English department english literature final assignment an analysis on ralph and his characteristics
tải về 0.71 Mb.
|
- Điều hướng trang này:
- Plot summary
BodyWilliam Golding:William Golding (1911- 1993), also known as William Gerald Golding, was born in Cornwall, England (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023). He was a British teacher, novelist, and poet. He is widely considered one of the greatest modernist movement writers, and his works gained popularity globally during his lifetime (Evelyn, 2020). His works include 12 novels, short stories, essays, plays, and some poems. The novels Lord of the Flies (1954), The Inheritors (1955), Free Fall (1959), The Spire (1964), The Pyramid (1967), and Darkness Visible (1979) are among his best pieces (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023). His personal experiences serve as the primary source of inspiration for his writings, which mainly discuss the relations between nature and human life. His writing style is characterized by its use of allegory and symbolism, distinguishing him from other authors who rely on intricate structures, extensive use of poetic devices, and exaggeration. The central themes in most of his works include death, loss, violence, power and the darker aspects of humanity (Evelyn, 2020). William has profound insight and sharp literary skills when illustrating the influence of evil on humans. He frequently chooses his themes and the settings for his stories from the realm of the sea or other challenging circumstances in which unusual individuals are tempted to surpass their limits, thus revealing their own nature. In his stories, a schematic drama, such as an anecdote, usually serves as the foundation of the plot. He then embellishes this foundation with a diverse array of vibrant characters and unexpected occurrences (The Nobel Prize in Literature 1983, n.d.). Plot summary:The story begins in the heat of World War II, a plane carrying dozens of British boys to evacuate crashes on an abandoned tropical island. Here, without adult’s supervision, the boys have to gather together to survive. Initially, Ralph and Piggy find a conch shell and make it into a trumpet to gather the children. Ralph is elected as leader, but Jack is not satisfied with this because Jack always desires to lead a group. Ralph’s priority is the signal fire lit by Piggy’s glasses so that passing boats can see the smoke and save them from the island while Jack’s main concern is to hunt for meat. Ralph is in charge of building shelters whereas Jack and his hunters take over maintaining the fire but they leave for hunting and let the fire out. Ralph is angry at him for his carelessness making them miss the chance of being rescued. Therefore, Ralph and Jack have become increasingly antagonistic and can not find common ground. From their very first meeting, there are gossips about an alleged beast on the island. In fact, they mistake a dead pilot with a parachute for a giant monster and become frightened by it. Jack even beheads a sow to sacrifice to “the monster”. The pig's head is then quickly swarmed by flies, creating a horrifying scene that scares Simon and gives birth to the delusion that he is talking to the "Lord of the Flies". Upon his mountainous investigation, Simon finds out the truth about the beast and he rushes to the beach to inform the boys. Meanwhile, Jack's tribe is holding another party to celebrate the hunt. The dim night and the sound of thunder and flickering firelight, along with the scene of killing pigs, drive the children crazy and dance wildly in front of the fire. This excitement causes them to mistake Simon for the monster and kill him. The next day, almost everyone is on Jack's side, except for Ralph, Piggy, Sam, and Eric. The barbarians sack Ralph’s camp and steal Piggy’s glasses. When Ralph’s group attempts to get the glasses back, they kill Piggy and badly injure Ralph. With peak bloodlust, the barbarians frantically chase Ralph, Jack even gives command to light the entire forest to lure Ralph out. Being exhausted, Ralph escapes to the beach. Fortunately, at this time a boat carrying adults passes by and promptly rescues Ralph from the bloodthirsty barbarians on the island. tải về 0.71 Mb. Chia sẻ với bạn bè của bạn:
|