Adult Learning Methodology

Adult Learning Methodology Andragogy Andragogy is an adult teaching methodology which developed from pedagology (the teaching methodology for children) (Rachal, 2002, p. 210). Before the introduction of the concept (andragogy), pedagogy was the only known teaching methodology. Andragogy was basically developed by a group of researchers to focus more on unique adult needs as opposed to the conventional child needs.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Adult Learning Methodology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In andragogy, there is a strong emphasis on process design as opposed to pedagology which focuses more on the content plan (Rachal, 2002, p. 210). With focus on process design, andragogy is basically aimed at designing and managing processes that are aimed at facilitating the acquisition of content by adult learners; but in the same manner, it also serves as a content resource for peers, supervisors and specialists. Andragogy was spec ifically started by a German educationist in 1833, but it is Malcolm Knowles, an American educational researcher, who essentially turned the learning methodology into a popular adult theory (Rachal, 2002, p. 210). However, in later years, Malcolm changed his stand on the adult theory and gave conflicting statements one whether the teaching paradigm was essentially meant for adults or could be applicable to children as well. This conflict of opinion essentially defines the controversy surrounding the use of andragogy as a unique adult teaching methodology. Considering andragogy basically defines the transition from a teacher-centered to a student-centered learning style, critics note that the shift could equally be beneficial to children, as much as it is for adults. This fact characterizes the conflict surrounding andragogy. Nonetheless, it is important to note that such concerns have been dispelled by the fact that proponents of the adult educational methodology were essentially ad ult teachers and they devised the theory to specifically apply to their unique student group (adults) (Rachal, 2002, p. 210). This makes the teaching methodology uniquely applicable to adult learners. The controversy surrounding andragogy is however not the essence of this study (but contributes to its understanding) because this study focuses more on the basis of the teaching paradigm in imparting knowledge to adult learners. In other words, this study will evaluate the teaching criteria behind its use.Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The criteria to be evaluated essentially define the platform through which andragogy is implemented and the guidelines to which it is practiced. Comprehensively, this study will analyze the proffered criteria for its applicability and possible areas that may cause its failures (based on existing literature surrounding its use). Volunt ary Participation Andragogy has been traditionally known to be based on the ability of teachers to identify the right internal motivating factor among adult learners. However, Lindeman (1926) notes that instructors should not identify the internal motivation among adult learners if it is in form of professional advancement; however, this view has been disputed by other researchers such as Knowles (1980) who accepts professional career motivation as a form of personal motivational factor (only if it is not coercive). In other words, it is identified that voluntary participation among learners should not be based on material reward but rather on immaterial reward. From a comprehensive point of view, restricting voluntary participation in the context that only legitimate benefit of andragogy would be learning for its own sake (or for self actualization) is deemed a rather extreme limitation and it also goes contrary to what Knowles said when defining andragogy. Specifically Knowles (19 80) asserted that: Although it acknowledges that adults will respond to some external motivators-a better job, a salary increase, and the like-the andragogical model predicates that the more potent motivators are internal-self-esteem, recognition, better quality of life, greater self-confidence, self-actualization, and the like (p. 281). In a study done by Rachal (2002) to evaluate the motives of adult students to enroll in an adult educational program, it was established that their motives were not exactly internal. Interestingly, it was also affirmed that some of the subjects in the study were paid to join the educational program.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Adult Learning Methodology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This means that adult learners are sometimes not driven by internal and personal factors but also by external and material factors. Current research studies have proposed more research to be done on non-credit continuing educational programs where there is a good environment to learn, and the students are not coerced in any manner, or motivated by unfamiliar factors to take part in educational programs (Rachal, 2002, p. 212). It is also predicted that in this type of situation, adult learners are bound to view the learning activity as essentially valuable to themselves as opposed to perceiving the experience (or enrolment to the educational program) as a mere means to an end (Rachal, 2002, p. 212). Adult Status In implementing the andragogy approach, it is recommended that an adult learning environment be provided to facilitate the learning process (Rachal, 2002, p. 212). More importantly, it is recommended that college environments, where many young college goers frequent should be avoided if andragogy is to be effectively undertaken. This is in line with Knowles’s view that andragogy is essential for adults and the students should not be subjected to an env ironment that seeks to compare them with another student group (young learners). To affirm his sentiments, Knowles (1980) explains that: â€Å"If a college setting is used, and traditional students are part of the study, it is very desirable to have four groups, including an adult andragogy and an adult pedagogy group. It is not desirable to have two groups where a combined group of adults and traditional students receives an andragogical treatment and a second combined group of adults and traditional students receives a pedagogical treatment, even when the adults are separated in the analysis† (p. 284). However, there is enough evidence to suggest that higher learning environments are quite beneficial to andragogical teaching, but it is more recommended that future studies should be done in scenarios where the environment is exclusively adult-centered (Rachal, 2002, p. 210).Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Considering there is a high emphasis on adult environments (when referring to andragogy), there has consequently been an increased need to define adult environments and who an adult is in the first place. Rachal (2002) claims that an adult is a person who perceives himself or herself as an adult and has assumed the social and cultural responsibilities that are characteristic of adults. In the same manner, she also provides another criteria (where the above definitions lack) and defines an adult as a person who has attained a given age ceiling, say, 25 years (whichever is considered adult, considering the social definitions of an adult in a given community setting). Knowles’s (1980) definition of an adult is also congruent with the above definition because he defines adult education as activities intentionally engaged in for the purpose of bringing about learning among those whose age, social roles, or self-perception define them as adults (p. 215). This definition of an adult is important because andragogy is known to work best in environments that are exclusively adult-centred. Collaboratively Determined Objectives Environments that are critical to the adult learner and which the adult learner plays a vital role in the learning experience should be utilized when implementing andragogy (Rachal, 2002, p. 215). Contracts are one of the tools through which instructors and researchers have been advised to use to achieve the required learning purpose; however, there is no guarantee that such a strategy will work in all situations. Specifically drawn contracts which have a predetermined set of objectives for the adult learners are said to be bound to fail if an adult learner does not know the predetermined objectives in the first place (or if the objectives were not the learner’s main objectives of engaging in the learning experience in the first place). For instance, a course focusing on how to improve one’s saving plan would be congruent with a learner’s personal objectives, as well as the course’s objectives, and this could probably be the reason why a learner would enroll in the given course in the first place. Nonetheless, in situations where this scenario is not the case, it would mean that the instructor would have to collaborate with the learners and negotiate on their learning objectives (as regards what would exhibit a high level of competence for the instructor in the course of using the andragogy learning methodology). Langston (1990) seems to have met the criterion defining this standard when undertaking related research studies on his focus groups where the goal of the instructor or the competence expected of the instructor was second to the learner’s objectives. From this analysis, we can deduce the fact that andragogy works best in environments that are specifically determined by the learner’s objectives and not the instructors’ because it is affirmed that the learner shou ld have more say in the planning of the learning process. The ideal situation should however be when the learner’s and instructor’s objectives are similar (such as that defined in the savings plan example). Performance-Based Achievement Considering andragogy and many other learning theories are specifically based on competence and proficiency (in a given area of study); the will to measure the achievement level of the learners is inevitable. However, it should be understood that under andragogy, the assessment criterion should not resemble those of conventional learning styles because they should seem to be as low-threat as possible (Rachal, 2002, p. 216). In this regard, Knowles (1980) previously went ahead to establish a contract with a portfolio of evidence that specifically exposed the level of learner’s achievement (with regards to well determined learning objectives) but the criterion for carrying out such assessments needs to be mutually negotiated with t he learners and the instructors. The assessment criteria is normally based on the learner’s ability to particularly perform all the learnt content in a rather direct manner, which can be demonstrated by his or her ability to take and print a photograph, as opposed to a learner’s ability to take a paper-pencil test that evaluates how to take and print a photograph (the latter is indirect while the former is a direct assessment method). Studies undertaken by Clark (1991), with reference to assessment criteria (when using the andragogy approach), made use of a performance-based activity as a benchmark for performance where it was easily determined whether a person passed a given assessment test or not. Clark (1991) recommends that the appropriate performance criterion is to be designed in situations where the learner’s learning objective demonstrates a desired learning outcome. For instance, if an adult learner wants to acquire basic computer skills that would enab le him or her send and receive e mails without any assistance; the assessment criteria will be based on whether he or she is able to send and open emails without assistance. This kind of assessment is also what determines the â€Å"book test† approach from the practical knowledge expected of adult learners when the andragogy methodology is applied. With regards to standardized tests to assess adult learners, Knowles (1980, p. 12) cautions that tests often smack of childhood schooling to adult learners, and so should be used with caution and preferably with the participants full participation in the decision, administration and analysis†. Since standardized tests are not essentially recommended by Knowles (1980), he proposes the use of tailor-made tests, but he also expresses caution about this assessment criterion, noting that if instructors use it to compare two adult learners, it would not be in the spirit of andragogy. Unfortunately, most instructors have used this a ssessment criterion in this manner. On the contrary, Knowles, recommends that tailor-made assessment criteria should be used for purposes of the students’ own edification (with regards to the relative gains made in the entire learning process), and if it is possible, adult learners should be allowed to come up with their own assessment criteria in group or individual contexts. Measuring Satisfaction Many adult education activities have been faulted by many researchers as lacking the primary goal of attaining skills and expertise, but rather having the feeling to attain personal satisfaction. In this regard, there is enough evidence to suggest that many adult learners are increasingly participating in various learning activities, merely for the pleasure they derive from it. Since this trend is real, Rachal (2002) affirms that there is a strong need for instructors, using the andragogy approach, to measure the learner’s level of satisfaction in this light. Though this as sessment criterion is not basically recommended (if achievement is not the essential goal), satisfaction in the learning experience should be measured in virtually all spheres of the administration of andragogy because this is basically the primary reason most adult learners are likely to be influenced by when enrolling for learning. Andragogy instructors should therefore measure the variables related to the educational activity, but it is also recommended that they couple the same with the learner’s interests (Rachal, 2002). Conclusion This study identifies the need for adult education to be andragological because the methodology specifically appeals to the needs of adult learners. The above criteria, focused on the effective implementation of andragogy also specifically appeals to situational aspects which are unique to adult learning because the application of andragogy is in itself situational. More importantly, this study points out that andragogy appeals to the learnerà ¢â‚¬â„¢s ability, learner’s motivation, and the facilitative elements of the instructor in the entire learning process. These elements are the successive factors in adult learning and from the above analysis, they are also the basis through which andragogy is based on. The above criteria also seem to succinctly follow the precepts and ideals of Knowles, even though his recommendations and perception about andragoy and adult learning were criticized as idealistic. Nonetheless, it is an undeniable fact that adult learning, just like children learning, should be tailored towards the needs of the learner groups and this is what andragogy seeks to appeal to. Conversely, the issue of the appropriateness of andragogy in adult learning can be contrasted with its effectiveness. Pratt (1988) is also sympathetic to this view and affirms that the appropriateness of andragogy in adult education should be the primary focus of study for future researchers because efforts to understand the a ppropriateness of a given learning methodology would be fruitless if its effectiveness is not established. However, apart from acknowledging the importance of this analysis in this study; this issue would be a separate topic altogether. Comprehensively, we can see that andragogy is essentially based on unique adult needs and the above mentioned criteria act as the blueprint for its implementation. References Clark,J. A. (1991). Self-directed learning skills and clinical performance: A comparison of traditionally taught and learning contract-taught nursing students (Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern Mississippi, 1990). Dissertation Abstracts International, 51(07), 2236A. Knowles, M. S. (1980). The Modern Practice of Adult Education: From Pedagogy to Andragogy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Cambridge. Langston, L. C. (1990). Self-directed learning, achievement, and satisfaction (Doctoral dissertation, Texas AM University, 1989). Dissertation Abstracts International, 50(12), 3824A. Lindeman, E. C. (1926). The Meaning of Adult Education. Norman, OK: Oklahoma Research Center for Continuing Professional and Higher Education. Pratt, D. D. (1988). Andragogy as a relational construct. Adult Education Quarterly, 38,  160-172. Rachal, J. (2002). Andragogys Detectives: A Critique of the Present and a Proposal for the Future. Adult Education Quarterly, 52(3), 210-227.

Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies

From its beginning Lord of the Flies establishes itself as a story packed with allegorical meaning. The novel is a meditation on the nature of human political society, dealing with such concerns as the development of political systems and the clash in human nature between instinctual and learned behavior. In this manner, Golding establishes the deserted island as a clash between two different conceptions of pre-civilized humanity. In some respects, the island presents a Hobbesian situation in which the young schoolboys are thrown into a literal state of nature. At the beginning of the novel they have no society, no rules, and no concerns beyond personal survival. The narrative thrust of the novel is how the boys develop their own miniature society and the difficulties that inevitably arise. Golding establishes immediately the contrast between the savage and the civilized that exists in this new environment for the boys. Freed from adult authority and the mores of society, Ralph plays in the beach naked, a practice commonly associated with uncivilized cultures. Yet if this is an uncivilized practice, it is also a reference to the second conception of pre-civilized life, that of an Eden; Ralph does not panic over the children's abandonment on the island, but rather approaches it as a paradise in which he can play happily. This raises the important question about what influence will cause his Eden to collapse. The first sign of disturbance within the seemingly tranquil island is the appearance of Jack and his choir. Golding portrays Jack and his compatriots as militaristic and aggressive, with Jack's bold manner and the choir marching in step with one another. They are the first concrete entrance of civilization onto the island and a decidedly negative one. Jack seems a physical manifestation of evil: with his dark cloak and wild red hair, he gives a slightly Satanic impression. Jack is a decided military authoritarian. He orders his c... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies The most obvious of the themes is man's need for civilization. Contrary to the belief that man is innocent and society evil, the story shows that laws and rules, policemen and schools are necessary to keep the darker side of human nature in line. When these institutions and concepts slip away or are ignored, human beings revert to a more primitive part of their nature. The existence of civilization allows man to remain innocent or ignorant about his true nature. Although man needs civilization, it is important that he also be aware of his more primitive instincts. Only in this way can he reach true maturity. Golding implies that the loss of innocence has little to do with age but is related to a person's understanding of human nature. It can happen at any age or not at all. Painful though it may be, this loss of innocence by coming to terms with reality is necessary if humanity is to survive. One of the most basic and obvious themes is that society holds everyone together, and without these conditions, our ideals, values, and the basics of r ight and wrong are lost. Without society's rigid rules, anarchy and savagery can come to light. The novel is a meditation on the nature of human political society, dealing with such concerns as the development of political systems and the clash in human nature between instinctual and learned behavior. In this manner, Golding establishes the deserted island as a clash between two different conceptions of pre-civilized humanity. At the beginning of the novel they have no society, no rules, and no concerns beyond personal survival. The narrative thrust of the novel is how the boys develop their own miniature society and the difficulties that inevitably arise. Golding establishes immediately the contrast between the savage and the civilized that exists in this new environment for the boys. Freed from adult authority and the mores of society, Ralph plays in the beach naked, a practice ... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Creating a Community from Eden The Human nature and Sovereignty in the Lord of the flies Lord of the Flies is a very famous novel; most of critics discuss its human nature and compare it with Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe or Shakespeare’s The Tempest. However, there are few of them comparing it with Thomas Hobbes’s theory. Therefore, in this paper, I want to use Thomas Hobbes’s idea of human nature and sovereignty to analyze the novel and Golding’s idea. Thomas Hobbes is the English political philosopher, in his famous work Leviathan; we can easily find his pessimistic thinking about human nature. For Hobbes, men only care about themselves without regarding others. They lust for money and pleasure; sometimes even lacking of food can cause a human war. Hobbes’s concept can coincidentally response to Golding’s idea and his novel, both of them emphasize the dark side of human nature. For example, in the novel, Golding arranges English schoolboys to fall into an island of nature; he uses thi s unmanned island to show what cultivated humans will do in their nature. Where is his pessimistic idea in the novel, is that, he does not arrange those schoolboys still live in a cultivated and mannered life on the island, he rather makes them live like barbarians and completely shows their natural evil. His pessimism is just as Hobbes who thinks men are born in evil and lust. Hobbes’s idea is influenced by the time his was born. He was born in an age of war that makes him to become a pessimistic philosopher. In his biography, he says, his mother â€Å"brought forth twins- myself and fear .† He considers that the fear of death and the need for security are the universal law; people seek for peace and constitute social rule only because they want to be safe and preserve their lives. His pessimistic idea builds up his theory toward the sovereignty and human nature in the future. Besides, the time when he was b... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Lord of the Flies ByWilliam Golding Characters Ralph Jack Simon Piggy Roger When I read this book I discovered a great change in most of their personalities, especially Jack's. So I would say that they are all dynamic characters. Ralph, in the beginning of the novel, had a boyish personality. Then later on in the novel, he became much more mature due to the fact that all of them had to live in a more civilized manner to get a long and to survive while waiting to be rescued. Jack, in the beginning of the novel was Ralph's most powerful antagonist. Then later on turned against Ralph and becomes leader. Simon is a unique character in the novel. He remains largely uninvolved with any of the power struggles between Ralph and Jack. He was killed. Roger is very mean. He killed Piggy by pushing a big bolder on top of him. Piggy was the intellectual in the group. He complained a lot in the beginning, but later on became more mature. But, unfortunately, he was killed by Roger. The novel begins about a group of English people who are marooned on a tropical island wh en the plane evacuating them from atomic war-torn England crashes. So now this group of boys are alone on this island. Then Ralph called an assembly to talk to the other guys about making a plan to get along and survive. The struggle starts in trying to make rules for the group to live by. There were many more conflicts through out the novel. But the main conflict is the boys trying to get along with each other and survive while waiting to be rescued from a deserted island. There are also some major conflicts between Ralph and Jack over trying to be the leader of the group. I enjoyed this book because it showed me what can happen when people are put in a desperate situation where there are no rules or social structure and how different personalities react to this lack of order. It also showed me how much one person can make a difference.... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies In the movie Lord of the Flies I feel it shows that the ego is very fragile. A person’s ego can be forced into a bad or good human being. Many people would say human beings choose how they want to be. I feel there is a lot of temptation in the world to force a person in a certain direction, but we are naturally born how we are. I also think we are born with evil it just depends whether or not we let it show. Every human being has some sense of evil in their body, but it depends on how a person is brought up and their surroundings. A person can be brought up in a loving environment and not show any sense of evil in their life. Where on the other hand a person can be brought up in a loving home and show evil in their life. A big factor of this picture depends on your social surroundings and how much people push you to be what they want you to become. A human being is put on this earth for a certain reason and a lot of people can learn from their mistakes they make in their lives. Then, there are some people on this earth who hate everything that have to do with them and they can become psychotic. These are the people who could not overlook the evil within them and eventually let it take over him/herself. Everyone shows some sort of evil in their life, but there is a point where you can go too far. Take the movie as an example; there is a plane crash, the kids take matters into their own hands to survive and eventually chaos occurs. The children all had some sort of evil inside of them, but there was just that one boy, Jake, who brought out the evil in him first and then the others. Jake was not looked up to as the leader; Ralph was the leader. Jake was the hunter and killed for food, already his evil is beginning to show when he starts a hunting tribe. You can tell his ego is hurt since he was not picked as the leader and wants to be in charge of the boys and have everyone look up to him. Piggy a character that co... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies â€Å"Lord of the Flies† This novel starts out with a plane crash carrying boys from a boarding school who were returning home during a war. The plane crashed on an island. Two of the characters in the novel, named Ralph and Piggy, are introduced as they meet in the lagoon on the island. Piggy finds a conch shell while he was walking on the beach and shows Ralph how to make a noise with it. Ralph uses the conch to seek other possible survivors from the plane crash- as he blew on the conch other boys came to him. Ralph decided to have a meeting to set down rules that they would live by, during their stay on the island. They decided to vote and Ralph was declared the ruler over them and Jack, who came with the other boys, was voted chief of the hunting group for provision of food. This reflected their priorities, Jack hunting, while Ralph tried to maintain some resemblance of civilization on the island. Their society reflects ours by showing different types of power that is used today. Democratic power is shown when choices and decisions are shared among the boys on the island. For instance, the conch represented power to whoever held it. Ralph portrays the role of government in any modern society. While he wants to satisfy the wishes of the public, he must also realize that certain rules of behavior must be followed in order to prevent chaos. Unfortunately chaos defeats order. The barbaric quality that arises in Jack throughout the novel is really a rebellion against society and what it stands for. He grew tired of taking orders from Ralph and of his participation in the democratic system that they made. Elements of civilization disappear on the island, due to the boys reverting to a more primitive part of their nature, by turning into savages and chaos replaces democracy. I believe the author is showing us the need for government to exist in society due to chaos that could come about without rules and regulations. ... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies In the novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, Jack and Ralph as leaders differ from general to the very specific areas. The uninhabited jungle island that the boys crash – land on forms them into very inhumane creatures. While the young boys struggle for guidance and the need to be civilized, two boys assume leadership roles. Jack develops into a very impulsive, hot – tempered little savage. Ralph, on the other hand, never fully diverges from his civilized persona and becomes a reliable, hard – working, and steadfast leader of the boys. The leadership roles of Jack and Ralph clash on the subject of impulsiveness. Ralph uses a calm and cool demeanor while assessing the current situation on the island and giving a course of action. Jack goes on hunts and plays in the lagoon while more important work needs to be done. Ralph thinks of being rescued off the island and going home above everything else and thinks of the â€Å"big picture† first. To him playing and going off on hunts for long periods of time are useless and do not help in getting off the island. Conversely, while Jack does agree that maintaining a fire will aid their cause in being rescued, he contradicts this point of view by setting off in the jungle to hunt and the idea of killing a pig consumes him. â€Å"Rescue? Yes, of course! All the same I’d like to catch a pig first.†( ) This becomes the start of Jack’s formation into hunter and savage. The roles of Jack and Ralph as leaders also conflict as Jack becomes more savage and Ralph tries to stay in touch with civilization. Ralph always tries to keep ties with civilization through the use of the conch to call assemblies or by keeping on task and yelling at the other boys when they are playing and not doing their tasks. When Ralph tells Jack that a ship has passed and that they could have been rescued, Jack replies â€Å"You should have seen the blood.†( ) Jack has now become savage enough t... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies A running theme in Lord of the Flies is that man is savage at heart, always ultimately reverting back to an evil and primitive nature. The cycle of man's rise to power, or righteousness, and his inevitable fall from grace is an important point that book proves again and again, often comparing man with characters from the Bible to give a more vivid picture of his descent. Lord Of The Flies symbolizes this fall in different manners, ranging from the illustration of the mentality of actual primitive man to the reflections of a corrupt seaman in purgatory. The novel is the story of a group of boys of different backgrounds who are marooned on an unknown island when their plane crashes. As the boys try to organize and formulate a plan to get rescued, they begin to separate and as a result of the dissension a band of savage tribal hunters is formed. Eventually the "stranded boys in Lord of the Flies almost entirely shake off civilized behavior: (Riley 1: 119). When the confusion finally leads to a manhunt [for Ralph], the reader realizes that despite the strong sense of British character and civility that has been instilled in the youth throughout their lives, the boys have backpedaled and shown the underlying savage side existent in all humans. "Golding senses that institutions and order imposed from without are temporary, but man's irrationality and urge for destruction are enduring" (Riley 1: 119). The novel shows the reader how easy it is to revert back to the evil nature inherent in man. If a group of well-conditioned school boy s can ultimately wind up committing various extreme travesties, one can imagine what adults, leaders of society, are capable of doing under the pressures of trying to maintain world relations. In the novel, Simon is a peaceful lad who tries to show the boys that there is no monster on the island except the fears that the boys have. "Simon tries to state the truth: there is a beast, but 'it's only ... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Lord of the Flies A novel by William Golding Written in 1954 Characters: Ralph- protagonist Jack- antagonist Setting: WWII on a deserted tropical island In the midst of a raging war, a plane evacuating a group of English boys from Britain is shot down over a deserted tropical island. Marooned, the boys set about electing a leader and finding a way to be rescued. They choose Ralph as their leader; Ralph appoints Jack as the leader of the hunters. Ralph, Jack, and Simon set off on an expedition to explore the island. When they return, Ralph declares that they must light a signal fire that passing ships might see. The boys begin to do so, using Piggy's glasses lens as a means of igniting dead wood. But they are more interested in playing than in paying close attention to their duties, and the fire quickly ignites the forest. A large swath of dead wood burns out of control. One of the youngest boys disappears, presumably having burned to death. At first, the boys enjoy their life without grownups. The hunters have trouble catching a pig, but Jack becomes increasingly preoccupied with the act of hunting. One day a ship passes by on the horizon, and Ralph and Piggy notice to their horror that the signal fire has burned out; it was the hunters' responsibility to maintain. Furious, Ralph accosts Jack, but the hunter has just returned with his first kill, and all the boys seem gripped with a strange frenzy, dancing about and reenacting the chase in a kind of wild dance. When Piggy criticizes him, Jack hits him across the face. Ralph blows the conch shell used to summon the boys, and gives the group a furious speech in an attempt to restore order. But beyond the more immediate problems of the signal fire and the difficulties of hunting creeps a larger, more insidious problem: a growing fear among the boys. The littlest boys (known as "littluns") have been troubled by nightmares from the beginning, and more and more boys are coming to... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Man’s life on earth is a constant struggle between good and evil. Humans choice or becoming pressured into facing this choice of taking sides. With these situations in life happening William Golding created Lord of the Flies .From images and instances of peace through images and instances of evil and finally through the representation of interaction of both , Golding’s Lord of the Flies presents a believable struggle that has characterized being human. Golding captures the essence of peace with images and instances of peace/ Throughout the novel , we are shown numerouse symbolical situtations . Golding uses anything from â€Å"butterflies† to â€Å"sunlight†, which represents holy perfection to holiness , happiness , welcoming . With this symbolism Golding perfects Simon. Simon who is a mirror reflection of Jesus, brought peace to the island . Since none of the characters , besides Ralph realize how important Simon is, Simon is recognized more by the readers. At the beginning of the novel , Simon , is seen as â€Å"as skinny , vivid , little boy with a glance coming from under a hut of straight hair that hung down , black and coarse .† (20). At this poin , Simon, is not recognized as a holly symbol. However, later on the novel Simon reveals his peaceful, wise and somewhat understanding side. A very good example of how peaceful and wise Simon is , is â€Å"you’ll get back all right. I think so anyways .† (122). With Simon saying these words to Ralph, he hints to the readers his wise and peaceful side as well as his â€Å"power† to forcome even the future, which makes him seem even more Christ-LIKE. However as we are reading about all this peacefulness, we are slowly creeped into evilness. Golding also used instances and images to project evil into the novel. In these cases, for evil, Golding uses Beesabub, the lord of the flies, as well as Jack as a representation of evil. However with Jack it’s more towards savagery and... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Lord of the Flies â€Å"The existence of civilization allows man to remain innocent or ignorant about his true nature. Although man needs civilization, it is important that he also be aware of his more primitive instincts. Only in this way can he reach true maturity. Golding implies that the loss of innocence has little to do with age but is related to a person’s understanding of human nature. It can happen at any age or not at all. Painful though it may be, this loss of innocence by coming to terms with reality is necessary if humanity is to survive.†(www.lordoftheflies.com) This quote explains Ralph in a great way. At first in the novel Ralph is overjoyed to be on a tropical island free from adult restraints. By nature, he is an innocent, mild-tempered boy who accepts leadership when it is thrust on him. He serves as a democratic leader who tries to keep the boys together and uses a conch shell to show his authority. He builds shelters to protect them and a signal fire so they can be rescued. At first, he befriends Piggy who gets taunted and teased from the other boys. Later on he learns to rely on Piggy’s reasoning. Ralph has the courage when the occasion demands it, but he really longs for the secure world of adults, especially when order starts breaking down on the island. He dreams about a rescue and insists the fire signal burns at all times so that they can be seen. Ralph knows that the main reason for the disorder on the island is because of jack, who is the representation of evil in the novel. There is a constant conflict between the two boys. Ralph stands for civilized ideas, where as jack the anarchist leads a tribe of savages and often lapses into primitive rituals. In the midst of the savagery, Ralph holds on to the rationality and hopes that he gets rescued soon. There is only one occasion when Ralph lapses into mild savagery. It occurs when he joins the rest of the savages in the ritual dance at the pi... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Civil War The development of characters in a novel can lead to insight of the novel’s overall theme. William Golding uses Ralph and Jack to further explain the lessons and morals in the story. The rivalry that is created between Jack and Ralph portrays not only the difference in personalities but also the difference in the two societies on the island. Throughout the novel the Lord of the Flies it is apparent Ralph and Jack share similar qualities. However, the way Jack’s works concerns only himself and the way Ralph’s work benefits the group as a whole creates a struggle for power. In the beginning of the novel both Jack and Ralph agree on some issues, such as implementing rules. â€Å"I agree with Ralph. We got to have rules and obey them.† (Jack Chapter 1) After hearing this quote one would think that Jack is helpful to the group, but as the story continues Jack’s true qualities begin to stand out. Jack takes the role of tending to the fire, but Jack’s newfound interest in hunting leads him to forget about the rescue. â€Å"Jack had to think for a moment before he could remember what rescue was. ‘Rescue? Yes, of course! All the same, I’d like to catch a pig first.’† (Jack Chapter 4) As the story evolves Jack starts to distance himself from Ralph, and two groups with different opinions form. When Jack forgets about his fire tending duty a ship passes the island. Ralph confronts Jack on the passing ship issue and all Jack could say was, â€Å"You should have seen the blood!† (Jack Chapter 4) Jack’s savage qualities start to emerge which distances him from Ralph. At this point the parentless society is in its deteriorating stage. The gap between the two individuals is created, but Ralph stays constant to his goal of being rescued. Both boys are tempted by the beast, but Jack resists and tries to keep the society civilized. When Ralph begins to hunt with Jack, he was very excited. â€Å"Ralph was ful... Free Essays on Lord of the Flies Think to yourself how it would fell if your childhood were to be totally changed by a tragic incident. In which you got trapped on an island away from any civilization. In â€Å"Lord of the flies† William Golding shows just how terrifying and symbolic that this can be. There are many different objects in the book that one can easily make out to signify things in society. Among the symbols were the conch shell, their personality traits, and their clothing The Conch is a symbol of the high hand of authority on the island. It was use to call meetings, it is a magical object to the boys. For the most part the boys respect the Conch. Piggy who had the idea to â€Å"use this to call the others† first saw it. Which did work â€Å"After Ralph blew the shell a third time a child appear†. The conch was very powerful it shows when Ralph â€Å"†¦ lifted the conch.† and said, â€Å"Seems to me we ought to have a chief to diced things†. The conch actually wins Ralph the position as chief. He got pick because â€Å"†¦ his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerful there was the conch†. In the end, when it is destroyed, authority on the island is gone and Ralph is left to fend for himself. Ralph represents law, order, organized society, and moral honesty. Ralph is the chief of the group who made many rules for the boys to follow. He came up with a rule so that every one would not talk at the same time. â€Å" I’ll give the Conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.† At the end of the novel he too realizes that man is not a kind creature by nature. â€Å"†¦ Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart and the fall through the air of true, wise friend called Piggy.† Jack and his choir represent chaos on the island. He is the person responsible for of all three deaths that occur on the island and wishes to spend his time hunting instead of helping Ralph with rescue. When he ... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies The Lord of the flies Essay The Lord of the Flies is a story that takes a group of boys out of a civilized society and puts them on an island. In this novel, William Golding explains that when we drift away from civilization, we tend to go back to our savage roots. The characters Ralph and Jack struggle amongst themselves to be the leader, Ralph, Piggy and Simon represent good while Jack represents evil, and all the hunters act like savages. In William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies, the struggle for leadership, good versus evil and the loss of innocence are the key themes that describe what happens when we lose our senses of civilization. This novel illustrates the struggle for leadership through Darwin’s survival of the fittest theory. Survival of the fittest means that the individuals who are able to adapt best to existing conditions are the ones who will survive, while the others perish. Ralph is unable to adapt to the conditions of the island and constantly thinks of ways of being rescued, while Jack adjusts well to the conditions on the island. Through Ralph we see the difficulty of setting up a colony in a place where there is nothing, and the difficulty to keep the group under his leadership. â€Å"The thing is: we need an assembly. No one said anything but the faces turned to Ralph were intent.† (Golding 84) In the beginning, they had no idea about where to even begin in order to survive. Ralph was the oldest and so he knew that it was up to him to take a stand. He ordered the boys to make huts for shelter and thought of ways for them to be rescued. While Ralph waited to be rescued, a new leader, Jack, gained power. â€Å"I’m not going to be part of Ralph’s lot. I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too.† (Golding 140) As the boys lost their civilization, Ralph’s position declined while Jack rose. Jack believed that the group should have fun and feast w... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies From its beginning Lord of the Flies establishes itself as a story packed with allegorical meaning. The novel is a meditation on the nature of human political society, dealing with such concerns as the development of political systems and the clash in human nature between instinctual and learned behavior. In this manner, Golding establishes the deserted island as a clash between two different conceptions of pre-civilized humanity. In some respects, the island presents a Hobbesian situation in which the young schoolboys are thrown into a literal state of nature. At the beginning of the novel they have no society, no rules, and no concerns beyond personal survival. The narrative thrust of the novel is how the boys develop their own miniature society and the difficulties that inevitably arise. Golding establishes immediately the contrast between the savage and the civilized that exists in this new environment for the boys. Freed from adult authority and the mores of society, Ralph plays in the beach naked, a practice commonly associated with uncivilized cultures. Yet if this is an uncivilized practice, it is also a reference to the second conception of pre-civilized life, that of an Eden; Ralph does not panic over the children's abandonment on the island, but rather approaches it as a paradise in which he can play happily. This raises the important question about what influence will cause his Eden to collapse. The first sign of disturbance within the seemingly tranquil island is the appearance of Jack and his choir. Golding portrays Jack and his compatriots as militaristic and aggressive, with Jack's bold manner and the choir marching in step with one another. They are the first concrete entrance of civilization onto the island and a decidedly negative one. Jack seems a physical manifestation of evil: with his dark cloak and wild red hair, he gives a slightly Satanic impression. Jack is a decided military authoritarian. He orders his c... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Lord of the Flies Four elements of symbolism in Lord of the Flies by William Golding are the conch which represents authority and order, Piggy’s glasses which represents knowledge and insight, the use of war paint which reveals true inner being and the hunt our war like nature. These elements are symbolic to the story like the novel is symbolic to our world. Golding shows us in this novel that the boys need law and order to survive. With out law and order in our society as in their tribes we would be savages. Golding uses the conch through out the story as power of the beholder. The person holding the conch had the power, and it created order and rules since when it was used, everyone had to listen. â€Å" I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.†(P.33, p.15) â€Å"We’ll have rules! He cried excitedly. â€Å" Lots of rules!†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (p.33, p.20) Piggy’s glasses were used at the beginning of the story to start the signal fire. â€Å" His specs- use them as burning glasses!†(P.40, p.16) While Piggy had them he was able to give advice to the group. However, after the glasses are broken, the group loses what insight they had because piggy was not able to see, therefore he was not able go give his knowledge and insights. The war paint was a rejection of society. In a way, when they put on the mask of war paint, they took off the mask of society. And revealed their true inner selves which was savage. â€Å" The chief was sitting there, naked to the wrist, his face blocked out in white and red.†(P.160, p.1) By hiding their face they were able to act like the true beast inside them. The hunting by the boys was symbolic to the true nature of mankind and society in general. â€Å" Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!†(P.152, p.1) All represent the lust for violence and power. As society, this fear drives human kind to conquer by war. Human nature has b... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies â€Å"There’s no one here. There are no houses, no cars, no people, no boats, no nothing. Were on an uninhibited island.† This is a quote from a boy named Ralph, and this is where William Golding places a group of British boys in the magnificently written novel Lord of The Flies. This book takes every reader to the deep mind of a child’s primitive thoughts, and explores every aspect of the possibilities that may occur when you put preteen and young children in an island that is isolated from the rest of the world. Frequent changes in the scenario keep you wondering what will happen next, and chapter titles foreshadow the events of the pages to come. Symbolism, outsiders, and the rise and fall of society are the three main points in the book that eventually set up an amazing roller coaster beginning, climax, and ending. A conch; a whitish cream covered shell is the stronghold to a society that is continually deteriorating throughout the novel. This shell, in the mind of the inhabitants of the island, is used to call meetings; and all attention must be delivered to whomever is in control of the conch. Initially this rule is followed and respected by each and every person. As the novel goes on though the honor and value that was once given to the conch is slowly but surely gone and the shell is eventually destroyed. When the sea crustation is shattered, the main symbol of peace and order of the island goes with it, leaving the reader with a certain amount of anger and confusion that is left until the final pages of the book. William Golding created a number of characters in this novel with their own type of physical, emotional, and spiritual traits. Having different types of traits may also present problem’s when a certain association of children are interested in the well being of their current state instead of their preparation and best needs for ... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies In viewing the various aspects of the island society in Golding's Lord of the Flies as a symbolic microcosm of society, a converse perspective must also be considered. Golding's island of marooned youngsters then becomes a macrocosm, wherein the island represents the individual human and the various characters and symbols the elements of the human psyche. As such, Golding's world of children's morals and actions then becomes a survey of the human condition, both individually and collectively. Almost textbook in their portrayal, the primary characters of Jack, Ralph and Piggy are then best interpreted as Freud's very concepts of id, ego and superego, respectively. As the id of the island, Jack's actions are the most blatantly driven by animalistically rapacious gratification needs. In discovering the thrill of the hunt, his pleasure drive is emphasized, purported by Freud to be the basic human need to be gratified. In much the same way, Golding's portrayal of a hunt as a rape, with the boys ravenously jumping atop the pig and brutalizing it, alludes to Freud's basis of the pleasure drive in the libido, the term serving a double Lntendre in its psychodynamic and physically sensual sense. Jack's unwillingness to acknowledge the conch as the source of centrality on the island and Ralph as the seat of power is consistent with the portrayal of his particular self-importance. Freud also linked the id to what he called the destructive drive, the aggressiveness of self-ruin. Jack's antithetical lack of compassion for nature, for others, and ultimately for himself is thoroughly evidenced in his needless hunting, his role in the brutal murders of Simon and Piggy, and finally in his burning of the entire island, even at the cost of his own life. In much the same way, Piggy's demeanor and very character links him to the superego, the conscience factor in Freud's model of the psyche. Golding marks Piggy with the distinction of being more intelle... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Arguably man’s greatest invention in the history of humanity is language. Language allows an easy and comprehensible means of communication with other individuals, however, it does not always make the intended expressed meaning clear. The Bible is one example of this problem. The Bible relays its messages of Christ’s life though various parables and symbolic stories which many people take literally. Perhaps the most commonly disputed passage is the creation of the universe (Genesis 1:1-31). How could God have created the entire universe in just seven days? Many fundamentalists take this story at face value and do not consider one of many language tools which is used commonly throughout the Bible, symbolism. Symbolism is the practice of representing things by means of symbols or by attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects or events. This means that the duration of ‘seven days’ could be a symbol of seven years or seven millenniums. The author s of the Bible are not the only writers to have used the powerful tool of symbolism and parables; many modern writers use it today to portray their outlook of events in an indirect manner. William Golding is one such writer and his fictional book Lord Of The Flies portrays a group of young English boys trapped on a remote island during a nuclear war. They are faced with many challenges in their fight for survival, specifically the downfalls of human nature. Their situation is symbolic of the evolution of a modern civilization and Lord Of The Flies portrays the collapse of this symbolic society through political, psychological, and religious symbolism. No society can function properly without a set of rules and regulations. In today’s modern society there are many symbols of this power and organization. In the courtroom, for example, the gavel is the sign of order and command, and a police officer, a symbol of authority. In Lord Of The Flies, the conch is the sign of this ... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Lord Of The Flies: Society William Golding’s Lord of the Flies displays in a general and broad way human attitudes and behaviors. The novel is constantly examining the human mind and the constant shift of instincts between rational and animal. The major conflict in Golding’s novel is the clash between two competing impulses that exist within all human beings: the instinct to live by rules, act peacefully, follow moral commands, and value the good of the group on the one hand; and the instinct to gratify one’s immediate desires, act violently to obtain supremacy over others, and enforce one’s will on the other. These two instincts may be called â€Å"the instinct of civilization† and â€Å"the instinct of savagery,† as one is devoted to values that promote ordered society and the other is devoted to values that threaten ordered society. The conflict might also be expressed as order vs. chaos, reason vs. impulse, law vs. anarchy, or in any number of other ways, including the more generalized good vs. evil. Throughout the novel, the instinct of civilization is associated with goodness, while the instinct of savagery is associated with evil. The conflict between the two instincts is the driving force of the novel, explored through the dissolution of the young English boys’ civilized, moral, disciplined behavior as they accustom themselves to a wild, brutal, barbaric life as savages in the jungle. Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel, which means that its main ideas and themes are frequently represented by symbols. Appropriately, the conflict between civilization and savagery is represented most directly by the novel’s two main characters: Ralph, the protagonist, represents order and leadership, while Jack, the antagonist, represents savagery and the desire for power. In the novel’s presentation of human psychology, different people experience the instincts of civilization and savagery to different degrees. Piggy,... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies, the consummate novel by William Golding, is rife with powerful thematic elements and striking symbolism. However, throughout the lush expanse of the book, several important themes stand out above the rest. Perhaps chief among these themes is the story’s take on civilization. Like authors writing in a similar vein, such as Cooper and Conrad, Golding challenges his characters to survive without tangible connections to the civilization they know. Unlike these authors, though, Golding takes a somewhat darker view of civilization and human nature. As the plot of Lord of the Flies progresses, the various characters slowly lose contact with their civilized nature. This decay of civilization is continually symbolized by the decay or destruction of other aspects of the novel. Golding seems to believe that if left to his own devices, man cannot maintain civilization alone. As Lord of the Flies opens, Golding places his young characters in a terrible situation, far from the comforts and controls of civilization. Having been evacuated from a war zone, their plane has crashed on an unknown and uninhabited island. Despite the obviously frightening elements of this situation, the boys are, at first, eerily unconcerned and relatively sure of the fact that they will be rescued. They have been conditioned all their lives to rely on adults for protection and now believe that their parents will eventually come to rescue, especially Ralph who expresses confidence that his father, â€Å"†¦when he gets leave†¦ will come and rescue us.† (Golding, Page 12). When Ralph and Piggy call the boys together for the first time, they all agree that, as a civilized people, they ought to have some sort of leader. However, lacking experience in governmental process, they choose Ralph for chieftain simply because of â€Å"†¦his size, and attractive appearance†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Golding, Page 22), not necessarily because he is t... Free Essays on Lord Of The Flies In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the reality of how merciless the world really is can be revealed symbolically through Golding’s use of object symbolism. The characters that Golding establishes allow us, as humans to realize that not only adults, but children too, are cruel and selfish creatures that will stop at nothing to get what they want. In the novel the symbolic significance of certain objects develops and leads to the main idea that Golding is trying to express. Object symbolism is used to show the relationship of the biblical struggle between good The powerful conch for starters, is what the boys base their whole order of civilization on. The conch symbolizes the power of the beholder and regulation during the meetings. The conch has more than one meaning in the novel. In the beginning of the novel the conch allows the boys to listen to the person who carries the conch, but towards the end of the novel the conch begins to represent the disarray order and peacefulness that had originally been established when the boys first inhabited the island. Rogers act of destroying the shell shows that order and organization are no longer important to the boys, but power is what they seek for now. Another example of object symbolism is portrayed through Piggy’s glasses. Even though in the beginning of the novel Piggy was seen as the fat useless kid with the thick glasses, it’s Piggy’s glasses that are eventually used as the boys source of being able to build a fire. When the boys finally do build a fire Ralph comes up with the idea to use the fire as a signal so the boats can see that there is life on the island. Therefore the fire stands for the boys aspiration to be rescued from the island. It is Jack though who lets the fire die out and by doing that it shows the boys don’t have anything to look forward to. When Piggy advises to rebuild the fire there is a return of hope. The ability to build a fire is very sig...