During a violent crisis, a group of English boys are evacuated to escape attacks from Britain only to have their plane crash. The boys become stranded on an island and from the moment of their arrival, the boys begin to destroy the natural harmony on the island. In an attempt to maintain order, Ralph uses rhetoric and moral philosophy. He specifically uses formalism, logos, and pathos.
Ralph uses formalism in the form of establishing rules and regulations to create an orderly civilization. Upon reuniting with the other stranded children, Ralphs institutes the rules of the conch: “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.” This quote establishes that the person who has the conch is the only person allowed to speak. This method of communication ensures that everyone is heard and respected on equal grounds. Following Jack’s raid of Ralph’s camp, Ralph says, “The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going? Is a fire too much for us to make?” Ralph’s emphasis on the importance
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After a lousy attempt at starting a fire, Ralph asserts, “We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there may be a ship out there.” Ralph used logic to justify the continuation of the signal fire. He makes the logical argument that a ship could pass by the island at any time, therefore having people dedicated to maintaining the fire is the best way to ensure that they are noticed and rescued. Amidst talks about implementing new measures, Jack interrupts Ralph who responds with, “I’ve got the conch.” Instead of retaliation with brute force and emotions, Ralph sensibly utilizes the conch and logic to control the boys. This makes it easier to resolve disagreements and conflicts. Ralph employs a rhetorical appeal to the other boy’s logic and rationality to reason and argue for his