What is the symbolic importance of each of the following: Piggy's glasses, the conch and
the fire?
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12 comments:
Piggy’s glasses: They represent intelligence and the power of science. They are used to make the rescue fire. When they are broken we see how the boys are turning savages and intelligence is detouring.
The conch: It represents civilization and order in the book. Whoever holds it has the right to speak. As the boys become more savage the shell looses power and is left behind. At the end of the book it is broken into thousands of pieces signifying the end of civilized manners from the boys.
The fire: It is used as a signal fire to attract passing boats. When the fire does not burn anymore or runs low we see that the boys have lost their desire to be rescued and have accepted savagery. The fire’s function can be as a meter of civilization in the island. The weird part is that the fire that gets the boys rescued is not the signal fire but the fire started by Jack to hunt and kill Ralph.
I agree with most of what Jimena had said. Piggy's glasses represented logic and reason in the society the boys had tried to recreate, intending for them to not go barbaric, although they did. The fire is the boy's only hope for rescue and as the kids begin to care less, the fire becomes less important. The fire is all about their hope and their rescue.
Now, what Jimena did not say was what the conch signified. It is a symbol for law and order (ha-ha, the T.V. show). It is what keeps the boys "civilized" and with its destruction toward the end, civilization was destroyed and anarchy took its place.
Piggy's glasses were a symbol of intelligence and reason on this illogical island where the only thing that ruled was savagery and fear. The conch represents justice and laws, rules that are set and should not be broken for any reason whatsoever. The fire represents the children's only hope of ever getting rescued, their one chance and tie to the rest of civilization.
When people think of some one with glasses they often think NERD, or some one smart at least. Piggy's glasses sybolized that but there is another more logical meaning to glasses. Why do people wear them? WEAK eyes, so it was also another sign of weakness in Piggy.
The conch was like the teddy bear i passed around in 4th grade class meetings. It symbolizes order, some sort of system of rules (laws).
The fire was like a flame of hope in a way, because it was what was meant to rescue them all. And then if you think about it, when the fire went out (the fire meant for rescue) thats also a symbol of the beginning of chaos. Of course there was chaos before that as well, but its another example.
Piggy's glasses symbolize intelligence, reason, and at the same time weakness.
The fire is the hope for getting rescued (sort of the symbol for still having sense of what to do, so it also represents reason).
The conch symbolizes authority and order.
Overall, those three items could be seen as what the boys tried to save and do similar from the world they used to live in, the world of pseudo reason, order, justice, and civilization. Also bare in mind that the savages aimed to destroy these three things first, and by doing so destroyed civilization.
Glasses
Piggy´s glasses symbolize the knowledge and intelligence that he has to share with the other kids. When they break it is important because it represents the lack of attention the boys are actually giving to intelligence and how much more uncivilized and savage they are becoming
Conch
The Conch symbolizes Law and Order, it is the one thing that actually keeps the boys together and helps them decide on things all together. When the conch breaks it explains the final rupture of law and Order and the final break of society and civilization.
Fire
The fire has a physical meaning, which is in the beginning the signal fire which is meant as a sign for hope and rescue. Later when piggy thinks it will be good to move the fire to the beach it is a symbol of warmth and protection.
Piggy's Glasses: They represent knowledge and the power to see more than the normal eye. For example, Piggy knew what to do first before everyone else and helped the kids realized how to survive too.
The conch: It represents civilization and order. Nobody could talk unless he had the conch. The conch also called the important meetings and gathered all the kids.
The fire: It represented salvation. The fire was the whole reason the kids were rescued. The fire would be used as a signal to catch the eye of some sailor.
Since Piggy was the most intelligent in the island, his glasses represented science and intelligence. People can tell that his glasses represented intelligence when he used them to lit the fire.
The conch represents law and order that a civilization should have. In the beginning of the book, Ralph and Piggy find the conch and they use it to call all the boy sin the island and they also used it to take turns when talking. At the end of the book, when the conch gets broken that is when the boys broke the "rule", law and order, and became truly savages.
The fire in the book represent their desire to be rescued. You can tell in the book that in some parts the boys lost their hope in being rescued. That was when it was turned off. When it was turned on again, the boys, especially Ralph, began to have hope again that they were going to be rescued. An example is when Jack decided to move to Caslte Rock and Ralph was alone with Piggy. Ralph was all sad and depressed but when Piggy suggested to make a fire, Ralph's spirits were lifted up.
Piggy's glasses represent the sciences and the use of intelligence. They also represent the use of knowledge and reason for solving problems.
The conch represented authority and order throughout the whole story. When the conch is broken, it represents chaos and savagery.
The fire was the only way by which the boys thought they could be rescued. Therefore, it was very important to most of the children.
Piggy's Glasses: They are reason, logic, and civilization. They symbolize all that is right, and it also represents order.
The Conch: it is authority, leadership, and respect.
Fire: represents rescue, work, and honesty. It is the effort made by everybody to try to go back home.
The colour of the conch was part of how it symbolized law and order. when it was found it was described as "vibrant in colour", while during Piggy's final speech before his death, the conch's colour had faded into clean white, showing just how much law and civilization had deteriorated by then.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7ffCWSTNYM
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