glasses twice. There is a sense of paranoia and urgency in this act. Piggy wishes to disconnect from reality and does not want to admit to himself or Ralph their desperate situation. Piggy was originally the voice of reason in the novel. This simple act, however, shows he is changing into an unadmitting fool because he chooses not to see reality due to fear.
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.
Syntax is another technique used by Golding to further develop the characters. The frequent use of dashes, fragments, and simple sentences remind the reader that although they are encountering a very complex situation, the characters are still simple-minded children. It also shows the characters’ fragmented thoughts and fears. Originally, Ralph was a well-spoken leader, but in this passage, Golding shows he is a scared creature through syntax.
Figurative language is employed by Golding throughout the novel to develop plot and characters. In this passage, the most vivid figurative language is in the final paragraph.
In Lord of the Flies, Golding proves that fear draws out man’s inner evil and barbarism. Within the novel, Golding uses characterization of the boys and symbolism of the beast to show the gradual change from their initial civility to savagery and inhumanity. Learned civility, order and humanity become ultimately futile in the face of fear. The author teaches that without logic, fear consumes endlessly. He shows that fear clouds the mind, thus making it absolutely imperative to maintain reason and logic throughout life. Fear will always end in a fate worse than death for those who survive it.
His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy (Golding, 290).
Golding was such an excellent writer because even though his plot was incredibly simple it makes us think about the true meaning behind his words. Golding is able to convey vast information in simple ways through characterization such as when we see Jack manipulating the boys through pathos, Ralph establishing himself and relying on his ethos, and Piggy ineffectively attempting to use logos. The devote use of symbolism throughout the novel creates a unique writing style and conveys an elegant tone. When the novel is examined for rhetoric, knowledge of ethos, logos, and pathos is gained because of Golding’s ability to deliver a message through visual imagery, vivid character descriptions and the underlying messages in his
According to the PTSD Fact Sheet ”PTSD was once considered a psychological condition of combat veterans who were “shocked” by and unable to face their experiences on the battle field” (Fact Sheet Page 1). Over the years with additional research and discoveries PTSD has now become a much more common diagnosis for many anxiety sufferers. According to the National Center for PTSD “Anyone who has gone through a life-threatening even can develop PTSD. These events can include: combat or military exposure, child sexual or physical abuse, terrorist attacks, sexual or physical assault, serious accidents such as a car wreck, or natural disasters.” (National Center for PTSD). Each individual is different and not everyone who lives through a traumatic event will developed PTSD. Some of the determination factors if an individual will develop PTSD vary based on how intense a trauma was, if the individual lost someone they were close with, how strong the individuals reaction was and how much support the individual received after the event. (National Center for PTSD)
PTSD is a debilitating mental illness that occurs when someone is exposed to a traumatic, dangerous, frightening, or a possibly life-threating occurrence. “It is an anxiety disorder that can interfere with your relationships, your work, and your social life.” (Muscari, pp. 3-7) Trauma affects everyone in different ways. Everyone feels wide ranges of emotions after going through or witnessing a traumatic event, fear, sadness and depression, it can cause changes in your everyday life as in your sleep and eating patterns. Some people experience reoccurring thoughts and nightmares about the event.
6. What form of figurative language does the author use in line 12 of page 212 to make his writing more interesting?
The diagnosis of Post –Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) involves clusters of symptoms. They include persistent re-experiencing of the trauma, avoidance of traumatic reminders/ general numbing of emotional responsiveness, and hyper-arousal (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). In order for the possible diagnosis of PTSD the individual needs to have exposed to a
The piece was performed in very minimalist staging. There was the use of flashlights and the backdrop was unlit during this specific choreography. Maria I. Garcia did a brilliant job in informing the audience and, in my opinion, challenging the audience to be moved artistically. Garcia had a male dancer, Joshua Archibald, speak to the audience about how the purpose of art was to not only inspire its audience, but to also involve its audience as the choreography was in progress. Along with the staging and lighting for this choreography, the costuming was simplistic. The dancers wore plain white t-shirts and black briefs. Garcia’s choreography did not only stand out to me because she had one of her dancers reach out to the audience and pose a question, but because she used the unique medium of paint in her choreography. As the dancers got through the choreography, which was already ingenious, they proceeded to paint on the white t-shirts worn. Garcia truly did a commendable job in reaching out to her audience and posing a question.
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). ...
There are tremendous amount of debates that go on in this world on a daily basis. One of the most talked about debates of the century is that of animal rights and experimentations. This debate, also known in the animal rights community as vivisection, is one of the most difficult to understand. Individuals have numerous different outlooks on animals. Many individuals look upon animals as companions while others see animals as an object of advancing medical techniques. No matter what ones perception is of animals, the fact remains that animals are being exploited by research facilities and cosmetics companies all throughout the world. In spite of the fact that humans frequently benefit from successful animal experimentations, the pain, and occasionally death that often occurs is not worth the human benefit. Hence, animals should not be the use of research.
Although, this session ended with amazing results, I feel as though I need more practice with this type of therapy. I have to continue to practice on allowing the patient to come up with their own solutions. I found it hard not giving advice to my client, because I already knew the situation. However, in the end I found myself very proud, because even though this was not a real therapy session, but the client was able to find a real solution to her problem. This experience is one that teaches the therapist restraint, it allows one to step back and listen. It also gives the client the opportunity to reach a solution themselves without someone giving them the answer to their
The use of diction is powerful, with the gripping use of words and description. Golding creates tension and reinforces his theme and tone with the use of specific words. Many are connotative and therefore create a story abundant in meaning and symbolism. Golding uses colors such as pink to symbolize particular things such as innocence, as shown in the piglets and the island. The word yellow makes the reader think of the sun, enlightenment and Ralph; the words black and red bring to mind evil, blood and Jack.
“There can be many reason for animal cruelty, like any other form of violence, is often committed by a person who feels powerless, unnoticed, or under control of others. Some who are cruel to animals copy acts what they have seen or that have been done to them, others see harming an animal as a safe way to get revenge against--or threaten-- someone who cares about that animal”. (“Animal… Statistics”) Concerns towards abusing animals have gone up in the past. Although there are not many cases on animal abuse, many have occurred. Abusers are charged with Criminal Animal Abuse and then sentenced to life in prison. Some animals that are physically abused are sometimes rescued by Animal Control, and are taken it to an animal shelter. However, many shelters have not had the space to keep the animals so the workers would have to put them down (Carol Roach). Researchers have shown that the main animals getting abused are dogs, chickens, horses, and livestock (“Animal...
The animal rights movement opposes organizations that use animals for research, food, clothing, and human entertainment. Since animals are often seen feeling pain and distress, they argue that animals deserve greater moral consideration and legal protection than human beings generally give them. The animal rights movement was designed to aid the animal protection, or animal welfare, movement, and strongly opposes the idea of animal experiments that lead to suffering or death . “Groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and the Human Society continue to question the need for animal research and argue that alternatives are being neglected” (Ch. 17, pg.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can turn into a very chronic condition that can immensely affect the daily life of an individual. As the name implies, there is a great amount of stress and fear related symptoms that follow a traumatic event. These events can range from something as extreme as being in combat or to something that can happen at any given moment, such as a car accident or assault. In general, we associate this disorder with veterans, as most develop signs of the disorder soon after coming back home, but in reality, PTSD can happen to anyone at any point in their lives. The fifth edition of the American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illnesses lists eight criteria that an individual must meet in order to receive proper diagnosis of the disorder. These criteria are dependent whether one is older or younger than six years old, but are both very similar. Specifically in children, there will be more observable behavior during play and demonstrate more attachment towards the parent or guardian, but otherwise, the symptoms are similar to adults. The first criterion states that the patient must have been involved in the traumatic event, whether they were directly involved, witnessed, or heard about the event that involved someone close to them. Vivid flashbacks and nightmares are also an indicator of the disorder. These are not just any flashbacks and nightmares; they relate to the event and cause a great amount of physiological arousal. When it comes to their sleeping habits, there are constant sleep disturbances that can prevent the individual to fall asleep. There must also be avoidance of anything that reminds the patient of the traumatizing event. The patient will do anythin...