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.

A Modest Proposal: Satire as a Joke on Everyone

A Modest Proposal: Satire as a Joke on Everyone
In Johnathan Swift's most well known article, A Modest Proposal, Swift is trying to conceive the point of all the poor children living in Ireland. He is pointing out all the ills done by the British Republic onto them, and doing this using the literal weapon of Satire. Satire is a way to point out all of society's folly, and to try and make the wrong obvious for needed change using humor. Johnathan Swift's A Modest Proposal fits this definition very well. To use satire is a very effective way to prove a point, and a great way to hold a mirror to society's wrong doings and opposing viewpoints of ignorance. There are many ways to use satire, and many layers to it. As you will see, Swift uses many of the different parts of satire and has many layers in his article. Johnathan Swift is an amazing satirist, and is one of the few who saw through society's fake cover, and to the real, underlying folly of it. He proves that satire is very effective.
In  A Modest Proposal, Swift is Specifically targeting the British Republic. and trying to expose the problems with their heavy exportation of Ireland's food to their own country, and proving the extreme inequality among them. He comes from a rich and well endeavored family that has given up their traditional Catholic ways to be on top, and is in a great position to see all of the underlying problems with this matter. Johnathan, being one of the few educated men in Ireland at the time, decided to take action in the most effective way he could. He decided to write an article to be published in Britain, exposing all the problems that Ireland was facing. He wanted them to have a inside look at what was really happening in the country they knew so little about, besides being a newly claimed land from which most of their meat came from. This is where the whole idea of satire comes in. Satire is entirely made to make fun of a group, while still having a sense of humor about it to keep the targeted group aware. This is the beginning of satire.
With this, Swift starts to write A Modest Proposal. He begins by stating the problem he sees. "It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin doors, crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags and importuning every passenger for an alms. " (Swift, 1). In this opening, there is a literal and deeper meaning, to prove the point of satire. On the surface, Swift is simply adverting the reader's attention to the problem he wants to solve and giving the reader an inside look to the impoverished life of children in Ireland. He wants the reader to begin feeling bad for the children. The deeper meaning, is much more than that though. Swift is using the poor children of Ireland as a simple representation of the large population of poor and hungry people in Ireland. He wants the reader to feel bad for the children, but he also wants British readers to become aware of just how much they were really taking from the Irish. He pokes fun at the idea of anyone in Ireland being able to make an "honest livelihood" in Ireland, which was far from what these poor mothers had on their list. He is using the tool of logic in this excerpt. He begins to open up the reader to the real problem, and gets them ready for his proposal. 
After Swift states this problem, he continues to point out the many other examples of the largely hungry population of Ireland. He then, with the reader now intently aware of the situation, proposes his solution to all the hungry people in Ireland. "I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in
London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout." (Swift 3) What Swift is proposing, is literally for Irish families to eat young infants. He proves all the advantages to this, and why this is the most fitting solution for their problem. But the deeper meaning of this is much different. He is first poking fun at Americans, making them seem savage in such a way that they would eat their own children. In another layer, he is also targeting the British again. He wants the reader, if they are really aware of the real point of this, to know that this is what the British has pushed them to. He wants to prove the point that the British have taken so much, and without any other option, were forced to resort to cannibalism. He uses the tool of resentment, guilt, and sarcasm to show how far the British have forced them. After this, if the reader has enough guts to continue, Swift continues to prove advantages and the up-side of eating children. He next strikes at the landlords and Nobles of Ireland, crushing the poor Irish peoples. "I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children." (Swift, 4) This is the most obvious example of satire in the whole article. Literally, Swift is saying that after his plan is put into play and people start to accept it, children will become a regular part of their diet, and even a delicacy in some cases. The deeper meaning however, is quite good. Underneath, Swift is pointing out the landlords folly. He is saying that the landlords, so accommodated to devouring the parents in bills and cruelty, would be savage and mean enough to eat their tenants' children without even a second thought. He is proving the landlords desire to "eat up" their tenants without the slightest care for them as real people. He is using the tool of logic and exposure. The reader, if they were British or not, of any education level, would surely understand this now. 
Next, Swift starts to wrap up his point with a few more jabs and then concludes it promptly. He starts to really turn the heat up on the British. He begins to talk more about the poor tenants to the rich in Ireland and states, "Their corn and cattle being already seized and money a thing unknown." (Swift, 6) This is literally saying that the tenants are indeed poor, and money is almost never in their hands being taken so promptly after earning it. They barely have enough money to get by, and no left over from paying rent for any other necessities. The deeper meaning is just about that, except more directed at the British. He is saying that this is in fact what has happened to Ireland, and this is a common sight of how poor people really were there. He wants to show that the Irish aren't just poor, they are really, really poor. He is using the idea of sarcasm and logic. He then begins to return to targeting the British with his baby-eating solution. He begins to talk about the profit to be made in benefit to the British with his idea. "...beside the profit of a new dish introduced to the tables of all gentlemen of fortune in the kingdom who have any refinement in taste." (Swift, 6). He is using this as the literal meaning of the fine gentlemen in Britain to come and soon enjoy children as a delicacy. More "fancy" people will take to this idea, and it will catch on. But the deeper meaning is hilarious. In the deeper layer, he is saying that the British are already barbaric and savage, why would they be opposed to this idea? They should love eating Irish children. They are already metaphorically doing it. He uses the idea of logic and sarcasm to prevail this. Swift finally makes a few more points, and wraps up his idea with many more examples of satire.
With this, Swift is a great satirist. He is proof that satire is an effective way to bring about change, if people are truly understanding and not ignorant. The ignorant cannot fully understand satire, so it is ineffective to those who choose not to listen, as with everything. But this is not who satire is targeting. Satire is meant for the undecided, and, if one side of a debate uses satire and the other doesn't, the side with satire is almost destined to get most of the undecided, if not only their attention but also their support. This is why satire is an effective form of debate, and why Swift is a great example on how satire can bring about change effectively. 

Satire Presentations

After beginning a new unit about satire, out first project was to find a video that we felt best exemplified satire and annotate it for the class. We had to find the video, present it, write a little about it, and put it on our blog. I used a clip from Robin Williams' stand up performance Weapons of Self Destruction. I thought this video had a lot of satire, but it might have been a little hidden and not as obvious as others. It seemed to make fun of a lot of topics and politicians, and had some evidence of sarcasm as a tool of satire. After presenting my video to the class though, It was discussed that it may have not been satire at all. I looked back at the points I had made that I thought were satire, and after discussing it with Mrs. Cawlfield, found it to be just a stand up performance with really no satire used. It was just a comedy stand up performance with the comedian ripping on some topics. It was not satire at all. I feel like I really struggled with the ideas and aspects of satire for this presentation, but after seeing some other peoples examples I have a little better idea of what satire really is.
One presentation I really enjoyed and felt was the best example of satire was Healthcare Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. It was a great performance, and showed all the aspects of satire and how they are used. It was very obvious too. I thought this could have been the most influential type of satire, because it wasn't just trying to prove an alternate side to the story. It had all the facts of the matter, and had a great deal of examples for proving them wrong. Overall, I struggled with this project, but enjoyed it. I can now see sarcasm as a good thing, and know some of the best ways of convincing people. I hope to see more satire not only for the comical aspect, but for the deeper message of it too.

Satire in Our World Today

Satire in Our World Today

As an ideal example of public and modern satire in our world today, I watched Robin

Williams’ hilariously hurtful standup performance, Weapons of Self Destruction. His show holds

a great deal of satire, scathing, and eye-opening jokes that make you almost sad to look at your

own beliefs. It is a great example of satire, and Robin Williams is one of the best at it. In his skit,

he talks about, and makes fun of, just about every touchy subject there is. From politics to

religion, Robin proves all of us have a blind side view of modern America. He takes no sides on

these matters, but instead points out the pros and the cons of every two sided debate. He talks

about how the Prius, a hybrid vehicle, can be a great idea for the environment, but also states that

it may be a little over the top, and useless. He also makes the point that even though you are

saving the environment, what’s the point if you just look gay doing it?

On the surface, it may just seem like Robin is just making small jokes and poking fun at

society. But it is much more than that. He is trying to get a deeper meaning across. When he is

making fun of the Prius, he is not only making fun of its appearance and social stance, but also

driving the point of useless production in our world. He is trying to prove that everything

produced in America these days is taking a turn for the worst. The point of the Prius is

redundant, and all the bells and whistles on it are faulty and counterbalanced against its purpose,

to be environmentally friendly. He proves that although our county is the best, it is still full of

some pretty dumb people. He is also trying to prove the point of man’s undying nature to

destroy. He talks a lot about animal cruelty, and even more about the horrors of meaningless

killing and unnecessary war. It seems like he is just making fun of it on the surface, but he really

means it. He also takes a stand on politics. He tries to prove some points of the way the economy

is going, and without offending too many people, singles out certain politicians for satire. He

makes fun of many of the presidents, but mostly singes on Sarah Palin. Even though he offended

everyone who has ever seen his show, Robin Williams still makes a funny and enjoyable skit for

anyone who is willing to listen. He is one of the greatest Satirists of our time, and is the only one

I know of that does not prove one point over the other.

“I’m sorry, if you were right, I would agree with you.”-Robin Williams