Lord Of The Flies Rhetorical Analysis

Analysis of Lord of Flies
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

Introduction
In this book, Lord of the Flies Golding reflects on his time and the events that were taking place, his personal life experiences that are cultural, religious and social aspects of his time. The book begins with a conversation between Ralph and piggy giving a glimpse of the situation they are in. It is in the middle of a nuclear war when a group of boys are being evacuated to a destination that has not been mentioned. Their plane crashes and is dragged out to sea. They boys, between ages 6 and 12, find themselves on an island where there is no sign of human existence. The situations back home are so tense that no one knows the whereabouts of

the boys. The use of the boys in this work and the island and other events represents Golding’s worldview and humanity in general. That is the values or norms of the British at the time.
What the book says about the people or the world
Golding’s experiences lead us to identify some critical aspects of human experiences that he wants to convey. Represented by the platform and the conch, humans desire for political and social order through parliaments and governments. The choir boys who turn to be hunters and later murderers portray a world naturally inclined toward evil and violence. It shows that war is everywhere, even beyond the island. By contrasting the good reserve and the civility of the British nature that their cultural and religious background implies with the boys degenerating evil and aggressive quality, Golding places the boys in a series of experiences of life which lead some deeper into their depraved psyche, for example, jack (Olsen, 2000). Some like Ralph recognize the inclination toward evil in their selves and embrace an epiphany of self- discovery, which is the only hope from humankind to escape from itself. Ceremonial dances and sacrifices meant to please ’ the beast’ represent the presence of supernatural belief in human experience or the divine intervention where human being sees themselves lower in the hierarchy of beings.
In the aftermath of the World War 1, rose Germany’s leader Adolph Hitler with his radical politics of Nazism.

People turned to him because they felt weak and depressed. Historically in times of social and economic distress, the public feels vulnerable and turns to the leader who exhibits strength and power to offer the most protection. This is mirrored in Golding’s book where Jack offers such comfort together with the hunters who can give meat and the comfort of dictatorship (Olsen, 2000). The other boys feel content with it, and they enthusiastically sacrifice any moral reservations they may have about his policies and rules persecuting the other boys who resist joining their tribe.
Golding finds that the atrocities are not a preserve of a nation, in fact, he suggests that any country can commit crimes of the same magnitude as what happened in Germany Nazi camps or even the killings witnessed in the atomic war in the World War 11 where more than 55 million people were killed (Olsen, 2000). Such picture of deaths or the effects of war is captured by Golding’s work where the boys are evacuated, and the sign from the world of grownups that the boys so wish for turns out to be a dead paratrooper flying down from an aerial

war.
Golding's view of humankind's true makeup is that of a pessimist; he views human nature as equal parts good and but permanently entangled together. Instead of looking to social reform to save humanity of its cruelty, Golding feels that disintegration in the social order, such as seen in Lord of the Flies, is directly a work of moral degeneration at the personal level.
The confidence in technology by nations as seen after the war is an idea that human life can be perfected. Included in the field of advancing technology is psychiatry. Golding captures this in his work where Piggy asserts that psychiatry can explain away their worries and fears about ghosts that don’t exist. Golding too does not approve of the existence of ghosts but suggests that there are demons and demonic powers found in humanity resulting in human fears.
The theme of savagery and civilization
The fair boy said this solemnly; but then the delight of a realized ambition overcame him. In the middle of the scar he stood on his head and grinned at the reversed fat boy.
"No grownups!"(Chapt.1)
‘Lord of the Flies’ portrays a world full of violence and moral desolation which is followed by the loss characters’ identity.

The text outlines a plot that gives a chronological order of events that eventually leads to death and devastation. The boys go through gradual degradation as they turn into evil characters with bestial behavior. They change from the once organized English lads into it wild beings. They go through this human change as they gradually walk through a new life free from social limitations, restrictions and punishment from adults. The transformation is observed in the three major characters of the novel; particularly Ralph, Jack and Piggy. The life experiences these three boys adopt on the island cause them to be exposed to the evil that lies within their civilized nature. The experiences influenced them both mentally and physically to the extent where they forget or lose their own

identities.
The island at first appears self -sufficient. It is peaceful with fruits and pigs to hunt for meat, but in the real sense, this island is an image of evil. The fruits cause Ralph diarrhoea, and the pigs are a constant source of fear (Olsen, 2000). The island presents something terrible like a magical spell over the boys whose characters are changed into the worst. Initially, the conch was a symbol of their order but it eventually no longer unites them. The boys begin fighting for power. Jack becomes a hunter; Ralph starts imposing his rule like a dictator. Piggy dies. There was no longer order as before when the boys tried to bring orderliness by choosing their leaders. Golding implies that the British culture which is initially civilized is going through the tests of time, even beyond the island where the boys are. The atomic war which sees the boys removed from their land and the killings being witnessed now shows how a savage human being can be, throwing away the civility of life and opting for evil.
The boys in the island realize that they have no adult to turn to so they decide to elect a leader. They obey the call from the conch and Ralph, a kind and civilized English lad are chosen. He is a charismatic boy and the other boys like his ideas. He, however, does not live to the expectations of the others and he ends up showing signs of ineffective leadership. The group disintegrates. The other boys turn against him. Jack calls him a coward and they fight. The moral degradation and aggressiveness does not reflect the English traditions they had been brought up with but shows society is no longer civilized again, a true reflection of what is happening back at home.
The boys were taught to respect and obey their leader, but they soon forget this while on the island as they begin disrespecting their leader, fighting and killing each other because being away from home they feel they are now free from the grip of their former identity (Kirstin 132). They free themselves from the burdens of traditions, but they end up in war and death. The character of Piggy shows that in a society not all can become savage. He alone does not undergo any transformation from being civilized to being savage like others. Jack is the most savage; he leads his tribe of hunters, and he is ruthless (Niemeyer, 1961). He suggests that they can camouflage as a means of freeing themselves from restraints of orderliness, discipline and civilization. Their degradation into savages is seen in the events after they kill and slaughter a boar. As they return, they set a fire and join together in a blood dance around it like primitive cannibals celebrating the victory over their prey.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Golding’s text shows a reflection of what is happening in our society. Our society is orderly until we choose to cause the disorder. It is civilized until we begin to adopt the savage way. The boys were brought up with the right discipline, shown by the way they organize themselves when they realize they are alone with no adult to guide them in the island. Their character degradation suggests that we are a vulnerable being who can transform because of the evil within us, that we are naturally evil. Golding’s work reflects on the atrocities that occur in our nations. They are not a preserve of one country but all countries. We go to war to kill each other, and we do it consciously as we saw what happen in German Nazi camps and World War 11 where millions of people were killed. This is a picture that is captured in Lord of Flies where the boys are evacuated to the island because of war in their land the result in which many people died.