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Lord Of The Flies Rhetorical Analysis

Decent Essays

Xi 1
Grace Xi
Mr. Halter
Literary Style N-104
10/1/14

Every group of people has a leader, object or mantra that represents what the group needs or treasures the most. This can be observed in the newest fashion trends that symbolize beauty and sophistication to a group of teenage girls, the newest iPhone or tablet to symbolize wealth to a group of rich businessmen, or even a flag to symbolize our nation. William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies explores this concept of giving a normal object great power by using it to convey an ideology of a group of people. Golding describes a world where there is no civilization, and the only connection to the civilized world is through the objects that represent different aspects of it. This essay will …show more content…

In the beginning of chapter 4, Golding describes Ralph using the conch to call a meeting within the group of boys. He writes, “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;”(59). Here, Golding uses alliteration of the words “adult” and “authority” in order to emphasize that the reason the conch has its authority and power that it does, is because it is the object that ties the boys to the adult world of civilization. This emphasis illustrates that the conch itself, as an object is not powerful, but it is the hopes and belief that the conch is bound to, the meaning behind the object that gives it the power it has. Therefore, this quote implies that …show more content…

As Jack starts to form his own group, we see even more people straying from the belief of civilization, the belief that order is even necessary. Golding writes “[Jack] And the conch doesn’t count on this end of the island”(150). This phrase suggests that the hunters have already abandoned their previous ideals and instead turned to instant gratification rather than stability and safety. They now achieve a feeling of security by hunting and killing aimlessly instead of clinging to reminders of the outside world, such as the huts and meetings . Therefore, they are not affected by their old ideals of civilization, represented by the conch, and do not need the conch because they have already lost their ties with civilization, making the conch almost powerless. This passage implies that when the ideas represented by an object become obsolete, the object’s power is lost. This proves that it is only the representation and people behind that object that makes it

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