Written in the year 1954 by William Golding, the novel entitled Lord of the Flies is rated as one of the best 20 novels in recent times. It well explores the dark side of human behavior. “The savage animal like instincts that underlies even the most civilized human beings. This forms the most dominating central idea of the novel. William Golding intended to write this novel as a tragic parody of children’s tales of adventure, illustrating humankind’s intrinsic evil nature. He presents the readers with a chronology of events leading a group of young boys who are by accident placed in a deserted Island all by themselves, without the presence of any elderly person. From this moment onwards starts their struggle from hope to disaster as they attempt to survive their uncivilized, unsupervised, isolated environment until rescued. In their attempt to do so a lot happens which is tragic and uncalled for.
The title of the novel Lord of the Flies refers to pig’s head which was fastened onto the top of a sharp spear by Jack and his hunters and is covered with flies when Simon discovers it decaying in the forest. Thus, symbolically, it represents the evil that takes place on the uninhabited tropical island. It also refers to Beelzebub, which is another name for the devil. He is also called the Lord of Filth and Dung. It means a symbol of the evil and savagery. It may also means an evil one ruling over insignificant group of insignificant irrational people just like common flies.
The major themes include the strife between group and individuality, between rational and emotional reactions, and between morality and immorality. At a larger perspective it treats the eternally present conflict between good and evil in humankinds. In the novel it’s represented through the characters of Jack and Ralf with their respective followers.
In fact, the real “Lord of the Flies” experience happened when an actual incident that took place in 1965 when a group of schoolboys who were sailing a fishing boat from Tonga were hit by a storm and marooned on the uninhabited island of ʻAta. They were considered dead by their relatives in Nuku‘alofa. The group not only managed to survive for over 15 months but “had set up a small commune with food garden, hollowed-out tree trunks to store rainwater, a gymnasium with curious weights, a badminton court, chicken pens and a permanent fire, all from handiwork, an old knife blade and much determination”. As a result, when ship captain Peter Warner found them, they were in good health and spirits. Dutch historian Rutger Bregman, writing about this situation said that Golding’s portrayal was unrealistic, which took place many years ago.
But since it’s a piece of fiction Lord of the Flies depicts the story in an allegorical way, in which many of its characters signify important ideas or themes. Ralph represents order, leadership, and civilization. Piggy represents the scientific and intellectual aspects of civilization. Jack represents unbridled savagery and the desire for power. Simon represents natural human goodness. Roger represents brutality and bloodlust at their most extreme. To the extent that the boys’ society resembles a political state, the littluns might be seen as the common people, while the older boys represent the ruling classes and political leaders. The relationships that develop between the older boys and the younger ones emphasize the older boys’ connection to either the civilized or the savage instinct: civilized boys like Ralph and Simon use their power to protect the younger boys and advance the good of the group; savage boys like Jack and Roger use their power to gratify their own desires, treating the littler boys as objects for their own amusement.
The tone of Lord of the Flies is fairly aloof, creating a sense of fear and disgust, or it can be said that this gloomy story suggests improvements that must be implemented and imbibed by the inhabitants of civil society to make this world a land of compassion care and understanding.
Written in the year 1954 by William Golding, the novel entitled Lord of the Flies is rated as one of the best 20 novels in recent times. It well explores the dark side of human behavior. “The savage animal like instincts that underlies even the most civilized human beings. This forms the most dominating central idea of the novel. William Golding intended to write this novel as a tragic parody of children’s tales of adventure, illustrating humankind’s intrinsic evil nature. He presents the readers with a chronology of events leading a group of young boys who are by accident placed in a deserted Island all by themselves, without the presence of any elderly person. From this moment onwards starts their struggle from hope to disaster as they attempt to survive their uncivilized, unsupervised, isolated environment until rescued. In their attempt to do so a lot happens which is tragic and uncalled for.
The title of the novel Lord of the Flies refers to pig’s head which was fastened onto the top of a sharp spear by Jack and his hunters and is covered with flies when Simon discovers it decaying in the forest. Thus, symbolically, it represents the evil that takes place on the uninhabited tropical island. It also refers to Beelzebub, which is another name for the devil. He is also called the Lord of Filth and Dung. It means a symbol of the evil and savagery. It may also means an evil one ruling over insignificant group of insignificant irrational people just like common flies.
The major themes include the strife between group and individuality, between rational and emotional reactions, and between morality and immorality. At a larger perspective it treats the eternally present conflict between good and evil in humankinds. In the novel it’s represented through the characters of Jack and Ralf with their respective followers.
In fact, the real “Lord of the Flies” experience happened when an actual incident that took place in 1965 when a group of schoolboys who were sailing a fishing boat from Tonga were hit by a storm and marooned on the uninhabited island of ʻAta. They were considered dead by their relatives in Nuku‘alofa. The group not only managed to survive for over 15 months but “had set up a small commune with food garden, hollowed-out tree trunks to store rainwater, a gymnasium with curious weights, a badminton court, chicken pens and a permanent fire, all from handiwork, an old knife blade and much determination”. As a result, when ship captain Peter Warner found them, they were in good health and spirits. Dutch historian Rutger Bregman, writing about this situation said that Golding’s portrayal was unrealistic, which took place many years ago.
But since it’s a piece of fiction Lord of the Flies depicts the story in an allegorical way, in which many of its characters signify important ideas or themes. Ralph represents order, leadership, and civilization. Piggy represents the scientific and intellectual aspects of civilization. Jack represents unbridled savagery and the desire for power. Simon represents natural human goodness. Roger represents brutality and bloodlust at their most extreme. To the extent that the boys’ society resembles a political state, the littluns might be seen as the common people, while the older boys represent the ruling classes and political leaders. The relationships that develop between the older boys and the younger ones emphasize the older boys’ connection to either the civilized or the savage instinct: civilized boys like Ralph and Simon use their power to protect the younger boys and advance the good of the group; savage boys like Jack and Roger use their power to gratify their own desires, treating the littler boys as objects for their own amusement.
The tone of Lord of the Flies is fairly aloof, creating a sense of fear and disgust, or it can be said that this gloomy story suggests improvements that must be implemented and imbibed by the inhabitants of civil society to make this world a land of compassion care and understanding.
Sir Walter Scott published a series of some two dozen of novels known as Waverley novels between 1814 and 1832 that include Waverley (1814), Guy Mannering (1815), Rob Roy (1817), The Heart of Midlothian (1818), Ivanhoe (1819), Kenilworth (1821), Quentin Durward (1823), and Redgauntlet (1824). Undoubtedly this impressive writing output made him earn the status of the father of English Historical Novels
Some Novels (1829–33), containing Scott’s prefaces and final revisions were completed after his death. The series influenced generations of writers and earned Scott his reputation as the founder of the historical novel genre.
Scott’s conception of historical novel is different from the common and traditional concept of history. Generally, a historical novel treats great historical evants but Scott is not so much interested in historical events or episodes as he is more interested in historical characters. He never showed history in the making: he chose to show characters as they were made by history. He wanted to produce the spirit of English history more than the flesh and form.
Hence, Kenilworth is a historical novel in the sense that it is set against a historical background. The title refers to Robert Dudley’s Kenilworth Castle in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. The novel opens at Cumnor Place. The time is taken from Queen Elizabeth’s reign. The characters have historical names, and the main events are also extracted from history. Above all, the entire spirit of Elizabeth’s time is exhibited in an artistic and realistic way.
Set in Elizabethan England, the plot relates the disaster that follows an attempt by the earl of Leicester, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, to avoid the queen’s displeasure at his marriage. Telling no one that he has married Amy Robsart, he hides his new bride at the home of Richard Varney, whose patron he is. Edmund Tressilian, who had also courted Amy, mistakenly believes that Amy is Varney’s mistress and attempts to persuade her to return to her parental home. Tressilian then informs the queen that Varney has seduced Amy. To protect Leicester, Varney claims that Amy is his wife. The tangled web of lies and betrayals ultimately results in Amy’s death.
Kenilworth centers on the secret marriage of Robert Dudley who was the 1st Earl of Leicester, and Amy Robsart, daughter of Sir Hugh Robsart. Amy passionately loves her husband, and the Earl loves her in return, but he is driven by ambition which forms the central theme of the novel. He is courting the Queen’s favour, and only by keeping his marriage to Amy secret, can he hope to rise to the height of power that he desires. At the end of the book, the Queen discovers the truth, to the shame of the Earl. The disclosure has come too late, for Amy has been murdered by the Earl’s even more ambitious steward, Varney.
It can be said that it is a novel of selfishness versus selflessness and ambition versus love. Amy and the Earl both struggle internally with selfishness and love, while Varney and Tressilian each typify the extremes of the two qualities. Perhaps the finest point of this work is its characterization. The Earl is shown as an ambition-driven man who will stoop to deceit and almost anything else in order to attain his goals, but with one saving grace—he loves Amy, and in the end gives up his pride and ambition to confess their marriage. Amy Robsart is a pretty, spoiled child whose tragic circumstances teach her maturity and determination, although such lessons come too late to save her. Tressilian is the serious, steadfast lover of Amy, and continues to try to save her from herself throughout the book and finally dies of a broken heart. Varney is the chief villain of the work. His greed and ambition know no bounds. It is he that pushes the Earl beyond what he would normally do to secure power, and it is he that finally murders Amy Robsart.
Though Kenilworth is a historical novel but it has the blending of fact and fiction. That’s why a number of historical inaccuracies can be mentioned in Kenilworth. Scott always treated history with perfect disregard of inconvenient facts and dates. There are many illustrations of this in Kenilworth. Robert Dudley had married Amy Robsart when he himself was but nineteen years old. The ceremony contained no element of secrecy, Edward VI himself was present in the ceremony present.So the secret of the marriages of Amy and Robert has been fictional.
In reality Amy Dudley (née Robsart) (7 June 1532 – 8 September 1560) was the first wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who was a favourite of Elizabeth I of England in reality too. But Amy was not murdered. She is primarily known for her death by falling down a flight of stairs, the circumstances of which have often been regarded as suspicious. Amy Robsart was the only child of a substantial Norfolk gentleman and at nearly 18 married Robert Dudley, a son of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland. In 1553 Robert Dudley was condemned to death and imprisoned in the Tower of London, where Amy Dudley was allowed to visit him. After his release the couple lived in straitened financial circumstances. They had good fortune only with the accession of Elizabeth I in late 1558, Dudley became Master of the Horse, an important court office. The Queen soon fell in love with him and there was talk that Amy Dudley, who did not follow her husband to court, was suffering from an illness, and that Elizabeth would perhaps marry Robert when his wife dies. The rumours grew more sinister when Elizabeth remained single against the common expectation that she would accept one of her many foreign suitors.
There are, as historical evidence, letters, written by the then Spanish ambassadors in England. In 1559, De Feria wrote to Philip of Spain that Elizabeth was “enamoured of my Lord Robert Dudley, and will never let him from her side. His wife has a cancer on the breast and the Queen only waits till she dies to marry him.”
The conclusion of the novel Kenilworth is mysterious. It is different from the historical records. Leicester determines to kill his wife but relents; his servants go beyond their orders and kill her before their master can prevent them. In real life, however, Varney and Foster have no share in the tragedy and no evidence against them has been found. Scott in his notes has accepted this fact. He says. “If faith is to be put in epitaphs, Anthony Foster was something the very reverse of the characters represented in the novel.”
Scott has also altered Sir Walter Raleigh out of history. Though the gallant incident of the cloak is the traditional and his historical account of this celebrated statesman’s rise at court, but Raleigh’s pride and boldness have been put to a stake in the novel. In his descriptions of the Cumnor Hall and the Kenilworth Castle, Scott makes use of his poetic gifts; his imagination overpowers his sense of fact. The bedsteads with their furniture, chairs, stools, cushions, carpets, pictures have been described with capitalized details. Cumnor Place and Kenilworth. Both places are described in highly charged images and richly symbolic language. Cumnor Place is like a gilded prison. Lavishly decorated.it is designed as a place of detainment and hiding. He travels to Cumnor Place in disguise, and while there he sheds the finery that identifies and validates him at court.By contrast, Kenilworth is a public manor house. With the entire court and nobility preparing for the royal entertainments, it exhibits all the pomp and splendor of a regal palace; it is literally exploding with feverish activity. The atmosphere at Kenilworth is one of unreality.
Scott was competent to deal with history. He knew a lot of English history. He was called the ‘glutton of books,’ as he had read almost all the great romances, old plays, and epic poetry. His handling of history in Kenilworth may not be precisely historical, but it is plausibly historical. He aims at depicting the manners and customs’ of the time of Queen Elizabeth. The symbolic descriptions show that the main interest og Scott’s in his historical novels is often not historical and the historical interest is at least always divided with purely fictitious interest. For example, Kenilworth is different only in appearance. Amy Robsart bears a historical name but she is really the typical tragic heroine, and Leicester is the conventional villain with some facts taken from Dudley’s life for a historical semblance. The attention is thus distracted from Elizabeth, Mary, James and Cromwell. Even giving the time of Shakespeare a very free play of his imagination is used by Scott.William Shakespeare, who was not even born until 1564, is mentioned in Chapter 17 as an adult and as being known at the court of the queen.
Hence Kenilworth is realistic when it deals with historical age and it’s representation, but the prevailing mood is romantic and biased. It is not a depiction of pure history; it is rather a beautiful blend of history and romantic saga narrated through the compact plot and engaging Characterization.p
She is still in her bed, lying down cozily with no desire to get up immediately. There is something which is making her wake up smilingly with a special feeling of having something special today. She is as late as 8:00 am in the morning, but there is no trace of being late on her face. She habitually looks at the clock and waits for her husband to come to the bedroom leaving his newspaper session to wish her on her birthday. Her birthdays ever since her childhood days have been special, her mother always took pains to celebrate them in popular fashion with cutting of a cake, new dress, family gathering etc. No one ever thinks that how such celebrations influence the mind of a child who turns into growing up with a lot of expectations to be loved and pampered.
This is a normal morning routine that this couple follows every day with or without a birthday. He, being a morning person gets up much before her, goes for his walk with their giant size pet, who cannot be called a dog, makes morning tea and then wakes her up. It seems so romantic to her friends whose lazy husbands’ marital expectations start taking place from the first cup of tea that their wives should serve to them. This sweet amusing makes her morning moment even sweeter but she can’t spend more time pondering over her privileged wifey status as the whole day awaits her, especially when she is an established working woman .
So, she collects her pleasant 58 kg self and gets up to join him. As she was expecting, for it happens almost every day, he gets to know about her getting up and appears with a rose stick and amidst a warm hug “Happy Birthday” resonates in the room putting her self-satisfying monologue aside for a while.
The phone is constantly ringing to be answered, messages on What’s App and Facebook to be checked and responded, but since it’s a working day it all will take a backseat. only the calls are being answered with eyes constantly on the ticking of the clock. She must reach her workplace at least before 10 o’clock as an important meeting is awaiting her arrival.
Her daughter is studying in the other city, so she already wished her previous night at 12:00 as per the fashion quotient. Now, She must rush through her morning chores, hence, after a quick shower she sits before the mirror to style her hair in the dressing room,. She is constantly looking at herself in the big sized mirror trying to locate that one more year that perhaps got fixed on her face or in the form of little extra flesh on her waist. She reminds herself to be more regular with her exercise regimen and evening walks.
The monologue continues further as she is getting ready and she is reminded that it has been several years since she got any surprise gift from her husband. Every year like the lazy husbands’ tea expectations she too expects to be surprised, but this doesn’t happen, but her heart hopes and disappointment takes over year after year. It was not the case earlier when they were not much married. those were the times when gifts flooded her from all over. There are no complicated reasons for not getting surprise-gifts in some past years than perhaps being in the marriage of 20 years where too much togetherness and involvement has left no scope for so called lovey dovey surprises. Her husband, the kind of modern liberal man that he is, has in fact liberated her from any kind of romantic expectations by giving a realistic financial autonomy to her. She, being a receiver of a hefty salary doesn’t need his approval to buy things for herself. He has never questioned her on being a splurge or at times being extravagant. Her online purchases are also taken care of in her absence with care.
It’s also not the case that he is in habit of forgetting birthdays. He would propose few days in advance “Let’s go and buy something for you” but such proposals are a no-no to her romantic self. According to her preference, things bought together miss the sense of that heavenly quaint pleasure with a feeling of amazement that a surprise gift brings along.
Throughout the year, the idea of joint shopping is understandable but on one’s birthday, a gift must be bought and handed over with a finesse. She thinks that this little expectation of hers is in a mood to be at her side throughout the day just like a stubborn child who would not stop throwing tantrum unless he gets his favourite goody. This analogy is making her smile more and more as she is able to see herself rolling on the floor like a toddler and screaming “I want a gift, I want a gift”. She is thinking that how children are so raw in expressing emotions and do not care a bit about being analyzed and judged.
If he doesn’t give gifts of late, he doesn’t take either. The reason being, he knows best what he wants to buy so specifically for himself, which his worldly-unwise wife may not know. Few of her attempts in the past have failed miserably as the colour, the size, the quality, the texture, the fragrance of the purchase was not appropriate and it was always an overpriced item that robbed her to death by the shopkeeper. It was so added to her general knowledge by her husband that the idea of surprising him was never entertained by her. He never made any attempt to exchange the so-called overpriced gift with something justifiably good. The poor thing kept lying un-exchanged at some dingy corner of some wardrobe until it died its own death, as it failed to see the light of the day before the last date of exchange hit it.
She shrugs off such unpleasant thoughts and gets ready, wears on the new dress which was a together-purchase, Wears her favourite perfume which always makes her feel absolutely good about everything. One final brushing to her hair and she is out of her dressing area quite pleased with herself. He looks at her, approves the look and they both step out of the house to go to their respective works.
While driving to her workplace she is trying to satisfy herself by meditating that other than the missing surprise element rest is fine between her and him. He always makes required efforts to arrange for a birthday party with a beautiful birthday cake every year. Looking after the guests, taking pictures, posting on social media is also done unceasingly. His enthusiasm and excitement have also not faded in years. But the surprise-gift-thought springs up and makes her expectant of it once again. Her work schedule makes her busy throughout the day so the surprise-surprise self fiddling fancy sits quietly at a corner, but as she drives back home it commutes too.
In the evening they are back home and geared up to accelerate the day with celebration stuff. Family and friends pour in, making everything pretty good to remember, pictures pretty good to be shared and posted. Fun games and music made it all alive. In another word day of fulfillment amidst good food and good company; what else anyone can ask for?
After the party is over and the clamour is taken over by the calm and quiet moment, they two are now left to be themselves. A lot of gifts are being unwrapped, most of them are too obvious because her family bought them with her consent and a tagline “if the size doesn’t fit you, or you don’t like the colour, change it from that shop”. They even mentioned the price to show themselves honest with the purchase.”Too much, informality turns special occasions so boring”. She thought so.
He calls it a day and changes his clothes to sleep. She chooses to be awake for some more time still hoping to find a surprise gift at the cost of being labeled as an over-expectant, romantically inclined, worldly-unwise wife.
In a self-rebellious mood, She walks out of the room, quite absorbed in her thoughts, proceeds towards the front facing balcony of their bedroom. She sees the guard of the apartment in the check post trying to beat the cold wearing a comfortable checkered coat which is so familiar to her eyes. It’s the same coat given to him by her husband a few days back. Her husband was constantly telling her “take out some woolens on time, it doesn’t look nice to see him doing his duty in this biting cold” The guard looks at her and without saying a word says a lot. She keeps standing for some more time purposelessly. She is reminded of a lot of such philanthropic acts done by her husband on a regular basis where he always fulfilled people’s expectations, be it of someone known to him or absolutely unknown one. after a while she walks inside the room and in the corridor her eyes meet with their pet who is snuggled in his bed comfortably, wagging his tail even in his half-asleep mode, perfectly happy with no expectations at all. The comparison comes instantly that makes her feel small for a while but the next moment, immediately leaves her with an enlightened perspective.
Coming back to her bed, she slips inside her comforter, looks at her husband’s pleasingly sleeping self for a little while. She quietly turns to her side of the bed, closes her eyes with the broadest smile on her face in a complete self-surprised spirit of gratification and fulfillment.
Earthly people dance in full swing with their fully scattered material wings, Dancing starts with morning alarm and continues in car, bike, bus and tram, This dance of life makes all of us swirl In tune with a gravitational pull,
Up and down on toes high Hands balancing the falling skies, Dancing parents give their children lessons out of their various stage performances, They will not learn just by observation, Unless they dance by themselves in caution, From group to solo form of dance They must be skilled without a chance, A girl or a boy doesn’t matter Both can be good no one is better, Dancing survives the success graph, Taking rest is a performance half,
I am making my beautiful girl understand Value of dancing till the end, She is dancing now in full passion Completing well it’s each session, Her most beautiful dance I ever witnessed Of success and fame that she accessed! May her ground give her a smooth dancing Under starry night and dewy morning, May life play a soft-sweet tune to her For happy dancing sans any pensive layer!
I choose to sing and celebrate my wishes, relishing white wine while ordering my prefered dishes, ‘Going Duch’ when together we dine, split bills nothing yours or mine… I choose unapologetic red on my lips, and sand grains rolling on my bare ribs, posing in a bikini devouring the full lagoon, dancing amidst stars and glittering moon… Sometimes I choose a solitary long drive, enjoying insanely with nothing to strive, Playing Beethoven to my dancing soul, sans any judgement comments or troll… I choose, at times reading for several hours, keeping at bay a lot of household chores, teaching my children with utmost pleasure, working silently on my little treasures… I often choose to pen down my conscious mind, It’s my way to create and unwind, carving a niche for my soul’s satisfaction, An empowered woman I choose my destination!
Flying high wearing my unseen cape, feeling strong in my empowered space, from nightmare to a new found land, I choose you Life! over any masquerade… From mute voice to my suppressed ground, fighting a biased world that my childhood abound, disparity disgrace everywhere I found Life! I still choose to hear a sweet sound.. I self taught myself, when blackboard was denied, secretly working coated with spirits undied, weaving dreams in my misty mind, Life! I choose to prepare and unwind.. Rough roads led to a better sight! I choose that with an ardent delight, working relentlessly day and night Life! I choose chasing a glowing light… Relaxing in my cosy space, taking pride in my self reliant state, sipping my glass with an exotic platter, I choose being equal in every matter!
In forms multitude my heart desires, a house on a hill where no one conspires… a multihued rainbow to my waking eyes, catching a falling star in fist at night… Sunshine falling on my velvatine glow, coming live on Opera Vinfray show… Up in the air Marlin Munro skirt-pose, wearing on lips scarlet over dose… falling asleep without giving any answer, On soft pillow with my untangled hair… desire to free the caged birds, to shelter homeless children in disgust… Surfing on a high tide sea, speedy motorboat, flowing hair and me… Breathing deep on a high mountain peak, amidst birds’ soothing sprightly tweet… Desire to heal sick and ailing, pacifying their pain and suffering… On eagle’s wings desire to fly, on barren soil seeds I lay… A makeover of Earth’s sad plight, from pollution to a pure delight… In white skirt walking on the morning dew, Chasing the fragrances of violet and blue… Oblivious to the worldly mess, In solitude of my own space… Wearing my desires as my shining neckless Holding on to my desire’s checklist… Under Northern Lights standing in awe, fulfilling them all none to withdraw!
A peaceful hour rolled down from the steep, crossing the broken bridge where waters run deep The yellow flux of sunshine evaporated mortar, caused by the overflowing floodwater, Crimson red roses blossomed on Albertans’ faces, Sans any past stressful traces, Golden hues mixed with varied colours of life, leaving behind the bleak bygone strife, A new realm of resilient dreams, laying on land fertile seeds, Reincarnated land thrived in seasons bright, containing a brand new sanguine light, From that moment of loss to this bounty of now, they cultivated a garden of hope somehow, Rejoicingly they will forever live on, not to die and decay but to strive they are born, The grace playing a tune on Viola, Singing the melodies beneath His beautiful umbrella, Finding resilience surviving the worst they had, Finally celebrating their Paradise Regained !
Lessons_Learnings 