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Lord Of The Flies Rhetorical Analysis

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“There is a way that seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (The Bible, Prov. 16:25). Thoughts that come to men stem from their participation in society or their natural state of good and evil. However, society’s morals mask the natural man—who is more vulnerable to natural evil than good. Because of this, every man is susceptible to ignorance and savagery. William Golding exemplifies this idea in his novel Lord of the Flies. When a group of military boys find themselves stranded on a deserted island, their ignorance soon leads to the inevitable savagery present in the end of the novel. The maturation process of Ralph illustrates the fight between man’s tendencies of natural evil and natural good when morals …show more content…

At the time, Ralph heavily influences the boys and their actions for he resembles “the men with the megaphones” (18). He attempts to create order among the boys with rules, but most of the boys would rather play than follow the rules—for there are no adults to enforce them. With the role of leadership thrust upon him, Ralph has no choice but to stop playing games. His goals are to protect the boys and increase their chances of being rescued; however, the responsibility on Ralph’s shoulders soon begins to weigh him down. As “Ralph [watches the boys], envious and resentful” (75), the obligation to care for everyone on the island is a heavy burden to bear. His role as leader has forced Ralph to forget the joys of being an innocent kid and given him the encumbrance of responsibility, which causes the start of his maturation. As the order on the island begins to break down, Ralph tightly holds onto the idea of rescue. On the island, every responsibility is on his shoulders and will be until they leave. As he ponders his feelings, “he [loses] himself in a maze of thoughts that were rendered vague by his lack of words to express them” (76). Daydreaming about home expresses his longing for civilized life and comfort; remaining in a state of innocence. However, he has matured a great deal since the beginning of the novel. As the leader, Ralph is held accountable for the group of boys. His recognition of this idea demonstrates his maturity, but also his longing

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