Many_Work_of_Literature_Contain_Violence

“Many works of literature contain violence. Discuss this in relation to two or more works studied” Violence, based on the dictionary means; abusive or unjust exercise of power it is a common theme in stories, poems and plays. In the case of “Lord of the flies” written by William Golding and in the poems written by Wilfred Owen violence is one of the main themes as it accomplish the author’s purpose which is raise awareness and criticize society. Analyzing the novel “Lord of the flies” violence is an important theme, as well as the other themes which include; loss of innocence, fear, power, religion and primitively. Nevertheless all the themes are directly or indirectly related to violence. As violence, in the case of the story, it is commonly seen between children. All characters were involved in the development and increase of violence seen throughout the whole text. Simon and Piggy, are two important characters in the novel, as Simon was a Christ like figure who was the only one to understand the truth about the beast while Piggy represented the voice of reason and a link to the adult world, will “not be able to go back home” as they both suffer from a tragic and brutal death. In the case of Simon, once he confronts the beast and acknowledges that it is “harmless and horrible” and only controlled within their minds, he runs off to explain the others about his discovery. Once he reaches camp, he is attacked by the boys “tearing of teeth and claws” until he is finally dead. The author also relates Simon’s death to the weather, after his death the “clearness was full of strange, moonbeam-bodied creatures with fiery eyes” which then resulted in a big storm. Ironically the storm washed away the body of Simon and the dead parachutist, giving evidence that the beast does not exist. Piggy, also suffers from a tragic death, when both Piggy and Ralph decide to visit Jack’s camp in order to get back Piggy’s glasses, once they reach Castle Rock, both contrasting characters start to argue and Piggy cries out sharply, in order to make himself heard over the fight. As Piggy tries to speak, hoping to remind the group of the importance of rules and rescue, Roger, the character least able to understand civilization, shoves a massive rock down the mountainside. Ralph, who hears and sees the rock falling, dives and dodges it. But the rock strikes Piggy, the character who is least able to identify with the savage impulse knocks him off the mountainside to his death on the rocks below. Jack and his hunters act savagely and violently towards the killing of the sow. Once again Golding emphasizes the act of violence in relation to the weather, in this case the conditions were “hazy and dreadful with a damp heat” as well as the “air was full of sweat and noise and blood and terror”. Once the hunters grab the sow, “the spear moved forward inch by inch and the terrified squealing became a high-pitched scream” once Jack “found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands” the sow falls dead representing a victory to the new hunters. Although physical violence is more common in the novel, there is physiological violence which includes bullying and abusive relationships which is often associated with situations of power imbalance. Simon and Piggy, once again, are the two characters who mainly suffer from this type of violence. Piggy was the first example illustrated as soon as he ran into Ralph; he asked his name and tried to become friends with him. Piggy is trying to fit in with Ralph, he wants to belong. Piggy was bullied by the other children based on his physical aspect. The first time Piggy declares his name to Ralph, he starts screaming “Piggy! Piggy!” while the fat boy shouted “I said I didn’t want – “. Giving evidence of the abuse Piggy had to suffer, while afterwards Piggy was the only confident and friend Ralph had. The first appearance of Simon in the book, he’s fainting. Simon is a timid but compassionate guy. A “skinny, vivid boy,” who was left alone as he was a spiritual boy who had a special connection with nature. This implies the idea of stereotypes, as Piggy and Simon go against the ideal stereotypes, therefore they are seen different. Golding’s purpose is to exemplify the darkness that relies within all human beings as well as criticizing society. Supporting his purpose he vividly describes the slaughter of Simon, Piggy and the sow as well as excluding Piggy and Simon from the rest of the boys with the intention to condemn the human kind. Examining the poems from Wilfred Owen “Anthem for Doomed Youth”, “Dulce et Decorum Est.” and “Inspection” the three contain violence in the context of a war. Owen was an active soldier in war; in 1915 he enlisted in the British Army and was killed in battle at the Sambre-Oise canal at Ors. Therefore Owen poems portray a personal experience. His main purpose is to criticize society and raise awareness of the mistaken concept people have about war. In the case of “Anthem for Doomed Youth” it represents Owen's abrupt, straightforward, and harsh approach to describe war. The purpose is to criticize the lack of respect for the dead soldiers as well as condemn society’s lack of admiration to the soldiers. “Anthem” represents a religious musical song sang by a choir while “Youth” stand for the young men who die in battle. The title makes reference to the lack of proper burial while at the same time criticizing society for condemning the armed forces. At the beginning of the poem it states that soldiers die on the battlefield as cattle in a slaughterhouse; symbolized by the “monstrous anger of the guns” and “rifles rapid rattle” highlighting the idea of loneliness as no loved ones is there to comfort them. “Can patter out their hasty orisons” is also an example of the lack of mourning giving to the dead soldiers. Owen is describing their deaths, but he is recounting, how they die: with indifference among them. There is no separate emotion for each man; they die all the same. Reaching the end of the poem it becomes more sentimental; while no funeral takes place on the battlefield; all individuals have something resembling a funeral, even if it takes the form only of their loved ones weeping; “ their flowers the tenderness of patient minds”. The poem's overall tone indicates that Owen resents supporters of war who do not consider the full magnitude of war and has compassion for the soldiers who know not what may happen to them. The poet appears to be portraying war as a situation that one should avoid, because although one is dying for their country, initially, their death is one of little meaning. Analyzing “Dulce Et Decourm Est.”, the purpose in this poem is to raise awareness of how horrible war is. The first words written in Latin were widely understood and often quoted at the start of the First World War. They mean "It is sweet and right." In other words, it is a wonderful and great honour to fight and die for your country. The poem begins with a striking simile of troops on a march, "bent double, like old beggars under sacks”. From this very first line, the author makes a comparison to create a very powerful picture of the discomfort and lack of dignity experienced by the soldiers. "Knock-kneed, coughing like hags," the tired troops march away from the attacks of their enemy. The observation that war doest not spare no one is expressed through parallelism- "All went lame, all blind;" and the image of soldiers marching "blood-shod. Drunk with fatigue”. The vivid images continue into the second stanza with a shocking description of a gas attack from which one soldier does not escape. The author communicates this experience with a tone of horror, "In all my dreams before my helpless sight he plunges at me, guttering, choking, and drowning." The triple description of the soldier's transition from less to more specific makes reference to the delicate difficulty in expressing such an event. The reader is able to capture the speaker's experience, through phrases as "an ecstasy of fumbling," the sense of panic felt at the moment the gas shells are dropped is made clear. In the language used in the second stanza there are found many references to the indignity of combat- "Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time. And floundering like a man in fire or lime". The use of words as "clumsy" and "flound'ring" communicates a feeling of chaos. The event is viewed by the speaker through the dim glasses of his mask and surrounded in a thick cloud of gas, "as under a green sea" The description of his obstructed sight also shows a lack of understanding. The way, in which the speaker relates to the reader changes at the third stanza as he addresses his audience directly, creating a more personal connection. The word choice becomes more straightforward, "If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, bitter as the cud of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues". The poem ends with the assertion that "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" is a lie. The sentiment expressed by the author, however, is not against his country, but against the concept of war and what it does to those who are innocent. The poem is a look at the damage done by war, and the lack of glory. In addition we could say that Owen was a man firmly against the idea of sending boys off to war with promises of glory. His opinion was that death in war is horrible, improper, and in no way sweet as is suggested by the quote referenced in the poem- “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” Finally, Wilfred Owens’s poem, "Inspection" crucifies the army as it highlights the army’s preoccupation for the superficial. The tone is mainly ironic. The poem tells how a young soldier is recriminated for showing up for "parade" in a uniform with blood on it, as the officer claims you're supposed to wear a "clean" uniform but based on the context of war and the only uniform he has is marked with his blood which is considered "dirt" to those inspecting his appearance. They are more concerned for his lack of procedure than the fact he has already lost blood as a response to his duty, in the trenches, where they're probably going to die. The young soldier laughs at the thought of blood being "dirt", saying that the "world is washing out its stains", meaning removing the blood from his body to clean. The "field Marshall God" reference has a very important meaning in that God is really behind the war because “everyone” knows God supports the war. Owen was very "anti-war" man. As a conclusion, violence is a common theme used in stories and poems as it attracts the reader and it is a powerful technique to convey the author’s purpose. In “The lord of the flies” and Wilfred Owen poems, the authors portray their intention, through a group of small children in an island and soldiers in the war, in order to criticize society about the evil that relies within all human beings and raise awareness regarding the cruelty in war.