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Example research essay topic: Lord Of The Flies Ralph And Piggy - 3,370 words

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Lord of the Flies This great novel was written by William Golding in which he introduced to us a bunch of youths that were stranded on an island that saved their lives. In the beginning of the story, this island seemed like paradise to them but as we got deeper into the novel these characters started to realise that it was not a paradise after all. Everything turned into the total opposite of what it used to be. Setting: The setting in this novel started with the boys home country, England, and later on it became the place that saved their lives, the island.

There was a nuclear war going on in England so all the young boys were put on a plane and were supposed to be sent to a safe place. There was a lot of panic but all they wanted to do was to evacuate as many people as possible and mostly the younger ones. The plane crashed on an unknown island and the impact killed all the adults. So the boys were the only ones left alive and most of them were between ten to twelve years old. The author did not mention the geographical place of this island, so it could have represented all islands. At first, the boys were pleased that they were alone on the island.

They felt free since they were away from all adults and their parents. In the beginning, the island was the boys saviour and sanctuary; it also represented freedom and safety. However, at the end of the novel it was the exact opposite, a death trap or a prison. It was also reversed physically. At first it was green with a lot of trees and plantation. But at the end, it was destroyed by the fire.

This island, also the boys place of rescue, could represent the earth. The definition of an island is a place that is away from all other pieces of land and is isolated. The earth is also an island when you think about it. It is isolated from other planets, and we cannot move out of the earth and live anywhere else, at least for now. This is also true in Lord of the Flies; the boys were trapped on the island. Both the earth and the island have two sides to them.

On one side of the island there was overgrowth of the plants that caused them to kill each other. On the other side there was no growth at all which also caused death. We could compare this to the earths two sides. On one side of the earth, theres overproduction for example North America and on the other side theres underproduction such as the third world countries.

There are also two kinds of people and different political groups who live on the two different parts of the earth. On one side theres capitalism and democracy such as Ralph's group. On the other hand theres communism just like Jack and his tribe. In the beginning of the novel this island was like the Garden of Eden and seemed like heaven but at the end of the novel it turned into the total opposite, it was Hell.

In addition, the human species could also fit the descriptions of an island. We are isolated from all other species and we cannot communicate with any other ones. There are also two sides to us just like the island and the earth, the good and the evil. Characters: One of the main characters from Lord of the Flies was Jack.

He had red hair and the author described him this way, he was thin and bony; and his hair was red beneath the black cap. His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness. Out of this face stared two light blue eyes, frustrated now, and turning, or ready to turn, to anger. Jack could be considered a totalitarian because he did not care about other peoples words; he could also be called a communist. He always got what he wanted which is called Instant Gratification.

He was the exact opposite of Ralph, yet he was a more effective leader. In the beginning of the novel Jack who was in the choir was wearing cloaks and caps with his shirt buttoned up to the top. He was very polite and civilised but from the start he did not like abiding by rules of any kind. He simply wanted to hunt and have a good time. Not seeming to care about being rescued. Also in the beginning Jack was not a very good hunter, the first time they saw the pig, he could not kill it and this showed that he also had a good side.

But as we got further in the book, he became more uncivilised and more evil. At the end of the novel, he was no longer afraid to hunt and kill not only pigs and animals, but also human beings such as Simon, Piggy and Ralph. He no longer wore his clothes, he painted himself like the devil, covered in blood and he was the one in control. He felt like he could overcome his fear of death by killing other living things. At first hunting was only a means for food but near the end of the novel it became a ritual, or a religion for Jack. He worshiped hunting, he hunted for the sake of hunting, for a thrill and not only for food.

This showed his savaged and uncivilised side at the end of the book. He is the perpetrator of all three deaths that occur on the island and wishes to spend his time hunting and killing instead of helping Ralph with rescue. Another main character from this novel was Ralph. He was the first chosen leader of the group and also the first character who was mentioned in the book. Even though he listened to what other people had to say and he cared a lot about their safety, he was not an effective leader. The reason for this was that he cared too much and he did not like making decisions because he was afraid of making the wrong one.

He could not enforce the rules he made because he did not want to hurt anybody. He was about twelve years old, taller than the other boys, built, dark skin with brown hair. His attitude never changed throughout the novel, he did not become savage like all the other boys. The author quotes, You could see now that he might make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went, but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil. He lost his powers of being in charge to Jack somewhere in the middle of the story. He went from being the guy in charge, to their prey.

One of his characteristics was that he could not keep a secret, he always told the truth. For example when Piggy told Ralph what they call him at school and that he didnt want anyone to know what it was, Ralph shouted it out and told everyone on the island. He was also the only character who accepted and felt responsible for the murder of Simon and did not deny it, all the other boys, such as Piggy said that it was an accident. Ralph's only goal on the island was to get rescued.

In the beginning of the novel he wanted to have fun and enjoy himself without any adults, but near the end of the book he realised that the island was not a paradise and they had to get rescued as soon as possible. He was the opposite of Jack. Ralph was more of a democrat; he listened to what other people had to say. He represented law, order, organised society and moral integrity. Throughout the novel he was constantly making common sense rules for the boys to follow.

As chief, he knew right from wrong Another main character was Piggy. Physically Piggy was short, very fat, wore glasses and had asthma which disabled him to do work on the island. He was the first person Ralph met, and together they found the conch and gathered everyone. He was often made fun of by the other boys, including Ralph, because of his weight, specs and his name. However he was one of the smartest out of all the other boys, he compared everything with logic and science. He was not afraid to tell the truth and the other boys did not like him.

He always whined and talked about his auntie and how she would not let him swim or run because of his asthma and this often annoyed the boys. In a way, Piggy was a romantic; he only saw the good side of people. He also could tell right from wrong just like Ralph. In the beginning of the book, Piggy had his full glasses, not broken nor scratched, he had full vision and he was also intelligent. In the middle of the book, he only had half of his glasses because Jack broke one glass to make the fire, he was also half civilised and had half a brain. At the end of the novel, he had no glasses; he had become savage and uncivilised and he also used the word Nigger which is not a reasonable word for a civilised human being.

He could not handle the truth; for example, when they killed Simon he denied it and said it was an accident. He had become the exact opposite of what he used to be. Piggy symbolized knowledge, reason, and morality. If he did not help Ralph, it would be very possible that Ralph may have lost sight of things and given in to the Beast.

Another character who was known to be the most savage of all was Roger. The author quotes, a slight, furtive boy whom no one knew, who kept to himself with an inner intensity of avoidance and secrecy the shock of black hair, down his nape and low on his forehead, seemed to suit his gloomy face and made what had seemed at first an unsociable remoteness into something forbidding. In the beginning of the novel, Roger usually imagined throwing rocks at the littles, and as time passed, he actually started to throw little pebbles at the other boys but usually aimed to miss them and as soon as he threw the pebbles he used to hide. He did not want to hurt anyone; he just wanted more attention and power. At the end of the book, he was the one who pushed the big boulder on Piggy that killed him instantly.

He lost his civilised portion of himself and became more savage and felt no mercy for other people. He was caught in repression; he could not express himself the way he wanted to. He was always under Jacks authority and did not have a very important role in the beginning of the novel. Another important character from the novel is Simon. His first appearance has him fainting from the heat and this probably meant that he had epilepsy and was also physically weak. In the olden days, people with epilepsy were known to have special contact to god and extra special knowledge.

They could see things that others could not. He could also be compared to one of the Greek god myths, Prometheus, who also went up a mountain and brought knowledge down for the people and was punished for it. William Golding quotes, He was a small, skinny boy, his chin pointed, and his eyes so bright they had deceived Ralph into thinking him delightfully gay and wicked. The coarse mop of black hair was long and swung down, almost concealing a low, broad forehead he was always darkish in colour He liked to be alone and was not very social and sometimes did and said strange things. Simon was the only boy who discovered what the Beast truly was. He learned this during the interview with the Lord of the Flies.

When he tried to tell the rest of the children about the beast, he was mistaken as the Beast and was beaten to death. He finally came out of his privacy and he was no longer afraid and weak, he was the only one who went up the mountain to see the beast alone. Simon was often seen as a Christ figure in the novel. He sacrificed himself to let the others know about the truth, he was killed because he was the only one who knew the truth. Two other main characters were Sam and Eric. They were two identical twins who did everything together and could not live without each other.

They finished each others sentences, they breathed together and they were incomplete without each other. They were loyal toward Ralph until the end when they told Jack where he was hiding. Sam and Eric symbolized the people who rely on each other and cannot do anything without each others help and assistance. Both these boys were individually incomplete. The final main characters were the Littluns. The Littluns were the boys who did not play a large roll in the novel.

They were probably about five or six years old. Although they did not always comprehend what was going on around them, the littles were important people. They were the ones who first saw the Beast and were in constant fear of it, especially during the night. They represent the rest of society and often go with the flow and do what the other boys were doing.

Most of them ended up joining Jacks tribe, not because they could differentiate between right and wrong, but because Jack provided them meat and protection from the Beast. Plot: The story started when England entered a nuclear war and tried to evacuate as many boys as possible. These boys were supposed to be sent to a safe place but their plane crashed and killed all of the grownups. So the boys were left alone on the island which saved their lives.

They felt wonderful after thinking that there would be no adults to supervise them any more. They thought they would have a good time on the island. The first characters were Ralph and Piggy. At first, Ralph tried to lose Piggy because he sounded really annoying to him.

Then the found the conch and Piggy insisted Ralph on blowing on it. The sound of the conch gathered all the other boys who were left on the island. There were Jacks choirboys who marched toward Ralph and Piggy. Then the boys voted to decide who would be the chief, Jack always wanted to be the chief but the votes favoured Ralph. As time passed by, most of the boys became more savage. Especially Jack who was considered the head of the hunters.

The littles were the younger kids and they came up with the myth of the beast. But Simon was the only person who knew the truth about the beast and that was the reason he was killed. Piggy was also killed by Roger who was the most savage of all the boys. The boys killed these two characters because they could not handle the truth. Simon and Piggy were the ones who knew the truth. As more time passed, the boys hunted more and it somehow became a ritual.

It was no longer just for food. At the end of the novel, all the boys were in Jacks tribe and Ralph was left alone. Then the hunt was not only for the pig and for food, they were also trying to kill Ralph and sacrifice him to the beast. However, as Ralph was being chased, he bumped into a naval officer. That stunned everyone and all the boys just stood there shocked. They were finally being rescued.

The author left us asking ourselves Who won the battle? The good or the evil? The savage or the civilised? At the end, all the characters turned into their total opposite.

In the beginning of the story, order and goodness was stronger, but at the end obviously evil was stronger and the order they had was broken. There were a lot of conflicts in this novel. An example would be person versus person. This could include Jack and Ralph.

Since the beginning they were always disagreeing and Jack always wanted to be the chief. He just wanted to have fun and hunt while Ralph wanted to get rescued. Another example of that conflict could be Jack versus Piggy. Jack always shouted at Piggy and made fun of him because of his weight and his specs.

Roger also had conflicts with Piggy; he was the one who killed him. Other examples of conflicts are person versus nature. This could include the boys against the harsh conditions of the island. Another conflict could be person versus society; Piggy could fit under this conflict. Almost everyone was against him and no one liked him. At the end, Ralph also became disliked by others and lost his powers of being in charge.

Simon was also against the other boys; he was killed because he was different. Themes: One of the most obvious themes was the need for civilisation. This novel shows that if there were no laws and rules, no policemen and no teachers, humans would become savages gradually just like the boys in this story. Another theme was the loss of identity. Civilisation separates man from the animals by teaching him to think and make choices. When civilisation slips away and man reverts to his more primitive nature, his identity disintegrates.

The boys use masks to cover their identity and this allows them to kill and later to murder. Later on they also forget their own names. Another important theme is fear of the unknown. Civilisation fears things that they do not understand, or things that are different. An example would be Simon; he was killed because he was unique and different. Also the beast was never forgotten because they were too scared to say that it does not exist because it was better for them to be prepared and think it was there than to ignore it and pretend no one mentioned anything about it.

Another theme is good versus evil, or civilised versus savage. In the beginning of the novel, the boys were all trying to create order and set rules but as they became more savage and started to lose their civilisation, they broke the rules and evil took over them. There was no longer any goodness and innocence left in these boys. Another theme was that things arent always the way they seem or look. In the beginning of the book, the boys from the choir were considered the grade A students who dressed formally and were probably one of the best students. But when they got on the island, they became the hunters, the most savage of all boys, they forgot who they were and their looks were totally changed as well.

From cloaks, caps and buttoned up shirts to painted faces and no clothes. They turned into their total opposite. There are many lessons that are being taught by this novel. One is that there are two sides to all humans, good and evil.

Its up to us to choose which side of us we want to share with the world. Another important lesson would be that you cannot always judge people or things by their appearance or their looks. This refers to Jack and his choir who were totally different when they were on the island, from school choirboys to savage hunters. Another lesson is that you should never dislike a person because they are different or unique in their own way such as Simon or Piggy. We are here on this planet to be tested, just like the boys who were being tested on the island.

Out of all those boys only three pass, Ralph, Piggy and Simon. So its up to us to stay away from our evil side!


Free research essays on topics related to: sam and eric, ralph and piggy, lord of the flies, beginning of the story, end of the book

Research essay sample on Lord Of The Flies Ralph And Piggy

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