Lord of the Flies: Golding William

- This is an amazing book by an amazing author. Golding always had a deep respect for mankind and worked with children his whole life as a teacher, but as a soldier in coming across the concentration camps of Beson and witnessing firsthand what man could do to his fellow humans, he was never the same and his faith in humanity significantly change as I’m sure it would be for anybody. And returning to teaching he would write this book on notepads, being aware when he came across the what the Nazi’s had done, wondering if that there could be a piece of this in him also. - I also heard on the radio how the book when William Golding sent in the publishers to read that it had many rejections until that eventually it ended in Faber and Faber publishing (although I can’t find further evidence), I do recall a radio story where one of the editors gave the book to one of the cleaners who regularly read them, and she returned saying get rid of the first 20 pages (Godling wrote an account of an atomic explosion which were subsequently removed from the final version of the book and started with Ralph and Piggy finding the island) and told the editor that he should publish it. When the editor read it, he was also transfixed to the story, and I was too. I find it amazing that some people find the story boring or dull. In showing how white male boys can act justice savage as anything else depicted in literature or reality, shows a that any of us could be capable of barbaric acts and tribal warfare. I think William Golding was a remarkable writer. I have also read The Spire and Pincher Martin which is one of the most amazing surprise endings in all literature) and I will read them more. Definitely an author who deserved his Nobel Prize for literature and one of my favourites.

I first read this at school about 60 years ago. I remembered some of it as I re-read it, having watched the series on tv. I prefer the book to the series, as the series doesn't follow the book as truly as it could have. It is still a very good read.

I love to read classic novels from time to time and have been meaning to check this one out for some time. I really enjoyed it and found it to be well worth reading! I was glued on it from the moment I started it. This is the first book of Sir William Golding that I have read and I will now look forward to reading many more of his novels in the near future. He was a fantastic author with a very imaginative and creative mind. I also saw that there's a TV series adaptation and that also inspired me to read the book. I'll look forward to watching the series and hope I enjoy that also!

My brother asked me to order this for him as he wanted a book for our flight to Greece. He ended up reading it for more than half the flight and every day he would sit by the pool reading it. He loved it. It came very quickly and arrived in very good condition.

I bought this book as I was told to read this as it is a classic book. Well I found it very confusing at first, there was no information on how they had landed upon this island and what ever happened to the plane they were supposed to be on. It was also confusing as to why a plane load of kids would be flying over or near a war zone in the first place. I suppose a child would enjoy this because it is basically a book about children running amok on a dessert island who don’t have a clue about survival except to bully everyone into submission just to please the older kids. Disappointed because it also ends quite abruptly too with again no explanation as to the repercussions or there actions. Strange book indeed.

Ok, I will get straight to the point. I had to read this novel as part of my Y11 English literature exam of 2012. And I must say that for a piece of school work it isn't as bad as I expected. It's better that 'To kill a mocking jay' or 'Inspector something...' Every character is a boy abandoned on an island away from civilisation, which is both a blessing and a curse. There are many twists and turns, and eventually you begin to feel for the characters and their troubles. Overall I would say buy a copy of the boy like I did, simply so that you can highlight quotes that become important like; (all from memory) - colours of corruption (dead parachutist) - complication of lines (dead parachutist) - blush of mortification (Jack) - The fair boy - (Ralph) - Inward sight of a beast at once heroic and sick (Simon's narrative) (FROM MY ESSAYS) Lord of the Flies key quotes: * There rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick * A dark creature fumbling along (foreshadowing) * The Lord of the Flies: "Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!" * Lord of the Flies: "This is ridiculous. You know perfectly well you'll only meet me down there - so don't try to escape!" * "A stick sharpened at both ends" This is a paradoxical metaphor symbolising that death is inevitable. Ralph, thinking to himself: "There was no solemn assembly for debate nor dignity of the conch." * "Colours of corruption" * "Jack was bent double." * `Bollocks to the rules!' Use of taboo language personify the fact that Jack is no longer a mere child - he is a strong ruthless commander and a dictator who is highly nationalist that doesn't have respect for rules - Jack is actually interested in breaking the rules and the coarse of punishment. * `A blush of mortification' Jack is extremely quickly tempted and solemnly believes that he has the right to be chief - yet, the others disagree with him. * `Wedded to her in blood and lust' `In colour the shell was deep cream, touched here and there with fading pink... slight spiral twist and covered with delicate embossed pattern.' (long complex imagery and elegant fragile imagery and sibilance significantly portray that the conch is very precious and is the key to fairness and hope on the island. The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. `But there was no more to come. Percival Wemys Madison sought in his head for an incantation that had faded clean away.' `Complication of lines' `Jack trod with theatrical caution' Ralph returned to his own personal hells (he dismisses Simon - and Ralph especially is excessively naïve by consistently ignoring those people that could potentially save him from himself if only he'd take the time to listen) `A mildness about his face that proclaimed no devil.' `devils of dust' (metaphor) `the sky loaded with stars' (poetic and violent imagery of a loaded gun) Jack's hunters - there voices had been a song of angels' (not anymore) Simon perched in the blazing sun in denial (degrading Jack is no longer referred to by name he is called `Chief') Simon peers down to the tribe `what else is there to do?' likewise to the way that the religion analogy figure of Moses looked down at his people before bringing the truth down from the mountain. * Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart and the fall through the air of the true wise friend called Piggy.' * `Fair boy' * `Snake thing' interlinks to the concepts of original bestowed from the Garden of Eden, with the evil relentlessness of temptation * `Lord of the Flies' the very title is a Arabic translation of the Devil. * `the crowd was as silence as death' the boys are horrified of the first death with the littlun with the birth mark - however when the time comes to kill Ralph there is a `deafening ululation' reflective of savages. * `A whiteness in the gloom' possibly portraying that Ralph still people that the boys purity (whiteness) is still existed but it is buried in the gloom of the beast. * `Simon was speaking almost in his ear' is slight prophetic and highly significant as it portrays that Simon is almost reflective of a voice from God. * `Just a game.' said ralph uneasily. * Jack: `I'm not going to play anymore' * `Desperately, Ralph prayed that the beast would prefer littluns.' Golding cleverly conveys that Ralph is simple realistic child that even though he is a `fair' democrat he still obtains the natural instincts of Darwinism `survival of the fittest'. * Navel Officer: `Jolly good show.' Ralph is morally superior in comparison to the Naval Officer because Ralph now comprehends the true nature of the beast - he is no longer arrogant because he has forever lost his by the `fall through the air' and the loss of innocence by falling from grace. * `A sign came down from the world of the grown-ups. Although at the time no child was awake to read it.' * `urge to kill and destroy' (Simon's death uses sibilance adding to the hypnotic quality - along with the elegant imagery and the creature surrounding his head are beautiful and symbolic of a halo - Simon is at peace and has found tranquillity. However the lexical fields of `earth, sun and constellations' are very scientific sounding -effectively conveying that the island has begun to slowly loose hope and faith in the boys. Jack is representative of the Greek God Prometheus who similarly stole fire for his own selfish vindictive needs. Ralph cradled to conch and rocked himself to and fro. (Implying that Ralph is morally and mentally degrading down into a childlike manner - because children are simplistic and don't understand the events happening in there surrounding - likewise to protection mechanism. Jack's tribe uses primeval diction and language of `Chief...Holt who goes there... Advance' `You're a beast, a swine and a bloody bloody thief!' (brutal sound of `b' alliteration. Jack has full control `See, see they do what I tell them' - Dictator. Ralph: `someone else's legs ran for him' Ralph is transfixed in a mental state of utter hysteria he simply cannot cope or understand the situation. Ralph remembers Simon's prophecy `Don't scream.' `You'll get back' Thereby when Ralph is on the verge of death and total devastation his conscience reliefs him and gives him a source of hope - and the will to carry and try desperately to survive. `The ululation faltering and died away' At the sight of the naval officer (adult) the boys are the island are instantly reminded of their place in the societies hierarchy. `Infected by emotion.' Cleverly expresses that against all their barbarian crimes of murder the boys are still liable to human emotions of guilt and love. Hope this helps, I also suggest buying a revision guide it helped me a lot! Good luck if you have the same exam, remember don't worry, stay calm, read the question and answer it. Mine was something along the lines of 'How does Golding present the theme of death on the island.' And I wrote able Jack's violent slaughtering of the mother pig, Simon's death using lots of sibilance and pathetic fallacy and religious imagery, and Piggy's death that is uses very simple factual nouns that depict and illustrate to the reader that piggy was a simple factual intelligent boy. Here are some language tips - connectives; moreover likewise alternatively henceforth / hence Furthermore Similarily additionally by constrast Indeed with regards on the contrary Here are other uses of higher degree language; depicts illustrates demonstrates mirrors articulates reflects symbolises portrays depicts conveys presents expresses implies Good Luck once again! :)

A classic which should be read, with a lovely cover for the bookshelf!

Someone said, a tragedy is a story where you can comprehend every step of the protagonists and foresee their final falling down the cliff, but cannot hinder it. When Mr. Golding worked on this story, seemingly he had such a tragedy in mind. Before I read this story, I have already heard a lot about it, about the evil in human nature, dystopia, etc, which made me even more surprised to see with how much love and empathy Mr. Golding proceeded with the story telling. In this story, no one is perfect, but everyone carries some virtue with him. Even Jack, who ended up as the barbaric despotic leader, started as someone aiming to contribute to the commons, just like every other boy in this story. The boys also have learnt the first democratic rules, such as voting, assembly, and speaking only when the conch is in his hands. It is interesting how Mr. Golding distributed different virtues among the children. Piggy, the one who is best capable of rational reasoning, is fat and lazy. Simon, the one who is best capable of empathy and the only one who could have helped the children to get relieved from their fear, is incapable of good speaking and regarded as batty. He died first, killed by those he liked, thus not able to relieve the children from their fear, which contributed to their drifting to the cruelty. Ralph is the one with the most leadership quality and also chosen as the leader at the beginning. He is no idealized hero who unites all virtues in himself, in fact, there is no such hero in this story, everyone has some drawbacks, has also a lovable side, just like in the real life. Jack is the charismatic challenger. He has hardly any empathy, but he is motivated by doing things he deems as right. In fact, most children in this story think he is right, namely you have to sort the people from good to bad and treat them accordingly. Jack accepted Ralph as the leader because Ralph is good: physically strong, speaks fluently, ready to take the responsibilities. He started to hate Ralph because Ralph is unjust from his point of view: Ralph even listens to Piggy, the fatty boy who is mocked by almost everyone, while his effort to do good for the commons, namely to get meat for the children, is not appreciated. BTW, there is a reason why Ralph has something against getting meat, but you have to read it on your own. IMHO, this is actually a story for adults, not only for children. While no adult would make silly things like being scared of a dead body and mistaking it for a beast, almost all adults must understand the ominous murmuring “the beast is in us”. Look at that dispute between getting meat and keeping fire, look at that killing in frenzy, look at that attempt of denial and avoidance after the first murder, doesn’t it look familiar to you? It seems to me that Mr. Golding is trying to reconstruct the fallbacks during the transition from barbarism to civilization, but I should not say too much, because the most fun of reading is to form ones own opinions. As Ralph keeps saying to himself in this story when he is in danger, “think”. Keep thinking even if you are past 18.

Lo compré de segunda mano. Vino en perfecto estado excepto algunas anotaciones a lápiz que fueron fácilmente eliminables con una goma. El libro en sí es una gran lectura. Historia tensa llena de analogías con la vida real y simbolismos que llevan a posarse preguntas desde el ambito político hasta el antropológico. No es un libro infantil o juvenil. Recomiendo su lectura a alguien que quiera leer un libro más serio.

Nice book and excellent edition. I really enjoyed it. Thanks

As expected and advertised

The book was an exercise for the mind, the vocab is way too advanced and made me search for the meaning of every word, got me tired but also taught me many new words. Excellent book but the advanced vocab got me way too tired.