Lord Of The Flies Thematic Essay Questions
Year 10 Common Task - Semester 1, 2013
CLASSIC 20TH CENTURY NOVEL STUDY - LORD OF THE FLIES
Originally published in 1954, William Golding's _Lord of the Flies_ has become one of the classics of contemporary literature. The novel is about a group of young boys stranded alone on an island and left to fend for themselves. In an attempt to model their previous world without the influence of adults, the order that had once existed soon decays and is replaced by the chaos that destroys their ordered and civilised cultures. Though fictional, _Lord of the Flies_ deals with deep moral questions of how humans are essentially barbaric in their most primitive state. Golding conveys his idea of the 'darkness of a man's heart' successfully through effective use of allegory, symbolism, and his perception of a dystopian society.
_Lord of the Flies_ can be viewed as a political allegory of the Cold War. Golding served in the Royal Navy and recalling later his war experiences, he remarked that "man produces evil, as a bee produces honey." The Cold War was a struggle between two super power ideologies - Democracy and Communism, signified by Ralph and Jack respectively. Near the close of the novel, the boys are …show more content…
""There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm he Beast."" (p 177) These words spoken by the Lord of the Flies confirm Simon's speculation that perhaps the beast is only the boys themselves and acknowledges that it exists in all human beings. This is backed up further with The Lord of the Flies' adoption of the boys' rather colloquial language, "I'm the reason why it's no go?" (p 177) As the story progresses, the boys begin to worship the beast and make offerings to it. The appreciation for the beast is paralleled by the amount of savagery in the group. Through the use of symbolism, Golding successfully illustrates his theme of natural savagery within
CLASSIC 20TH CENTURY NOVEL STUDY - LORD OF THE FLIES
Originally published in 1954, William Golding's _Lord of the Flies_ has become one of the classics of contemporary literature. The novel is about a group of young boys stranded alone on an island and left to fend for themselves. In an attempt to model their previous world without the influence of adults, the order that had once existed soon decays and is replaced by the chaos that destroys their ordered and civilised cultures. Though fictional, _Lord of the Flies_ deals with deep moral questions of how humans are essentially barbaric in their most primitive state. Golding conveys his idea of the 'darkness of a man's heart' successfully through effective use of allegory, symbolism, and his perception of a dystopian society.
_Lord of the Flies_ can be viewed as a political allegory of the Cold War. Golding served in the Royal Navy and recalling later his war experiences, he remarked that "man produces evil, as a bee produces honey." The Cold War was a struggle between two super power ideologies - Democracy and Communism, signified by Ralph and Jack respectively. Near the close of the novel, the boys are …show more content…
""There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm he Beast."" (p 177) These words spoken by the Lord of the Flies confirm Simon's speculation that perhaps the beast is only the boys themselves and acknowledges that it exists in all human beings. This is backed up further with The Lord of the Flies' adoption of the boys' rather colloquial language, "I'm the reason why it's no go?" (p 177) As the story progresses, the boys begin to worship the beast and make offerings to it. The appreciation for the beast is paralleled by the amount of savagery in the group. Through the use of symbolism, Golding successfully illustrates his theme of natural savagery within