Hello everyone!
Following Joe Clarke's comment in the "Dangerous Liasons" section I have taken on board his request and am therefore going to create a monthly "Open Literary Discussion" section in which you are all invited to share with our fellow bloggers any literary interests that you may have. I shall look forward to your posts.
The Lord of the flies
ReplyDeleteAt many Secondary schools in England, including the school which I attended, Lord of the Flies was, and still is, one of the main novels studied in English literature classes.
Lord of the Flies was written by Nobel Prize-winning William Golding and published in 1954. It tells the story of a group of Brittish boys stranded on a deserted island, who, by trying to get by and survive, see disastrous results. Due to its representation of human nature, individual welfare and also the common good, it reached number 68 on the American Library Association's list of the most 100 frequently challenged books of 1990-1999. Furthermore, the novel was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923-2005. This best-seller was then adapted to film on two occasions, once in 1963 and then again in 1990.
I have chosen to share with the followers of this blog my interest in this novel because I really love how the author uses so many metaphors and symbols throughout the story. It is also interesting to see the recurring themes that become apparent during the book. Let's take 'the conch' for example.
The conch is a very important symbol in the novel. It is a large shell which is blown in order to catch the attention of the boys and bring them to an assembly. When Ralph is leader it is agreed that only the boy holding the conch may speak. It is therefore said that the conch is a symbol of democracy, civility and order. When Piggy is killed the conch is broken into several pieces and therefore any order that Ralph had managed to impose is soon lost and chaos begins. It is from this point on that the vibrant colours of the conch begin to change and fade.
Regarding the themes of the Lord of the Flies, at the very beginning of the novel we are made aware of it's principal theme. Although the boys work together at the beginning of the story, it soon becomes apparent that there are two natural leaders, Ralph and Jack. Ralph symbolizes the good and is forever trying to implement rules for the better of the group. On the contrary, Jack embodies an inherent love of violence and becomes the dictator of the Island. It is this constant battle between Ralph and Jack that highlights the theme of good versus evil in the novel.
It is also important to comment upon the character of Simon. Simon is said to represent truth, peace and tranquility and is described as being in tune with the island, as though he can communicate with it. Simon is unfortunately mistaken for being the beast of the island and is therefore brutally killed by the boys. Simon's death represents the loss of truth and common sense.
Furthermore, it is Simon who realises that the beast has been created from fear alone, another major theme in the novel.
There is much more that i could say about this novel but i will leave you with this for now. I hope that you can see from the examples i have given just how much of an interesting and exciting read this novel really is. I also thought that it would be useful for you to learn a bit about what we study in our english classes in England. As i mentioned, this is just one of the novels we have to study and many schools chose different novels for their english students. I will save the other novels for another day. As for this one, the Lord of the flies, have a read! You will love it. Alternatively, watch the film, which is also great.
I found this post really interesting, I'd like to ask you for a little bit more of info! Thank you for being the first posting
ReplyDeleteIn keeping with the theme of Halloween I present to you the lyrics of Michael Jackson's smash hit "Thriller". Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteIt's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes
You're paralyzed
'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one's gonna save you from the beast about strike
You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight
You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun
You close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination, girl!
But all the while you hear the creature creeping up behind
You're out of time
'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
There ain't no second chance against the thing with forty eyes, girl
Thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight
Night creatures calling, the dead start to walk in their masquerade
There's no escaping the jaws of the alien this time
(They're open wide)
This is the end of your life
They're out to get you, there's demons closing in on every side
They will possess you unless you change that number on your dial
Now is the time for you and I to cuddle close together, yeah
All through the night I'll save you from the terror on the screen
I'll make you see
That this is thriller, thriller night
'Cause I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try
Thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a
Killer, diller, chiller, thriller here tonight
'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
Girl, I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try
Thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller, ow!
(I'm gonna thrill ya tonight)
Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y'alls neighborhood
I'm gonna thrill ya tonight, ooh baby
I'm gonna thrill ya tonight, oh darlin'
Thriller night, baby, ooh!
The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller