ipl-logo

Why Is Lord Of The Flies Important In A Civilized Society

622 Words3 Pages

Basic structure and rules are common in society. The world is so used to having rules to follow and common morales keeping everyone in check that it’s unknown what life would be like without them. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, uses a conch shell and Ralph, a leader in the book, to symbolise the idea that without basic structure and leadership a civilized society will collapse. Control is a major component for a civilized society to function properly. Ralph tries to make sure this control is always present, but soon finds he is not able to. Towards the beginning, Ralph takes initiative to organize the making of the fire; “Each party of boys added a quota, less or more, and the pile grew… Ralph found himself on alone on a limb with Jack and they grinned at each other, sharing this burden” (38). Ralph is off to a good start as a leader because he is keeping the boys organized and busy. Ralph …show more content…

After a while, things begin to collapse. Ralph and Jack engage in a conversation discussing the day’s events when Ralph has an angry outburst; “I bet if I blew the conch this minute, they’d come running… When the meeting was over, they’d work for five minutes, then wander off or go hunting” (51). Ralph is trying to keep his composure, but the frustration of the kids not listening is overwhelming. What Golding is trying to get across is that a society will begin to slow down and not progress when there is inadequate leadership. Ralph seems to be taking the right steps for proper leading, but it also seems he’s not putting in enough effort to keep the group on track. The boys then go on to live laid back lives on the beach until Jack chooses to make his own tribe; “Ralph examined the ranks of boys. There was no help in them and he looked away, confused and sweating. ‘Who’ll join my tribe?’ [Jack says] ‘I will.’ ‘Me.’ ‘I will” (151). After this encounter, Ralph completely gives up

Show More
Related
539 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
464 Words | 2 Pages

Towards the middle of the book, Jack starts to push Ralph more, he starts making Ralph become stricter, and enforce the rules, and in turn, leads Ralph to do things that would surprise everybody, like hitting the boar in the snout with the spear, and getting mad at Jack, and fighting him. Even stepping up in the very beginning, Ralph may not be the strongest leader, or the bet at hunting, but he has the best people skills, he wants to make sure what he’s doing is in best regards for the group, and that everyone is on board with it. Another reason why Ralph is a good leader, is because when he calls a meeting, he tries to keep it as organized as possible by only letting the person with the conch shell

Read More
638 Words | 3 Pages

The book opens with a description of Ralph, he is a fair boy, well-built, and community-minded. He is chosen as leader or “chief” because he is the one who blows the conch to gather the surviving boys. Throughout the beginning of the book Ralph's leadership is shown to be very responsible and the desire to have rules. He has good communication skills with the boy by letting them voice their opinions and always sharing his. He recognizes the importance of building shelters and always has a signal fire on.

Read More
525 Words | 3 Pages

Leadership has a significant role in society. It's the only things that unites everyone together. In the Lord of the Flies the conch is used to help form a society. It kept everything in order and gave everyone tasks they need to do. Without the conch in Lord of the Flies all of them wouldn’t have work together.

Read More
1344 Words | 6 Pages

After the election of Ralph as the leader of the island, he decides it 's necessary for the rest of the boys to have a specific role to fill in order to help society run as smooth as possible. Seeing a boy named Jack, who is the leader of a choir, would be good fit for a leader Ralph decides to allow him to decide what he wants to be in charge of “ ‘Jacks in charge of the choir. They can be-- what do you want them to be? ‘Hunters’ “ (23). Once again the boys have done as they know, and what they know is a society set up to be as efficient as possible.

Read More
998 Words | 4 Pages

In the book, Ralph says, “I’m scared. Not of the beast, that too. But nobody else understands the fire.” Ralph tries to be the leader and control the boys with survival on the island. Ralph also tries to go against Jack, most of the time, being fearless which I do

Read More
796 Words | 4 Pages

Originally it goes smoothly but over time it starts to crumble and collapse. Arguments and fights occur more frequently and eventually Jack decides that “I’m not going to be part of Ralph’s lot-” (Golding,140) This quote shows how Ralph tries to be civilized but over time the more freedom the boys have endured, the quicker their version of civilization crashes. Jack and Ralph both want different things but their ideas clash. Like how in the real world we have different political parties with different beliefs behind them.

Read More
406 Words | 2 Pages

Author, William Golding, in his novel, "Lord of the Flies," follows a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and try to govern themselves. One of the boys, Piggy, is constantly bullied and considered a nuisance by the power-hungry boys on the island. Golding's use of an isolated setting in the midst of the other boys illustrates Piggy's struggle to liberate himself from their oppression. However the need to survive reveals Piggy's inventiveness and rational mindset.

Read More
692 Words | 3 Pages

Natalie Counts Mrs. Zimmerman English 10 honors 2 March 2016 The Lord of the Flies There are many interpretations of Lord of the Flies. It is a universal story that people all over the world can relate to. Lord of the Flies is an allegory in which each character represents something outside of the literal. The main characters Ralph and Jack are not only young boys, they represent three very different types of government: democracy, anarchy, and totalitarianism, while Piggy represents the ideals of a government.

Read More
870 Words | 4 Pages

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is a novel that revolves around the concept of civilization versus savagery. The boys argue about points that eventually split the boys amongst themselves. These disputes come up multiple times over the course of the novel. One of which being the fight over the leader of the boys. Some believed the leader should be Jack while others believed it should be Ralph.

Read More
758 Words | 4 Pages

Or that Ralph really communicates with the boys, and he is confident and dedicated to being the leader. To begin with, Ralph is a better leader than Jack because he has a clear vision and goal to be rescued. A clear vision, according to the text titled “The Traits of Good and Bad Leaders” means “vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on what success looks like and how to achieve it.” Ralph knows where he wants to go, and that is being rescued.

Read More
787 Words | 4 Pages

After assembling everyone, Ralph stands on a rock and looks at the group of survivors " 'Shut up, ' commanded Ralph. He lifted the conch. 'Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things. '" (22) As a result of Ralphs determination, he was voted to be a leader.

Read More
1397 Words | 6 Pages

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.

Read More
633 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the novel, Ralph demonstrates excellent leadership skills such as being realistic. He is realistic with his need to build the shelters while the other boys are off swimming because he knows that the boys require shelter. Ralph frequently tells the boys that they need to build shelters incase a storm comes or if the beastie attacks them. Ralph tells Jack, “‘If it rains like when we dropped in we’ll need shelters all right. And then another thing.

Read More
1140 Words | 5 Pages

Meanwhile, in Lord of the Flies, the situation is very different- several young boys have crashed onto a uninhabited island and have to find a way to survive. In the absence of any structure, the boys wreak havoc on the island, despite their efforts to create a working system of authority. George Orwell’s 1984 and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies provide differing views on the relationship between individuals and society, understood through characterization of Winston and Jack, and the social hierarchies present in each text. Orwell and Golding’s opposing views on the relation between society and the individual are apparent in their uses of characterization concerning Winston and Jack, respectively. In Golding’s Lord of the Flies, after Jack neglects building shelters in favor of hunting, Ralph is unhappy.

Read More

More about Why Is Lord Of The Flies Important In A Civilized Society

Related Topics

Open Document