Preview

Lord Of The Flies Conch Quotes

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
487 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Lord Of The Flies Conch Quotes
Did you know that people kill each other just for power! Power means the ability to do something, so this novel shows power in many different ways. In William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies, the boys fight for power a lot to control the group and rule the island. Some of the ways the boys fight for power is the conch and when the character had power in the novel. When the airplane crashed the boys were all surrounded by the island. And then the character named Ralph gathered everyone around from the island. So, from there Ralph had the power in the novel. In the novel it said, “So, you see, said Ralph, We need hunters to get us meat. And another thing” (Golding 33). This citation shows when Ralph had power in the beginning of the book and …show more content…
The conch usually means respect and power. When the boys hold meetings around the camp fire, only the speaker who is holding the conch may talk to the crowd. When the conch got destroyed the boys’ civilized world has become unglued. As the conch broke one of the boys died. The conch was a symbol that represents power. Like in the book, “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist" (Golding 181). In this quote, the conch warned or told them what was going to happen. The conch was their only thing protecting themselves from getting killed or hurt. So, this was the most powerful symbol that happened in the book.
In the novel Lord of the flies, there were lots of power involved. Ralph, Jack, and the conch had the most power in the novel. But the boys had to fight hard and to think smart to have power. But why do the boys fight for power? Power just means able to do something and rule the island. Having power was an important point in the book. But when the boys crashed into the island they learned about primitive, civilization, innocence, rules and order, dear, power, identity, religion, and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the breaking of the conch symbolizes the fall of society, which helps convey the theme of the Downfall of Society Without Consequences because, in the beginning of Lord of the Flies, the boys elected their chief, they used the conch to decide, since some of the boys said “‘Him with the shell.’ ‘Ralph! Ralph!’ ‘Let him be chief with the trumpet-thing’” (Golding 20), but they slowly stop respecting it and when the conch breaks, all social order on the island breaks with it, which is shown when they wanted to kill Ralph and Jack says “‘The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain,’ [...]” (Golding 43).. Since the boys all decided to go hunt and try to kill Ralph, who they elected to be their chief it is clear that the society that began the book, the conch, no longer has any power. At the beginning of the book the boys elected their chief by whoever was holding the conch, believing it had some kind of authority over them, but throughout the book, it explains that “He put the conch to his lips and began to blow. [...] At length Ralph took his lips away and paused to get his breath back.…

    • 1492 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the beginning of the book the conch was introduced, it represented the boys civilization,and showed their life changing on the island. In the beginning the boys were all for a chief, the conch was there right from the start. It was introduced as a talking stick and as an elected item in the story to represent their humanity and civilization. "Shut up," said Ralph absently. He lifted the conch. "Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things." "A chief! A chief!" This shows how the boys would have the conch elect the leader, Ralph, but also as the talking stick. As he lifted the conch into the air he was showing that he had the power to speak. This quote also shows how the boys respected the concn and it's ‘powers’. Going…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is used to bring people together for assemblies and it symbolizes the civilization. In page 20 it says, “But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance, and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch. The being that had blown that, had sat waiting for them on the platform with the delicate thing balanced on his knees, was set apart.” This quote states the importance of the conch. But, as the story goes on, the conch loses its high power when people start to talk over the person who holds the conch, making arguments and chaos occur. It clearly shows the loss of the conch’s importance on page 114. It says, “‘Conch! Conch!’ shouted Jack. ‘We don’t need the conch anymore. We know who ought to say things. What good did Simon do speaking, or Bill, or Walter? It’s time some people knew they’ve got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us.’” Jack decides that the conch is not an object of power and gives people the freedom to speak without holding the conch in their…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After swimming in the water that felt like they were swimming in their own blood, Ralph saw something in the water that was as shiny as a diamond. The title is “The lord of the flies by William Golding”. This book is about a group of boys that have gotten stranded on a deserted island, and try hard to not argue, but just cannot stop fighting. The conch represents civilization and rules; But, as the story goes on the conch represents destruction because it breaks into thousands of pieces. [ Pattern 1a]…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    No one wants to listen to someone who comes across as if they think they’re smarter than you, especially when they look undependable. In moments of crisis, people don’t gravitate towards following the weak one even if they may be the smartest; they weed out the person who is the strongest and has the best leadership qualities, even if they may not know what they are doing. It’s all about natural selection, picking out the best and strongest in order to survive. This is the case in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, where a group of young boys becomes stranded on a deserted island with no adults. Their airplane had been shot down as they were flying from England to a safer place, for England was engaged in war. In Lord of the Flies, we quickly identify the character Piggy as the smartest, yet the boys frequently ignore and abuse him, leaving him useful only in the sense of advancing the themes of the novel.…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Most people experience losing control at one time or another. This often leads them to feel powerless and unsure. In the first nine paragraphs of chapter 7 of Williams Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the protagonist, Ralph relates these feelings to the readers. Jack gaining power and the boys becoming uncivilized creates feelings of helplessness and fear in Ralph.…

    • 334 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The conch perhaps is one of the most important symbols in the story. It is referred to many times in the story. It is first used when Piggy spots it and tell Ralph to blow it. It signaled the boys and they started to flood the beach and over to Ralph. Right away they establish a rule with it. Only the person with it can talk, right then and there it symbolizes the power of the conch. Just like in society there are rules, and if the group has rules it with keep their ties to society. The conch symbolizes law, order, and power. Whoever has the conch is in power, it keeps the boys somewhat civilized and it has rules.…

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Power is often a source of violence in Lord of the Flies. The desire for power breaks down the boundaries set by rules and order, causes strife and competition, and governs the actions of many of the boys on the island. Once achieved, power has the ability to either improve or corrupt its holder. Ralph, the more noble of the two leaders on the island, is bettered by his position as chief; whereas Jack, the usurper, abuses his…

    • 1617 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good 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

    With leadership comes power; some use their power for the greater good and some abuse it. Many people want to be the leader of a group, but may underestimate the amount of responsibility it actually takes. Although everyone is capable of using their power for the greater good, it is easy for someone to get caught up in power and abuse it. In Golding's novel “Lord of the Flies” Ralph, one of the main characters, shows how people are capable of using their power for good. The plane Ralph, and a group of other british schoolboys are on, crashes on a tropical island. Right away the boys call a meeting by using a conch shell blown by Ralph, and declare him as the leader. However not everyone likes Ralph as the leader. Throughout the book Jack, another boy on the island, tries to prove he is worthy of being the leader. The boys slowly but surely leave Ralph’s group to join Jack’s. Soon Ralph barely has anyone on his side, and he is watching all the other boys turn savage under Jacks power. In WIlliam Golding’s novel “Lord of the Flies” the characters learn the…

    • 1120 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jack Vs Ralph

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages

    With no near site of rescue, an absence of maturity, and a craving for blood, a civilization will decline at a rapid pace. In the Lord of the Flies it does not take much for the boys’ civilization to crash and burn. This can be concerning, as it shows how rapidly a human can become wild when in a survival mentality. Humans crave power to the extent that it can make people do anything to get it. Jack and Ralph each were turned to power hungry tyrants at the slightest taste of it of its infamous glory .…

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The conch is a powerful symbol of society and order in the island. At the beginning, when Ralph found the conch on the beach shore, all the kids came together for an assembly. After that, they made a rule, only the person who was holding the conch would be allowed to speak at the meetings, this worked well at the beginning. There was a point in the novel where the savage boys began to disrespect the conch and what it stood for, like a rebellion. When the boulder crushed the conch shell it signified a transition from a proper society, to a savage nightmare. The conch represented civility and organization, but soon became nothing put a broken sea shell.…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 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

    The book, Lord of The Flies by William Golding, describes the hardships and power struggles between a crowd of British schoolboys who must learn to coalesce after they land on a secluded island due to a plane crash. Constantly brought up is the need for power, whether it be through the boys or through simple objects we see as irrelevant and inanimate. The way symbols bring out different aspects of power unfold the top layer of meaning in the novel to expose the complex interpretation of how jurisdiction may be exerted.…

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Civilization is a fundamental to society to ensure the safety and happiness of citizens. Without a refined society, the world would be chaos. In Lord of the Flies, the conch is used to maintain order, since it represents civilization. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, there are many symbols and the conch is one of them. Throughout the novel Golding uses the conch to symbolize civilization, therefore it’s destruction represents the end of civilization. In Chapter Eleven, the conch is destroyed which on the island ruins the little civilization the boys have since the savages only listen to conch besides Jack, Jack orders the savages to be violent, and Jack becomes more vicious.…

    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays