Chap. 8 Analysis: Simon's Interaction

In the very end of the 8th chapter, The setting is a little lost and hard to decipher. Simon is in the jungle alone, with only the boar's head on a pike in the middle if the clearing. A very strange thing happens next. The pig's head begins to talk to him. It speaks to him, calling him a foolish boy for thinking they could kill him, for he is the beast, and the beast is inside them. "We're going to have fun on this island." The he says. Now there is obviously a deeper meaning of the representation of this situation, but it is a little hard to break down unless you read the next few chapters and fully analyse this excerpt. We have not yet discussed what the deeper meaning is in class yet, so I will take a guess and leave it at that. I feel that the whole situation, the pig's head on the stick, is a representation of violence. It comes as the term, "If someone hits you and you hit them back, are you any better?" violent interaction turns man into beasts, and it is the only way to define the difference.

Journal Post: Nov. 15, 2013

So far in reading Lord of the Flies, there has been many obvious symbols and metaphors. I'm sure they all add up to something, but for now there is little to be seen past the first few layers of it. The Island for example, often seems to be portrayed as a menacing place and alive in its own way. It is described as violent and harsh on the boys, wanting them to leave and waking destruction, such as the fire. In my opinion though, I think the island may represent this on one level but is mainly represented as the fear of each boy. It attacks them when they are most vulnerable, and prey on them often. It is its own entity, but a malicious one. Fear is a common aspect among the boys, especially among the younger ones, claiming to see a beasty in the night. Piggy, seems to still be representing the voice of reason and order. He is the rightful conscious, often ignored and shunned. If everyone did what Piggy did, the story would probably have no conflict. Piggy is the parent figure. It would be a more "civil" if they all at least listened to him. They would all be their own adult that they lack now and need so much. As another example, I think the dead pilot that lands on the mountainside in the night is a physical manifestation of the boy's hope. It represents all of their last options of getting off the island, in the literal meaning of their hope, in fact, being dead. Their hope is always trying to get back up, but, it is beyond that. It can be nothing other than what outside forces influence on it. After reading the evaluation in the back of the book in class though, it seems Golding sees the pilot as a metaphor for history. We did a separate evaluation of how this applies, but I still think my metaphor is right on another layer, even if it is just not so deep. These are all the main points I will continue to touch on as we continue the book.

Nov. 8, 2013: Friday Free Write

Everyday, you wake up scared. You go to sleep, already loathing the morning where you have to rip yourself out of bed and face the world. When your alarm clock goes off, you are already scared. This fear can, and will turn into anger. The anger of yourself, forcing you to go out into the world. You don't want to get up. You don't want to face the problems of the average day. You're scared. Scared of the cold floor when you get up, scared of missing the bus, scared of the test you didn't study for, that girl in your class... But you still get up. Only you know why you get up. Because you have to. You have to brace the cold floor. You wouldn't want to miss the bus. You have to get good grades and get into college to for fill your dreams and goals, and even though it makes you blush just thinking about it, you wouldn't mind seeing her smile one more time. You know what that drive is that pushes you out of bed in the morning? Love. It's the only thing stronger than fear. The world is a scary place, and from a young age you are taught to be weary of it. But love helps you. The people you love the places, the things... They lighten the the load of the world you carry so diligently on your shoulders, and drive you forward. Give up on fear. The world is a dark, dying place on it's last limb. There is no saving the world, but you can save yourself. Fear will hold you down. Love is a crutch to help you up. When you fall, love cannot catch you, but it can make it a little easier to get back up.

Lord of the Flies Chap. 1

In the first chapter of Lord of the Flies, it seems like the center or main character of the story so far is Ralph. Ralph is is the boy first described as the fair haired boy in the beginning, and the narrator seems to follow him more than any other character. Ralph is shadowed by the boy named Piggy, and for some reason seems very nonchalant and almost happy about being on the island. He doesn't seem to see the bad side of the island, and has not fully realized the weight of the situation yet. He acts mostly worry free. "Ralph looked through him. Here at last was the imagined but never fully realized place leaping into real life. Ralph's lips parted into a delighted smile..." (Golding, 13) Ralph is still a child, and doesn't see the world as a threatening place yet. He sees everything as a soft place. When Ralph and Piggy find the shell in the lagoon later on in the story, Ralph blows it to assemble the other boys on the island. Soon, boys of all ages show up around the surrounding forest and sit on the platform around in a circle with Ralph. Piggy begins to take names while Ralph continues to blow. Soon, a group led by a boy named Sam (a.k.a Merridew), calling themselves The Choir, show up from across the beach. They all assemble and make the decision of voting for a leader. At first, Sam seems to be the obvious leader. Piggy also seems like a likely candidate with his intellect standing out. But for some reason, possessively for the sole reason of being the one who assembled them, Ralph is voted as chief. "None of the boys could have found a good reason for this; what intelligence had been shown was traceable back to Piggy, while the most obvious leader was Jack. " (Golding, 21) Ralph is obviously the character to be most viewed and traced in the story, and he may not represent anything more than a average boy. We shall soon see.