With the current American economy and the unhappiness people have with the federal government, it seems as if there can never be a perfect civilization. One literary example of this is William Golding's Lord of the Flies, a satirical novel about British children during a great war. This novel has been proclaimed by TIME as one of the best 100 English-language books of all time.
Lord of the Flies opens on a deserted island, at the wreckage of the crash of an airplane that had been carrying British schoolboys away from the war-torn England. Ralph, an older child whose father was in the navy, meets another child, who wore glasses, was fat, and had asthma. The child does not reveal his name, but is known only as Piggy. Ralph is calm, democratic, and charismatic, while Piggy is frightful, disliked, and bossy. The two boys find a conch in a small body of water, and Ralph blows the conch. All the boys on the island go to the sound of the conch.
The conch in the story represents order and democracy. It is used to unite the children, and only he holding the conch is allowed to speak at the boys' assemblies. The conch is probably the most metaphorical item in the entire book.
When the boys unite after Ralph called them, the character Jack is introduced. Jack Merridew is the head of a choir to which many boys belong. He proclaims his desire to be elected chief of the island, but loses the election to Ralph. Ralph gives the resentful Jack command over his choir as hunters for the boys. The civilization on the island is created.
The story continues to explain the rise and fall of the civilization, and the decisions that all of the boys eventually have to make to follow Jack or Ralph. While Ralph stands for order and reason, Jack's tribe is fun and puts a large emphasis on violence, especially the hunt for pigs. Jack and Ralph are perfect foils for each other and are allegories for evil and good, respectively. Other characters include Roger, the spearman and Jack's lieutenant, and Simon, the voice of reason for Ralph and symbol of purity.
Lord of the Flies is a great satire for today. The point that no government created by man can last forever without trouble is true. The way that Golding writes the novel using children, who are so innocent but have so much potential for evil, is chilling. This novel has lasted for years and will last for several more as an excellent novel for modern civilizations.
http://www.amazon.com/WIDEVIEW-PERIGEE-BOOKS-William-Golding/dp/B000FXT2LA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247432738&sr=8-1
Grade: 8.5
Lord of the Flies opens on a deserted island, at the wreckage of the crash of an airplane that had been carrying British schoolboys away from the war-torn England. Ralph, an older child whose father was in the navy, meets another child, who wore glasses, was fat, and had asthma. The child does not reveal his name, but is known only as Piggy. Ralph is calm, democratic, and charismatic, while Piggy is frightful, disliked, and bossy. The two boys find a conch in a small body of water, and Ralph blows the conch. All the boys on the island go to the sound of the conch.
The conch in the story represents order and democracy. It is used to unite the children, and only he holding the conch is allowed to speak at the boys' assemblies. The conch is probably the most metaphorical item in the entire book.
When the boys unite after Ralph called them, the character Jack is introduced. Jack Merridew is the head of a choir to which many boys belong. He proclaims his desire to be elected chief of the island, but loses the election to Ralph. Ralph gives the resentful Jack command over his choir as hunters for the boys. The civilization on the island is created.
The story continues to explain the rise and fall of the civilization, and the decisions that all of the boys eventually have to make to follow Jack or Ralph. While Ralph stands for order and reason, Jack's tribe is fun and puts a large emphasis on violence, especially the hunt for pigs. Jack and Ralph are perfect foils for each other and are allegories for evil and good, respectively. Other characters include Roger, the spearman and Jack's lieutenant, and Simon, the voice of reason for Ralph and symbol of purity.
Lord of the Flies is a great satire for today. The point that no government created by man can last forever without trouble is true. The way that Golding writes the novel using children, who are so innocent but have so much potential for evil, is chilling. This novel has lasted for years and will last for several more as an excellent novel for modern civilizations.
http://www.amazon.com/WIDEVIEW-PERIGEE-BOOKS-William-Golding/dp/B000FXT2LA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247432738&sr=8-1
Grade: 8.5
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