Essay Example on Lord Of the Flies Fear is something that we can not Control

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Lord Of the Flies Essay Fear is something that we can not control Fear is an emotional response induced by a perceived threat which causes a change in brain and organ function as well as in behavior Fear can lead us to hide to run away or to freeze in our shoes The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel in which the theme of savagery vs civilisation is explored Some British boys are stranded on an isolated island at the time of a nuclear war On the island we see conflict between two main characters Jack and Ralph who respectively represent civilisation and savagery Later on this has a effect on the rest of the boys throughout the novel as they go further and further into savagery The theme of savagery vs civilisation is first introduced to us through the of the conch shell which they use to symbolise leadership Ralph is the person who first uses it and becomes the elected leader of the boys This symbolises who is in charge of the boys At the first assembly Ralph says I ll give the conch to the next person to speak he won't be interrupted

This suggests civilisation as Ralph is allowing each boy to have an equal say and opinion If they have the conch no matter who they are or what age they are they will be given the chance to speak and will be listened to by the rest of the boys The boys have created the island to be a place which shows a civilised side to them as they try to relate to the homes they have just left Contrasting with the symbol of the conch is the symbol of the beast which comes to be associated with Jack as by the end of the novel he is almost devil worshipping it The beast starts off as a snake thing but by the end of the novel it has become the Lord of the Flies This quote shows us that the boys are afraid of the beast and which makes them wonder what could happen next Maybe there is a beast maybe it's only us Ralph wept for the end of innocence the darkness of man's heart and the fall through the air of the true wise friend called Piggy The thing is fear can’t hurt you any more than a dream However at this stage of the novel the beast is only a thing As the boys fear of the beast grows so does the beast until it has into turned the devil The boys belief in the beast leads them to behave more like savages as they act out from their fear and they begin to lose hold of the rules led by Jack this demonstrates the theme of savagery One of ways William Golding shows conflict between savagery and civilisation is when Jack and some of the other boys are killing the first pig Jack chants kill the pig cut her throat spill the blood This suggests savagery as the boys are being violent and aggressive when killing the pig and they don t care about it This is particularly clear through William Golding s word choice Jack talks about cutting the pig's throat which makes it sound like a savage action and spilling her blood which reinforces the lack of care and feeling shown towards the pug s carcass This shows that the boys are no longer feeling guilty about what they have done thus showing them becoming savages We can see the conflict between savagery and civilisation developing further when Piggy's glasses are broken 



We are told Piggy cried out in terror my specs This shows us that the boys savage natures are beginning to overrule their more civilised sides At the start of the book Jack would never have dared touch Piggy but here he actually snaps and goes for Piggy who he despises We can tell that Piggy is really scared as William Golding chooses the words cried and terror to describe the scene Piggy sounds like he is hurting and is terrified about what Jack might do to him and the loss of his sight Piggy's glasses have also come to represent intelligence on the island with them breaking we see that the pathway to savagery is now completely open for the boys This is the first true piece of violence on the island and it will result in nearly all the boys becoming savages A final way in which we see the theme of savagery vs civilisation being demonstrated is when Ralph sticks up for Piggy after he is attacked by Jack Ralph says that was a dirty trick This shows that Ralph is really angry at Jack for what he did to Piggy He is still attempting to impose himself as leader This suggests there is still some glimmers of civilisation on the island at this point as there is still someone with a sense of goodness for fight and justice In conclusion The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel in which the theme of savagery vs civilisation is shown Ralph represents civilisation as he wants to enforce rules and let everyone have an equal say Where Jack who represents savagery as he rules over the boys and he is not interested in what they have to say Through the boys actions William Golding shows us that we all deserve an equal say and should all follow the rules to avoid chaos and savagery


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