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Groupthink In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

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Groupthink is the influence of a decision upon a group. Throughout the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding Portrays the idea of “groupthink” in the story. Groupthink can be seen as a bad or a good example. In this novel, it is used as a bad example because of how the kids on the island assemble their decisions. It is clear that groupthink negatively affects the children in this book and it is seen through the conch used as the voice of assembly, the kids on the island thinking the beast is real, and the traditional dance the kids do on the island. The primary way groupthink negatively affects the children on the island is seen through the conch’s symbolism. In chapter one, Piggy says, “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us.” (Golding 16) As soon as the conch is picked up from the water, it is shown as a representative for the voice of an assembly. The conch is presumed to be used in a positive approach of groupthink, but some kids took advantage of it like Jack, Maurice, and Roger. It was a mystical symbol for order and leadership. Jack used this symbol in a negative way. He wanted to be the chief of the group and he separated the group. Jack tried to overthrow Ralph and became successful and this happened because Jack took advantage of the conch. …show more content…

It started out with the littluns being scared of the beast and the fear spread to the biguns. Piggy says, “He says he saw the beastie, the snake thing, and it will come back tonight?” (Golding 36) This all began because of a littlun thinking there is a beast on the island. This thought of a beast on the island ran through all the children’s mind. This an example of groupthink because one kid convinced others that there is a beast on the island. The fear of the beast affected Simon’s death because the kids thought he was the beast and that resulted in his

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The conch was the last thing that held onto democracy, and after the conch had been destroyed, everything that Piggy and Ralph had fought for had been demolished and disappeared forever on the island. Overall, the conch symbolized order, law and democracy in the beginning of the Lord of the Flies. It was mainly used to call assemblies and allowed the person that held it to share their thoughts without being interrupted by another. As the novel advanced, the boys grew more savage which lead to the diminishing of the conch and Piggy. Along with the conch, the civil instinct of the boys had

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In the Lord of the Flies by William Golding, many children get stranded on an island after their plane had crashed. The children need to work together to figure out how to survive without any adults to help them along the way, until they are rescued and brought home. The author uses symbolism, and irony to develop the theme that without society’s rigid rules, anarchy and savagery can come out. When the children first landed on the island, they stuck together and kind of made a little society and “village” of their own. They made shelters, had a bathroom, bathing pool, etc.

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The conch is used to regulate the children and assure that they are not becoming too rambunctious. If the group is unorganized and rowdy, the team as a whole will not be able to complete their tasks, such as maintaining the fire and building their huts. Piggy reminds the group the authority the conch has over them, stating that, “‘I got the conch,’” and stressing to the others of “‘[his] right to speak’” (P.44). Piggy reiterates how important the conch is, or should be, to the group, and that the symbol should be respected in order to ensure their meetings are more

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LOTF Final essay By Parker Fenton The dangers of groupthink and mob mentality are one theme of William Golding's novel "Lord of the Flies" This theme is visible in the way the boys on the island soon form into groups and become united in their decision making in the way they establish their opinions and ideas of the "beast" figure which represents the influence of fear and the drive for wanting to be saved. The way the boys on the island soon form into groups and join together in their decision making is one reason this theme is true in the book.

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This shows how the power roles have changed throughout the novel, where at first the conch held the symbol of democracy, but now that the faith in it has dissolved, the conch is just a shell thrown around in the monarchy holding Jack as ruler. Throughout the novel, many items and people change as power rolls in between their hands. Consequently there comes a time when an object loses power completely, yet even in destruction it may

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The conch starts off as a symbol for civilization, however as the book progresses it is also a symbol for the loss of civilized manners and maintaining order, and this is shown through the ability to start meetings, granting the ability to talk, and the destruction of the conch. The conch had the ability

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1. Shortly after arriving on the island, Ralph and Piggy discover a conch in the water. Ralph blows the conch to announce his location so the boys can gather. From the first use of the conch, it signifies the unity of the boys because it is what brought them together. The conch is also used to maintain organization.

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Simon was the first to realize there was no actual beast on the island, and that it was only a dead man with a parachute. He believed there was no such thing as a beast on the island, and he helped the littluns believe it too by saying: "What I mean is... Maybe it 's only us." (89). Simon was trying to suggest the idea that the beast was only an illusion to the boys’, as it had been created only within their imaginations.

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Human behaviors are easy to be changed by the experiences and environment. As the time passes by, the changed behaviors can be worse or better than before. However, most people become worse because of the specific experiences in their life time. In Lord of the Flies, the changes of behavior are occurred obviously in the characters of Jack, Roger, and Ralph.

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In the book Lord of the Flies, there were two small societies. The main one, which will be the one focused on, was made in the beginning. It was established with rules from the beginning. That then built the social hierarchy that is the group. There are different jobs and positions, these are what separates everybody and made the social hierarchy in Lord of the Flies.

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Everyone has this underlying darkness within them that is hidden away deep inside the nooks and crannies of their hearts. Golding demonstrates this through the use of his major characters, Ralph and Jack. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, the author William Golding utilizes character development to suggest the idea that when individuals are separated from civilization, dark forces will arise and threaten unity and harmony. Golding presents the protagonist, Ralph, who is decently intelligent and completely civilized, to demonstrate how once individuals are pulled away from civilization, the dark forces within them will arise and change how they are for the time being.

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The conch shattered because all the boys are starting to turn evil, and chaos is breaking out between the boys. The conch certainly establishes an orderly society until it breaks which results in anarchy. There are many symbols in the novel The Lord of the Flies that all represent civilization and transform into craziness. The first symbol is Piggy’s glasses which break because of all the chaos. The second symbol is the fire which grows and turns the boys into beasts.

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Being on the island everyone is contsantly faced with the fear of the unknown the younger boys need someone to protect them from the fears on the island. Although nothing manages to scare the boys as much as the beastie does. When a little boy with a mullberry birthmark informs everyone that he has seen a beastie. The older boys emitiatly belive its his imagination but even later in the novel the boys start to question the exsitance of the beast. After the killing of simion, jack is belives ut was simon disguised as the beast, and that the beast is not dead.

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(Golding, 77). Although the boys laugh at Simon’s idea, his belief conforms Golding’s idea that inner evil exists. The boys develop into the beast when they kill Simon. Simon was desperate to explain the unidentified creature on the mountain but the boys weren’t in the mood for listening to him. With his brutal murder by the other boys, chaos takes over civilized order on the island.

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