ipl-logo

A Symbolic Moment In Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

636 Words3 Pages

A Symbolic Moment Arguably, the conch shell is one of the most symbolic items in the novel; the moment Ralph blows into it, the boys are brought together. It is this pivotal moment that makes Ralph appear to be the clear choice for a leader. It is easy to understand why the boys gravitated towards him, their first sight of Ralph was of him sitting, "the conch trailing from one hand, his head bowed on his knees;" (Golding, 19) a clear image of confidence and strength. The boys are easily swayed by his symbolic power and when it comes time to choose between Ralph and Jack, the majority of the boys rush to support Ralph as their leader. Why did they choose Ralph? The boys could have easily chosen Jack instead of Ralph, especially given the fact that Jack had previous experience as a leader; he is first seen surrounded by a group of faithful followers, his choir group, that continue to obey him on the island. Even Piggy, who showed support towards Ralph from the beginning, is intimidated by Jack's authoritative demeanor. However, Jack is missing that key characteristic that made Ralph so appealing: the symbol of power and strength. Any sense of leadership that Jack held was overshadowed by the image of Ralph standing confidently with the conch shell in hand. Ultimately, the young boys identified Ralph as their leader based on the power they believed he symbolized. …show more content…

Jack: A Deadly Competition When it came time to choose a Chief for the island, Jack never guessed there would be any competition. He confidently stated, "I ought to be chief because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp." These qualifications may have held up in the "real world" but here on the island, the boys were looking for someone different, someone like

Show More
Related

  • Ralph Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    765 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” This quote is said by Peter Drucker. The more effort leaders put in the more effort they are going to get out from the people they are leading. The leader might be dis-liked, but being liked isn’t in the job description. Being a leader might not be that hard, but just because they are a leader doesn’t mean they are good.

    Read More

  • Ralph Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    471 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Lord of the Flies, a group of British boys ended up stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashed. After establishing Ralph as the leader of the boys, he attempts to establish order by assigning roles to everyone and a system in which the holder of the conch may speak during an assembly. However, Jack, the antithesis to Ralph, sets up a hunting culture and disregards the use of the conch, preferring to speak openly, and sets up an authoritarian rule. In both of these groups, both establish right or wrong based on what is deemed beneficial to either Ralph or Jack. While Ralph seeks to uphold democratic values, opting to minimize the amount of time on the island, Jack looks for a more permanent solution through brutality and total power.

    Read More

  • Defining Moments In Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    254 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, because of three defining moments, Jack changed the most out of all the boys. The first of the moments that changed him occurred in the beginning of the novel on page 23 when Ralph was chosen to be the chief of the boys instead of Jack. Jack was upset at not being chief, but he still took a position of leadership by making the choir boys the hunters and volunteering to be in charge of them. Ralph says “Jack’s in charge of the choir. They can be-what do you want them to be?’’

    Read More

  • Evil Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    830 Words  | 4 Pages

    Why do some people seem to get away with doing things that hurt others? Is it because they are evil? Some people may act evil because they view themselves as savages, doing what is necessary to survive in a cruel and brutal world. William Golding's Lord of the Flies demonstrates in the novel, how as a result of human activity, man is intrinsically defective and corrupt. Every age sees a stronger and stronger manifestation of this trend, which fuels a growth in evil and injustice.

    Read More

  • Imagery In Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    1479 Words  | 6 Pages

    IMAGERY The novel begins with a bunch of young boys who are trapped on an island after a plane crash. Throughout the novel William Golding includes various types of imagery to accurately describe each significant place on the island the boys are stranded on. An example would be calling the place where the airplane sliced through the brush “the scar”. The most realistic use of imagery is the description of the patch of the island where the boys would burn what they intended to be a "small fire."

    Read More

  • Essay On Ralph In Lord Of The Flies

    434 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although Jack expresses strong desire to become chief, the boys elect Ralph as a leader, suggesting an air of charisma that made him worthy of his position. He believes a leader has to “think, be wise… grab at a decision”, someone who can look after others and keep the group in

    Read More

  • Quotes For Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    200 Words  | 1 Pages

    The biguns were at a little pool on the island when Ralph spotted a ship on the horizon. Ralph and Piggy were panicking because there was no smoke coming from the fire Jack was left in charge of .Later that day, when Jack came back, Ralph was furious at him and told him what had happened. Step 3: A Slice of Bread to introduce the Quote For instance, in the text it says, Step 4: The Good Stuff in the Middle of the Sandwich -- Insert your Quote!

    Read More

  • Power In Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    496 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although Jack was the most natural leader and Piggy was probably the smartest of the group, the boys voted Ralph as their chief. Jack’s jealousy is evident after Ralph is chosen as chief when he “disappeared under a blush of mortification” (Golding 23). In the first days and weeks on the

    Read More

  • Change In Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    683 Words  | 3 Pages

    A quote by Benjamin Disraeli said, “ Change is inevitable. Change is constant.” This quote illustrates how everyone goes through changes in their life, no matter their situation. This quote is clearly shown in Lord of the Flies as all the characters changed throughout the story. In Golding’s story several boys crash land on an island and are stuck without any adults.

    Read More

  • Ralph Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    529 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Ralph launched himself like a cat, stabbing, snarling, with the spear, and the savage doubled up." The Lord of the Flies by William Golding presents this character, Ralph, as trying very hard to fend for himself, even if it isn't in a conventional, civilized way. As shown in this example, people have been known to go to great lengths and to do things they would not ordinarily do to survive. For instance, Jack, a main character in the story, attacked another human, brutally and violently hunted an animal, and murdered a living, breathing person he was acquaintances with.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    818 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lord of the Flies Final Lord of the Flies by William Golding shows the amount of power and manipulative power that fear has. A theme in Lord of the Flies is that fear can make people do things that they wouldn't have even thought of doing before they were manipulated by fear. Fear will make people do crazy things some examples is 1. when Simon was running down the mountain and the boys killed him, 2. near the end of the book Ralph was so concerned for his life if anybody came near he would try to stab them with a spear, 3.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    1122 Words  | 5 Pages

    Everyone will face evil at some point in their lives, but the way the evil is embraced or deflected will differ among every man. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, symbolism is used to communicate the theme of Understanding the Inhumanity/Inherent Evil of Man as represented through the double ended spear, the fire, and the Lord of the Flies. The spear represents the evil inside of humankind and the perception that killing and hurting each other out of anger is acceptable. Fire symbolizes the evil act of stealing to achieve a human wants. Lastly, the Lord of the Flies symbolizes the Inherent Evil of Man through demonstrating that a boy understood that the evil is within them instead of around them, and is not something that could be killed

    Read More

  • Essay On The Conch Shell In Lord Of The Flies

    1951 Words  | 8 Pages

    In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses items and people to symbolize many different things. These symbolic things include Piggy’s glasses, Simon’s epilepsy, the Lord of the Flies, and arguably the most important symbol, the conch shell. The conch shell was first found in the water by Piggy, who then comes up with the idea of using the conch as a blow horn to call for meetings. Throughout Lord of the Flies, the conch shell becomes not only associated with Ralph and his leadership, but with Piggy and his intuitive and wise ideas and Jack and his dictator-like, irresponsible authority. The conch shell, representing law and order, assisted in the election of Ralph as chief and ultimately determines the future of the island.

    Read More

  • Character Development In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

    1397 Words  | 6 Pages

    Ralph is first introduced as the fair boy who is a natural born leader. He applies Piggy’s intelligence to think of a way to summon the other survivors on the island. Ralph follows through with Piggy’s idea and uses the conch which emits a loud sound that can be hear through the island. The sound eventually lures the group of boys towards them. His leader instincts are best portrayed when he’s able to side with Jack after offering to share his power: “The suffusion drained away from Jack’s face.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Ralph And Jack In Lord Of The Flies

    773 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lord of the Flies was written by William Golding, an award winning Nobel Prize in Literature British author. William Golding was born on September 11, 1911, in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England. Golding wrote Lord of the Flies that soon became published on September 17, 1954. In the story, two characters that have a lot of differences between each other are Ralph and Jack. Examples of some of their differences include the fact that Ralph is a leader, Jack wants to be in control of things, and they both have different goals they want to achieve on the island.

    Read More

More about A Symbolic Moment In Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

Open Document