Lord of the Flies - annotations Flashcards
all around him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat
the sound of the shell
- the all consuming nature of human destruction is emphasised by the image of the scar being “long” and “all around him” - there is no escape
- the sibilance is almost onomatopoeic so that you can hear the violent crash
- the metaphor “scar” alluding to the wounds mankind inflicts upon nature
- “jungle” = trapped in something overgrown, overwhelming = savagery
- pathetic fallacy “bath of heat” - sense of drowning, oppression, submerged
Jack drew his knife again with a flourish. he raised his arm in the air. there came a pause, a hiatus, the pig continued to scream and the creepers to jerk, and the blade continued to flash at the end of a bony arm
the sound of the shell
- reader gets a sense of his growing bloodlust
- sentence structure “a pause, a hiatus” mimics J’s hesitation - he is still conditioned by the civilized world.
- “blade”, with connotations of violence and death, contrasts with the use of “bony arm”, shows J’s youth and innocence, he is not physically designed to kill
- “flourish” depicts his excitement, reader feels uneasy as it is directed at something that continues to “scream” and “jerk”
the assembly was lifted towards safety by his words. they liked and now respected him. spontaneously they began to clap and presently the platform became loud with applause
fire on the mountain
- R’s early power comes from the fact that the boys are conditioned to respect rules and order and to respect their elders
- Sense of civilisation and order is shown through “assembly” and “safety”, they associate with the boys’ school environment
- “loud with applause” they desire structure and are relieved that R has provided it
- “liked” highlights their friendly approach to relationships, they are still boys not savages
- “respected him” shows R’s leadership techniques compared to J’s (fear)
Jack held out his hands for the conch and stood up, holding the delicate thing carefully in his sooty hands. ‘I agree with Ralph. we’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. we’re English’
fire on the mountain
- “delicate thing” symbolically referencing the fragility of order and civilisation. juxtaposed with J’s “sooty hands”, an image of corrupt darkness, foreshadows Jack destroying the conch
- “thing” suggests order and civilisation is difficult for them to describe, foreshadows it becoming a more distant idea
- contrasts “savages” with “English”, ironic as the children are only on the island due to the savage effects of war
Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilisation that knew nothing of him and was in ruins
painted faces and long hair
- Roger is instinctively drawn towards aggression but can’t yet act on it
- polysyndeton highlights the work required to civilise mankind. we are taught morally, educationally, and legally
- civilisation will soon fade away. while it is “strong” it is “invisible” therefore easily rejected
- “old” foreshadows the new way of life coming as it is only “roger’s arm” that is conditioned, not his mind and the adult world is also “in ruins”
the hunters, circling still, pretended to beat him. as they danced they sang. ‘kill the pig. cut her throat. bash her in.’ Ralph watched them, envious and resentful
painted faces and long hair
- circle = recurring image throughout the novel suggests even though we have evolved, it is inevitable that we will return to our inherent savagery
- “pretended” is youthful imagination and childish games but juxtaposed with “beat him”, illustrating their move from innocence to violence
- “envious and resentful” highlights the appeal of the chant, even R is drawn in to the excitement of their tribal behaviour
- it is important to track changes to the ‘Kill’ chants. “kill” and “cut” are harsh, violent and aggressive but also necessary for the hunt. however “spill her blood” whilst still violent, now becomes “bash her in”, a destructive image of bludgeoning that serves no purpose except a desire for violence
the vivid horror of this, so possible and so nakedly terrifying, held them all silent. the child’s voice went piping on from behind the conch
beast from water
- the boys’ immaturity, innocence and youthfulness is still evident. they don’t fear their own behaviour, but instead fear childish beasts
- “nakedly”, vulnerability of the children, exposed
NOT FINISHED
