In Lord of the Flies, William Golding writes about a group of young British boys who are stranded on an island, fending for survival. They have limited resources and no parental guidance. Their only form of technology is Piggy’s glasses. Latter finding out that the glasses mixed with a beam of sun could start a fire, they can now use them as protection. “His specs- use them as burning glasses” (159). His spectacles can either be used to help or hurt the chances of getting off the island. When they split off into two separate groups, Jack stole the glasses, the only resource they have to help them survive. With them, Jack and his new group light the forest on fire to kill the others, instead of signalling to people off the land. The way Jack misuses the glasses parallels how today’s society misuses the advancements in technology.
Piggy's glasses symbolize science and technology by allowing the boys to create fire. This is civilization’s first necessity, because it creates mankind's power that shapes their environment to best suit its needs. Piggy is known as the outcast of the group but, with the help of his glasses, he was able to communicate with the other boys and be a part of something. He is a genuine boy just trying to make it around the island, doing whatever he can to get on the boy’s good side. "Piggy was...so full of pride in his contribution to the good of society, that he helped to fetch wood" (118). Due to this. the boys use Piggy’s glasses and nothing else. They reject his ideas, even though Piggy is often correct. They use him for the technology rather than the brains he has. “‘Life,’ said Piggy expansively, ‘is scientific, that’s what it is. In a year or two when the war’s over they’ll be traveling to mars a...
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... for granted due to the fact that it can harm society if used improperly. Therefore, those who use technology appropriately should be free to do so.
Meyer 5
Works Cited
Gibby, J. “The Misuse of Technology and the Future Towards Which it’s Heading.” The Misuse of Technology in Society. N.p., 28 Aug. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Golding, William E. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin, 2001. Print.
Kapoor, C. “Benefits of Cell Phones.” BenefitsOf.Net. N.p., 5 Sept. 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Plumlee, Rick. “Neighbors pull three children left alone from burning house: fire started by lighter.” The Wichita Eagle- Kansas.com. N.p., 11 July 2013. Web. 3 Dec. 2013.
“Texting While Driving.” Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Student Resources in Context. Web. 21 Nov. 2013
“What is Distracted Driving?” DISTRACTION.GOV. NHTSA, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
When Piggy’s glasses break in half, it symbolizes the boy's descent into savageness. Glasses, by definition¹, are “a pair of lenses used to correct or assist defective eyesight for an individual with vision problems.” Obviously, these glasses are only effective when the lenses are not broken, and this principle also applies in The Lord of the Flies. In The Lord of the Flies, the goal of the boys is to survive, and get rescued off of the island. To get rescued off of the island and therefore survive, Ralph decides that the boys need a fire, to make a smoke signal so passing ships or planes can spot them. They use the lenses of Piggy’s glasses to start this fire. When Jack lets this fire go out when he is out hunting for a pig, Ralph gets very angry, because the passing ship could have rescued them. This leads to the first fight as a result of the boy's’ newfound savageness. This fight leads to Piggy’s glasses breaking for the first time. Piggy’s glasses break again when Jack’s group steals them in a bid to start a fire of their own. “I just take the conch to say this. I can’t see no more and I got to get my glasses back.
His glasses symbolize many different things in the novel. First, they symbolize hope. Piggy’s specs are what the boys are using to light their signal fire, and without their fire, there is no hope for them of ever being rescued from the island. Therefore, the only hope that the boys have of leaving the island is in the balance of the condition of Piggy’s glasses. Without them being in good enough condition to use to make a fire, then there would be no hope of them ever leaving the island.
The topic of technology and our society has become a very controversial subject today. Many people believe that technology is an essential component of our modern world, helping us to improve communication from farther distances as well as giving us easy access to important information. On the other hand, there is the opinion that too much technology is affecting social interactions and our basic development. “Technology…is a queer thing, it brings you great gifts with one hand, and stabs you in the back with the other.” (Carrie Snow.) The CBC Documentary “Are We Digital Dummies” displayed the pros and cons when it comes to modern technology that we use in the western world everyday.
“Texting While Driving.” Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 11 Oct. 2010. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.
Piggy’s specs are used for lighting the fire in the beginning of this novel. This is a huge accomplishment because without the fire the kids would have died a long, long time ago. The fire enabled them to eat, keep warm, and signal planes of boats for rescue. His specs are essential to their survival.
The kids' fear of not being rescued from the island led the group to the top of the mountain to make signal fires. They used Piggy's glasses in order to make that fire:
Piggy was the one boy in the novel who has all the knowledge. Despite his asthma and obese problem, Piggy never failed to contribute his cerebral and intelligent ideas. He came up with all the ideas on how to survive and tried to keep the group organized and civilized. The glasses of Piggy symbolized his knowledge and smartness.
The only way the boys could start the fire is through Piggy’s glasses. The fire that is both incredibly influential and essential in Ralph and Jack Merridew’s eyes, for different reasons, can only be brought from Piggy, the seemingly worthless one in the group. As the text progresses the boys become more savage-like; they disregard Piggy and talk over him. When the boys “borrow” Piggy’s glasses they are civilized, as young boys can get stuck on an island without adults, they tolerate Piggy so the can use his glasses. However, as they start to dislike Piggy’s talk about rules, rescue and no beastie, they find other ways to create a fire and Piggy becomes completely hopeless to them, including his glasses. This also happens in everybody’s lives, maybe not starting a fire with someone’s glasses, but being excluded or excluding someone from something because of how they look. This happens subconsciously, not inviting someone to something because you don’t want to be seen there with them, it might not always be turning them down. This happens with Piggy throughout the text: “‘I’ll come.’ Ralph turned to him. ‘You’re no good on a job like this.’ ‘All the same-’ ‘We don’t want you,’ said Jack, flatly. ‘Three’s enough’”
William Golding’s, ‘Lord of the Flies’, is a powerful piece of literature that teaches important perspectives on the human nature and mind. In the story, the boys plane is shot down by the the military in which it lands on a deserted island. After this event, the boys’ decide to create a civilization on the island until they’re rescued. Golding paints a realistic image of evil, hope, and order expressed through the three items: the Lord of the Flies, the fire, and the conch during World War 2. The boys believe these items will assist them, however, they end up all tearing them apart in the end: the symbols all appear to be beneficial to the situation but eventually lead to their demise. Golding effectively uses the literary device symbolism to develop the theme in the novel that chaos and destruction can occur in the most peaceful places.
The first symbol, which is used all throughout the book, is the symbol of the Conch. The conch was a large shell which piggy had first unearthed on the island. The conch shows powers all throughout the book and always commands respect form the boys due to its importance. The importance and power would best be compared to that of a congregation when a Rabbi removes the torah from the ark, which holds it. The first quote which best shows the importance of the conch is when it is used by Ralph and Piggy to summon all the boys together when they find themselves alone on the island. "The Conch, we can use this to call the others. Have a meeting they'll come when they hear us- (16)." Then again at the second meeting we see how the boys are drawn to the Conch and how it is like a magnet to the boys, which draws them to who ever uses it. "By the time Ralph had finished blowing the conch the platform was crowded (32)." The conch also shows the first idea of civilization and rules. One example is when there is disorder because everyone I talking at once. "Conch, that's what the shell is called. I'll give the conch to the next person who speaks. He can hold when he is speaking (33)." Finally the conch is used for is to show how Piggy does so much to help them and does not get credit for it. It was used that way when Piggy was the first one to see the Conch and Piggy was the one who knew what it was and instructed Ralph on how to use it.
Thesis statement: Risks of texting while driving over the past few years has become a key topic for many Americans through the country. It has been the cause of numerous deaths and injuries and remains a vast disturbance for drivers. Hence driving is one of the greatest common causes of misfortunes on roads. This can result in, physical visual and cognitive distraction and significantly increases the amount of time a driver devotes not looking at the road. Therefore police officers should seize the phones of those who text and drive.
Texting while driving is a widespread epidemic in the United States that has unfavorable effects on our society.“Driving while texting is the standard wording used for traffic violations” (Bernstein). It causes many people to be distracted which can lead to accidents. “Eighty-nine percent of people own a cell phone” (Gardner). That is a plethora of people that are at risk of texting while driving. Also, texting has increased by ten times in three years(Bernstein). “The risk of a crash for those who are texting is twenty-three point two times greater than those who are not” (Gardner).Driving drunk only makes a person seven times more likely to be in a crash (Bernstein). This means texting while driving is three times more dangerous than driving intoxicated. One in five drivers admits to texting while driving(Gardner). This shows that that texting while driving is a widespread epidemic. When a survey asked teenagers whether they text and drive,“seventy five percent of teens admitted to texting while driving” (7).Distracted driving causes seventy-eight percent of car crashes(Bernstein). “No distraction causes as high of a risk of an accident as texting while driving” (Gardner). Also with these statistics, it is not hard to understand why accidents in teenagers that are driving have risen. The Bluetooth capability in cars gives a driver a hands-free way to talk on the phone, but is still not completely safe (8). Also, only 1 out of 3 US cars sold in 2009 had this feature. New systems are being developed that will use Bluetooth as well a global positioning technology to allow parents to monitor cell phone use and texting while driving (10).
The novel that I am going to talk about is Lord of the Flies by
In order for William Golding to shape a perpetual tone and mood for the Lord of The Flies, outstanding symbolism must be used to inadvertently show the reader a bigger picture. Symbolism is an amazing feat and technique utilized by some authors to get across a larger point, and it proves to be very effective. Many different entities within this novel are used explicitly to explain symbolism and get across a higher point. Piggy 's glasses for control and power as well as necessity, the fire for rescue and destruction, the beast for savagery and illusion, the Lord of the Flies for evil, and the conch for power, civility and society. Remember, even a pair of glasses can mean the world to someone else, so don 't break or steal
According to John Horvat, an author in The Wall Street Journal, " The proper use of technology is that it should be a means to serve us and make our lives easier. A key requirement is that we should be in control." Although, the problem with today`s society, is that we are not in control. Instead of technology serving us, it is now the other way around. Society has been more dependent on its technology in recent years, than it has ever been in the past. Those who are against the up rise of the technology industries, believe that technology has taken away ...