Preview

"Lord of the Flies" - literary techniques

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1008 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
"Lord of the Flies" - literary techniques
William Golding uses a variety of language techniques and symbols to develop character in his novel, "Lord of the Flies". His use of symbols is also important in helping us track the changes in the characters as the novel progresses. In addition, Golding also makes use of graphic imagery in some areas to emphasise the traits of the characters. The tone and language within the dialogue between the characters also is utilised to reflect the personality of characters.

There is an extensive use of symbols in the novel "Lord of the Flies". Golding's use of symbols has allowed us to more accurately interpret the personality of each character, as well as their individual changes or changes as a group. His use of symbols achieves this by relating the characters to different traits and aspects of human nature and society. The conch is a powerful symbol of civilisation as well as democracy at the start of the novel. It is one of the reasons that Ralph was elected as chief, not just because of his size and appearance, but because, "most powerfully, there was the conch". As the novel progresses, we see that the conch begins to lose its power, and with it we also see the boys as a whole becoming more like savages, until the destruction of the conch, which is a clear indicator that Jack and his group has descended into a group of savages. The pig is another symbol in the novel which is used to mark the changes in the characters. When the boys kill their first pig, it marks the loss of their innocence. The characters themselves are also symbols. Ralph, similar to the conch, is a symbol of civilisation, and as the power shifts from Ralph to Jack, the group of boys too, become more like savages. The pig is another symbol in the novel which is used to mark the changes in the characters. When the boys kill their first pig, it marks the loss of their innocence. They are now savages who have hunted and kills animals and humans, no longer the innocent boys that swam in the lagoon at

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Frank Lucas Psyc Study

    • 1529 Words
    • 7 Pages

    So in the movie “American Gangster” memory played a very important role to the character Frank Lucas. One memory that he refers to is when he was 5 years old and his 12-year-old cousin got pulled out of the house and tied up to a tree in North Carolina by the police. They then shoved a shotgun in his cousin’s mouth hard enough to break 2 teeth, and then the police shot him in the head. I think this memory was a very strong start to his distrust and disdain towards the police. Another memory of his was a good memory. To please his mother he had her room recreated from his memory from when he was 5. In so much detail as to have furniture special made to exact details including drapes and blankets and design. Obviously this was a strong enough memory that he could recall all the details. He also used memory in his business practices. He remembered who still owed money to Bumpy his now deceased boss…

    • 1529 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Conch Shell : The first symbol we see in Lord of the Flies is the conch shell, which stands for order and civility. The shell allows for the boys to convene and at their meetings only the boy holding the shell is allowed to speak. As the island civilization deteriorates, the conch shell loses its influence and the boys fall victim to savagery. In the end, the boulder that kills Piggy also crushes the conch shell, signifying the end of any order and civility on the…

    • 4230 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    This section of a paragraph in “Lord of the Flies” is highly important to the reader because it shows numerous of significant components of the story.This quote of the story impacted me because I believed that Piggy was the most suited to become the leader since he is the genius of the group. Additionally, Ralph wouldn't have known the power of the conch if Piggy was not located near him. In addition, it was also very eye-catching what amount of power the shell could give to Ralph and also his appearance was able to support his path of being the leader. In this quote various literary elements are found which help the reader ponder about the novel.For instance, the writing shows the conflict man vs. man because they are battling for the position…

    • 314 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lord of the Flies by William Golding has a plethora of literary techniques and strengths integrated within itself that separates it from other novels and work in tandem with the plot to form an enjoyable novel. A significant technique used in Lord of the flies is its multitude of motifs. Two of these many motifs include power and savagery and are brought up many times in the novel. The use of these literary techniques are to emphasize the insanity the boys on the island go through. In our pastiche we wrote an alternate ending to Lord of the flies if there was an adult figure arbitrarily inserted to temporarily offset the balance of power and insanity.…

    • 261 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Being a part of a group of children having to adapt after being trapped on a island with no surrounding civilization is an unimaginable situation. However, William Golding shows just how terrifying it can be in his novel, Lord Of The Flies, by his use of symbols to represent hardships. The main symbols, which best portrays characteristics are the fire and the conch; symbols leadership and confidence.…

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Conch Symbolism

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In William Golding novel Lord of the Flies, a group of young boys crash land in a deserted tropical island with no adults or supervision. Throughout the novel many symbols are revealed to the reader. The conch, beast, and Piggy's eyeglasses are the most important symbols that are expressed in this novel. These three symbols show how the children adapt to their environment and find their own ways to survive. They also assist in the development of each character’s personality and traits.…

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Throughout literature, certain things are considered to mean something beyond themselves; these symbols make themselves ever present in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. While some symbols appear in an obvious fashion (the glasses, the pig’s head) others like to hide from the reader (the fire, the conch shell). From Piggy’s introduction into the novel, they symbolize of his glasses seemed apparent. The glasses symbolize a voice of reason and logic within the boys, and once Jack took Piggy’s glasses from him and started the fire all the logic dissipated. The shell symbolizes an organized civilization within the boys. As they search for someone a leader, they notice Ralph – one of the oldest in the bunch – holding the conch shell. Since they dubbed Ralph leader “They obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority” (Golding 50). The fire symbolizes both the hope of rescue and an innate destructive change and reentrance into a primitive state within the human mind. The pig’s head symbolizes the aggression which Jack harbors toward everything as it becomes more and more dominant throughout the novel, but the pig’s head also becomes a symbol of the savagery and bloodlust of the boys near the end of the novel.…

    • 1190 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel that demonstrates how boys will act when there is no authoritative figure. When the boys find out that there are no adults, they become very excited. As time goes by rules and order are needed, but some of the boys choose to respect the rules and others are reckless. Ralph is one of the characters that enforces rules after he realizes that they need them, and it proves how he respects rules when there are no adults; on the other hand, Jack's defiance towards rules validates how he dislikes them. The conch is a symbol for rules and order because of the way it is used at assemblies, described by the author, and destroyed; therefore, the theme the novel sends is that certain people will follow the…

    • 1247 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The English author William Golding was a former Navy Officer, who as the conflict of good and evil throughout his service. He used that experience to create the classic novel Lord of the Flies. The novel focuses on human nature’s way of civilization and society through children. The characteristics of three important characters show the sides of human nature. Jack represents the evil, Piggy the innocent, and Ralph the good. Golding takes a closer in depth look at whether evil is in everyone or not. These 3 children in the Golding’s novel symbolize the picture of humanity on a larger scale then the microcosm of the small tropical island in Carol Sea.…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    {Title} {block:Description}{/block:Description} ::-webkit-scrollbar {width: 3px; height:auto; background:{color:background}} ::-webkit-scrollbar-corner {padding:2px;background:{color:background}} ::-webkit-scrollbar-button:vertical {height:5px; display: block; background:{color:scrollbar}} ::-webkit-scrollbar-button:horizontal {width: 3px; height: 5px; display: block; background:{color:scrollbar}} ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb:vertical {background:{color:scrollbar};} ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb:horizontal {background: {color:background};} ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb {background: {color:scrollbar};} body { background:{color:background}; font-family:arial; font-size:9px; letter-spacing:0px; color:{color:text}; line-height:120%;} a:link, a:active, a:visited{color: {color:link};} a:hover{color:{color:link}; text-decoration:underline;} a { color:{color:link}; text-decoration:none; -moz-transition-duration:0.4s; -webkit-transition-duration:0.4s; -o-transition-duration:0.4s; } a:hover { color:{color:link}; text-decoration:underline; -moz-transition-duration:0.4s; -webkit-transition-duration:0.4s; -o-transition-duration:0.4s; } #container { background-color:{color:background}; width:700px; margin: 0 auto -12px auto; text-align: center; } .links { margin-top:5px; word-spacing:1px; text-align:center; } .links a{ padding:5px; letter-spacing:0px; color:{color:link}; text-decoration:none; -moz-transition-duration:0.4s; -webkit-transition-duration:0.4s; -o-transition-duration:0.4s; } .links a:hover{ color:{color:link}; text-decoration:underline; -moz-transition-duration:0.4s; -webkit-transition-duration:0.4s; -o-transition-duration:0.4s; }…

    • 814 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lord of the flies

    • 1176 Words
    • 4 Pages

    William Golding uses symbolism many times in his book _Lord of the Flies_. He uses numerous representations all throughout the book to get the reader to recognize the theme which is that human nature is inherently evil. When a group of British boys get into a plane crash during World War II, they establish rules and a chief. But, later in the book, they start to turn savage. Golding uses a conch in the book to represent order. He uses a pair of glasses as a symbol of seeing what is right. Fire is used to represent rescue, which the boys tend to forget about. These three symbols help demonstrate Golding's message in the novel.…

    • 1176 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In Lord of the Flies, several symbols are used to illustrate important ideas that are crucial to the plot and meaning of the book. One of these symbols is the conch: this rare shell is not only a precious and expensive in the world of merchandise; it also holds a dark and mysterious power over a group of English boys, lost on an island with no adults, clues, or means of escape. The boys set up a civilization and try to live in the society they have set up. This system works for a while, aided by the power of the conch. However, as the story advances, the civilized way of life that the boys have set up starts falling apart, and savagery starts luring certain boys outside of the safe and rational walls of civilization. William Golding intertwines the fast-paced, enticing story of the boys’ plight on the island and the descent into savagery with the powerful and deeply meaningful symbolism of the conch.…

    • 1086 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Authors frequently use a powerful literary device called symbolism to express their ideas creatively and indirectly. By definition, symbolism is an object or idea that represents more than what the object or idea actually is. The conch, just a mere pretty thing that attracted attention, has more meaning than that of just being a conch shell. The conch’s symbolism can be traced throughout William Golding’s entire novel, Lord of the Flies and is a major symbol of power and order within the story. At first the conch shell effectively governs the boys and keeps them civilized. However, as civilization on the island begins to diminish and as the boys descend deeper into the abyss of savagery, the conch shell loses the power and influence it…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fire Symbolism

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is renowned for having unique symbolism within the text. Piggy’s glasses, the conch, and the fire all have a deeper meaning than what is displayed on page. As the book continues, and the boys descend into savagery, the context of Piggy’s glasses, the conch, and the fire are changed into symbols of things the boys once had. Piggy’s glasses became a symbol for intelligence and innovation on the island, the conch was a symbol of order and unity, and the signal fire was symbolic for the boys’ connection with…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Work with other people in a business environment 205 Y/601/2474 2 3 10 31 December 2013…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays