Question

Golding uses the barbaric dance in Lord of the Flies to symbolize the boys’ complete descent into savagery, showing how mob mentality erases individual thought and morality. The dance’s chaotic rhythm and repetition emphasize the overpowering nature of groupthink, stripping the boys of their ability to reason. When the boys chant, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!”, the repetitive, violent language mirrors the way their humanity is being consumed by bloodlust, making the act feel inevitable rather than a choice. The tragic breakdown of communication is clear when Simon, the one character who understands the true nature of the "beast," tries to reveal the truth, but his voice is drowned out by the hysteria of the chant. Golding describes Simon’s death in passive, detached language—"Softly, surrounded by a fringe of inquisitive bright creatures, itself a silver shape beneath the steadfast constellations, Simon’s dead body moved out towards the open sea."—creating a contrast between the violent murder and the peaceful return of his body to nature. This shift in tone emphasizes the senselessness of his death and the boys' failure to recognize their own moral collapse. Additionally, Golding’s use of dark imagery, such as the storm and flashing lightning, reinforces the idea that civilization has completely unraveled, and there is no longer any force holding the boys back from their primal instincts. Through these rhetorical moves—repetition, passive voice, and contrasting imagery—Golding portrays the tragedy of Simon’s death as not just an individual loss, but as the final moment where reason and civilization are fully destroyed by the savage impulses within the boys.

. rephrase like a 8th grader and keep anything in quotation the same and shorten down

Answer 1

In "Lord of the Flies," Golding uses the boys' wild dance to show how they completely turn to savagery and lose their individual morals. The chaotic rhythm of the dance highlights how groupthink takes over their ability to think for themselves. When they chant, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!”, the violent words show how their humanity is being taken over by a thirst for blood, making violence feel unavoidable.

Simon, who knows the true nature of the "beast," tries to share his understanding, but his voice gets lost in the excitement of the chant. Golding describes Simon's death in a distant way: "Softly, surrounded by a fringe of inquisitive bright creatures, itself a silver shape beneath the steadfast constellations, Simon’s dead body moved out towards the open sea." This contrast between the violent act of murder and the peaceful image of Simon’s body highlights the senselessness of his death and the boys' moral failure.

Dark imagery like storms and lightning reinforces that civilization has completely fallen apart, and the boys are now free to act on their primal instincts. Through repetition, passive voice, and contrasting imagery, Golding illustrates that Simon's death represents not just a personal tragedy, but the moment when reason and civilization are completely lost to savage instincts.