Choose the most effective literary device (quote and page #) and post your reply answering the following questions:
- How does the literary device add to your understanding of the text?
- What makes it particularly effective?
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Literary Devices in Chapter 6
Today in class, each group posted which literary devices they found most effective in Chapter 6 of Lord of the Flies. Your job now is to choose which device of your peers' is most effective and to explain why. Use your notes from today's class to help you answer the question.
Choose the most effective literary device (quote and page #) and post your reply answering the following questions:
Choose the most effective literary device (quote and page #) and post your reply answering the following questions:
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I overlooked the quote "Soon the darkness was full of claws, full of the awful unknown and menace," (99) because before I hadn't realized the power In these words by Goulding. This quote portrays the deeper meaning and the metaphor and symbol behind the the writing and it shows how the darkness shows the darker mood that the boys are feeling and the claws hint toward the beastie. I ha recognized the meaning behind the use of nighttime and how it is filled with unknown and really emphasizes the likelihood of the boys getting off the island.
ReplyDeleteLooking further into the quote, "Now he saw the landsman's view of the swell and it seemed like the breathing of some stupendous creature," (105), you begin to see such a deeper and darker portrayal of the lagoon to which used to be a place of comfort and fun. Now, the lagoon is given a creepy feel due to the authors use of literary devices, one being a simile. The author uses a simile to compare a swell in the lagoon to a terrifying creature, which isn't what it used to be. With the given comparison, it can be assumed that the boys view on the island is beginning to shift from a parental, rule free paradise, to almost a hell like environment.
ReplyDeleteThe quote "The flames were mastering the branches, the bark was curling and falling away, the wood exploding" (98) shows incredible symbolism and personification. This literary device helped me truly understand that the author was trying to portray an image of the boys slipping into state of savagery. This is clearly articulated when the author uses the word "falling" to describe the bark falling but it truly represents the mental state of the boys. Using this word to describe the situation makes it much clearer in me as a reader to identify themes and moods that will enhance my understanding of the story. In this example the theme that is apparent to me is savagery and it and that theme makes it clear that the boys are losing touch with society and along with that these literary devices help foreshadow how the characters will develop.
ReplyDeleteThe quote, "Far beneath them, the trees of the forest sighed, then roared."(98) shows very well written personification and imagery. The personification that Golding is giving the island animal and human like qualities, such as "sighed" and "roared", which is showing that the island is a scary place for these boys and is also a beast. The imagery that he is showing is how scary this island is and how it has become a dangerous and dark place for them. Golding does a great job here and in many other places giving the island a very dark and dangerous place that the boys on this island should not like and will hurt them if they ever don't get off it.
ReplyDeleteA quote that I hadn't quite recognized the importance of until today was "A sliver of moon rose over the horizon, hardly large enough to make a path of light even when it sat right down on the water; but there were other lights in the sky, that moved fast, winked, or went out, though not even a faint popping came down from the battle fought at ten miles height" (95). Now that I look more closely at this quote I am able to recognize the effective use of imagery, personification and a metaphor. Golding is able to set the both the literal scene and mood through his use of imagery here by describing the little light that the moon is able to radiate in the dark of night. This also sets the mood as somewhat dismal and lacking in hope, because as we have witnessed in past scenes it appears as if the island's environment is able to reflect the boys feelings and actions. With the night being a more general and encompassing symbol for darkness, fear and diminishing hope while the day seems to bring comfort, safety and make their encroaching fears appear far removed. Golding also uses imagery effectively in this quote by saying "not even a faint popping came down from the battle fought at ten miles height" (95) this is suggesting that the world around them is seemingly infinite and intimidating, the night has almost swallowed them whole and is something they can't compete with because it is bigger and more powerful than them, it seems to be conveying that the environment is their biggest enemy. Golding also uses personification effectively when saying "it sat right down on the water" (95). He appears to be likening many of the inanimate objects of their environment to living creatures, most likely to add to the intimidation factor/ connect to the supposed beast they seem to be finding in the things around them, and to almost suggest the control that these objects and the environment at large has on their group. These objects are almost human-like or at least animalistic creatures that have the ability to alter the boys mentalities. Finally Golding is also able to effectively implement a metaphor by likening the moon and other lights in the sky to a fading sense of hope: "A sliver of moon rose over the horizon, hardly large enough to make a path of light...there were other lights in the sky that moved fast, winked, or went out..." (95). Because the night appears to symbolize overbearing fear, obstruction and lost hope it seems as if the little light they are provided with in the midst of all this is the little sense of hope they have, but it is barely enough to help them should a horrifying situation arise and can leave them at any given time, just as the lights let the sky. This ideology progresses as the sun rises and their sense of security is restored, despite the nights events.
ReplyDeleteThe most effective passage in chapter six was on page 105, "Now he saw the landman's view of the swell and it seemed like the breathing of some stupendous creature." I did not yet notice this quote until we went over it in class and then I understood the full significance of it. At first the author just seems to be using good imagery randomly, but if you analyze the quote more you can tell that the swell moving up and down is truly like the breathing which of a "stupendous monster" which is a metaphor for how at first the children just thought the island was a fun place without adults, but now as they have more experiences with the place they recognize it is not friendly and life on it is hard.
ReplyDeleteThroughout "Lord Of The Flies", Golding manages to incorporate much symbolism and figurative language making his writing both strong and effective. Because he is able to relate simple objects or scenes to a bigger theme causes the reader to look for clues, without giving everything away. This is evident on page 99, "Soon the darkness was full of claws, full of the awful unknown and menace". This line presents both symbolism and a metaphor, comparing the "awful unknown" to claws, like the ones of a beast. This metaphor is most effective because of the hidden claw symbolism in relation to the "beastie" that the boys all seem to fear. The beast, seeming to be the kids themselves as Piggy had once explained, contributes to the darkness motif; of fear, unknown dangers, and the fight to survive on the island itself. Looking deeper, one could also compare the claws to the island- a real enemy to the young boys, clearly unfit for survival. They are shown becoming more and more accustomed to the unfamiliar place, finding them selves performing savage like acts and creating chaos among the group. Due to the youth and innocence found among the mess of boys, their oblivion to their danger is seen as a threat to their survival. If not taking into consideration the dangers of the island and lacks of living necessities, or the boys themselves, they can find themselves failing survival and result in deaths otherwise. Because one can infer an abundance of information about the state of the boys, island, and critical situation they are in from the one line above, the effectiveness of Golding's symbolism and hidden messages are clearly evident.
ReplyDeleteAn effective quote that depends my understanding of the text is, "Now he saw the landsman's view of the swell and it seemed like the breathing of a stupendous creature"(105). The literary devices that are visible in this text are imagery and the use of a simile. The imagery in this quote helps the reader better picture the swell, and provides a mood for the kind of emotions we should experience when reading about the cave. Although the boys were excited about finding this cave and Jack even said that it would make a great fort, the fact that the simile compares it to a creature, or in other words, a beast, we might infer negative connotations. Additionally, the boys were searching for the beastie in the first place, but this comparison suggests that the beastie might not be a thing, but can be themselves like Simon proposed. Moreover, this sudden change from a positive feeling about finding the cave to a more mysterious, ominous feeling proves that at least Ralph has changed his view on the island. It started out as a safe haven of freedom and no rules, but this quote can mean that the island itself is more threatening and creature-like. This connection is very subtle however, which I think is one of the reasons why it is so effective. This could be one of the little things that you miss while reading, the thought process of analyzing the quote not coming into play. Little things like this can turn into huge ideas and completely change your understanding of a paragraph, page, chapter, or even the whole story. This is also effective because the simile adds to the imagery; we are better able to picture the swell by comparing it to the breath of a "stupendous creature". This creature is not a ladybug or a butterfly. This "stupendous creature" can be compared to more of a dragon-like creature, at least in my interpretation.
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ReplyDeleteooking deeper into the quote "the sun was bright and danger had faded with the darkness" (108), I can see that there is symbolism within this quote. The brightness, when it is day time outside, is when everything is going great and they have everything in order on the island. But when night time comes, and it becomes complete darkness, then everyone starts to panic and that is when the danger starts to occur. When the sun is up, the kids feel much safer than when the sun is down. For example, another quote used to describe the night as dangerous is "soon the darkness was full of claws, full of the awful unknown and menace" (99). This quote shows a metaphor because it is saying how the darkness is taking over the island, and things do not look so good.
ReplyDeleteA quote that stood out to me during todays discussion, "The flames were mastering the branches,the bark was curling and falling away, the wood exploding," (98) shows very well written personification and symbolism. These literary devices that were used in the quote, really helped me understand the context of the book more. This quote is basically saying that the fire they created was actually destroyed them. This is effective because now I know to look deeper for more symbols like this one. Before I found this quote, I would have never thought that a fire could represent so much detail in the book. This quote helps me gather clues of what I could inspect when I'm analyzing a quote in the future.
ReplyDeleteThe quote "A strange thing happened in his his head. Something flittered there in front of his mind like a bats wing"(107-108), shows a lot about the main character Ralph. Ralph has a lot on his mind being chief and all and when he was thinking his whole mind was blocked by something flittering. This quote is a simile and it considers that Ralph is actually human and cannot do everything. Ralph is also surprised so he can not even think with out this "bat wing" in the front of his mind.
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DeleteThroughout the book "Lord of the Flies", William Golding has used literary devices to help the reader further understand what is happening on the island between the boys. The one I found most affective was on page 108 when the night is coming to an end, "The sun was bright and danger had faded with the darkness." Darkness is a symbol of fear, danger, and the beastie. The boys are all very scared of the dark and when the sun sun shines the boys become filled with a sense of security. The beastie is represented by the darkness as the littluns think they see it at night and therefore associate it with the darkness during the night. This helps the reader better understand the idea and concept of the beastie and the affect it has on the lives of the boys. I think it is interesting that it says the danger had faded with the darkness, yet there still might be danger between the boys, as we have pointed out that the beastie might be the boys themselves as they burnt half of the island. This literary device is particularly effective because darkness is often used as a symbol of danger in many novels and everyday things, making the connection of darkness and the beastie easier for the reader to understand.
ReplyDeleteThe quote "The flames were mastering the branches, the bark was curling and falling, the wood exploding. The tent fell inwards and flung a wide circle of light over the mountain" (98) shows great symbolism and personification which makes the authors point evident, but not obvious. It shows how they are becoming more savage destroying the island. They have lost their civilized ways, not appreciating the power of the fire and the importance of shelter with the tent. The "tent [falling] inward" symbolizes their human, old ways of falling and burning up. The literary device added to my understanding of what state the boys have fallen to and how most traces of how they were in England are gone. It is effective because it shows, instead of tells while still getting the idea across. It builds on the theme of growing farther from society and becoming animal like. This also produces idea of where the boys may become later in the book.
ReplyDeleteThe quote "The bright morning was full of threats and the circle began to change" (100) demonstrates irony, imagery and a metaphor. The use of the word bright and morning give the reader a picture of what the setting looks like, cheerful and happy. It then portrays irony when it says full of threats because of the cheery start to the quote and the pessimistic end. The circle refers to the journey the boys took from when they first arrived on the island. It is now full of threats and they constantly need to keep a look out for dangers not only from the surrounding environment but within the group. These literary devices help make what Goulding is trying to say more mysterious and interesting to the reader. If he were just to say, "They had to keep a lookout for dangers," it wouldn't have been as intriguing. It makes the reader want to keep reading to see where the situation the boys are in is headed. In summary, the literary devices used here are very important because they create a whole different perspective and mood to the author's point which is much more interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteOne quote that truly stuck out to me was, "The flames were mastering the branches, the bark was curling and falling away, the wood exploding" (98). I really liked Paige's explanation in class where she showed that this showed that the group created the fire, the fire was destroying them, so therefore they were creating their own beast. I think this brings up a really good point because in the most recent chapter a huge threat to them was the beast emerging out of nowhere with no tracks. This quote gave me a deeper understanding to the current mood of the group. The symbolism the author uses with the literal fire burning away at the tree shows how the groups chance of realizing this beastie is themselves is diminishing. Piggy is the only one who realizes that something is a little sketchy, and in order to get his point across, needs to gain some sense of power. Amen.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what makes this device truly effective is it really shows the current mood of the group through a symbol rather then just stating that the group is in dismay because of this newly found beast.
DeletePrior to looking deeper at the quote "A strange thing happened in his his head. Something flittered there in front of his mind like a bats wing, obscuring his idea"(107-108), I didn't really pay it much thought because I didn't understand what the quote symbolized. While the group was presenting, I realized how important this quote really is. I was able to see how Ralph's judgement is starting to become less reliable because when the "bats wing" flitted in front of his mind, he wasn't able to think clearly, showing how close to becoming savage the boys are becoming. Another way to see this is that when people describe someone as savage, they usually mean that the person is dark, wild, and dangerous, and when a person thinks of a bat, they also think of something that is dark, wild and dangerous. This could also foreshadow how the boys are becoming less civilized and more savage because of the usage of a bats wing, because of all the words that we associate with it. I definitely think that this quote foreshadows what is to come with these boys losing their civilized minds and becoming more savage and wild.
ReplyDeleteThe quote I decided to look at was, "The bring morning was full of threats and the circle began to change" (100). I used this quote because it does a good job of showing how the mood of the boys changed. Usually there is bickering and altercations at the meetings at the meetings, but this is different. There is now a legitimate sense of fear within the group, and they are the most serious, and scared, that they have ever been at a meeting. This may have some foreshadowing for what is to come. The group meetings from now on, if they even continue at this rate, will probably have a much more serious atmosphere, no messing around. But then again, a lot of the group is scared senseless of the "beastie." This could cloud their judgement and cause them to make poor choices. The beastie is a recurring theme in the meetings, and I doubt it will go away any time soon.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Golding uses many literary devices in Lord of the Flies to enhance his story one that really stood out to me was "the sun was bright and danger had faded with the darkness" (108), This shows that the boys felt safe when the sun rose and that sunlight gave them a sense of security
ReplyDeleteThe quote that I though was well developed is "Soon the darkness was full of claws"(99) This was a good metaphor of the darkness in the story to be seen as the beast that they have been scared of. The darkness is a symbol in the story of danger that is coming to them. They must fight to stay away from the darkness so that they stay alive and safe on the island. They must protect each other at night and stand watch from the best that is the darkness because anything can come out at night and attack them.
ReplyDeleteThe quotes were all equally important but one of the quotes that stood out to me was, "The bright morning was full of threats and the circle began to change" (100). The words "bright" shows a sense of hope to the reader and "morning" is usually associated with a new beginning, a sense of rebirth kind of. And also what i think is interesting is how he uses "circles" in the sentence. It could mean when they first got to the island, and they are repeating certain things. But overall I think this is a bit of foreshadowing, and this shows how things are more positive than negative, and it shows a mood change. Golding uses the setting to set the mood of the group as a whole. And a lot of the time its imagery that helps us as a reader make correct assumptions about the book and catch how the group is doing as survivors on an island.
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