How Does Golding Show Conflict in Lord of the Flies? Essay

In lord of the flies, Golding presents a strong sense of conflict, between the boys, the boys and nature and the boy’s personal lives. The theme of conflict is an important one within the novel, as it helps to represent the disagreement and fighting of World War II which was happening during the time that Lord of the flies was written and that Golding experienced first-hand. Golding’s main message in Lord of the flies was how cruel men could be to one another and conflict is an obvious link to this idea. We begin to see conflict very early in the novel, even before the story begins, as Golding tries to introduce the key themes at the start of the novel. The boys are actually brought to the island itself by the conflicts of World War II. While conflict and violence is happening in the macrocosm that is the world, it starts to arise on the island, a microcosm of the world. We also see conflict and tension between Ralph and Piggy for a number of reasons. Ralph straightaway thinks of himself as superior to Piggy because he is physically more attractive and athletic then Piggy. While Jack is described as a ‘fair boy’ a stereotypical sign of goodness and pureness who ‘might make a boxer as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went’ and with ‘size and attractive appearance’ that ‘marked him out’. Piggy on the other hand is ‘plump,’ ‘shorter than the fair boy and very fat’. Ralph also mocks piggy by calling him by the nickname he dislikes. This is a deliberate act of cruelty as Piggy says confidently: ‘I don’t care what they call me..as long as they don’t call me what they used to call me at school†¦They used to call me â€Å"Piggy†.’ But Ralph ignores this and mocks Piggy, he ‘shrieked with laughter †¦Jumped up..†Piggy!†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. He is also rude to him by disregarding his health problem, saying, ‘sucks to your ass-mar!’. This immediate superiority Ralph feels over Piggy and his cruelty towards him could be a representation of how people in society generally act and think, and the behaviour towards thinkers or people with disabilities, that appearance and physical attractiveness is important and superior and that health impairments such as very poor eyesight and asthma marks so meone out as being different and therefore strange. It is also important that Golding has shown that Ralph has the capability to be cruel. Although we later find out that he is a representation of democracy, Ralph as a person can’t be holey good but he can’t be holey evil either. This links to Golding’s main message of Lord of the flies, which was inspired by seeing the awful things men could do to one another: that man, no matter how good, democratic or orderly can be holey good and are capable of being cruel, mostly for no valid reason and often as a result of discrimination and hunger for power. We also see a feature of emotional conflict between the boys. Ralph’s father is in the navy, another person who contributes to the conflict within the world and the island. As well as this, he is not only in the navy but a commander in the navy and taught Ralph how to swim. When Ralph asks Piggy about his father, piggy ‘flushes suddenly’ and replies: ‘‘My dad’s dead’ he said quickly, ‘and my mum—‘†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢I used to live with my auntie†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. His words give us the indication that his father is dead, his mother has left him and that his auntie used to look after him but no longer w ants him. His upbringing, especially in comparison to Ralph’s, makes him feel insignificant and upset and evokes pathos in the reader. From this, and his cockney accent (‘all them other kids’, ‘we was attacked’) we can conclude that Piggy represents the underclass in the 1950s. However, out of all the boys, the majority of which attended private school or were educated in grammar school, piggy is the best one, even though he has had to live in care and has been neglected through his childhood, all things which Golding uses to make the reader feel empathy and sympathy towards him. As a character, Piggy is the cleverest among the boys: ‘what intelligence had been shown was traceable to piggy’ but he is really a weak boy with good ideas. Golding could be making a point that your background does not necessarily determine how intelligent you are and that a lower class child can be very intelligent. We experience more tension between Ralph and Piggy due to Ralph’s attitude that he is superior, through linguistic conflict. Piggy continuously asks Ralph questions, such as ‘what’s your name?’, ‘you haven’t seen the others have you?’ and making comments and telling Ralph about himself: ‘My auntie told me not to run†¦on account of my asthma’ and ‘I expect we’ll want to know all there names’. He is enthusiastic and keen to talk to Ralph, possibly due to the usual lack of attention he receives back home. However Ralph ‘tried to be offhand and not too obviously uninterested’ and replied to Piggy’s comments with just a shake of his head or not even acknowledging him at all. As well as this, when Piggy asked Ralph his name he ‘waited to be asked his name in turn but this proffer of acquaintance was not made’. This yet again shows how Ralph thinks of himself as superior to Piggy and doesn’t feel he needs to treat or show piggy the same respect and interest that he gave to Ralph. Piggy also partly creates a gap between himself and Ralph by following Ralph and showing so much interest in him. Piggy ‘hung steadily at his shoulder’ and ‘stood by him, breathing hard’. This could show that Ralph has a natural sense of leadership about him which makes Piggy feel as though he should look up to him. However, it is mainly due to the fact that Piggy is neglected, of love and also friendship, which makes him feel he needs to attach himself to someone like Ralph. As well as this, Piggy is frightened by the prospect of ‘no grown-ups’ and needs a sense of authority, like Ralph, to latch onto. We can see how nervous and lacking in confidence Piggy can be, due to neglect as he ‘took off his glasses†¦then started to wipe them’, an action he seems to be doing all the time. This fidgeting behaviour is especially seen when Piggy is feeling particularly insignificant and upset talking about his upbringing: ‘†My dad’s dead,’ he said quickly, ‘and my mum—‘†¦. He took of his glasses and looked vainly for something with which to clean them on’. Another important conflict within the book can be seen between two of the main leaders, Ralph and Jack. Before the boys even interact with each other we can foresee that there will be tension between the two characters. Jack’s choir is describes a ‘creature’. This description could indicate that the choir (le d by Jack) cloud later become more savage, like a ‘creature’. As well as this, the colour black that Jack and the choir’s uniforms are made from is symbolic, with black being symbolising evil and bad things. The description of Ralph is set in antithesis of Jack – Jack is described as ‘black’ and ‘ugly’ and Ralph as ‘golden’. Later in the book we see that the two boys makes choices and live in ways that would be expected by their description, Jack as savage and cruel and Ralph as democratic and reasonable. Golding could be implying that one can make valid judgements from appearance. He also writes that Jack was ‘underneath the floating cloak†¦tall, thin and bony. His face was crumpled and freckled and ugly with silliness’. This description once again draws up an image of Jack being a ‘bad’ character because of his ugliness. However, by using the modifier ‘without t silliness’, Golding modifies the statement on Jack’s appearance, that although he is ugly, the children would not be able to laugh at him. This could represent Jack’s power and intimidation towards the other children through sheer appearance and manner. Jack also speaks in imperative sentences (e.g. ‘choir, stand still! ) and the boys ‘huddled together’ in fear of him and stand with ‘wearily obedience’. This shows us they are used to taking orders from Jack. We can also see that Jakc thinks of himself as having superiority, as he wants to be called by his surname ‘Merridew’. Jack is obviously from a posh background and will have been to private school. Having characters like Jack and Ralph as leaders, boys who attended public school, could be Golding’s representation of society, how many leading roles and responsibilities are taken by upper-class privately educated people, while many lower-class people, some who may be intelligent like piggy, are left behind, as they have not been in an environment where being confident and superior is normal and expected. When it comes to actually voting for a chief, ‘the most obvious leader was Jack’, described by Golding as ‘this was the voice of one who knew his own mind’. This shows us that Jack already asserts himself as a leader in opposition to that of Ralph who doesn’t. However it is Ralph who is chosen by the boys to be chief. It is not only ‘his size and attractive appearance’, but there was also ‘a stillness about Ralph†¦that marked him out’ and ‘most powerfully there was the conch†¦the being that had blown that†¦was set apart’. The conch links to democracy, order and civilised society and there is a link between Ralph, ‘the being that had blown that’, that the boys also see. Golding would have been making the point that the boys chose, even when they didn’t know him, Ralph, the link to democracy, order and civilised society, to be their chief because a democratic leader is the right leader to have and the boys can see this and therefore choose Ralph even without knowing him. When Jack did not get voted as chief, ‘the freckles disappeared on jack’s face under a blush of mortification’. This shows us how embarrassed, angry and upset Jack was for not being chosen as Chief. This could be a point of conflict between Ralph and Jack within the book, however Ralph tries to keep peace with jack and ‘looked at him, eager to offer something’. This demonstrates Ralph’s eagerness to be a good and fair leader. However, another point at which Ralph tries to avoid conflict between Jack and himself is when laughs at Jack’s name calling at piggy and says, ‘he’s not fatty†¦his real name’s Piggy!’. This brings Ralph and Jack closer and creates common ground between them but yet again demonstrates the fact that Ralph can be capable of cruelty. We also see Ralph’s attempts to avoid conflict with Jack over the role of leader by allowing jack that ‘the choir belongs to you obviously.’ This action gives Jack some leadership and makes him feel more powerful as well as foreshadowing Ralph’s later attempts to break the conflict between him and Jack and bring the two together again. Nearing the end of the chapter, we experience the boy’s conflict with nature. This is represented by Golding, when the boys go to push a rock down from its original place on the mountain top. During their attempt, ‘the great rock loitered, poised on one toe’. This behaviour, and other actions, is typical of the way humans have often treated the planet, destroying natural objects or areas from their original state for human need and want. Golding was aware that humankind is stupid enough to destroy the very land that gives it food and life and we see this idea explored further in the novel, when the boyâ₠¬â„¢s destroy a lot of food and firewood, elements that keep them alive, in a n uncontrollable fire. This, and the rolling of the rock, demonstrates that even if the boys are intelligent or strong humans, they will never really overpower nature and that it will always be in conflict with them. As well as this, the rolling of the rock down the mountain side is proleptic of Piggy’s death. We later also see that Jack experiences self-conflict. During Simon, Ralph and Jack’s expedition of the island they come across a pig which Jack tries to kill, but isn’t able to. He felt he couldn’t, as he understood ‘what an enormity the downward stroke would be’. The boys also ‘knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife: descending and cutting into living flesh: because of the unbearable blood.’ This shows us that Jack is not yet be far enough removed from civilised society to be able to kill a pig. However, he ‘snatched his knife’ and ‘slammed it into a tree trunk’, saying, ‘Next time!’ and ‘he looked round fiercely, daring them to contradict’. This shows that his natural, evil, menacing and savage instincts are in him that only now on the island are recently coming across. Notice how Golding uses the verb ‘flesh’, a word which is not clearly specific to a pig and could easily be confused with the ‘flesh’ of a human. This shows us that when jack does ‘next time’ kill, his knife could be coming down into the flesh of a pig, or the flesh of a human. It is important that Golding has introduced the variety of conflicts in the first chapter, so that the key themes are established early on and can develop throughout the book and as to foreshadow events that will happen later on in the novel.

“Love” in Carol Ann Duffy’s Valentine Essay

Many people usually see â€Å"love† only one side especially when they deeply fall in love with someone. There are a lot of poems that respond the feeling of these falling in love people about how beautiful love is. It is true that love is beautiful. On the other hand, for me sometimes love is also painful. I really like the sentence that â€Å"love is color-blind† because this sentence can show not only the positive side of love but also the negative side of love. So does Carol Ann Duffy’s Valentine. On Valentine’s day, many people will neatly prepare the present such as a red rose, a cute card, or something that extremely beautiful and worthwhile for their beloved couples but Carol Ann Duffy thinks that these presents are predictable. Carol Ann Duffy says that she will give an onion to whom she loves. Why onion? It is because an onion represents both sides of love. Love has many layers like an onion. You may waste your time for many people who are not the right one for you and will face many problems and barriers that you and your love have to fight for love before you will find â€Å"true love.† Along this way, sometimes you will be sad and cry many times like an onion when you peel it because an onion can make your tears. In contrast, you can say that the nature of an onion can refer to the levels of happiness that happiness has many levels itself. Sometimes it means comfort and memories but sometimes it means like a firework. In addition, Carol Ann Duff compares an onion to the moon too. Although the moon is wrapped in brown paper, it still has light. Like love, no matter what is going to happen, it is still light and beautiful. On the contrary, the moon is the sign of sorrow opposite of the sun. At first when you see the moon, you may consider that it is extremely beautiful but if you see it much closer, you will see it is rough. It is not so beautiful as you firstly see it from the far. It is like an onion because you will think it causes nothing until you peel it. In other word, it is like love. You cannot know that love can also hurt you whether you face it yourself. It takes time to know how painful love can be like it takes way to know how rough the moon is. Carol Ann Duffy tries to tell about the truth of love as she says â€Å"I am trying to be truthful†. You have chances to choose â€Å"to love or not to love† whether you choose â€Å"to love†, you should know that love is no t always end of happiness. It is like when you have the proposal. It is optional. You can choose to be still alone or to walk together with your love. Love will be possessive and honest as long as we walk along together or love can bring heartache if we do not get along well. If you agree the proposal, your life will be changed. If you are married, the wedding ring will stay on your left ring finger to show love between you and your love and it will stay forever if you get along well like the smell of an onion that will stick to your fingers when you peel it. But if not love can be deadly. You can get the suicide holding the knife if you are really disappointed â€Å"Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring, if you like. Lethal. Its scent will cling to your fingers, cling to your knife.† In my opinion, the knife also has two sides. It depends on you that you can use the knife in the useful way as the real knife can be used in your daily life. You can be a good wife with the knife because you can use knife to make amazing food for your husband. Conversely, you can also use the knife to make a tragedy scene. Therefore, you can choose your way by yourself. Love is always bitter-sweet. No one will be happy or sad about love all the time. Love has both sides itself. It can fulfill your hope or make you upset. Hence, Carol Ann Duffy’s Valentine is the poem that builds the realistic portray of love to make the reader be aware of love because love is not always beautiful, sometimes it is painful.

Social analysis is valued because it is inspired by a will to make a Essay

Social analysis is valued because it is inspired by a will to make a better world (Steven Seidman 1998) Discuss this statement - Essay Example Seidman described his disappointment in the sorts of sociological practice that has become a narrow and specialized conversation about definitions in theory and disagreements about method. Then he wrote, more optimistically: â€Å"I return to sociology as I initially came to the discipline, with the hope of finding a home where social analysis is valued because it is inspired by a will to make a better world. †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Social analysis is then part or a technique in sociology, purpose of which, according to Sweden, is â€Å"to be a part of the ongoing conversation and conflict over the present and future shape of the social world.† Du Bois & Wright (2001), in their work ‘Applying sociology –  Making a better world’ define the term as follows:† Sociology is the study of human social life, groups, and societies, giving special emphasis to modern industrialized systems. It is a discipline involving the ability to think imaginatively and one in which personal views of the world are set aside so we may look more carefully at the influences that shape our lives and those of others. Social structure is an important concept in sociology.† From the above definition, what group view matter? Although the author said personal views are set aside, individual goals must be disregarded. It simply means that the works of sociology is to find melting points where people of different beliefs and biases could work together for the common good. Du Bois & Wright (2001) believe in permanent construction and reconstruction of social life, which is based upon the meanings people attach to their actions. The authors thus said: â€Å"In sociological research it is important to distinguish between the intended and unintended results of human action. Sociology studies the resulting balance between social reproduction and social transformation. Social

Letters to the Editor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Letters to the Editor - Essay Example Junk foods are food containing high levels of fats and calories (Schreier & Hans-Ulrich 5). The continuous consumption of junk foods leads to fat accumulation in the body. Due to the slow rate of metabolism caused by junk food the body gains more weight. The accumulation of calorie and gaining of body weight leads to obesity (Schreier & Hans-Ulrich 5). Obesity has led to loss of lives. Weight gain caused by over consumption of junk food result to other disorders like cardiac problems, increase in the level of cholesterol, artery blockage, high pressure of the blood, loss of muscle mass, depression among others (Schreier & Hans-Ulrich 6). The consumption of junk food increases the level of cholesterol in the body. The increased level of cholesterol leads to the thickening of arteries and thus causing their blockage. The blockage of the arteries leads to high blood pressure which causes death (Schreier & Hans-Ulrich 6). The consumption of junk food causes many health problems alongside the mentioned few. According to the interview done in one of the United States hospitals, the results showed that many patients suffering from the mentioned disorders consume on junk food (Schreier & Hans-Ulrich 6). The citizens should be aware of the food they consume and the government should therefore implement regulations on the making and consumption of junk food (Schreier & Hans-Ulrich 6). The objection due to loss of employment cannot be measured by the value of life of individuals. Are you still consuming junk food? How can the health professionals make us believe that most of us suffer from health problems as a result of consuming the junk food? Junk food is cheap and can be accessed very easily making many people to rely on it as an alternative (Schreier & Hans-Ulrich 6). This has led to many health problems as shown by statistic. Some people argue that

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Comparitive studies of enviormental policies in China & USA - Essay Example Because of the relation between such acts of environmental degradation and economic development, there are often national policies on environment control that are enacted and implemented on national basis. This paper therefore seeks to examine the differences and similarities between China and the United States in terms of their environmental policies as well as compare them economically and then having overview of other countries with similar environmental policies as China. Similarities in Environmental Policies between China and the United States Two areas of environmental policy of which the United States and China has a lot of similarities has to do with the area of resource energy and recycling. Both countries have policies that are channeled towards the need to reserve the environment by avoiding the use of non-renewable sources of energy such as hydro electricity. To this end, there has over the years being a policy to fade off the use of non-renewable energy sources in power ing major industries in both countries (Vesper, 2000). In the United States for instance, the use of wind energy has become a widely promoted source of energy for major industries, especially those into manufacturing. China has also been known to take a giant lead in the use of solar energy in powering most its industries such as those in manufacturing (Waddell, 2003). Almost the same story is true in the case of recycling as industries in both countries have had to follow national policies that enshrine them to recycle waste product and channel them into other areas of energy generation rather than dumping the waste into the environment. In the United States, this policy is championed by the Environment Protection Agency. Differences in Environmental Policies between China and the United States As much as there are similarities in policies, there are also areas between China and the United States that there are several differences in developmental ideologies. These ideologies diffe rences have actually resulted in differences in environmental policies. For example in China, there is the ideology of the need to reduce the country’ population sharply as the country is currently the most populated country in the world. Though the United States is heavily populated, its demand for population reduction is not as intensive as that of China. Because of this, China has a policy known as one-baby-per family that seeks to enforce the reduction of number of births in homes. United States on the other hand only uses public advocacy to appeal for birth control. In the area of pollution also, there are differences between the two countries. For instance, whereas China has a more liberal approach to industrialization as a way widening it up its industrial growth in global economy, the United States as a more stringent approach to new entrants into industrialization. Subsequently, the United States is more concerned about checking acts of pollution among industries tha n China is (Rotter, 2001). This is because the government of China sees policies that force industry players to stick to certain rules as a means of intimidating their operation. Economic impact of Environmental Policies for China and the United States Industrial economists hold very interesting views on the economic impact of environmental pol

Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Resource Management - Essay Example In the article "Motivational Management. Developing Leadership Skills" written by D. M. Eade, the author gives some recommendations as for employees motivation and change strategies, which can be successfully in health care practice. The purpose of the article is to single out the most important characteristics of effective leaders and evaluate the importance of leadership in health care. The author examines employees perception and understanding of the notion of a leader and the role of a leader in the process of management. Summarizing the main features of an ideal leader it is possible to say that being a leader is not a position, but a function. It requires getting the job done. In terms of leadership, the aim is to recruit and develop motivated managers who lead proactively. They are expected to be clear, to delegate and to get others to participate. A key aspect of leadership is that of aligning people with the goals and values of the company. In resource management effective leaders identify productive areas of confusion and uncertainty that exist in society, demonstrate that they do not have all the answers but are willing to learn, and is able to act differently, think differently, and seek inspiration from different sources, than leaders of the past. The obligations of leadership include effective training, deep insight into new tools and advancements and their impact on the future, strong corporate nurturing, and repeated practice could yield the best result, a well-rounded, skilled, and insti nctive leader. On the other hand, the author of the article does not include in her discussion such important features of good leaders as the ability to cope with complex technological change in their organizations. The author: "noted that solid strategies are necessary, but not sufficient in and of themselves, for good planning. Detailed action plans based on those strategies are critically important" (Eade , 1996). General leadership skills are not sufficient in enriched environments. It must directly relate to the tools, medium, strategies, and competencies found within this culture. Leader should possess the competencies to use and evaluate new tools, but he/she must also have the insight into the impact these tools will have on the future of organizations. The ability to develop a shared vision for new resources within an organization is an essential part of management, especially in health care. Employees prefer to have a leader who is a self-achiever and motivated to become a role model. Changes in resources often produce a "chaos situation" where change management in the use of instructional technology in teaching and learning becomes increasingly important. The leader must be ready to cope with difficult situations. Effective leaders recognize that what they know is very little in comparison to what they still need to learn. Leading others is not simply a matter of style, or following some how-to guides or recipes. Ineffectiveness of leaders seldom results from a lack of know-how or how-to, nor it is typically due to inadequate managerial skills. Leadership is even not about creating a great vision. It is about creating conditions under which all followers can perform

Plant Research Project Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Plant Project - Research Paper Example A brief consideration of theoretical information about the mentioned plant will be beneficial for better perception of the results of the present study. Andrographis, or Andrographis paniculata, belongs to the family Acanthaceae. (Hobbs, Gardner, 2013, 17). The motherland to the plant is the Tropical Asia, particularly the Indian Subcontinent with its areas of India and Sri Lanka. (GRIN, 2005). Andrographis hs been naturalized to several geographic locations, it is widely cultivated and can be seen today in such regions as Africa (Mauritius), Temperate and Tropical Asia (China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia), Southern America (the Caribbean region), Central America, Australia. (GRIN, 2005). â€Å"The plant is erect and widely branching, reaching 2 to 3 feet tall, with long, green, square stems; small, lance-shaped leaves; and tiny, flecked, white to pale pink flowers in long, slim clusters.† (Hobbs, Gardner, 2013, 17). Andrographis is primarily used for the medical (medicines making) and treatment purposes: it is possible to find it at the chemists’ as tablets and capsules. (Hobbs, Gardner, 2013, 17). This plant possesses such beneficial from the medical point of view features as immunity boosting and antiviral effect. (Hobbs, Gardner, 2013, 17). Traditional form of this plant application has been the form of decoction or tea, which could be accompanied by herbs possessing sweet taste (stevia or licorice), because andrographis is very bitter. (Hobbs, Gardner, 2013, 18). The mentioned medicine shall be consumed before the meals due to its effect of the digestion enhancing. The point of concern here is that it is necessary to start with a dose of tea which is weak, and then reach stronger doses. (Hobbs, Gardner, 2013, 18). Andrographis is capable of treatment of a wide range of ailment conditions and diseases of a human body. It can be applied for preventing of flu and cold, and it