How does Golding makes the paragraph beginning "Life became a race..." dynamic and frantic?

This is the paragraph you refer to, from page 57:

Life became a race with the fire and the boys scattered through the upper forest. To keep a clean flag of flame flying on the mountain was the immediate end and no one looked further. Even the smallest boys, unless fruit claimed them, brought little pieces of wood and threw them in. The air moved a little faster and became a light wind, so that leeward and windward side were clearly differentiated. On one side the air was cool, but on the other the fire thrust out a savage arm of heat that crinkled hair on the instant. Boys who felt the evening wind on their damp faces paused to enjoy the freshness of it and then found they were exhausted. They flung themselves down in the shadows that lay among the shattered rocks. The beard of flame diminished quickly; then the pile fell inwards with a soft, cindery sound, and sent a great tree of sparks upwards that leaned away and drifted downwind. The boys lay, panting like dogs.

Golding uses sentence structure, word choice, and literary devices to make this paragraph dynamic and frantic.

Let's begin with sentence structure. Most of the sentences in this paragraph are compound sentences. For example, the first sentence, "Life became a race with the fire and the boys scattered through the upper forest," has two independent clauses joined by the word 'and.' The effect of these compound sentences is that it speeds up the pace. With a quick reading pace, the actions seem quick, as well. This sentence structure makes the paragraph frantic.

Golding's word choice also adds to the dynamic, frantic tone of the paragraph. Action verbs like "scattered," "flying," and "threw" create an active tone, and words like "race" and "immediate" make the tone frantic.

There are lots of literary devices used in this paragraph, too. For example, imagery is used so the reader will visualize the action. Vivid description is one way of producing imagery. The sentence "Even the smallest boys... brought little pieces of wood and threw them in" utilizes descriptive imagery. When you read this, you can visualize the little boys throwing bits of wood into the fire. Simile and metaphor are types of imagery as well, because by making a comparison, they help the reader to visualize the image the writer is trying to create. A "flag of flame flying" is a metaphor comparing the flame of the fire to a flag. The boys are building a signal fire, so as well as helping to create an image of a great sheet of flame in the sky, this metaphor also brings to mind a signal, a flag. In addition, this phrase uses alliteration. The repetition of the 'f' sound in flag, flame, and flying creates a kind of aural imagery -- when you read these words, you can hear the 'fff' sound of the flames. The vivid mental image of sheets of hissing flames flying red against the sky adds to the frantic tone of the paragraph.

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