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Lord of the flies analysis essays
The lord of the flies literary analysis
A literary analysis for Lord of the flies
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In the novel The Lord of The Flies by William Golding there are two characters. Both 12 years old, Ralph the son of a naval officer and Jack a redhead with freckles and the head of the choir. Both with leadership characteristics but one siding with reason and the other with Power. First, after the boys landed on the island and found each other, Both boys had a craving for power so they nominated themselves to be leader, Jack saying “I ought to be chief”, “because I'm chapter chorister and head boy”.
In Golding's Lord of the Flies, leadership is needed in society to functions as shown through, “"Him with the shell." "Ralph! Ralph!" "Let him be chief with the trumpet-thing. "”(Golding 16).
The Peer Pressure Factor of Lord of the Flies William Golding’s Lord of the Flies paints two stark and opposing images of reality. On the one hand, the novel suggests that certain characters have venerable attitudes, making them seem like the protagonists, like Simon or Piggy. This can be seen from the motivating forces behind Simon’s decisions, or by the civilized behavior portrayed by Piggy. On the other hand, the novel also suggests that a deep built-in mechanism exists in every human being, one that prioritizes survival over morality. Just by observation, the novel demonstrates Jack’s exercise of hunting instincts, his combat of the social recourse from Ralph, his influence on everyone else to join him, and his eventual takeover of the
Throughout Ken Kesey’s, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the balance of power is challenged in the psychiatric ward. Out of the several leaders that appear in the novel, Nurse Ratched and McMurphy are the most prominent. During Nurse Ratched and McMurphy struggle for power, they share many of the same qualities. It is argued that: “McMurphy and Ratched are alike in intelligence, military service, distinctive (if opposite) clothing, and conventionally masculine qualities” (Evans). These small similarities; however, do not distract the characters from fighting for their individual beliefs.
Democratic power can be used to control a society, as well as establish a closeness as civilians. To lose sight of this can mean the corruption of a civilization caused by the lack of order. One’s choice of independence in order to better the chances of their survival requires complete dedication and willingness to risk. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Ralph loses his democratic power due to his failure to ensure survival and protect the boys as a leader. Ralph’s failure to lead the group is due to his initial and chronic independence and inability to compete with Jack’s followers, accounted for mainly by fear.
Lord of the Flies dates back to 1954 when a famous novelist, William Golding decided to write a book which could show an unusual version of the human beings. Born into an environment where his mother was a suffragette and later experiencing World War II where human ruthlessness was at its peak, made him better inclined in to writing a piece where he could explain his readers how human beings react in different situations. The setting of the novel depicts a situation where the human behavior is rational. The novel hence persuades the readers to realize the importance of ethics and civilization and how their absence can disrupt the society .Furthermore, the novel shows a negative aspect of the mankind and explains the reason it develops savagery
In the midst of the 1950 's, the Cold War begins. While in that period, William Golding creates Lord of the Flies published in 1954. This is a novel about young school boys crash landing on an island. The boys on the island let the fear of something inside of them be in control. In the story, there are lots of events that take place and characters that take part.
Daddy taught me. He’s a commander in the Navy. When he gets leave he’ll come and rescue us.’ (13)” This is significant because it shows an important characteristic of Ralph that when he realizes that there are no grownups with them, he doesn’t instantly forget that they exist, along with the rules they institute.
Leadership Abuse in Lord of the Flies The famous 17th century poet Jean de la Fontaine once said “Anyone entrusted with power will abuse it if not also animated with the love of truth and virtue, no matter whether he be a prince, or one of the people.” When the children in Lord of the Flies find themselves stranded on a distant island with no adults to be found, they encounter many forms of power, hence encountering many forms of abuse of power as well. This power abuse can be organized by the two leaders who each ruled the island during their own periods. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding utilizes these leaders, Ralph and Jack, to illustrate how people in positions of power will abuse their power for personal gain when given the opportunity.
Corruption’s Rise to Power Combined Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler killed 54 million people. This begs the question, why do people who are clearly corrupted and even murderous followed by many? William Golding in his novel The Lord of the Flies attempts to answer that question through his portrayal of the character, Jack. In the novel, a group of boys get stranded on an island and attempt to create a proper government.
In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the author uses Jack and his self-proclaimed authority to establish a concept of power that is derived from and maintained by fear. The concept of separable power leads to inevitable war. A struggle for leadership reveals how far Jack is willing to go to prove he is of the best intellectual abilities to carry out the role of Chief. Jack’s narcissistic mindset is adequately demonstrated to further establish how his authority derives from his own selfish desires. Jack symbolizes evil and a loss of innocence on the island.
In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, he created this book about a group of proper british boys to show that even the most civilize of all can turn inhuman and go savage. Also being in the war helped Golding to see what people were capable of even if they were good at heart. The themes in Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, were influenced by his childhood, his experiences in the war, and his view of human nature. Golding’s early life influenced the theme in Lord of the Flies.
A community can only thrive when there is a hierarchy to impose rules. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a plane with a group of boys crashes on an uncharted island. The children are stranded without any adult supervision. The group attempts to form an organized society to stay alive and sane. As the novel progresses, they collectively struggle to keep order and they become savages.
In Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows the progression of absolute power, and how ambition can take over one's mind. Stranded on an island after their plane crashed, the boys create their own democracy with one absolute ruler, just like many other governments throughout history. The boys voted Ralph as their ruler, but Jack slowly starts to take some of Ralph’s power, and eventually usurps him as their chief. Lord of the Flies suggests that absolute power is corrupt, and that humans are overly ambitious in wanting to take power from the person who has the most of it. Just like any large group of people, the boys decide that they “ought to have a chief to decide things” (Golding 22).
Through examination of Lord of the Flies, Golding seems to share this point of view. When left in an environment lacking authority, the boys attempt to follow the fundamental rule of nature, electing Ralph as their leader and for a time, following his rules. However, when another boy desired the same position, competition arose and Ralph was revealed to be less powerful and disrespected by the group. Jack found his power in feeding off the other boys’ fears, and using violent, animalistic techniques, which proved to be what they truly desired. War broke out between the two, as Hobbes predicted would happen in such circumstances, and morality was only restored when a powerful figure of authority finally arrived on the island.
