Beelzebub is name for the devil. And In Christian demonology, he is one of the seven princes of Hell. The "Dictionnaire Infernal" describes Beelzebub as a demonic fly who is also known as the "Lord of the Flies".
After some research, it seems Beelzebub the demon is actually quite popular in the gaming culture. One such game that I play regularly is game called "Puzzle & Dragons" which essentially a fun, addicting puzzling game.
Beelzebub in the game is seen, well, riding a sort of motorbike. An "insect motor bike" resembling a fly. Beelzebub is known as the "Lord of The Flies" and so Beelzebub riding a motorbike is just a more exaggerating way of showing how Beelzebub is related to flies. Before reading the book and going through the discussion in class about the demon Beelzebub, the insect motor bike to me, was just something cool to add to the artwork. However now I realise that the game actually shows Beelzebub riding on the fly-bike because he is the Lord of the Flies.
And in Lord of the Flies, the bloody, severed pig’s head that Jack impales on a stake is called the Lord of the Flies (Beelzebub). This symbol becomes an important image in the novel. Simon confronts the sow’s head in the his special area, and it seems to speak to him, telling him that evil lies within every heart and promising to have some fun with him.
It's almost as if Simon represents mankind and the pig's head represents Beelzebub or Satan
This article describes the differences in boy and girl behaviour and how it is not socially acceptable for girls to bite and fight when they're growing up. Because of this, girls use more complex ways of representing violence/aggression. Boys, on the other hand, have more violent responses in their behaviour making it come out in stressful situations such as the setting in Lord of the Flies. Moreover, Lord of the Flies could have only been written about boys for the results to come out as so.
If Lord of the Flies had girls instead of boys, you would have more talking than violence because that is just how the brains are wired. Of course, you will find boys who do not resort to violence (Simon) and girls who do use violence but the majority do not according to research by Dr Stephanie van Goozen, a professor of developmental psychology at Cardiff University.
Although the two genders or different, when it comes down to life or death, they will both use violence as a way of solving the problem. When it comes down to survival, your instincts kick in and your "layers of conditioning" will break off. Girls have the potential to be as aggressive as the opposing gender by the must be pushed harder than boys.
This website shows some clear similarities between Lord of the Flies and The Hunger Games. Both these books explain how when left to make our own decisions, with little or no guidance, we turn evil. In Lord of the Flies, they are not told to kill one another yet they manage to do so. Also, both novels show how our society shapes how we think and act. In The Hunger Games, those who go into the arena are thought to kill because that is what they were shown by the capitol.
Though this song sounds like something Jack Black performed in the famous movie School of Rock, this not so popular song by Iron Maiden describes what the whole book Lord of the Flies is talking about. The lyrics say stuff like "Fate has brought us to these shores", "Who cares now what's right or wrong, it's reality", "Killing so we survive wherever we may roam" While on the other hand it also has lyrics that are metaphors like "Wherever we may hide, we've got to get away" which most likely is saying wherever you may hide you can get away from the beast inside of you. Some of the last lyrics state "I like all the mixed emotion and anger it brings out the animal, the power you can feel" which probably relates to how Jack first had mixed emotions about the group but soon to become more powerful and he took over. Iron Maiden seemed to repeat the lyrics "Saints and sinners, something willing us We are lord of the flies" Which is some what of a irrational statement. Saints who are obviously opposite of sinners also have a lord of the flies side.
I noticed, when watching the song, that the "telly" is similar to the boys home, the one they dream of going back to. The island the boys in Lord of the Flies are stranded on represents all struggles or, as Mr. Wormwood would say, reading a book. I see that Mr. Wormwood represents a "typical" human, wanting to go the easiest way, and thinking he or she's right. When Mr. Wormwood says "All I know I learnt from Telly, what to think and what to buy." it shows how the boys only knowledge comes from the world they were in before the plane crash. They were influenced by their lifes, similar to the thoughts in the Geography of Thought. "Endless content, endless channels, endless chat on endless panels! All you need to fill your muffin, without havin' to really think or nothin.'"Like many humans, the song stresses the fact that we think we have "endless" resources, so we can choose the easiest way out, and there will be no consequences. We also sometimes think that being the most fortunate, we are the best, "The bigger the telly, the smarter the man!"
Mr. Wormwood has many of the characters combined in him. He does have a Piggy side, he is saying some very clever things, but he doesn't realize the deeper side. He is also trying to get everyone to follow him, (towards the end he says, "All together now!") which is similar to Jack, and also Ralph. Before the song begins, Mr. Wormwood says, "Ladies and Gentleman, may I present to you today the pinnacle of our achievements as a species. The very reason we bothered evolving out of unicorns in the first place." While we may think we are smart, there's so much more than on the cover.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood use the word "somewhere" for the first word of their numbers. This shows that, like the boys in Lord of the Flies, they don't know exactly what's going on but they infer based on their previous experiences. Sometimes the inferences aren't accurate but there's no one to tell them that, just like there was no one to tell Roger that throwing rocks at people isn't morally right. When there's no restrictions, things get out of hand.
Musicians and writers alike tackle similar "Big Questions", and occasionally draw ideas from each other to express their worldview. Therefore, it comes to no surprise that the widely known single "Demons" by Imagine Dragons (a.k.a Amigos In Danger, an anagram used by hardcore fans) references Lord of the Flies by William Golding.
Here is my breakdown à la Adrienne Gao:
When the days are cold
And the cards all fold
And the saints we see
Are all made of gold
(Just when Ralph's head is about to part ways with his body)
(Naval officer with "gold foliage" on his cap arrives)
When your dreams all fail
And the ones we hail
Are the worst of all
And the blood’s run stale
(Ralph has failed to keep a fire going)
(Even the littluns worship Jack)
(Including MBB, death count is 3! already)
I wanna hide the truth
I wanna shelter you
But with the beast inside
There’s nowhere we can hide
(Ralph tries to maintain a civil society)
("Maybe it's only us"-Simon)
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
(Golding's worldview: Humans are fundamentally evil)
(According to Baumeister, greed is one of the roots of evil)
("Thy kingdom come" refers to the end of the (Ralph's) world in the Lord's Prayer)
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
(Jack & Co. setting the entire island on fire)
(The Beast lives within us)
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
At the curtain’s call
It's the last of all
When the lights fade out
All the sinners crawl
(A "curtain" flaps in Ralph's head whenever he loses focus, when he starts to give in to the savagery)
(Ralph hides where "only a crawler like himself" could get in)
So they dug your grave
And the masquerade
Will come calling out
At the mess you made
(Ralph's final resting place is kindly prepared: on a stick)
(Jack & Co. wearing face paint)
(This is ironic since the island is toast thanks to Jack, not Ralph)
Don't wanna let you down
But I am hell bound
Though this is all for you
Don't wanna hide the truth
(Open to interpretation)
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
[Chorus]
They say it's what you make
I say it's up to fate
It's woven in my soul
I need to let you go
(Again, Golding's worldview of nature "fate" > nurture "what you make")
Your eyes, they shine so bright
I wanna save that light
I can't escape this now
Unless you show me how
(The naval officer is described as shiny "white", "gilt", "gold")
(Ralph wants to be like him, as a responsible sensible adult)
(He cries for "the end of innocence", and it is too late to change anything)
(He believes that the officer can help fix everything because he is a responsible adult. This is ironic since the adults are mirroring the boys action, only on a macro scale)
[Chorus]
Fun fact: Dan Reynolds (Frontman of Amigos In Danger) and William Golding were both born on a Tuesday. Rito Tanaka was born on a Thursday.
The boys never went to Castle Rock until chapter six (Beast from Air) when the boys, except Piggy and the littluns, goes hunting for the beast. Later, when Jack becomes chief of the tribe, Castle Rock becomes home to the savages.
Castle Rock is the name of a fictional town in several of Stephen King's novels, including The Dead Zone, Doctor Sleep and Revival.
Also, Lord of the Flies (1990) film was produced by the Castle Rock production.
Finally, the name of the final song on U2's album Boy (1980) is Shadows and Tall Trees from Chapter 7 of Lord of the Flies.
Club Spongebob from series 3 (2002) casts SpongeBob as Ralph, Patrick as Piggy and Squidward as Jack. The episode opens with SpongeBob and Patrick in their club in a tree house, seemingly taunting Squidward because he can’t get in. It soon becomes clear that Squidward physically can’t squeeze into the clubhouse; his attempts to do so sends them catapulting into unfamiliar territory on the bottom of the sea. SpongeBob says that ‘we’ll be fine as long as we stick together’, echoing Ralph’s many speeches on the island. SpongeBob and Patrick have a magic conch shell which acts like a Magic 8 ball. They follow the directions given by the conch, which advises them to do nothing about seeking food or rescue. Squidward is apoplectic about this and starts his own camp, albeit just next to them, and delights in cooking the bugs he has ‘hunted’. However, the conch is proved right when an aeroplane drops its cargo over SpongeBob’s camp, providing an elaborate feast. They are eventually rescued by a ‘naval officer’.
This relates to the Lord of the Flies because along with the general plot line. Spongebob is Ralph in the story and has control over the conch that they found. However, in the episode the conch is more of an item which tells them what to do, which is like how it guided the kids in Lord of the Flies, impacting what the kids decided to do with their time. I wonder if the episode involved more fish things, then how would they have split among Squidwards little camp and Spongebob's treehouse.
Both the American Television show Lost and Lord of the flies are Directly linked Because They Both adventure and Mystery books are based off of Survival.
Lord of the flies, is set During the time of World War 2 on a Deserted Island. It Talks about schoolboys who Survived a Plane Crash on this Island and are now stranded there without any Adults Around What to Tell Them What to do or not to do. It started with a meeting where the boys decided to vote for a leader, who then guides them and gives orders. This boy the protagonist, Ralph. The schoolboy who came second in the election was the antagonist of the story, Jack. Another protagonist of the story is chunky, nerdy boy called Piggy who wears glasses and is very logical. When Ralph found the conch in the beginning of the story, it was blown to symbolize the calling of a meeting. The possession of the conch also symbolized that they may talk while all others must listen and wait for their turn of the conch. As Ralph thought that building a fire would be the only signal for rescue, he instructed all the boys to do so. However, as time goes on hunters, and Majority of the Boys Began to be lazy and left Ralph, Piggy and Simon to do the Work. This is the Start of the break down in Civilized Society. The Boys Suggest That there is a Beast on the Island. One time Ralph Noticed a Ship was passing by and went up the mountain to find that there was no signal fire. Ralph took control and scolded the hunters, however hunters did not care but became more interested in hunting. Later on, the boys thought the dead parachutist was the beast . Enraged by not being chief, Jack took his choir with him to make a new tribe. All this tribe did was hunt. They killed a pig and put its head on a stick as sacrifice for the beast. Later on Simon, one who is in tuned with nature sees the pig's head and it talks to him. After this hallucination Simon realizes the real beast is not on the island but within them. As Simon goes to find the boys to tell them, they are enjoying a feast and thought Simon was the beast and accidentally killed him.
Television in the show Lost , forty eight Were Passengers left stranded on a Deserted Island as Well after a Horrible Plane Crash. The Survivors included a Doctor, an ESCAPED Fugitive, a con man, an Iraqi Interrogator, a Korean couple and a man Married Formerly Confined to a Wheelchair who is now inexplicably healed. This group of People Find That the Island has many Mysterious Creatures like polar Bears, Housing and Hatches with Electricity and running Hot and Cold Water. The group of Island Residents are Called "The Others," and there is a mysterious man called Jacob. They also found signs of those who came to the island before. They found out that in the 19th century, a ship called "The Black Rock" visited this deserted island, a plane from a failed drug run as well as a group of researchers who settled there in the past. The survivors also encounter a ship. They thought it would rescue them but instead it killed them. Some members of the plan crash known as the "Oceanic six" escaped the island made their way back to their home.
Although the MOST LIKELY Television show is based on the novel, there are many Differences. For Example, When They Landed on a Deserted Island in Lord of the flies are the ones who are stranded while Young Boys aging 5-11 in Lost there are about 48 Adults. In Lost the Adults Were Scared, BUT in Lord of the flies and the Boys Were happy Scared Were there no Adults Around. Similarities are That Both have a Mysterious Monsters. There are even Similarities in characters. For Example Ralph is a Leader of Unanimous vote and in Lost Their Leader Dr. Jack Shepard.
As you can see there are many connections that can be drawn between both literatures. Both face conflicts they had encountered like power, civilization and fight for survival.
This article discusses the fact that the Lord of the flies was actually extremely accurate on how people behave when put into situations like those in the Lord of the Flies.
The first experiment it discusses was an experiment about two groups of 11 year old boys put into what they thought was a summer camp. Almost as soon as they heard the other group rivalries grew and it escalated quickly into violence. Related to the Lord of the flies in the way that the two groups became very hostile by the end of the book.
Second they discussed the chilean miners who were stuck underground in 2010. The miners spoke of seeing evil ghost-like things moving through the dark corners of the mine. The also talked of "evil manifesting out of the rocks themselves.". This relates directly to the Lord of the Flies and how the beast takes over the minds of the children on the island and how it makes them turn into savages and begin to turn on themselves.
This article shows that the psychology behind Lord of the Flies is completely accurate and happens in real life situations.
It turns out that "lord of flies" is a literal translation for one of the demons in hell, and some people say that that one is actually the devil himself. This might give a religious meaning to the book too, and how people struggle with sin and divinity in their lives.
In my reading, I came across a section in the book that we all knew was coming. That is, the moment when Jack finally fully rebels and questions Ralph's authority once and for all, forcing the boy to make a decision. When I was reading this passage, it struck a great familiarity in me. This passage is so much more than it seems as just Jack's ego erupting. This passage strikes so many strings that relate so greatly to real world problems. I think honestly one of our worst problems that lead to many other complications that is the difficulty that our society faces with accepting, or even just considering something that is different. This includes the power and confidence that we struggle to attain to stand up against someone in authority or not even a person but just the idea and not wanting to betray that idea because anything other than that is unacceptable. Therefore we just completely shut ourselves down to all other possibilities. In the sense of the book, when Jack took to the platform, they already knew what was going to happen. And in that moment, they already shut themselves to everything Jack has to say. They avoid eye contact, emotions, and all things that may lead them to see a different side of things. Something that might change their precious fixed views. They do not even give him a shot. I feel like this, in many ways, is the sad reality of our real world. Many people just do not listen because they do not want to have that possibility that there might be another option , another view, something other from the norm or the approved method. It really saddens me to think how many of these individuals our society unknowingly shuns. I think that we are such judgemental people. And many purposefully close themselves from these feelings of 'maybe there is another way other than what we are so comfortably used to 'because change is too much for us to handle. I think that everyone should be given a fair shot at everything. And change should be wanted in our lives and not ignored. This scene in the book really related to those great issues. I think Golding use this opportunity to once again relate this situation to the political reality underlaying the story.
The passage reads as is below;
There was a kind of sigh on the platform as if everyone knew what was coming. Jack's voice went up, tremulous yet determined, pushing against the uncooperative silence. "He's like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He is not a proper chief. "Jack clutched the conch to him." He's a coward himself. "For a moment he paused and then went on." On top, when Roger and me went on-he stayed back. "" I went too! "" After. "The two boys glared at each other through screens of hair." I went on too, "said Ralph," then I ran away. So did you. "" Call me a coward then. "Jack turned to the hunters." He's not a hunter. He'd never have got us meat. He is not a prefect and we do not know anything about him. He just gives orders and expects people to obey for nothing. All this talk- "" All this talk! " shouted Ralph. "Talk, talk! Who wanted it? Who called the meeting?" Jack turned, red in the face, his chin sunk back. He glowered up under his eyebrows. "All right then," he said in tones of deep meaning, and menace, "all right." He held the conch against his chest with one hand and stabbed the air with his index finger. "Who thinks Ralph oughtn't to be chief?" He looked expectantly at the boys ranged round, who had frozen. Under the palms there was deadly silence. "Hands up," said Jack strongly, "whoever wants Ralph not to be chief?" The silence continued, breathless and heavy and full of shame. Slowly the red drained from Jack's cheeks , then came back with a painful rush. He licked his lips and turned his head at an angle, so that his gaze avoided the embarrassment of linking with another's eye. "How many think-" His voice tailed off. The hands that held the conch shook. He cleared his throat, and spoke loudly. "All right then." He laid the conch with great care in the grass at his feet. The humiliating tears were running from the corner of each eye. (page 126-127)
"I hit him," said Ralph again, "and the spear stuck in a bit."
He felt the need of witnesses.
"Did not you see me?"
Maurice nodded.
"I saw you on his snout right bang -.! Wheee"
Ralph talked on, excitedly.
[... Ralph continues to boast]
Reenactment 1 - pg 114:
"He was coming along the path I threw, like this -."
Robert snarled at him. Ralph entered into the play and everybody laughed. Presently there were all giving at Robert who made mock rushes.
Jack shouted.
"Make a ring!"
The circle moved in and round. Robert squealed in mock terror, then in real pain.
"Ow! Stop it! You're hurting!"
The butt end of a spear fell on his band as he blundered among them.
"Hold him!"
They got his arms and legs. Ralph, carried away by a sudden thick excitement, grabbed Eric's spear and jabbed at Robert with it.
"Kill him! Kill him!"
All at once, Robert was screaming and struggling with the strength of frenzy. Jack had him by the hair and was brandishing his knife. Behind him was Roger, fighting to get close. The chant rose ritually, as at the last moment of a dance or a hunt.
"Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!"
[... Continues to reenact]
Reenactment 2 - pg 136:.
This time Robert and Maurice acted the two parts; and Maurice's acting of the pig's efforts to avoid the advancing spear was so funny that the boys cried with laughter.
When Ralph first stuck the spear between the boar's snout, he continuously boasted about it. Not only did he bring it up several times, but him and the other boys even reenacted the scene. This kind of 'celebration' was then repeated in the next chapter. I feel like this repetition is foreshadowing some sort of significant event in the future. Flies are mentioned several times in this chapter, and they tend to roam around dead creatures. Judging by the book's title, there is most likely no coincidence in this . similarity I think that this is a big hint as to what may soon happen - except that the flies will be roaming around one of the boys.
When I first listened to The Offspring's song, "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid", I noticed that they made a direct reference to Lord of the Flies in the outro of the song, but being unfamiliar with the plot of the book at the time, I didn't pay much attention to the deeper meaning.
After taking a closer look at the lyrics, I realised that there are multiple references and connections to Lord of the Flies - particularly in the first verse, and second verse to the ending. The song has a few inappropriate words in it, so I have attached the clean version of the song and used replacement words in my lyric analysis without altering the meaning of the song.
Another clever word Sets off an unsuspecting herd And as you step back into line A mob jumps to their feet This part of the song makes me think of the meetings that the boys have, where Ralph often loses his control over the boys and it becomes very chaotic.
Slowly out of line
And drifting closer in your sights
So play it out I’m wide awake
It’s a scene about me
There’s something in your way
And now someone is gonna pay
And if you can’t get what you want
Well it’s all because of me
These four lines bring about images of Ralph and Jack and how they become rivals from the moment they meet. They are often disagreeing, for example, while Ralph is confident that keeping the fire going will result in their rescue, Jack is more concerned with hunting and surviving. While Ralph believes that building shelter should be their main focus, Jack is, again, preoccupied with the idea of catching the pig.
Now dance, dance, dance
Man, he never had a chance
And no one even knew
It was really only you
This line immediately made me think of the scene where the boys are discussing what they think the beast may be and Piggy is confident that the beast is not a monster with "claws and all that" and says that maybe it's people that we are so afraid of. Simon suggests a similar point that perhaps the beast isn't a physical creature but it is mental. As Golding writes, "What I mean is... maybe it's only us".
And now you’ll lead the way
Show the light of day
Nice work you did
You’re gonna go far, kid
Trust, deceived
With a thousand lies
And a good disguise
Hit ‘em right between the eyes
Hit ‘em right between the eyes
The repetition of this line reminds me very much of Jack's fascination with hunting the pig and the repetition almost makes it seem more obsessive. This line is also repeated multiple times throughout the rest of song.
When you walk away
Nothing more to say
See the lightning in your eyes
See ‘em running for their lives
This doesn't have an exact reference to the story but it brings to mind images of survival, bravery, and fear. To "see the lighting" in someone's eyes makes me imagine someone full of rage, desire, and power, much like Jack in the story.
This is just a short post about another earlier symbol in The Lord of the Flies. Primarily on page 63-64, we see how Jack "planned a new face". At first, he starts to add to his own face, who he already is, by drawing markings. But somehow, this isn't what he wants. He wants to be another person, someone he can be for a short time, and then switch back to his true self. It sounds like a great escape, but how long can that last? The moment Jack puts on the mask, he is "astonished", "looking no longer at himself, but at an awesome stranger". Yet, Jack is transforming behind that mask. The others are "appalled" and Jack's "laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling", showing just how quickly this transformation occurred. If it happens so fast, what's to say he even is transforming? Maybe this is who he's been all along. Another line shows us this isn't necessarily who he truly is. Jack is making a conscious choice to be "liberated from shame and self-consciousness" by wearing the mask. He could just as easily take off his pre-existing mask to show who he really is. Perhaps Jack wears the mask for power. Without it, he is recognized as authoritative, but his faults are clear. When he hides, there is no chance of failure. The boys will follow him because "the mask compelled them".
The scary thing about Jack's mask has to do with eyes. In the Stanford Prison Experiment, the guards wore dark glasses to hide the humanity in their eyes. When Jack wears the mask, his eyes can be seen exactly the same as they have always been. He is becoming the mask he wears. The longer you wear a mask, the more it becomes who you are. It molds to your face because you let it.
I'd like to recommend a book called An Ember in the Ashes by Saaba Tahir. Although the primary themes don't relate exactly to The Lord of the Flies, the topic of masks is a huge element of the story. I found myself making connections between characters and the masks we hide behind in both stories.
