In this essay I will be discussing the different types of symbols and their meanings in the book "The Lord of the Flies." I will be discussing how the signal fire, the conch Shell, and The lord

The Lord of the Flies Formal Argumentative Essay

In this essay I will be discussing the different types of symbols and their meanings in the book “The Lord of the Flies.” I will be discussing how the signal fire, the conch Shell, and The lord of the Flies are all very important symbols in the novel “The Lord of the Flies.”

The first symbol I will talk about is the conch and how it was used and how it is so important to the novel. The conch shell was discovered by Ralph and Piggy on the beach at the start of the novel and they used it to get the boys together after the crash separates them all. When it is used in this capacity, the conch shell becomes a powerful symbol of civilization and order in the novel. The shell effectively governs the boys’ meetings, for the boy who holds the shell holds the right to speak. In this, the shell holds the political democratic power. As the boys’ on the island civilization erodes and the boys grow into savagery, the conch shell loses its power and influence among them all. Ralph clenches the shell desperately when he talks about his role murdering Simon. Later, the other boys ignore Ralph and throw stones at him when he attempts to blow the conch in Jack’s camp. The boulder that Roger rolls onto Piggy also crushes the conch shell, signifying the demise of the civilized instinct among almost all the boys on the island.

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The nest symbol I will be describing is the signal fire. The signal fire burns on the top of the mountain, and later on the beach, to attract the notice of passing ships that might be able to rescue the boys. As a result, the signal fire becomes a barometer of the boys’ connecting to civilization. In the early part of the novel, the fact that the boys maintain the fire is a sign that they want to be rescued and return to society. When the fire burns low and goes out, we realize that the boys have lost sight of their desire to be rescued and have accepted they savage lives on the island. The signal fire thus functions as a kind of measurement of the strength of the civilized instinct remaining on the island, but not a signal. Ironically at the end of the novel, a fire of savagery-the forest fire Jack’s hang starts as part of his quest to hunt and kill the Ralph.

The last symbol I will be describing is probably the most important symbol in the novel, “The Lord of the Flies.” The Lord of the Flies is the bloody, severed pig’s head that Jack impales on a stick in the forest glade as an offering to the best. The complicated symbol becomes the most important image in the novel when Simon confronts the pigs head in the glade and it seems to speak to him, telling him that evil lies within every human heart and promising to have some “fun” with him. (This “fun” foreshadows Simon’s death in the next chapter.) In this way, the Lord of the Flies becomes both a physical manifestation of the best, a symbol of power and evil, and a kind of devilish figure that evokes the beast within each human being. The biblical name for “The lord of the Flies” is Beelzebub, a powerful demon in hell something thought to be the devil himself.

There are many other aspects in the story that may be considered symbolism, but the several above are probably the most significant.. Because without any of these symbols I really don’t think the boys that were stuck on the island were going to make it out alive if they didn’t have these very symbols. Also these symbols show the digression of society from civilization into savagery, and shows how much people can change when they are without civilization.

Peer Reviews

Here's what a star student thought of this essay

sydneyhopcroft

4th of Aug 2012

Quality of writing

The Quality of Written Communication is very good. The candidate's used of English appears very regimented and prescriptive at the beginning of the essay, but becomes arguably more interesting and fluid later on, helping the reader (and the examiner) maintain a good, focused interest throughout, This is good and one of the less-celebrated skills of essay writing - by using a range of vocabulary and a diverse range of sentence syntaxes the candidate's essay remains thoroughly engaging throughout.

Level of analysis

The Level of Analysis shown is good, but not excellent. The candidate makes a good attempt to analyse two important symbols from the novel but doesn't quite go the whole 19-yards for each of them. There is a good symbolic analysis, but to bring the marks even higher the candidate would have to consider the context of the novel. Contextual appreciation is absolutely imperative for candidate aiming for A/A* grades in GCSE English. The candidate would have to consider the religious connotation of Simon's confrontation with the Lord of the Flies and also the social commentary he makes when the symbol for civilisation is destroyed. This latter objective is accomplished more completely but again, the largely-weighted religious resonance of the Lord of the Flies must be considered. Other than that, the candidate's analysis is well-structured and worded in a way that naturally encourages precision, so well done with the fluidity of the essay.

Response to question

This is a good, rounded essay, but there are a few things to mention in order to improve it and ensure a high grade. First off, the candidate writes a very formulaic introduction - whilst this does not explicitly cause the examiner to deduct points or prevent giving any, candidates should want to make a better impression in their opening paragraph, as it will show the examiner right there and then if the candidate knows what they are talking about, so fluency and confidence is important in this section, and I would recommend avoided clunky, repetitive sentences which regurgitate the question a lot. Also, do not write in the introduction that you will do something and then refrain from doing it, as it might not appear very easy to notice when writing it, but if reading, the examiner will know if something has not been fulfilled when it said it would be. There is no analysis of "the signal fire" in the essay despite the candidate saying there would be. I would also recommend therefore, that the candidate picks another symbol - the signal fire does not have much to analyse, as it stems away from the need for civilisation and order in order to create it. A better symbol would be something character-based (e.g. - Piggy's glasses, the importance of Simon, or the change of character in Jack).

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