Literary Devices Used In Lord Of The Flies
Donna Nguyen
Mrs. Dotto
ENG 3U1 – 01
23 February 2009
Animal Instincts
William Golding, the author of the Lord of the Flies, uses three main literary devices to portray the animal that Jack, a once disciplined boy, has befallen. Using a simile at the beginning of the chapter, Golding forces the reader to envision Jack in such a creature-like state. “Then dog-like, uncomfortably on all fours yet unheeding his discomfort, he stole forward five yards and stopped” (Golding 48). During this adrenaline-filled moment for Jack, hunting is not a priority, but an obsessive activity. Over the short time span on the remote island, Jack quickly loses his sense of civilization and is transforming into his animal self. The illustration of …show more content…
Jack’s incredible athletic ability, like a night creature, to move five yards forward easily and without struggle, like a cold-blooded animal, is obvious. Furthermore, Golding generates Jack’s animal-like instincts by using a metaphor to compare Jack to a living thing from the wild. “He closed his eyes, raised his head, and breathed in gently with flared nostrils, assessing the current of warm air for information” (48). Exactly like an animal, Jack, using not only his sense of sight but his sense of smell, is visualized as a beast sniffing the atmosphere as if he is hunting for his prey. Golding depicts Jack in this setting as if he is describing another creature. Being on the island for a couple of days has dramatically evolved Jack into a beastie or a primitive form of man. Additionally, the author successfully carries through the beast in Jack by using imagery and a simile to produce a negative and frightful image for the reader. “He passed like a shadow under the darkness of the tree and crouched, looking down at the trodden ground at his feet” (49). With Jack’s quick and swift movements, he is not seen in the jungle. Golding denotes Jack’s
Mrs. Dotto
ENG 3U1 – 01
23 February 2009
Animal Instincts
William Golding, the author of the Lord of the Flies, uses three main literary devices to portray the animal that Jack, a once disciplined boy, has befallen. Using a simile at the beginning of the chapter, Golding forces the reader to envision Jack in such a creature-like state. “Then dog-like, uncomfortably on all fours yet unheeding his discomfort, he stole forward five yards and stopped” (Golding 48). During this adrenaline-filled moment for Jack, hunting is not a priority, but an obsessive activity. Over the short time span on the remote island, Jack quickly loses his sense of civilization and is transforming into his animal self. The illustration of …show more content…
Jack’s incredible athletic ability, like a night creature, to move five yards forward easily and without struggle, like a cold-blooded animal, is obvious. Furthermore, Golding generates Jack’s animal-like instincts by using a metaphor to compare Jack to a living thing from the wild. “He closed his eyes, raised his head, and breathed in gently with flared nostrils, assessing the current of warm air for information” (48). Exactly like an animal, Jack, using not only his sense of sight but his sense of smell, is visualized as a beast sniffing the atmosphere as if he is hunting for his prey. Golding depicts Jack in this setting as if he is describing another creature. Being on the island for a couple of days has dramatically evolved Jack into a beastie or a primitive form of man. Additionally, the author successfully carries through the beast in Jack by using imagery and a simile to produce a negative and frightful image for the reader. “He passed like a shadow under the darkness of the tree and crouched, looking down at the trodden ground at his feet” (49). With Jack’s quick and swift movements, he is not seen in the jungle. Golding denotes Jack’s