Lord of the Flies Flashcards
This quote shows that the boys have bonded together. However, the thing that bonds the together is their ridicule and rejection of another boy. This suggests that all of the boys have a mean streak, even this early in the novel.
“a closed circuit sympathy with Piggy outside”
This quote makes the reader feel symptahy for Piggy by emphasising that he’s an outsider, The metaphor comparing the other boys to an electric circuit highlights how the boys are linked together. This reinforces the idea that Piggy is on his own and not included in this laughter, which makes the reader feel sorry for him.
how does “a closed circuit sympathy with Piggy outside” affect the reader’s view of Piggy?
This quote suggests that Ralph doesn’t acknowledge the reality of the situation. He says the ‘grown-ups’ will fetch them, even though he knows the adults don’t know where the boys are. This shows that he either doesn’t know how serious the situatuon is, or doesn’t want to accept it. When he says they’ll ‘have fun’, it shows that he thinks of the island as a game.
What does the quote “Until the grown-ups come to fetch us we’ll have fun” suggest about Ralph’s character at this point in the novel?
The idea of being on an island without any adults is used in other adventure stories, such as The Coral Island.
Golding creates this link to make the reader think the boys’ experiences on the island might be a fun adventure. This makes it seem more shocking when the novel takes a much darker turn, with the boys becoming violent.
How does “Until the grown-ups come to fetch us we’ll have fun” link Lord of the Flies to other typical adventure stories?
Why do you think Golding chooses to make this link?
As the novel progresses, it seems like Jack starts to disagree with this statement, as he starts interrupting people when they have the conch, crying “Bollocks to the rules!” However, after he becomes cheif, he appears to making rules, such as telling the boys in the tribe they have to “challenge everyone”. This suggests he only agrees that rules are needed when he is making them.
How far does Jack continue to agree with the statement “We’ve got to have rules and obey them.” as the novel progresses?
The boys are good at creating rules. They make several new rules throughout the novel, such as the rule that the choir will be in charge of keeping the fire going. However, they are not so good at following these rules. For example, they all agree to make a rule that certain rocks will be uses as the lavatory, however no one obeys this rule.
The quote “We’ve got to have rules and obey them.” states that the boys need to both “have rules” and “obey them”. Are the boys successful at both of these things?
This quote shows that Roger is still influenced by civilisation (his “old life” in a civilised society). He will not hurt Henry because that’s forbidden (“taboo”) in normal society, The description of the taboo as “strong” shows that Roger’s link to civilisation is still powerful enough to make Roger behave in a certain way.
How does “Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life” show the influence of civilisation on the character it’s about?
This taboo doesn’t remain powerful throughout the novel, as the more time the boys spend on the island away from society, the more likely they are to commit violent acts, such as killing Simon and torturing Sam and Eric. Towards the end of the novel, Roger sends a rick towards Piggy, killing him. This shows that the taboo no longer affects him, as he deliberately tries to hit Piggy rather than aiming to miss him like he did with Henry.
“Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life”
Does the power of this “taboo” remain throughout the text?
Golding’s choice of words in this quote shows that Jack is becoming more animalistic. He goes from “laughter” an action usually associated with humasn, to a “snarl”, a noise usually associated with wild animals. The use of the adjective “bloodthirsty” adds to the impression by making Jack seem like an animal hungry for prey.
How does Golding use the language in “his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling” to show that this character is becoming more animalistic?
Golding uses this to create a sinister mood. Jack’s laughter turns into a snarl, which makes him seem dangerous, as it suggests he is agressive and angry, and may therefore want to hurt someone. Jack also changes from laughter to snarling very quickly, which could imply that he is unstable, This adds to the sinister mood by suggesting that Jack may be erratic enough to do something dangerous to himself or others.
What sort of mood does Golding create with the quote “his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling”?
The boys don’t take Simon seriously, which suggests that they don’t agree with what he says. Even Piggy, who usually seems wise, says “Nuts!”. Jack mocks Simon by answering ggis question jokingly with a swear word (“one crude expressive syllable”)
How do the other boys react to Simon saying “What I mean is … maybe its only us”?
Do they think Simon is correct?
Simon is usually presented as quiet, with very little dialogue with the other characters. The quote supports the presentation of him, as the ellipsis suggests he is unsure of himself and not used to talking to other people. Simon is also presented as wise, for example being the first to suggest it might not be a “good island”. This is supported by the wuote as he understands the complicated idea that the beast is actually the boys themselves
How does “What I mean is … maybe its only us” support the way that Simon is presented throughout the novel?
This quote makes Piggy sound more like an adult - his repeated questions give the impression that he is telling the boys off like a parent might. Golding includes this to show that Piggy is the most rational character, and the closest thing the boys have to a parent.
Do you think Piggy’s language makes them more sound like a child or an adult in the quote ‘What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages?’?
The exclamation marks in this quote show that Jack is shouting, which suggests he is passionate about what he is saying. The use of a long dash to split Jack’s speech increases the pace, making his ideas seem more exciting to the other boys and showing how energetic he feels.
What is the effect of the punctuation in ‘Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong - we hunt’?
In this quote, Jack directly contradicts Ralph, who has just said ‘the rules are the only things we’ve got’. This shows that Jack is trying to undermine Ralph’s authority. When Jack says ‘we hunt’, he is referring to himself and his hunters, not Ralph. This suggests that Jack thinks that he and his hunters are above Ralph’s rules, further challenging his authority.
How does Jack challenge Ralph’s authority in the quote ‘Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong - we hunt’?
The plane crash is described like a “…” which immediately shows the way that war and violence destroys the perfect, utopian paradise of the island.
scar
The conch is described as a “…”
“fragile white shell”
Jack says “we don’t …”
“we don’t need the conch anymore”
Jack also says “The conch doesn’t …”
“The conch doesn’t count on this side of the island”
Just before Piggy dies, the conch “…”
“exploded into a thousand tiny white fragments and ceased to exist”
Simon says to the others that “Maybe …”
“Maybe there is a beast. Maybe it’s only us.”
When Simon hallucinates, the Pig’s head says “…”
“Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill. I’m part of you. Close. Close. Close.”
Jack uses everyone’s fear of the beast as a way to control everyone: “…”
“if there is a beast, we’ll hunt it down and beat and beat and beat.”
The boys are all from different schools: “…”
“There were uniforms of different colours and badges”
The choir wears uniforms that make them look more authoritative and intimidating - they looked like a “…” and a “…”
“shadow”
“black bat”
Jack wears a “…”
“black cap with a gold badge”
When Jack paints his face, it helps to intimidate the other boys - “…”
“the mask compelled them”
To begin, the boys roll a boulder into the sea and are excited to see the big splash it makes is “…”
“like a bomb”
Later, Roger throws stones at Henry but deliberately “..” because his “…”
“threw to miss”
“arm was conditioned by school teachers and policemen and the law”
Roger’s behaviour escalates into using a boulder to deliberately harm Piggy: “…” [which released the boulder which would kill Piggy]
“Roger, with a delirious sense of abandonment, leant his full weight on the lever”
“Percival Wemy’s Madison, …”
“Percival Wemy’s Madison, The Vicarage, Harcourt St. Anthony, Telephone, Telephone, Telephone”
When Percoval gets scared of the beast and Jack’s behaviour, Percival starts crying and his words become “…”. “…”.
“inarticulate gibbering”
“The incantation of his address was powerless to help him”
At the very end, he can’t even speak to the Naval Officer: “…”
“The incantation had faded clean away”
The naval officer carries a “…” and the ratings hold “…”
“revolver”
“sub-machine guns”
The boat that will be used to rescue the boys is a “…”
“trim cruiser”
ENDING: “…”
“Ralph wept for the end of innocence and the darkness in man’s heart”
