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Beowulf And Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

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As part of human nature, we’re accustomed to following a set of rules to have an orderly and peaceful lifestyle. Usually, if those rules are disobeyed, destruction and disorder are bound to come our way. This act is prevalent in two stories, Beowulf and The Lord of the Flies, that were written centuries apart, but yet the concept of how ignoring rules can lead to the downfall of societies is common in both. Usually, a well-built society derives from a strong leader who has the characteristics of guiding people to do the right actions. Such an example would be Beowulf who is viewed as a God-like hero and is highly respected. Throughout Beowulf’s stay at the Dane’s place, he had portrayed the qualities of being generous and loyal, which …show more content…

His qualities of showing strength along with intelligence sets him apart from the rest of the characters, leaving him to develop essential rules for the group to follow, since it’s the only thing that’s holding the boys back from anarchy (Goulding 91). Such rules were keeping a fire going on the mountains, using the rocks beyond the bathing pool as a lavatory, shelters needing to be built, and keeping water from the stream in coconut shells under fresh leaves. All of these rules ended up being broken by the group and Ralph addressed them during a solemn meeting (Golding 79-81). Their one and only chance to get off the island turned out to be when Jack and the rest of the group disobeyed about keeping the fire lit on the mountain for ships to see the smoke. The “little uns” had started disappearing and without any rules being followed, they were never found. Soon, a downfall of their society had come to play when Jack had separated with his group of boys from Ralph and his group. Instead of coming up with a plan to get off the island together as a group, the group itself divided and fought amongst each other leading to nothing but despair, as Piggy was killed during it all. The little spark of hope that they had was now ruined, with no way to build back up again to a decent society where rules were

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All of the boys life have fallen apart, and lives have been taken. The school boys, are not school boys anymore. The schoolboys have lost their innocence on the island. Many lives have been taken, the mama pig, Piggy, Simon, and almost Ralph.

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Fear has the ability to manipulate people into believing there is danger when there is not, causing them to make rash decisions. These decisions can result in a disobedience to one’s cultural beliefs, as seen in Lord of the Flies and Beowulf. Even though the characters from Lord of the Flies and Beowulf come from cultures built around nobility and loyalty, fear tears them apart from the society they had worked hard to achieve. Although the boys from Lord of the Flies tried to keep their culture’s morals, the fear of the unknown caused the children to betray their Culture.

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Humans, according to the philosopher Thomas Hobbes, are selfish by nature. In his landmark work, Leviathan, he explains the importance of a strong government in society. According to Hobbes, without a strong system of government people would revert into a primitive state; war would run rampant, the natural law would not be abided, and those once tamed by society would become evil. William Golding based his novel, Lord of The Flies, on a similar idea. In this novel, many characters digress from civility into savagery.

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Secondly, Ralph is very determined. He wants what is best for the boys , so he has to want things done right and in a decorous fashion. Ralph wants the shelters to be finished, food to be gathered and/or hunted, the fire to stay ablaze to help them be rescued, but most importantly, he wants to pull their weight and contribute to the workload. Jack on the other hand, just wants to hunt and stay on the island forever having fun, which will ultimately dwindle the boys’ chances of getting off the island and going home. Ralph just wants what is best for the boys.

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I meant that! There isn’t a tribe for [Ralph] anymore!’” (163). Instead of coming to his senses, Jack uses Piggy’s death as inspiration to gain total control of the island and its inhabitants and justifies it by claiming that Piggy and Ralph should never have questioned his

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(Golding 181)This shows that Jack wasn’t bothered by the death of Piggy but by the fact that Ralph and Piggy were still trying to form a society. Jack and his hunters start a fire that burns most of the island down during a hunt for Ralph. (Golding 198-200). Jack had no care for the island and its

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Quotes and tie together Truths in Lord of the Flies from Historical Events Humans are known to make mistakes every once in awhile, but they can choose to learn from their mistakes or repeat them. In William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies, Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, and a multitude of other young boys are deserted on an uninhabited island of paradise. They argued and fought each other, while not taking their situation as seriously as it was. Corruption formed between the opposing figures of authority, Jack and Ralph, and it resulted in most of the boys becoming brutal and relentless savages.

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Everyone has a perspective on good and evil; the battle line between good and even runs through the heart. “Beowulf” illuminates characters that come from dark and deep backgrounds that construct their dauntless actions. In the heroic tale “Beowulf,” the author’s tones strongly demonstrates themes of loyalty, honor, and courage. Raffel’s tones remotely displays the act of loyalty within multiple characters. “Hail to these who will rise to God, drop off their dead bodies” (101).

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Jack lost his sanity and civility and this changed him in more ways than imaginable. Jack was a natural leader when the boys first came onto the island, but as time continued he became a horrible dictator. On the first day on the island, Ralph and Jack competed for chief of the island. Ralph won. Jack was unhappy with this result, but it didn’t yet throw him into a spiral of craze and anger.

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Beowulf is part of another tribe and is willingly offering to help the Danes. This shows that providing protection and safety to the people, even those of another

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Beowulf embodies many universal societal heroic values that are signified in the modern world like courage, bravery, and strength. In the poem, Beowulf displays courage. “Now, I mean to be a match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat” (Heaney 425-426). This quote shows courage because he’s telling them that he can fight Grendel and wants to weather he wins or loses.

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By being absurdly certain in his own abilities, Beowulf was cherished by those he

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The epic poem Beowulf is a classic tale of good versus evil. Good, as shown in the story, is any action that fights evil and defends the community and the people of it. The evil intent of Grendel, the story’s antagonist and cannibalistic murderer, who is depicted as a “fiend out of hell” (99), is strongly countered by the heroic actions of the stories main protagonist, Beowulf. The noble King Hrothgar is a role model for young Beowulf at the beginning of the epic, displaying acts of charity and wisdom throughout his life.

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In the novel, Lord of the Flies, over a dozen boys are stranded on an island with no adults and to fend for themselves. One individual in Jack Merridew, a boy who is turned cruel and ruthless, is being charged with 1st degree murder for the deaths of two boys, Piggy and Simon. First degree murder is characterized as deaths that a person committed was the individual either plans and commits the murder conscience of their actions. Jack is guilty of first degree and should be charged with 1st murder degree murder because of his direct involvement in Simon’s death, his dictatorial of leadership leading to the other boys’ savage behavior, and his disregard for human life.

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