Final Essay

In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding many young boys are stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean. The novel introduces us to a “beast” of some sort. The boys imagine this beast to be living on the island but they know little of what the beast has in store. The novel shows evidence of a beast lurking through the jungle; this beast is called human.

As the boys begin to lose control and order, the beast begins to crawl out from the jungle and snatch up once innocent little boys to use as pawns in a disturbing game of Risk ™. The beast’s existence is made up of the bad behaviour the children display in the novel. The more savage the boys act, the more real the beast becomes.

The boys are so afraid of the beast because the beast exists within all of them and as they grow more savage, the beast grows as well. Simon is the first to realize this and tries to share his ideas but is blown off by laughter. “What I mean is… Maybe it’s only us.” Simon is still pure of heart and may pose to have some darkness but not the will to use this darkness or show any signs of a beast trying to get out.

Another thing the novel shows is that the island seems to stand for the earth. With Ralph and Jack as opposing dictators the novel really relates to the government and our cruel society. The island is just a reincarnation of the messed up world we live in now. With all of the chemicals going into the air and other harmful things we’re doing to the earth we might as well be lighting it completely on fire.

The boys get too caught up with doing what they want that they become savage and beastlike. To explain their savageness, Jack uses this phony beast as a scapegoat to keep the kids in fear. Therefore Jack seems like a protector as he hunts the beast undoubtedly fearless.

The only beast to be found is the one deep within ourselves; or maybe not so deep after all.

2nd draft essay

Essay 2^nd Draft

 

In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding many young boys are stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean. In a series of paragraphs I will explain to you my thoughts on a particular symbol in the novel. The symbol I will be talking about is the beast that the boys imagine to be living on the island, which very well is. The next few paragraphs will show evidence of a beast lurking through the jungle; this beast is called human.

As the boys begin to lose control and order the beast begins to crawl out from the jungle and snatch up once innocent little boys to use as pawns in a disturbing game of Risk ™. The beast’s existence is made up of the bad behaviour the children display in the novel. The more savage the boys act, the more real the beast becomes.

The boys are so afraid of the beast because the beast exists within all of them and as they grow more savage, the beast grows as well. Simon is the first to realize this and tries to share his ideas but is blown off by laughter. “What I mean is… Maybe it’s only us.” Simon is still pure of heart and may pose to have some darkness but not the will to use it or show any signs of a beast trying to get out.

Another thing I noticed is that the island seems to stand for the earth like the boys living on the island is just a reincarnation of the messed up world we live in now. With all the chemicals going into the air and other harmful things we’re doing to the earth we might as well be lighting it completely on fire.

The only beast to be found is deep within or maybe not so deep after all.

The boys get too caught up with doing what they want that they become savage and beastlike. To explain their savageness Jack uses a fake beast as a scapegoat to keep the kids in fear and therefore seem like a protector as he hunts the beast undoubtedly fearful.

 

Character Sketch

CHARACTER SKETCH

Piggy

Piggy is a slightly shorter but quite obese boy. His hair is thinning and doesn’t seem to have grown since the boys were first isolated on the soundly island. He wears a pair of glasses that only have one lens completely unharmed, while the other is cracked from an incident with Jack. Piggy sees himself as an intellectual boy who could not survive without an adult’s supervision or thought on anything. Others see Piggy as a fat, whiny puppy that follows Ralph around like he’s his owner, as well as a science geek. Simon, on the other hand, sees him and most as equals because he is not one to judge. Yet, it is still kind of true that Piggy is like a puppy following Ralph as though he were the closest thing to an adult because of his hierarchy on the island. Piggy’s insight and cleverness makes for a good assistant to Ralph seeing as Ralph is one to make quick, irrational decisions in times of pressure.

 

Jack

Jack is the tallest, oldest, and quite possibly the lankiest survivor on the island. He has red hair covered by a black cap with a matching cape and gold pin that symbolizes his leadership of the choir. His pale skin is splattered with freckles that seem to be the only thing tanning on his whole body. Jack is a natural born leader and leads the hunters who were his choir boys that he led back home. Jack has many good qualities but he feels powerful but powerless in his rank and can’t stand to be told orders. Jack strays away from the group after being stood up when trying to overthrow Ralph. Others see him as an outcast who was once a courageous hunter and second in command on the island. But that wasn’t good enough for Jack because he sees himself as the ‘All-mighty Jack’ who slayed the pig and is scared of no beast. After feeling the power of killing a pig he became savage and cocky.

Oh the horror

Polished Response

“Oh the horror…the horror…”

In the novel Heart of Darkness the quote "Oh the horror... the horror..." are the dying words of the character Kurtz. Kurtz is an ivory trader and the words probably described what was going on in the trading post. The Europeans used the native Africans to gather ivory and Kurtz probably grew to find this very disturbing. This reflects upon the dark nature of mankind that the boys in Lord of the Flies discover in themselves; some, not so much. Wealth, power, and reputation make up the skin of the dark onion and are sought after by terrible people. Kurtz was one to understand the flaws in the human race yet he had a role in the ivory trading and did nothing about it. We all carry a darkness inside of us no matter how small it may be.

Bank of questions

First Quarter

Q.1) Why didn't any adults survive?
A.1) Because then the book wouldn't be the same.

Q.2) What is the "scar"?
A.2) The scar is the gouge in the island the plane made when it crashed.

Q.3) How do you think the plane crashed?
A.3) I think the plane was shot down because the war was taking place at the same time.

Q.4) Who is chosen to be chief? Why?
A.4) Ralph because he has the conch.

Q.5) Why couldn't Jack kill the pig?
A.5) Jack couldn't kill the pig because at this time he wasn't a savage beast; he was kind.

Q.6) Why won't anyone help Ralph build shelters?
A.6) Jack is busy trying to hunt, Piggy isn't physically capable, and the rest are busy doing butt-all.


Second Quarter

Q.1) Why does Ralph constantly call assemblies?
A.1) Ralph calls assemblies because he feels the boys are out of line and not contributing to a good cause.

Q.2) Why does Ralph keep stressing about the fire?
A.2) Ralph won't shut up about the fire because it's their only way to get attention from a boat.

Q.3) What was Jack doing when the fire went out?
A.3) Jack was hunting.

Q.4) Who saw the beast?
A.4) Sam and his twin brother Eric (Samneric) claimed to have seen the beast.

Q.5) Who broke Piggy's specs? Why?
A.5) Jack broke Piggy's specs because everyone was mad at him and he took it out on the vulnerable fat boy.

Q.6) Why is Piggy's nickname Piggy?
A.6) Because his chubby body type and weird looking nose resemble that of a pig.


Third Quarter

Q.1) Why do the boys decide to hunt the beast?
A.1) They feel that if they kill the beast there will be a peace within the group.

Q.2) What would happen if the boar was killed?
A.2) Well, then they'd be hooped because the pigs would be unable to reproduce and the boys main food supply would slowly diminish.

Q.3) Why do they kill Simon?
A.3) They kill Simon because he crawls out of the dark jungle whilst the tribe dances about slaying the beast and they get too rowdy so they kill Simon thinking that he is the beast.

Q.4) What is ironic about them killing Simon?

Q.5) How does Jack try to lure the group to his side?

Q.6) Why does Ralph give in to Jacks bribes instead of staying with Piggy?


Fourth Quarter

1) Why do most of the kids leave Ralph?

2) What does the beast symbolize?

3) How does the conch bring Piggy power?

4) What keeps Jack from saying he is the leader when the officer asks?

5) What is the irony in the island being set on fire?

6) What is in store for Roger's future?

4th quarter

Synopsis

In the novel Lord of the Flies the boys have split into two groups with the majority in Jack's tribe. Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric struggle to keep the fire going when Jack and his hunters steal Piggy's glasses in the middle of the night. They crept up while Ralph and Piggy were sleeping and soon a brawl broke out and in the morning the glasses were missing. Jack and his tribe inhabit castle rock and are all painted from head to toe. Ralph and Piggy make their way to castle rock to discuss with Jack the issue with the signal fire and the theft of Piggy's specs. Its at this point in the book where Roger pushes a boulder that hits Piggy and knocks him forty feet off the cliff to his death. Jack then has a temper tantrum and hurls his spear at Ralph with his tribe following him. Jack holds down castle rock and forces Samneric to join him and help keep Ralph out. Ralph seeks them out when on guard and they inform him that Jack and his tribe are planning to capture/kill Ralph. Ralph, in panic decides he should hide close by to secure his safety. Jack and his tribe set the whole island on fire in search of Ralph and when they finally corner him they are greeted by an officer who saw the smoke and came to rescue their bodies even though their souls cannot be rescued.

Characters

Ralph - Protagonist, dynamic character, leader. Fair haired boy. Body of a boxer, small and compact.

Jack - Antagonist, leader of the other tribe, dynamic character. Tall, lanky, red haired boy.

Roger - Murderer of Piggy, shock of black hair, inner intensity of avoidance and secrecy, Jack's right-hand man.


Point of View

The story is written in third person. The author could have done this so he wouldn't have to revolve the story around one character and therefore giving deeper explanation to what's happening on the island instead of one character. The story takes place on a deserted island where several young boys have been stranded on. They have to use the few resources on the island such as the spring and the pigs lurking around.


Notables on author's writing style

I think the author's writing style has a deeper meaning in many occasions and is very descriptive. He uses symbolism regularly and has a connection with most of the characters. Golding may have put his own traits into the characters as a realistic experimentation despite the unrealistic nature of the problem. This is only a thought but could very well be true. He uses characterization to create vivid imagery of the boys to the last speck of dirt on their faces.

Theme

The theme of Lord of the Flies is that humans are a dark race that show their true colours in everyday life no matter how pure you may be. Even a nasty remark protrudes darkness within people. Its understandable that we are the dominant race and use animals as resources to survive. But thats just a stepping stone to the savagery of our race. 

3rd Quarter

Synopsis

In the novel Lord of the Flies the boys decide they need to hunt out the beast to maintain peace within the group. The first voyage to slay the beast doesn't go well as they travel to the only unseen part of the island. When hunting the beast the second time they run into a boar that Ralph spears in the snout with his sharpened wood stick. Ralph's ego is then boosted to a maximum as he speaks of the moment as if he were a war hero that ended the fighting. The boys venture to the mountain and see the beast. Jack doubts Ralph's leadership and tries to form a mutiny that backfires and he strays away from the group. His hunters soon follow him and they kill a pig and skewer its head on a stick as a gift for the beast. Simon goes into a trance and begins speaking to the head which is evidently the Lord of the Flies. Jack invites the other group to join him with a bribe of a feast. They sing and dance of the killing of the beast and it soon escalates when Simon crawls from out of the jungle and they start beating him in belief that he is the beast. Simon's death brings protection and power to the minds of the savages.

Characters

Ralph - Protagonist, round character, leader. Fair haired boy. Body of a boxer, small and compact.

Piggy - Ralph's assistant, dynamic character(finally stood up for himself). Chubby, almost looks like a pig.

Jack - Antagonist, leader of the other tribe, dynamic character. Tall, lanky, red haired boy.

Point of View

The story is written in third person. The author could have done this so he wouldn't have to revolve the story around one character and therefore giving deeper explanation to what's happening on the island instead of one character. The story takes place on a deserted island where several young boys have been stranded on. They have to use the few resources on the island such as the spring, the pigs lurking around.

Notables on author's writing style

I think the author's writing style has a deeper meaning in many occasions and is very descriptive. He uses symbolism regularly and has a connection with most of the characters. Golding may have put his own traits into the characters as a realistic experimentation despite the unrealistic nature of the problem. This is only a thought but could very well be true. He uses characterization to create vivid imagery of the boys to the last speck of dirt on their faces.

Theme

The theme of Lord of the Flies is that humans are a dark race that show their true colours in everyday life no matter how pure you may be. Even a nasty remark protrudes darkness within people. Its understandable that we are the dominant race and use animals as resources to survive. But thats just a stepping stone to the savagery of our race.

2nd quarter

Synopsis

The boys are getting more used to the fact that they're going to be on this island for a while, maybe a bit too used to it because they can't even seem to keep the fire going. They couldn't keep it going and there was a boat that passed in the distance. Ralph was scrambling around trying to get the fire going but it didn't work and he had a little meltdown. Most of the boys were annoyed by the constant assemblies reminding the children to keep the fire going at all times but it's better than doing nothing. Jack smacked Piggy in the face and broke one of the lens of his glasses. They spoke about the so-called beast and agreed that the beast was real when the twins said they saw the beast. The littluns all started bawling at an assembly when thoughts of home and the beast stirred up.

Characters

Ralph - Protagonist, round character, leader. Fair haired boy. Body of a boxer, small and compact.

Piggy - Ralph's assistant, dynamic character(finally stood up for himself). Chubby, almost looks like a pig.

Jack - Antagonist, next in line for chief, round character. Tall, lanky, red haired boy.

Point of View

The story is written in third person. The author could have done this so he wouldn't have to revolve the story around one character and therefore giving deeper explanation to whats happening on the island instead of one character. The story takes place on a deserted island where several young boys have been stranded on. They have to use the few resources on the island such as the spring and the pigs lurking around.

Notables on author's writing style 

I think the writing isn't that realistic because by now those kids would be dead. Talking in literal terms; it took all of the older boys to kill a pig and still had troubles. Even if they develop great skills in hunting the pigs would eventually die off and I don't see how 15+ kids could survive a few days on an island living on fruit and a scarce amount of water. Plus they would be whining and crying every two seconds. Also, how would only kids and no adults survive a plane crash? Would it not be the other way around if you think about it?

Theme

The theme of the story is the darkness of humanity. The author is trying to show that we all have a darkness somewhere inside of us. Humans are the superior race on the earth and are very power hungry. Ralph has the rank as leader so he throws orders here and there whenever he can in spite of his power. Jack envies this and soon can't control the darkness within.

WORDle

first quarter

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1^st Quarter Lord of the Flies

Synopsis

• Plane crashes into an island and leaves young boys stranded without any adults
• One of the boys finds a shell (conch) and blows into to rally up all the boys
• The boy who blows the conch (Ralph) is appointed leader
• A team of choir boys are appointed the hunters
• Explore the island
• Find a pig but Jack doesn't have the guts to kill it
• Make a signal fire
• One of the younger boys says he saw a monster
• They try to be build shelters and hunt but it doesn't work out too well

Character Introduction

Ralph – Protagonist, leader of the lost children, round character

Jack – Could be called the antagonist but also works with Ralph, bossy, dynamic character

Piggy – Ralph's assistant, nice boy, round character

Point of View

The story is written in third person. The author could have done this so he wouldn't have to revolve the story around one character and therefore giving deeper explanation to whats happening on the island instead of one character.

Setting

The story takes place on a deserted island where several young boys have been stranded on. They have to use the few resources on the island such as the spring, the pigs lurking around, and possibly even the creepy crawlies if they can kill one.

Notables on author's writing style

I think the writing isn't that realistic because by now those kids would be dead. Talking in literal terms; they haven't even killed a pig yet so I don't see how 15+ kids could survive a few weeks on an island living on fruit and a scarce amount of water. Plus they would be whining and crying every two seconds. Also, how would only kids and no adults survive a plane crash? Would it not be the other way around if you think about it?

Theme

At this point in the story the theme seems to be teamwork. If they hadn't appointed Ralph as leader they would be a mess by now and it would be an island with kids running around in a free-for-all. No wonder Jack couldn't kill a pig, his hunters abandoned him to go do something non-productive. Everything in the story revolves around teamwork or it should if a bunch of kids want to survive on an island.