William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies presents significant issues relating to the concept of conflict. Through analysing characterisation and symbolism it is evident that conflict can be destructive to social order. The Black Eyed Peas music clip “Where is the Love? ” portrays the damaging nature of conflict, resulting in chaos, by the use of binary oppositions and rhetorical questions. The combination of Lord of the Flies and “Where is the Love? ” shows the viewers that conflict can be destructive to social order.
Golding’s Lord of the Flies explores the negative consequences of conflict between civilisation or savagery; the instinct to work toward civilisation and order or the instinct to descend into savagery, violence and chaos. This is shown through the characterisation of Ralph and Jack as they act as binary opposites. Elected leader of the
...boys, Ralph is the primary representative of order, leadership and civilisation in the novel. While, the strong willed, egomaniacal Jack is the novels primary representative of the instinct of savagery, violence and the desire for power; the antithesis of Ralph. When I saw jack I was sure he’d go for the conch. ”(Ralph) Ralph attempts to use the conch to employ civilised, social order, reflective of their lives before the crash. The conch is one of Golding’s symbols in the novel that represent civilisation. As the conch shell is crushed, the boys descend into Jacks leadership and savagery. The characterisation of these individuals represents societal breakdown and the progressive de-civilisation of the group. This thus challenges the concept of conflict.
In the Black Eyed Peas music clip “Where is the Love? ” our concept of conflict is challenged through
the use of binary oppositions, rhetorical questions and repetition. The binary opposition is demonstrated through a montage of jump cuts. The juxtaposed mages reinforce the destructive nature of conflict. For example, there are images of violence, hurt, death, anarchy and devastation. There are also videos of soldiers firing cannons, children crying and men carrying the dead. In contrast there are also images portraying peace in the music clip.
For example, images of families, children showing their innocence, compassion, love, unity, freedom, serenity and harmony. Through the contrasting of these images it effects the viewer’s emotions as one picture represents positive emotions and another represents negative. Rhetorical questions and repetition are also used to portray conflict in the music clip. The lyrics “where is the love? ” refer to the destructive nature of conflict and is rhetorically asking why there is war and anarchy in our society.
The use of a rhetorical question is meant to stimulate a response from the viewer and to emphasize the statement. Therefore the music clip is portraying how conflict can be destructive to societal order and challenges the concept of conflict. The concept of conflict is challenged in Lord of the Flies and “Where is the Love? ” by the use of characterisation, symbolism, binary oppositions and rhetorical questions. Furthermore these two texts portray how conflict can be destructive to social order.
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