Lord of the flies

Lord of the flies Character List: Ralph: The protagonist of the story, Ralph is one of the oldest boys on the island and becomes the boys' leader. Golding describes Ralph as tall for his age and handsome, and he seems to preside over the other boys by a natural sense of authority. Although he lacks Piggy's overt intellect, Ralph is calm and rational, with sound judgment and a strong moral sensibility. He is susceptible to the same instinctual influences that affect the other boys, as demonstrated as Ralph's role in Simon's death, but Ralph remains the one character who remains civilized through the entire novel. With his attention to justice and equality, Ralph represents the liberal democratic tradition as chief. Piggy: Although pudgy, brusque and averse to physical labour because he suffers from asthma, Piggy, a nickname that he dislikes intensely, is the intellectual on the island. Piggy is an outsider among the other boys, accepted only grudgingly because his glasses are the key to starting fires. However, his clear thinking and ideas soon endear him to Ralph, who comes to admire and respect him for his clear focus on the main objective of securing their rescue from the island. Piggy has a clear concern for remaining civilized and consistently reprimands the other boys for behaving as savages. Roger murders Piggy by dropping a rock on him. Jack Merridew: The leader

  • Word count: 2229
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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lord of the flies

ENGLISH COURSEWORK - LORD OF THE FLIES ESSAY How does William Golding show evil at work in the lord of the flies? William Golding was born in Cornwall in 1911. As he became older his love for literature grew larger, but his father wanted him to become a doctor and as result he went to Oxford University to study science. Later on he decided to drop out of science because he wanted to start learning more about literature. When William Golding graduated from University he decided to start teaching. Unfortunately by that time Europe was on the brink of war. William Golding decided to sign up for the war to do his military service. By reading The Lord of the Flies it can be seen that William Golding was clearly influenced by his experiences during the war, which has in turn influenced this book. The images and acts of evil he envisioned during the war have been used to characterise his book (Lord of the flies). One of the ways William Golding shows evil at work is, by using children as the main characters. William Golding magnifies the acts of evil by using children to carry out t acts of evil. This is because people don't expect children to carry out these acts of evil because in reality people see children as being innocent, because children carry out such acts; William Golding shows that anyone and everyone who has the capability to do so can carry out evil. William

  • Word count: 2185
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel about a group of boys stranded on the island without any adults. The story is written in the third person perspective and is focused on the characters Ralph, Jack, Piggy and Simon. In the novel, there is a mention of different types of governments with Ralph trying to rule a democratic society and Jack against him. In my speech today, I am going to talk about the society the boys create on the island and how they resemble the different forms of government in the real world. I am also going to mention about how symbols in the novel can show the break down of government. Firstly, I am going to discuss about the characters in the novel and what they represent. Ralph, the first chief on the island, is a twelve year old boy that is respect by everyone on the island in the beginning. He values democracy in society and has strong moral instincts. On the other hand, Jack is a physical character who uses force to command fear from other characters. He is a typical bully and leads the boys from civilised people to savages. Jack believes in evicting those who oppose against him to get what he wants. Another character, Piggy, is the intellectual of the island. He is a serious character and often objects to the silliness of the other boys'. He is also clear sighted and is able to predict what will happen to the other boys but he is unable

  • Word count: 1684
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Lord of the flies

Lord of the Flies The first chapter of the novel, The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding is successful in determining the characters, concerns and language for the remainder of the book, additionally bringing in the major themes of the novel; unpleasant nature of man and good verses bad. In addition of the themes that show up and stay very important throughout the novel, In Chapter One, Golding demonstrates the deserted island as a location where the abandoned boys have an option between going back to a sophisticated condition of humankind or living in a savaged way. The first chapter of the novel confirms that the boys have no civilization and no concerns. "Hunt Catch things...until they fetch us" this quote that has been said shows how most of the boys have no concern on how will they go out of the island and how will they survive on the island. Chapter One foreshadows these events by representing the boys as scared and rude in the face of independence. The writer uses a figurative language in the novel. Golding occasionally uses simile. One of them occurs in the first passage when Golding compares the sand with a road saying, "There was a strip of weed-strewn beach that was almost as firm as a road." Metaphors are often used in this book. In fact, all symbolism is a type of metaphor since they compare two unlike things. Other metaphor in the book was when Golding

  • Word count: 1085
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Lord of the flies

Lord of the Flies "Lord of the flies" is a novel that was written by William Golding and published in 1857 about a group of school boys stranded on a tropical island after the plain they are travelling in crashes. In this novel, William Golding used the traditional theme of boys deserted on an island similar to that used in other children's novels such as "Coral Island" by R.M Ballantyne. However, William Golding changed the basic plot completely by turning the boys gradually from refined British children, into total savages that were vile and bloodthirsty. William Golding was raised in Cornell, England and both of his parents were "rational thinkers". They attempted to raise William this way, but he had his own strong beliefs in "darkness over light". While serving as a lieutenant in the Navy during the Second World War, William encountered certain traumatic experiences that led him to believe that all living beings had "underlying evil" in them that surfaced under certain conditions. One thing that can certainly be noticed in the novel is the gradual change in the boy's behaviour. From the onset, it was possible to detect signs of hatred and betrayal. This was shown mainly by the fact that Jack and the other boys immediately decided to sideline Piggy because he was different from the other boys. In addition to this, Ralph, who Piggy thought of as a friend, betrayed

  • Word count: 1160
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Lord of the flies comparison

How does Society treat and influence children in the novels Lord of the Flies and Oliver Twist? Throughout the course of the two novels, Oliver Twist and Lord of the Flies, the child characters are forced to assume adult roles because they have been isolated from, or excluded by society. The change the children undergo, particularly in Lord of the Flies could be described as 'growing up', obtaining experience and knowledge beyond their years, or a loss of innocence. One of the main ways in which children in these novels assume adult roles is through the way they attempt to govern themselves. This is particularly evident in Lord of the Flies as the boys are forced into a situation many of that age dream of; living without adult supervision. This quickly loses its appeal as the boys realise they have to establish some kind of rule and democracy, they elect a leader and soon something akin to a hierarchy is established, much like that of a real Western society. There is also a link to old tribal methods of establishing order, for example the Conch, which is similar to a Native American talking stick, which you had to possess to speak at a meeting and it was passed around so everyone had the opportunity to speak. However, the boys attempts to establish a society with a set of British values such as having a 'stiff upper lip' and conducting yourself like a gentleman fails

  • Word count: 2131
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Lord Of The Flies

Although the readers's sympathies are usually with Ralph many of the boys decide to follow Jack. Explain what you think are the differences in what Jack and Ralph stand for and how they behave in the novel. William Golding has created a successful adventure story about a group of boys abandoned on a tropical island somewhere in the Pacidic Ocean. In addition th being an adventure story the novel has important dimensions morally, psychologically, anthropologically and even theologically. It can be interpreted as an allegory of the human urge to do bad, It also skillfully reworks the theme of Ballentyne's "The Coral Island", but with Golding making his own ironic commentary on its predecessor. The group of boys are victims of a war raging elsewhere which has caused their plane to crash. Golding shows how the boys adapt to the island learning how to make fire, to build shelters, tu hunt and to maintain discipline. Initially they relish their new freedom but under the strain of their total isolation they develop tensions which finally break out into a conflict. They reject their first leader, Ralph, replacing him with a boy, Jack, who is more able to withstand the hardships of the island. The community they develop around him is aggressive but also prepared to accept his absolute authority. When rescue finally arrives the boys have lost all touch with the 'civilised' values of

  • Word count: 2119
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Lord of the Flies Essay

Lord of the Flies Essay "Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy." Lord of the Flies is a novel that explores instinctive human evil. At the end of the novel, Ralph realizes his loss of innocence and the evil that exists in each and every human being. This is portrayed in the above quote. In this novel, William Golding writes about the human struggle to be civilized such as obeying laws and to act morally, or to be savage by using power with evil, acting selfishly and being violent. The novel starts off with young British schoolboys unexpectedly arriving on a stranded island after their plane crashes. Two of the main characters, Ralph and Piggy, find a conch shell on the beach and use it to gather all the boys in an assembly. Ralph is appointed as the Chief and Jack is appointed as the leader of the hunters. The first weeks were well; everyone cooperated with each other and mostly contributed to the common good of everyone. One day, Ralph noticed a ship in the horizon and realized that the signal fire was out. The signal fire was to be maintained by the hunters, but Jack had taken them all on a hunt. Jack, angered by the accusations of Ralph, left the group and created his own tribe. The members of Jack's tribe grew very savage and violently killed a pig, offering its head

  • Word count: 804
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Languages
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Lord of the Flies

With reference to chapters 1 and 11, compare the ways in which Jack changes during the course of Lord of the flies. You should refer in detail to character development, events, actions and language used. 'Lord of the flies' is a book written by William Golding in 1954. William Golding's first novel, 'Lord of the flies' is a book that offers a disturbing insight into real human nature, particularly young boys. This book was written by William Golding, in order to show the population that law and order is a need in the society. In Lord of the flies, the innocence of children is placed with cruelty and barbarism that emerged within these children, because of the absence of law and order. This view of life by William Golding was shaped by his wartime experiences. He was also a teacher which allowed him to observe the behaviour and actions of young boys, in different situations. He learnt that for a vast majority of individuals, it is law and order that keeps them away from the evil acts within them. 'Lord of the flies' covers and concludes this idea of the society, and realistic view of human nature using the character 'Jack'. William Golding uses the character 'Jack' in comparison to 'Hitler' in the World War two, showing that they had many similarities in their leadership qualities in terms of 'dictatorship'. I will be comparing the ways in which Jack changes during the

  • Word count: 4961
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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'Lord of the flies'.

LORD OF THE FLIES COURSEWORK-The title of the novel comes from the Arabic for one of the manifestations of the Devil. Baal-Zebub - or Beelsebub - means 'lord of the flies'. In the novel, the pig's head on a stick, covered in flies, is a horrific symbol of how far the violence has come. The pig was killed by Jack and his hunters and the head is put on a stick as an offering to the 'beast'. Only Simon really appreciates that the 'beast' is actually the evil inside the boys themselves and it is that which is breaking things up. So, the title of the novel reinforces the idea that we all have something of the 'devil' within us - and that the 'devil' can be released all too easily. William Golding was born in 1911. After leaving Oxford University, he worked as an actor, producer and writer, and then as a teacher in a boy's public school. During World War II Golding was lieutenant in the Royal Navy, in command of a small rocket ship. While carrying out his duties he ordered the destruction of German ships and submarines and he shelled German troops from sea during the D-day landings Golding was horrified by what war revealed about people's capacity to harm their fellow humans. He was appalled by what happened in the Nazi concentration camps, and by the way the Japanese mistreated their prisoners. He was appalled too by the consequences of the British and American mass bombing

  • Word count: 3400
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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