1. Choose a passage that shows a significant development or change in one of the novel's characters. (I would prefer that you write about the character you were assigned earlier this week.)
2. In the comment box below write your name, the character, the page number of the passage, and explain how the passage helps Golding develop the themes in the novel.
3. Choose a passage that shows a significant development or change in one of the novel's motifs. (I would prefer that you write about the motif you were assigned earlier this week.)
4. In the comment box below write your name the motif, the page number of the passage, and explain how the passage helps Golding develop the themes in the novel.
5. Respond thoughtfully to someone else's character and/or motif comment. Write your name, the name of the classmate to whom your responding, the name of the character/motif, and a comment.
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28 comments:
Ben Moore—Jack
Bottom of p. 74 and p. 75
This is when Jack tells the story of how he killed the first pig around the fire while they are eating the pig meat. This passage clearly shows a change in Jack’s character. When Jack says, “I crept, on hands and knees”(74). He shows that he is becoming more beastlike. Again he shows this when he says “‘We closed in— The first blow had paralyzed its hind quarters, so then the circle could close in and beat and beat—I cut the pig’s throat”’(75). This passage helps develop the novel’s human nature vs. civilization theme. It shows that Jack is feeling the instincts of savagery and human nature.
Ben Moore—The Conch
p. 92
At the beginning of the novel the conch represents civilization and order to the boys. However, in the chapter Beast from Water we come to find out that the conch is losing its power as most of the boys slowly become open to the savagery that has always been in their human nature. Ralph says “‘If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it. We shan’t keep the fire going. We’ll be like animals. We’ll never be rescued’” (92). Ralph is completely right, if they don’t come back then the conch has completely lost its power and then human nature will entirely preside over civilization.
Alison Randazza
(1.) Simon
Pg. 89
During a serious assembly of all the boys on the island, the boys are arguing about the beast. Specifically, what it is. Previously Simon has been the quiet one, who does not talk much in front of everyone else and keeps to himself, as illustrated in chapter three when he goes to his "hiding spot" alone in the jungle. In this instance, however, Simon speaks up about his opinion of the beast: "Simon felt a perilous necessity to speak..." (89). Though his opinion of the beast results in yet another argument he does attempt to get his point across--that being that ..."maybe its only [them]." (89).
2. Out of all the boys Simon seems to be the most connected with the world in which these boys survive. In this passage, Simon seems to get a new perspective on the boys. "Simon became inarticulate in his effort to express mankind's essential illness." (89) This quote from the above passage is crucial in Golding's development of the themes in the novel. Especially because one of the major themes in the book is civilization versus savagery. With Simon realizing that the beast is from the littluns imaginations, he shows that the beast exists inside us all: the instinct of power.
3. Piggy's Glasses
Pg. 71
With each passing chapter Jack becomes more and more violent and power hungry. With his new found savagery he is easily frustrated with Piggy's addition to the argument and smacks him on the head. With this motion, Piggy's glasses "flew off and tinkled on the rock..." (71), and break. This may not just be a physical change to the glasses motif however, as the glasses represent much more than an object that helps one to see, but also an object that helps the boys see hope--by representing the rational and intellectual portions of society.
4. The glasses have been a symbol that represent rationality and intellect within the group of boys. The glasses will greatly affect the boys' lives; this is so due to the boys need of glasses to ignite the fire. The fire itself is another motif which illustrates the boys want--to get rescued. The glasses, just like Simon, greatly affect Golding's theme of civilization versus Savagery, for without those glasses the boys are helpless and their own small society will fall apart.
Ali Orlando - Jack
1. Bottom of page 74
In this passage the theme of human nature vs. civilization is presented to the reader by keying on Jack’s alteration from human traits to violent animal-like characteristics when in a desperate, life changing society and situation. “We spread round. I crept, on hands and knees. The spears fell out because they hadn’t barns on. The pig ran away and made an awful noise-“ “It turned back and ran into the circle, bleeding-“ All the boys were talking at once, relieved and excited. This major transformation Jack is taking on influences the other boys that follow him, and gradually darkens Jack’s actions, perspective, and association with the other characters in “Lord of the Flies”. Jack is increasingly shortening his distance between human nature and the civilization in which he is stranded.
Ali Orlando – Piggy’s Hair
2. Page 65
“He was the only boy on the island whose hair never seemed to grow. The rest were shock headed, but Piggy’s hair still lay in wisps over his head as though baldness was his natural state and this imperfect covering would soon go, like the velvet on young stags antlers.” Because Piggy represents the logical, balanced and sane side of civilization whenever his hair is mentioned I think it symbolizes how his image, unlike all the other boys, still looks the same and never gets any wilder or out of control. The image in which some of the boys develop also suggests what their personalities are and so in this case, the way Piggy’s hair remains unchanged implies his behavior and character has not been influenced by others or the environment to act any crazier or unlike his original self.
Ali Orlando – Ben Moore – Jack
3. Hey Ben, I definitely agree with your choice of using Jack and suggesting how his characteristics change to a beastly and monsterous way. Though I didn’t have him in school as a character, I’m automatically drawn to his drastic actions and transformations he undergoes so I wanted to write about him and his relationship involving human nature vs. civilization.
Brian Anderson-Piggy
p. 71
On page 71, Piggy gets smacked by Jack and Piggy loses his glasses. As soon has his glasses flew from his face he quickly turns to find them. This part of the novel proves the importance of the glasses to Piggy.
Piggy- Glasses
On page 71, it still proves that he is very insecure and uses his glasses as a support. He is always fiddling with his glasses when he becomes nervous. When he loses his glasses he feels lost and they make him feel secure. Also, he uses the glasses as a tool, such as starting fires. I belive that the glasses are for both meanings.
Comment
Reading Alisons comment helped me secure that I was not the only one who had this point of view on the glasses motif toward Piggy.
Sarah Johnson - The Forest
p.105
The boys are on the quest around the island to find the beast – looking in the places no one has ever been before. Ralph is struggling to retain his dignity and power, and leads the way. However, in this new part of the forest, he can’t help but observe the strangeness of it all. As they emerge from the forest, Ralph notices the nature of the ocean on this side of the island. The lagoon had protected them, but here the ocean “seemed like the breathing of some stupendous creature.” Ralph, like the others is intimidated, and becomes enraptured with the rhythmic pulse of the waves. This calm makes him pause and realize the absurdity of a beast- and the pointless attempt to find it since they would be powerless against it anyway. This passage is significant because it shows once again that the island is the only owner of the island. Golding works to show that the boys think the island is theirs (as proclaimed by Ralph), but really, the island answers to no one. This passage marks a sort of epiphany of Ralph (although he isn’t completely aware of it), that the boys are guests on the island, and can never tame the beast that is the island, and the beast that they themselves are on the island.
Sarah Johnson – Alison Randazza and Brian Anderson (Piggy’s Glasses)
Both of them chose to write about Piggy’s Glasses, a motif which is interesting in itself first of all. What was most interesting though was that Alison felt that the glasses were a signal of hope all around – a reminder of society and intellect, but Brian felt that the glasses were support for Piggy alone, and a simple tool (correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s what I drew from his speculations). Both I feel are somewhat correct, but I have to agree with Alison that they act as comfort and support for all of the boys, and definitely as a tool, but only as a tool to create more hope and meaning for everyone. The two perspectives are similar but differ slightly, because the glasses are a huge motif that connect to fire and society, two very important motifs, so they don’t have only one meaning. Piggy’s glasses is probably the motif I follow most closely, and I agree with their overall conclusions.
oops i forgot my first part...
Sarah Johnson - Simon
p.89
This is the passage when the boys hold the meeting to discuss the beast, and what is to be done about it. They are all about a material beast, and the only one who seems to understand that the beast cannot be seen or killed is Simon. He tries to explain this, but the uncontrollable boys don't give him a chance. As he tries to articulate himself, he asks jack "what's the dirtiest thing there is?" instead of responding with a comprehensive and thoughtful response, jack answers like any young boy and throws a vulgar word out there. Since they are only boys, they fall apart in hysterics. That's what is so different about Simon - "Simon's effort fell about him in ruins; the laughter beat him cruelly and he shrank away defenseless to his seat." Simon thinks like an adult in the world the boys left, but he can't break through the mob mentality and express himself, which isolates him, making him yet more vulnerable (which is not something he needs). Since Simon can't pretend that he doesn't know what the beast truly is and be one of the boys, but he can't make them see the truth, he cuts himself off from their protection and companionship.
Lucy Wakeman
"PIGGY"
bottom of page 70-top of pg 72
This passage is not solely about Piggy but about all of the boys, including Piggy. The dialogue between them helps to understand Piggy's role in the novel but is also heavy with the foreshadowing of Piggy's demise. Piggy's verbal attack of Jack after he has let the fire out shows Piggy's great common sense towards the boys' situation. He understands that the fire is essential to their rescue. When Piggy backs up his argument, Jack takes his anger out on the intelligent child, showing how Piggy is the scapegoat for everyone's fear, especially Jack's. One of the most significant lines in the passage is towards the end, where Piggy "scramble[s] away till a great rock lay between them"(72). Because we know that a rock, (indirectly) from Jack results in Piggy's death, this speaks loudly about the two boy's relationship.
"THE CONCH"
the majority of chp5, esp pg 89-92
This passage again includes a great amount of dialogue but encompasses the meaning of the conch tremendously. The conch literally and concretly can be compared to the man referred to at the beginning of the novel with the megaphone. The man, in turn represents order from the boys' previous life, with grownups and rules. Abstractly, the conch is the symbol of rules. The rule of whoever holding the conch can speak is extremely important. In this passage, those that respect the conch's rules are considered those with sense, and we can follow these people to their final roles in the novel which all still include some intellect, and consequently non-savage. (For example, Jack, who blatantly disrespected the golden rule of the conch became the leader of the hunters who relied completely on their animal instincts and threw all intellect to the wind.) A person's relationship to the conch is DIRECTLY connected to the role they play at the end of the novel.
"BEN MOORE'S RESPONSE TO THE CONCH"
I hadn't even considered the conch to be a changing entity in the novel and after reading Ben's response, I can see that it is. I also would agree with Ben's deeper explanation of the conch symbolizing civilization and the opposite of "animalistic" human nature.
ok and i cant figure out how to delete those comments and im completely crazy , and i DO know that im not in D block....really. sorry d block, ignore my comments....
Leah Palazola-Jack
pg 74-75
This is when Jack is telling the story of how him and his hunters killed their first pig. "I crept, on hands and knees" (74). This shows how Jack's character is transforming and becoming more animal-like. This relates to the novel's theme of human nature vs. society. Although Jack is not the chief, he comes off to be an aggressive leader. He always wants to be incharge and for people to follow him. As Jack becomes more and more animal or beastlike, he also starts to become more and more uncontrolable. His beast from within is being released.
Leah Palazola-The Fire
pg 80-81
Fire is the most essential thing on the island. The only way the boys could possibly get rescued is if a ship spots the smoke coming from the deserted island. Ralph makes this clear to everyone several times however Jack does not seem to think it is very important considering he was responsible for keeping the fire going and failed. At one point the fire even got out of control. "We nearly set the whole island on fire" (81). Here Ralph is lecturing everyone about how necessary the fire is and how they "-ought to die before we let the fire out" (81). The fire is one of the things that still connects the boys to civilization. It is their only hope of getting rescued. If they don't tender and care for it, it will die just like they will. They allowed the fire to get out of control and burn down part of the island. Fire is essential and valuable only when maintained just as a leader is. A leader is needed to keep structure and organization throughout but the wrong kind of leader can destroy their surroundings.
Leah Palazola-Ben Moore-Jack
I completely agree with how Ben related Jack to being beastlike. The change in his character really symbolizes the relationship between human nature and society. Jack becoming more like an animal shows how he is drifting away from civilization and becoming more like a savage. This also connected perfectly with the fire motif and how both can get out of control.
1. Nick Barusso- Piggy
bottom pg. 83
At this part of the story the group of children are discussing the presence of 'a beast'. Many of the little children are frighten and the hunters claim they will kill it. Piggy however sticks to his values of science and realism and asks quentions denieing the beasts existence.
2. Nick Barusso- Piggy's glasses
bottom pg. 71
Piggy's most valuable possesions are his glasses. They represent the inteligence of the group and the whole society. When they are knocked out of his hands and are damaged, this represents the groups flaw and how the idea of a beast slowly destroys the society.
This shows a theme of society, and how in a society when the group loses its values of intelect over the values of violence, the group will fall apart.
3. Nick Barusso
Ben Moore
The Conch
I agree with Ben on how the children as a group seem to lose the value and purpose of the conch. Also if you notice that the only two people to really follow the rules of the conch are Piggy and Ralph. Piggy represents the groups intelligence and Ralph shows leadership. Becasue these two characters still believe in the conch, it shows how society can only survive with intelligence and leadership.
Analise Sanfilippo-Piggy
Bottom of pg.64
This is when it is mentioned that Piggy's hair never grows and the fact that his glasses flashed when he looked at anything and everything. In this passage it says " Piggys glasses still flashed when he looked at anything" This helps show the importanct of Piggy's glasses to the kids in this chapter. In this passage it was also said that "Piggy is the only boy on the island whose hair never seemed to grow" This in a way helps show that no matter how much the children on the island evolve into more beastlike charaters Piggy is the one who seems to stay grounded when the others start to break under pressure
Analise Sanfilippo- The conch
p. 92
I agree with Ben about the conch being the one thing that being one of the only things that brings the boys more order. On the middle of this page the boys state the different choices they have with using the conch. Ralph says " If I blow the conch and they don't come back; then we've had it. We shan't keep the fire going. We'll be like animals. We'll never be rescued." This is allowing Ralph to help show the power that the conch has between the boys whether or not the boys come back all depends on if they listen to their higher power with is the conch. Ralphs states again " If I dont blow we'll soon be animals anyway." This sentence helps show that whether or not the conch is blown or not there will be kids that will become animalistic.
Hannah Benson-"Ralph"
pg. 64-65
The title of the chapter from which this passage comes from is called "painted faces and long hair" accentuating the inhumane characteristics which the boys have adopted. In this part of the chapter, the boys are constantly described as savage in so many ways, yet through it all Ralph is still seen as a different. On the outside he is described as having the same long-haired characteristics, "his fair hair was plastered over his eyebrows and he pushed it back..." Although Ralph bears the same physical appearance as the other boys, he is still unique in the sense that he is not as self absorbed as the others. This makes him seem like a better leader, and shows why the boys choose him. He looks like them so they feel a comfort from that, but he also shows strong leadership skills that are sincerely attractive in someone that will have some sort of control over ones own self. "Maurice flashed a smile at Ralph who slid easily into the water. Of all the boys, he was the most at home there; but today, irked by the mention of rescue, the useless, footling mention of rescue, even the green depths of water and the shattered, golden sun held no balm. Instead of remaining and playing, he swam with steady strokes under Simon..." Ralph shows his true leadership qualities coming through, and showing that a great leader is different but easy to relate to just as in true government and life.
Hannah Benson-painted scenery
One of my favorite parts of this novel is the way that the scenery is made to be art rather than just background. Through various parts of the novel, landforms are described as colors or "scars" rather than rocks and the site of a plane crash. The island is an important part of the story and it shapes the way the boys behave. The way the island is described gives the reader the idea of watercolors and a painted scene, making the story seem almost more peaceful than it is. It brings some calm to the boys inhumane behavior. "They accepted the pleasures of morning, the bright sun, the whelming sea and sweet air, as a time when play was good and life so full that hope was not necessary and therefore forgotten..." (58) Int he passage itself it states that the beauty of the day brings the boys joy. It is something to look forward too and something they can play with and enjoy.
Hannah Benson-Ben Moore
I don't see the conch as changing at all, rather something that keeps the boys feeling as if they have something in common. They all know what the conch means, and even if they defy it, they all still have the same belief about it. Though order frequently disturbed when there are so many opinions, having one common belief helps to keep people together. Throughout the novel, the boys continually come when they are called, and most listen when one has the conch. I believe it is one of the only things in the story that remains sacred.
Michael Hodgkins - Simon
p.89
During the meeting called by Ralph, to discuss some of the issues the group has been having, the beast is brought up and it's effect on the boys begins to really show. Amongst all the arguing and noise made by the boys, Simon speaks up. He comes to realize that the beast may not be a literal monster. "...maybe it's only us."(89) His words come out, but no one listens. Often Simon would go into the forest to be alone, to be away from the insanity overtaking the island. He represents pure goodness. Even Ralph and Piggy show hints of savage-like behavior. He’s the only one unaffected by the island’s power, and Simon himself is finally starting to realize this.
Michael Hodgkins - The Beast
p82-92
The beast was once just a thought, but as time passes the boys begin to really be affected by the thought of an unknown danger. Throughout chapter five the power of the beast really starts to show. There are several different theories brought up by several different boys. They say it comes out in the night, it comes out of the water, it’s a ghost, it’s a snake, the list goes on. Others, such as Jack, say it doesn’t exist, but uses the fear of his hunters to drive them to kill. Simon claims the beast doesn’t exist physically, but is inside everyone just waiting to come out. As the idea of civilization slips away, the idea of the beast grows.
Michael Hodgkins
Alison Randazza
Piggy's Glasses
The idea Piggy's glasses representing intelligence makes a lot of sense. Intellect was needed to start a fire. On the other hand though, if that symbol of intelligence breaks, the idea it represents breaks along with them.
Emily Philpott- Ralph
pgs. 69-75
During these pages we see the scene where Ralph and Piggy see a ship out on the horizon but they realize that the other boys had let the fire go out while they were off hunting so the ship didn't know they were there. When the boys return Ralph takes his position as the leader and scolds the boys for being so unresponible. Ralph lectures them about how they need to stop fooling around and do what is needed inorder for them to be rescued. We see a very grown up side of Ralph in that scene and we can see how his character is developing as a leader and focusing on what is important. He seems to be the only character that can get he boys in line, even if it is for only a short time.
Emily Philpott- The conch
pg. 92
In this passage, we see that the conch may no longer represent order. Ralph is reluctant to blow the conch because he doesnt believe that the boys will come back. It seems as if the conch represents the boys and is a way for us to see what will happen to them. In the beginning of the story the boys worshiped the conch and always answered its blow but now we start to see them ignore the sound of the conch and stop following the rules that were set. The conch is slowing losing its power and ability to create order just the way the boys are starting to lose it and become savages.
Emily Philpott- Hannah Benson
I agree with han that in the " painted faces and long hair" chapter we see Ralph grow as a leader and take control over the boys. You really do see why he was chosen to be in charge. I also never noticed how Golding tends to seperate Ralph. Even though he is exactly like the other boys he is always seen as different. good observation bean!
Ben Moore
Michael Hodgkins
Simon
Even though I was never assigned Simon, his character has always interested me. After reading Mike’s response about Simon, I completely agree with what he said about him. I think Simon does represent pure goodness. While even Ralph and Piggy have shown some savage-like behavior, Simon is the only one unaffected by the island’s power.
Jay Destino-“Simon”
P88-89
Simon doesn’t often speak his mind to the rest of the kids on the island. He keeps to himself during discussions and helps out the younger kids, and building huts. But he could no resist saying what he thought about the “monster” on the island. On page 88 and 89 he says how he believes in the beast but he doesn’t think it is a actual creature. Yet he thinks the beast was within themselves, and of course his idea is rejected. But his hope was to only make the kids believe in what he was saying and he failed to do so.
Jay Destino-The Conch
P89-92
The conch is used to bring the boys together and helps civilize them in attempt to aviod chaos. Once the topic of a monster on the island was spread in discussion the boys aparted. Ralph refused to blow the shell to reassemble the boys because he didnt have faith that they would regather and the conch would lose its meaning.
Jay Destino
Leah Palazola
Jack
I agree with leah when she notices jacks transformation into a killer and a hunter, and how he becomes animal like crawling on his hands and knees.
Lucy Morgan-Piggy
p. 64
Golding devotes a great deal of detail to describing how their time on the island changes the physical appearances of the boys. On page 64 in reference to Piggy he writes, "He was the only boy on the island whose hair never seemed to grow. The rest were shock-headed, but Piggy's hair still lay in wisps over his head as though baldness were his natural state and this imperfect covering would soon go, like the velvet on a young stag's antlers." This suggests that while the other boys are physically morphing into beasts, Piggy resists the change, as if it is his natural instinct to cling to normalcy, while the other boys quickly adapt to chaos.
This passage demonstrates a recurring theme in the novel regarding the physical changes the boys undergo as they change mentally. It's interesting to see which characters change the most physically, and which characters change the fastest.
Piggy's glasses
p.71-72
This passage describes the most significant event regarding the glasses motif in the book so far. It is made clear that Piggy relies on his glasses for sight. Without them he is unable to connect with the world around him. The boys also rely on his glasses to spark their signal fire. In this passage Jack breaks one of the lenses of Piggy's glasses, alienating Piggy even more from the other boys, and hindering their chances of being rescued.
In this passage the boys begin to lose SIGHT of what's important, catering to the theme of becoming beast-like.
Lucy Morgan-Alison Randazza-Piggy's glasses
Other than their use for starting the fire, it didn't occur to me to consider the glasses as a tool for all of the boys, as opposed to just Piggy. Alison said that the glasses represent rationality and intellect within the group of boys. I agree with that because the rate at which Piggy's glasses become dirty, their glare that casts upon things, and their eventual break, correspond to the boys' increasingly reckless attitudes.
Olivia Brown-Simon
p.89
Throughout the book, so far Simon has been the quiet one of the boys and the one who does not speek out. When Ralph holds a meeting to discuss the beast and how to deal with it, Simon starts to come out of his shell. He lets everyone on the island know what he thinks the beast is and his opinion of it. “…Maybe it’s only us.”(89) Simon is the only on who believes that the beast is not an actual beast like creature but, figurativly a beast. He relizes that the beast is not a creature in the outside world but that it exsists in each and every one of the boys.
Marc Alves
Ralph: Pg. 92
In this passage Ralph evolves and changes as a leader of the boys on the island. When the fire goes out and all of the boys walk away from Ralph, instead of blowing the conch and summoning them back he lets them go. This shows that Ralph realizes the importance of not allowing his power to become and annoyance to the boys so that they will continue to respect him . I believe that if he had used the conch to summon the boys at this point, the conch would have lost its effectiveness.
Pg 80-81: The Fire
The fire is one motif in the book that takes a major chance. At first the fire was a sign of fear and destruction when they left it going and it caused a fire on the island. Then you can see when they see the ship in the horizon they can see that the smoke from the fire is the only hope of them being able to be saved. So you can see the fire sudden shift in importance to being their only hope of being rescued.
I agree with Ben's description of Jack. jacks personality throughout the novel steadily changes into where he can show beast like tendencies. This change is indicated in his chants, obsession with hunting, and his face paint. Each are signs of his progression into a beast.
Leah I truly agree with you about Jack becoming beastlike, and how he tries to take control and wants to be a leader. Out of the whole group Jack seems to be the one who takes on the beastlike nature the most.
Mercedes Lane
Simon
Page 89
In the novel, we see Simon to be a seemingly submissive person. He is kind to the younger boys, much unlike his fellow companions. He is very helpful and willingly does things to improve the boys’ situation. The cruelty of the other boys does not affect him and he remains kind always. On page 89, we see another side of Simon. He speaks out in the group of arguing boys even though he thinks it is a bad idea. He claims that the monster is real, and he tells the other boys that he thinks that the monster is just in their imagination. Even though his ideas are rejected, this is a development in Simon’s character because he is learning to speak out and let his ideas be heard, rather than secluding himself from the discussions.
Mercedes Lane
The Fire
Page 81
Fire is the most important factor in the boys’ lives on the island. The fire is a symbol of life, and the fire itself is their escape plan. The boys hope that a passing ship will see the smoke and save them. It is also a symbol of responsibility; it is a job for some of the boys, Jack in particular. Despite that Ralph explains the fire’s importance frequently, the other boys still resist the idea, and could care less about maintaining it. Jack, who is in charge of tending to the fire, has not been able to keep the fire going, and at one point let it get out of control, nearly destroying the island. In this section of the chapter, Ralph says, “We’ve got to make smoke up there–or die.” Most of the boys do not see the fire’s importance, and Ralph is left to lecture the group on its affect on them. The lack of participation in keeping the fire going shows that the boys do not listen to Ralph’s authority, and in order for them to survive, they need to show respect for the one they chose as their leader.
Mercedes Lane
Marc Alves
Ralph
I agree with Marc’s perspective on Ralph’s authority in the group of boys. Ralph is gradually learning how to treat the boys in order to maintain the idea that he is their leader. He does not want them to see him as a bother, and to overthrow his rules. Rather than quickly blowing the conch, and becoming angry with the group, Ralph let’s the situation take care of itself.
Meghan Ciaramitaro
(1)
PIGGY
PG 71-72
This passage shows growth in Piggy. He is always pushed around and teased by the other boys, but he knows whats right and what needs to be done. The boys did not listen when he repeatedly told them a fire was nessacary for rescue. Jack picks a fight with Piggy over this, even though he knows he had done wrong. The constant fear of not having a fire, shows up many times and will eventually cause others to realize the fire is a big priority for survival.
(2)
THE CONCH
[is used various times in chp 4-6]
From the start the conch was able to call order to the boys. They would listen because they knew it was important. After time, it seemed it lost that importance. When certain people, for example Piggy, would speak, he would not be heard. Some would ignore his words or feel they could talk over him and argue with him. Even Ralph, their leader, had challangers who thought they knew better. Through all of this, when it came down to the real deal Ralph was hesitant to blow the conch.
(3)
lucy morgan, piggy's hair.
Lucy talks about the physical apperances of the boys is relaying an image of who they are turning into on the inside. The boys hair grows and covers their heads, while piggy's stays the same as when they first arrived to the island. Lucy's connection with the hair on the boys and the beasts that lie inside of them is brilliant.
Angelo Ingaharro- ralph
p. 79-82
in this part of the book, Ralph has gathered everyone for one of the most important meetings thus far. Everyone on the island seems to be slowly abandoning the rules set down from the begining so Ralph reminds everyone of their duties, like keeping the fire going and filling the shells with fresh water, as well as common courteousness, like useing behind the rocks as a bathroom and bringing food to the fire so there arnt little fires everywhere. Although he is interupted constantly, he continues to talk for the sake of everyone. The rules are important to Ralph because he represents being civilized and following the rules in the main theme of the story, as opposed to savage and beast-like, like the hunters.
Angelo Ingaharro- the shell
bottom of p. 15-17 and p. 92
In the begining of the book, Ralph and Piggy find the conch shell. Piggy tells Ralph about his friend using one to make noise. Ralph tries to blow through it to make noise and eventually does. After using the conch to make noise, the other boys find piggy and Ralph. They decide it can be used to gather the boys for meetings to inform them of any news. This was a way for them to talk to eachother and stay civilized. By chapter 5 however, most of the boys start to lose respect for the shell as they become more beat-like. Ralph worries about useing it to gather the boys again because he knows that if they dont respond, then the shell truely will have lost its meaning.
Angelo Ingaharro-Mike Hodgkins-the beast
I though it was a very good description of the beast. miths and rumors form this way and manifest into something far greater than it ever had to be. jack being the manipulator of this fear for self gain, while others try to understand it. it all gets rapped up into human nature, which is a part to the main theme of this book.
Kathryn Heassler
Maurice
p. 60
The first half of the page is talking about the younger children on the island ("littluns") and how they have been unhappy and bothered while living on the island. We are then introduced to two of the older boys, Roger and Maurice, who are pestering the littluns. Roger doesn't seem to be bothered by what he is doing to the boys, but Maurice's conscience makes him uncomfortable with his actions. He coyly walks away from the scene of his and Roger's crime. "In his other life Maurice had received chastisement for filling a younger eye with sand. Now, though there was no parent to let fall a heavy hand, Maurice still felt the unease of wrongdoing." (60) Maurice's actions reveal that he is just human, and can see what was wrong in his actions, and feels guilt for it, which Roger apparently doesn't. If a person doesn't feel regret or wrongdoing for an unkind action, then they are still human, but not necessarily humane and morally correct.
Kathryn Heassler
Light/Dark
p. 58 and 59
Throughout the novel, there are hints to the contrasting between the light and the dark, whether it be between the daytime and the nighttime, or the older, rougher boys and the innocent littluns. As day turns into night, the boys' world is transformed. "At midday the illusions merged into the sky and there the sun gazed dowm like an angry eye, then, at teh end fo the afternoon, the mirage subsided and the horizon become level and blue and clipped as the sun declined. That was another time of comparative coolness, but menaced by the coming of the dark. When teh sun sank, darkness dropped on the island like an extinguisher and soon the shelters were full of restlessness, under teh remote stars." The boys were troubled by the unsettling nature that surrounded them. The older and younger boys were uncomforted by the mirages they witnessed, but were unsure of what they saw. The nature around the boys was attempting to make the boys uneasy, but the boys do not seem to have any place to go to, so they are stuck there, living on the island that doesn't seem to want them there.
Nicole Miller-Jack (pg 64)
The fact that jack has discovered the use of a mask is a foreshadowing of the future deterioration of society, because when we hide behind a mask we are liberated and feel utterly free to live by our own codes of conduct. He never felt bold until he could hide behind it.
Nicole Miller-Fire- (pg71)
the events that occur on this page (the fact that Jack neglected the fire for hunting, when a boat passed and they could have been rescued) shows that the animalistic side of nature can be more powerful to the boys than the thought of rescue (and their logical,intelligent halves) . it also seems a precursor to the events that ensue.
Nicole Miller-Ben Moore-The Conch
I agree with Ben's comment that the conch's power over the boys is dimming. I feel that it still holds some power until it is completely shattered however.
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