Thursday, May 14, 2015

In Lord of the Flies chapter 5, what are the 3 best quotes that symbolize the civilization falling apart?I would also like a brief description for...

It is in this scene that we see Ralph try to maintain order but ultimately fail, and the "civilisation" that Ralph has tried to maintain descends into anarchy when Jack leads the majority of the boys onto the beach to engage in a tribal dance - signifying loss of order and also man's primal urges.


One quote you will definitely want to use is: "The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away." This reflects the situation on the island and makes a comment about humanity at large. The boys are plunged into an environment without the normal checks on society - there are no policemen, no parents to tell them what to do and what not to do. Without these checks, they slip into barbarism and show the darkness that is in all of us.


It is the conflict between Jack and Ralph that indicates this precipient breakdown of civilisation: '“The rules!” shouts Ralph. “You’re breaking the rules!” “Who cares?” Jack shouts back. “Because the rules are the only thing we’ve got!” But Jack shouts him down. “Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong—we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat!”' This rejection of "rules" indicates the boys' descent into savagery.


In spite of Ralph's attempts, the assembly erupts into a mob "of noise and excitement, scramblings, screams and laughter." This quote indicates Ralph's loss of control, and in response to this he is left tongue-tied and realises that he cannot express himself verbally. This chapter sees the breakdown of the power of the podium - symbolising order and civilisation. The group devolves into "arguing gesticulating shadows. To Ralph, seated, this seemed the breaking up of sanity." Order has been lost, not only in the sense that Ralph has lost control of the group, but also in that the group is losing control of itself.

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