“The Lord of the Flies” as a Reflection of Modern Society

Introduction William Golding’s “The Lord of the Flies,” published in 1954, is often regarded as a profound commentary on the inherent nature of human beings and the fragile construct of society. The novel, which tells the story of a group of boys stranded on a deserted island and their descent into savagery, is frequently interpreted … Read more

Examining Dehumanization & Fear in Lord of the Flies & Renegades

 Human civilizations have been developing for over 6,500 years yet society continues to repeat horrors from the past. Ignoring actions taken by our ancestors, society insists on digging an inescapable grave for our descendants. Climate change, discrimination, poverty, religious conflicts; all of these are current complications within our society. Society can learn a great … Read more

Transformation / survival – Jekyll & Hyde / Lord of the Flies

How is “transformation and or survival” depicted in two of the works you have studied and what is its significance? The transformation in both novels of the characters shifting from good to a darker twisted evil version of themselves, the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (text 1) and Lord of the flies … Read more

Lord of the Flies / In the Heart of Darkness (draft)

Historical Context The story of Charles Marlow in Heart of Darkness is heavily based around Joseph Conrad’s own experiences in the Congo during the time of the transatlantic slave trade; in which natives were kidnapped by imperial powers and exploited to work under the ‘superior’ race. During the 1890s, ivory was a valuable commodity. As … Read more

Lord of the Flies is a cautionary but beautiful warning about power

“It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scrounge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” Golding’s life experiences exposed him to the worst of mankind. Having lived through both world wars; Goldings observations of mankind’s negative cycle of power … Read more

In Lord of the Flies Golding uses the boys as symbolic representations of the evil in oneself

In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, a group of British schoolboys land on an island after crashing amidst a war. With no adults or supervision required to maintain their school like behavior, one by one the boys let go of their once civil lives and fully embrace the wild and savage nature. Though, … Read more

Lord of the Flies and The Toys of Peace – internal conflict between civilization/savagery

An individual who loses relation with civilization often declines from its firm principles. Mankind’s inclination to regress to savagery is based on the deep-rooted evilness that resides within a person’s nature. The stories Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, and “The Toys of Peace,” by Saki capture this internal conflict between civilization and savagery … Read more

William Golding: Analyzing Human Nature on the Island in Lord of the Flies

 William Golding is both one of the most celebrated and criticized authors of the twentieth century.  Golding’s works contain characters and themes that can be analyzed on both the narrative level as well as the symbolic and psychological levels. Bernard S. Oldsey and Stanley Weintraub state that “[t]here is no easy way to fit … Read more

Lord of the Flies

Most human beings tend to always hunt for power, and once they gain power, one wants more. The idea of power struggle is very relevant in this novel. Golding uses Ralph and Jack to show power struggle many times throughout the novel. Ralph and Jack have different opinions between what is good, what is evil, … Read more

Lord of the Flies – animalistic behavior

When people are free from the constraints of society, their nature tends to resort them to savagery. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows this defect of human nature and the animalistic behavior in humans through the character Jack. Jack exemplifies this corruption in humanity by demonstrating his strong desire for power and bloodshed … Read more

What is required for an effective leader? (Lord of the Flies)

Firstly, to be considered effective, a leader must deliver outcomes that meet the needs of the overall group. The leader must care about the entire group and not just about himself. Some argue that it is impossible to please everybody. However, effective leaders will make decisions based on the group’s most urgent needs. In the … Read more

Lord of the Flies chapter-by-chapter

Lord of the Flies – Summer Reading Assignment 2018 Chapter 1: The Sound of the Shell Piggy, Ralph, and Jack are all starkly different characters that, although unique, represent common archetypes. Piggy is a short and fat boy with glasses who is sheltered, innocent, and naive. He consistently mentions his aunt and his asthma in … Read more

Protagonists and antagonists – Lord of the Flies & Fahrenheit 451

Protagonists Ralph – protagonist of Lord of the Flies Ralph is the protagonist of Lord of the Flies. He is very athletic and charismatic. He was elected the leader of the boys and is the key representative of order, civilization, and leadership. Most of the other boys are more concerned with messing around, having fun, … Read more

The Cruelty Within Us

October 25, 2017 Period 6 The Cruelty Within Us Civilization has shaped the way people act, but when those ties to civilization are broken people have the potential to spiral downwards into violence and cruelty. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a group of young boys who have been stranded on an island succumb … Read more

Cultural analysis: Lord of the Flies

CULTURAL ANALYSIS: THE LORD OF THE FLIES The use of norms, culture and attitudes is strongly influential in sustainability and natural resource control. “The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding is a great example of resource allocation and sustainability. “The Lord of the Flies” and its thesis of controversial intergroup relations and human survival … Read more

The savage nature of man: Lord of the Flies

In William Golding's best-selling novel, "Lord of the Flies" man's inherent evil and savage nature is revealed through Golding's strident world view, extraordinary use of literary devices, and superb structure. 'Lord of the Flies' was published in 1954 when it quickly became wildly popular. The novel has had a difficult history following its immediate fame. … Read more

Mankind’s potential for evil and innate savagery: Lord of the Flies

Despite our society’s efforts to stifle man’s darker side, moral corruption proves to be both inescapable and ineluctable; contrary to commonly adopted views of humanistic tendencies towards goodness, each individual in our society is susceptible to his or her base, innate instincts. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding transforms seemingly harmless British … Read more

Human capacity for wickedness – Lord of the Flies

Countless works of literature, most notably the Bible, have described humans as inherently evil, tending to resort to acts of selfishness, greed, and violence when left to their own devices. Author William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, is one of the most powerful narrative depictions of the human capacity for wickedness, documenting a group … Read more

Lord of the Flies – children can appear innocent but have evil within them

William Golding is recognized for his outstanding work in the Lord of the Flies. Golding was inspired by the World War. During the time period as Golding observed how the first World War happened Golding like many other thought that the war would change the people and end all of the problems with the nations. … Read more

Violence in the Lord of the Flies

In “The Lord of the Flies” there are many cases of violence. Understanding why this brutality occurs can be difficult. The behaviors of the boys reflects what happens to humans when they’re put into a survival situation, often showing tendencies of violence and animalism. The central focus of “The Lord of the Flies”, is the … Read more

Human Aggression in Today’s Society (Lord of the Flies)

Honors 10th LOTF Essay 12/10/18 Human Aggression in Today’s Society Humans often have aggressive feelings towards one another, but where do these feelings come from? There are many factors that can lead to human aggression such as your background and certain life experiences. Feeling a rush of anger is called impulsive aggression. This type of … Read more

Lord of the Flies – humans put in a position of undeniable power

Lord of the flies Essay There is an state of mind deep within humans known as our moral identity. This state of mind has many different “personalities”, these are normally unleashed when we are put in certain situations. For instance when a human is given undeniable power of one or more people eventually their moral … Read more

Order, leadership, power, and moral consequences (Lord of the Flies)

Order, leadership, power, and moral consequences. These are some concepts needed in society to maintain civilization. Lord of the Flies by William Golding explores these ideological struggles between two main characters: Ralph and Jack. With different perspectives about how one should rule, they both challenge each other from the start. The novel begins with a … Read more

Parallels between Lord of the Flies and a form of high clergy or the Catholic church

When first ‘seeing’ Jack in the novel, he and his group of followers are dressed in sleek black cloaks and hats, and are huddled together like a tight knit click. This could potentially represent nuns, another form of high clergy, or simply dedicated members of the Catholic church. Meaning that when Jack and his group … Read more

Parallels with a typical high school clique in Lord of the Flies

Where They Belong Throughout Lord of the Flies, Ralph, Jack, and Piggy showed certain characteristics that are similar to characteristics that high school cliques show during school and everyday life. These boys are all different from each other in how they act, talk, how they think, and who they hang out with. In high school … Read more

Are Humans Inherently Evil? Examining the Dual Nature of Man in Lord of the Flies

 The question of whether or not humans are naturally evil cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. People's nature is defined by their actions. Choosing to go right instead of left. Choosing to leave someone when they are in need instead of staying. In Lord of The Flies, the author, William Golding, … Read more

Analysis of Leadership and Human Nature in “Lord of the Flies”

“Lord of the Flies” begins in England during the Second World War with pupils from a male primary school being evacuated to a safer location due to enemy bombing. The plane on which they were being evacuated supposedly got hit by a missile and crashed on an uninhabited island. The pilot didn’t survive the crash, … Read more

About Lord of the Flies

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding might be completely unique within which the theme of savagery versus civilization is explored. Some British boys are stranded on an isolated island at the time of an imaginary nuclear war. On the island, we see a conflict between two main characters, Jack and Ralph, who represent civilization and savagery. This contains a concerning remainder of the boys throughout the novel as they fall further and further into savagery. Self-preservation was a giant part of the novel,Jack utilized this characteristic to accumulate his desires to become the leader.

At the beginning of the novel, Ralph and Piggy find a conch in which Ralph uses. Jack’s demands that he may be chief but the boys choose Ralph because he is the one who blows the conch to gather the scattered boys. The conch symbolizes authority amongst the boys, Ralph stated that “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak…he won’t be interrupted”. Jack is vastly disappointed because his demand to be chief is denied but he was cheered after being assigned as leader of the choir which is designated to be hunters. This suggests civilization as Ralph is allowing the boys to have equal opinions and say. Whoever had the conch will have the opportunity to speak and they will not be interrupted by anyone, everyone has to listen to whoever has their hand on the conch. The boys have created the island to be a democratic place which shows a civilized side to them as they try to copy the homes they have just left.

As the novel moves on, a “beast” appears on the island which made the boys think the island is not safe. The symbol of the beast which comes to be associated with Jack by the end of the novel as he is almost devil worshipping and he was chasing Ralph to kill him so he could have full control of the island. At first, the “beast’’ begins as a “snake thing’’ which proves that the beast is evil because we believe that snakes are bad omens as it was a snake that led Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge. At this stage of the novel, the beast lacks strength as it is only a “thing” but as the novel moves forward the “beast” gets stronger by feeding it with savagery, Jack and some of the other boys are killing the first pig where jack chants “kill the pig, cut her throat, spill the blood”. This illustrates their savagery by violently and aggressively killing the pig and they don’t care about it. The boy’s belief in the “beast” leads them to become more savages, they act out from their fears, and little by little they begin to lose their hold on the rules that were made at the beginning of the novel which demonstrate the theme of savagery.

We are told, “Piggy cried out in terror ‘my specs!” This shows that the civilized sides of the boys are being overruled by their savage nature. At the beginning of the novel, jack wouldn’t have dared on touching Piggy in any way but as the novel moves forward Jack snaps and goes for Piggy who despises and take his glasses. Golding uses the words “terror” and “cried” to illustrate the scene, Piggy sounds like he is very terrified of what Jack might do to him as he is starting to become like the “beast” that they feared the most at the beginning of the novel. Piggy’s glasses represent intelligence on the island and with them breaking we see a completely open path for the boys’ savagery. Ralph sticks up for Piggy after he is attacked by jack and stated: “that was a dirty trick”. This illustrates that Ralph is really angry at Jack for what he did to Piggy, this shows the role of self-preservation as Ralph is fighting for his people. Ralph is standing up for Piggy and not letting Jack just do what he wants on the island. This proves that there is still someone with a sense of moral goodness ready to fight for justice.

In conclusion, The Lord of the flies by William Golding is a novel in which savagery and civilization go against each other. Civilization is represented by Ralph who is willing to let everyone have an equal say and opinions. Jack, on the other hand, represents savagery where he doesn’t care what the other boys think and he’s the only one who’s able to make decisions for themselves. William Golding proves to us that proper rules and regulations is necessary to have a society running properly.

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Writing an essay on Lord of the Flies: key topics for discussion

  1. Themes of human nature: Through the exploration of the characters in the novel, Lord of the Flies examines the human capacity for savagery, and the consequences of this when civilisation is removed.
  2. The symbolism of the Lord of the Flies: Discuss the deeper meaning behind the Lord of the Flies as a symbol of the darkness that exists within every human being.
  3. Loss of innocence: Discuss the gradual decline of the boys’ innocence as they are removed from the constraints of society and become increasingly violent and chaotic.
  4. Power and control: Analyse the power struggles that occur between the characters and how this reflects the power dynamics in the real world.
  5. Religion and faith: Examine the role of religion in the novel and how it reflects the author’s views on society and morality.
  6. The role of adults: Analyse how the adults in the novel represent the authority and structure of civilisation and how the boys react to their absence.
  7. Nature of good and evil: Explore the distinction between good and evil in the novel and how it is portrayed through the characters.