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WELCOME

Welcome ! hope you enjoy blogging and reading my responses! hope you give me good feedback~

MAIN CHARACTERS

*Who are the main characters in the novel? Do you like them? Why or why not? What is special about them? What do they reveal about the human experience?*

After I finished reading the novel, only three main characters popped inside my mind. One was the protagonist, which was Ralph, and the other was the antagonist, which was Jack. I thought that one additional character must have been Piggy instead of Simon or Roger because Piggy played a higher, important role in the novel more than any other characters summed together. Roger was only like an official to Jack because he was strong. Simon wasn’t mentioned a lot in the novel because he was shy and secretive.

Ralph, the protagonist of the story, symbolizes leadership, authority, law, and civilization. What makes him an interesting character is that he is different compared to other kids in the island; in a good point of view. There aren’t many people like him in the reality just because of his characteristics. What makes him such a good and noble character is because of the actions and feelings he displayed in the novel. When most of the other boys were concerned merely playing and having fun, he takes his responsibility as a leader and thinks about tactics or moves that he would do which would maximize the chances of being rescued. Whenever the assembly was taken place, Ralph would be eloquent in speech so that others can easily comprehend what he’s saying. I like this character, not just because he possesses good characteristics, but some of them are similar to mine. I’m not like a leadership type of person, but I can truly say that I follow the law and respect the authority. In addition, I try to act civilized as possible as a normal human being. Also, I like that Ralph remains calm even after most of the characters are modified into savages. Even though it is very tempting to be transformed into one of Jack’s tribe, Ralph knows his origin background and strongly opposes it. He knows that being a British boy doesn’t mingle with things that doesn’t make who he really is.

In the other hand, Jack, the antagonist of the story, represents savagery, violence, and hatred. Therefore, because he has the opposite characteristics of Ralph, he likes to do acts that involve killing and murder. Since he is a persistent hunter, he likes to hunt down pigs and try to imitate the pig, or forces others in the tribe to imitate. Because many of them didn’t realize that their true destiny or hope was to be rescued from the island, Jack was able to influence many of the boys into his clan because he promised to offer them food, shelter, and some fun. Jack wasn’t only able to influence the boys by his promises, because he shared the same traits with many other boys. He wanted fun, freedom, like the other and sometimes add a bit of thrill in his life, like killing pigs. The “thrill” made Jack and his crew savages without their realization. In my opinion, I truly hate this character. Since I am a Christian, Jack reminds me as the antichrist. I believe that he has no faith or whatsoever in being rescued, but shows only concern in slaughtering few pigs for his/her small pleasure. Because of his savagery, Jack hates to negotiate with things; instead, he performs a horrible act which even gives him pleasure. For example, when Piggy was eliminated at Castle Rock, Jack showed no sympathy for Piggy. He didn’t kill Piggy, but he should have at least apologized, instead, he cheers with his crew. As I see it, I think Jack is a sinner, a sinner with excess responsibility, which will never be resolved.

Piggy is definitely smart, intellectual, and wise. Out of all the characters in the novel, he is the most intellectual boy. Piggy undergo lot’s of humiliation and disgrace from other kids because it seems like many other boys envy his intellect, but mostly he is teased because of his physical appearance and his name, Piggy. Whatever actions that he does seem different compared to the other boys. Even though many boys tease him around, he has the courage to say what is right and what is not. Because he has the brains, he supports Ralph by telling him several things he should do to help improve the chances of being rescued. I think that Piggy represents the intelligent people in reality but also the authority, because he does not break any sort of laws that were created in the beginning. For example, he spoke when the conch was held in his hands, and kept reminding the others that the whole point of the rescue depends on the fire. Together, I dislike and like this character. I like him because possesses an intellectual brain which I envy. As a person, I’m not intellectual myself like many people say, but I shouldn’t be discouraged by that. I dislike the character as well because I felt that he was respect the authority too much. Everywhere in the scene Piggy appeared, he always followed the rules, which drove me nuts. He should be having some fun at his age and caring less about deep issues. I’m not saying that he should not follow every single rule, but somehow he should slightly decrease it. It seems like he’s about to explode because of too much stress following the authority.

Because the world has a limitless number of people, all of us are distinguished from other people. Even though we are distinguished, we all still have evil nature inside of us. Sometimes, when some of us cannot control it because the task we are given is too hard too hard to overcome, we let it go and become like humiliated people. We won’t all be savages, because that’s a perspective from the novel. Some of us can defend the evil nature that is stored in us and forever remain civilized people, and be renowned for it.

SETTING

*Are there any settings in the novel which you have found to be beautiful? Or disturbing? Or memorable? Describe these settings and comment on why they were meaningful to you.*

The single and only setting in the novel, the island, was beautiful and memorable to me. After the plane crashed down, the boys find themselves marooned into a strange, unknown island. They don’t know what the island is capable of or what strange features that the island unleashes.

The island seemed beautiful to me because the way William Goldberg had described the island descriptively made me visualize a beautiful island. He used powerful words to describe the things in the island that made me have more thoughts of a beautiful island. There was a variety of things that were stored in the island, which made the island altogether beautiful. According to the novel, it said that there were hot sands, dense forests, young palm trees, lagoons, and beaches. Goldberg’s use of adjectives and nouns made me imagine the setting in my mind once more. In addition, I thought that the island was beautiful because there were beautiful objects stored in the island. Many peculiar objects were found, like the conch. Not only did the conch resemble beauty for its physical appearance, but because it made clear sounds. Also, the reactions that the kids had made made me think of a beautiful setting. While some boys like Ralph worked hard, some others swam in the ocean or built sandcastles. This shows that the boys were satisfied with the island because everything that was essential was there for human live but also for entertainment purposes. Therefore, I thought this island was beautiful.

The island was not just beautiful, but it was the island itself was memorable as well. Since there were many components in the island, I thought that each of them symbolized something, and altogether the island symbolized a small community where I used to live: the Netherlands.
I used to live in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, for 5 years. While I settled there, I didn’t make a lot of friends basically because I was a different race from the majority of the people. Many people there were racists and made crude comments that were depressing to me. However, there were some people that were in the good side of me as well. Luckily, they were the only ones who relieved me.
Eindhoven was filled with natural features near my house. Many trees were present beside my house and there were sand grounds that I could play with. Also, if I walked a few meters from my house, I could play soccer because usually the huge, soccer field was empty.
You know where in Korea’s swimming pools you must wear those hats and pay for the rides? In the Netherlands, the swimming pools were even bigger and cheaper, and no hats were even needed.
As I mentioned before, the island was memorable to me because the island was symbolic to the place where I used to reside: Eindhoven. Like in the novel, the people in the Netherlands varied. The people at my school who were racists were savages like Jack’s crew, and the people who helped me and took responsibility of me were people like Ralph and Piggy. It wasn’t just two sides, there were people who were quiet and cared less like Simon. Or others who were strong, evil, and timid were like Roger. Many natural features that were displayed reminded me of the trees and the fruits in the island. The waters of the island reflected the swimming pools of the Netherlands, primarily because they were cheap, worthy, and big, when compared to Korea’s swimming pools.

MY ENTRY

*Why do you think that the title is called The Lord of the flies? Why?*

After I finished reading the novel, I began to ask myself lots of questions. Some parts in the novel were ambiguous and I was sure that I needed some clarification. I had one particular question that baffled me the most. Why did William Goldberg name the novel, The Lord of the Flies? I pondered this question after I realized that the plot of the novel didn’t follow the meaning of the title. In most cases, the title foreshadows the plot or the story of the novel. This book didn’t follow that way as I expected to be. The story is clearly about the boys stranded in an island, but what does it have to do with the title? To clarify myself with the question, I tried to find the meaning of the title by reading the part when the lord of the flies was mentioned. The only, single time that the lord of the flies was mentioned was when Simon sees the slaughtered pigs surrounded by flies. Unexpectedly, the head speaks to him. It tells Simon that the beast isn’t outside in the island, but in each individual that inhabits there. After I read the words of this certain scene between Simon and the pig, I think that I have finally grasped why William Goldberg’s chose the title. In my opinion, I believe Goldberg wanted to show that human nature was evil and also because he wanted to build a relationship between the title and the theme, but not the plot. To do this, Goldberg showed symbolism with the pig’s head to a beast. The lord of the flies was depicted through a pig’s head surrounded by flies because the actions Jack and his hunters performed shows how corrupt and savage we are. Therefore, we have the beast in us ourselves. Like Jack, sometimes we do not tend to control it and let it wander off, which makes us savages in character. But other times, we can restrain it.

CLIMAX

*What is the climax of the novel? What happens? How do the events of this novel make you feel?*

In my opinion, I think that the climax of the novel was the scene when Jack’s crew breaks in the shelters and steals Piggy’s glasses. I thought this was the climax because the glasses symbolized a signal of hope for the rescue. The glasses were used to make a fire so that the Jack and Piggy would have the slightest possibility in getting rescued. The glasses were the only hope for them because they were the only ones who believed in the true path of life. What I mean by this is that they were the only ones who were willing to be rescued, and live fuller life like normal kids, unlike how Jack’s crew acts. Jack and his hunters thought that having fun and eating meat in the island was living a good life, but as I see it, it’s just dumb. They won’t go anywhere but be trapped by their choice.

When the glasses were raided by Jack’s crew, the disastrous event portrays the point-of-no-return. Since they took the glasses, there is no more need of hope or determination in being rescued. First, there is no way they can steal the glasses back without intellectual tactics, which Ralph and Piggy haven’t got. They have no special weapons or access to high technology in order to stop them. Besides, if they did go back to steal it, there is no way they would come back alive because they are outnumbered. After Jack took Piggy’s glasses, it left Piggy blind and unseen. Because of Piggy’s blindness, I thought that Piggy was the only hope for Ralph. Right after he was blind, he had no sight, which made his mind baffle and confused. When Ralph had some sort of trouble, Piggy would resolve the conflict for him because he had the brains to analyze everything for him. Now, without Piggy’s glasses, it seems as if Ralph is on his own, because Piggy is blinded in his intellect. He cannot help Ralph because his glasses left him. The glasses that Piggy wore made him strong, have good vision and smart, but without it, I think that he is weak. The glasses symbolized science and intellect that Piggy possessed, but it was taken away.

This event made me feel angry and hot. Not merely because Jack stole the glasses, but he was using them for a different purpose. It was as if he was playing with them, because he was using them to cook meat, when he should be using it with more important things. The important things are what Ralph says but all of Jack and his crew neglect him. This shows that he is disrespectful and neglectful, but as well as showing no apathy and concern. Jack confidently steals the glasses in Piggy’s face during the middle of the night. Even though Piggy remains blind without his glasses, they aren’t returned when they were used.

MOOD

*What is the mood of the novel? Do you find this novel saddens you in any way? *

The overall mood of the novel is indeed dark, tragic, violent, and depressing, although the novel sheds some happiness in the beginning part of the book. The mood had rapidly shifted from the idea of happiness to grief and sorrow. However, I did not notice the shift happen because the scene where the shift happened was quick and the general mood displayed throughout the novel was grief and tragic.

I wasn’t expecting deaths like my first novel, Animal Farm. Many events had happened that was tragic and depressing. The novel didn’t sadden me by these tragic events, but plainly due the cause of it. At first, the boys were unified as a whole. Later, the groups collided into two separate groups, just because they had different opinions. This isn’t the event that is tragic and depressing. The event in the novel where I find sad is when the boys follow Jack. As I see it, I think that Jack should have followed what Ralph told him. Jack should have realized that Ralph was wiser, so that he couldn’t influence his ways to the kids because it’s wrong. More and more of the kids in the island aren’t realizing that if they want pleasure, that’s all they will get, nothing more or nothing less. If the kids and bigger ones had realized that Ralph’s words weren’t gibberish, the once-in-a-lifetime helicopter would have seen their smoke. It’s was simple knowledge, because Jack and his hunters were only responsible in keeping the fire awake.
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In addition, the killings and the invasions had occurred many times. The actions that Jack and his hunters performed are pretty sad to look. They aren’t depicted what normal humans would do but more likely a picture of savage animals. It’s sad to see that Jack and his hunters forget the meaning behind their existence. They weren’t created to kill another human being. They have learned rules and laws at school or from their parents, but why not use it to be rescued? When Jack should be influencing the kids to act properly and get rescued, Jack opposes it. This is sad in the novel because it seems as if Jack loses his identity and impacts others to join him. He makes the others just like him and leads brutal acts. One time, Jack’s crew would break Ralph’s shelters and steals their knives and glasses. This was only the beginning. Later on, when the hunters and Jack were doing the war dance, they saw a random, black figure, and thought it as a monster even without seeing it. In the end, the “thing” they had killed is Simon. When Piggy was about to speak, the hunters threw down a large rock, which smashed Piggy’s head. Who knows what would be next if the pilot did not reach Ralph on time? After they kill Ralph, would they kill themselves?

THEME

*What is the major theme of the novel? Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2008?*

“Each and every person in this world has a side of an evil nature in which is incapable to unleash or deplete from them; As a result, everyone will have this beast eternally and will commit brutal crimes when it is not restrained.”

I think that this is the theme because the scene between the interaction of Simon and the lord of the flies revealed the ultimate truth that the beast is automatically is stored in us. Simon realizes that the beast caused the chaos of savagery. In the beginning of story, Jack and Ralph acted overly kind towards each other. Soon, there were hardships because of different opinions. Jack forgot the whole initiative of the rescue and revealed the evil side of his nature. The beast or the evil nature that was in him exploited his mind, and as a result, he transformed from a civilian to a savage-like person, and influenced many others with him.

People in the world will always have an evil nature. During a certain time period you were born, the evil nature has been automatically stuck inside of you, mentally, but not physically. It was essential to do so, so that we, humans, will be challenged and live their life’s imperfectly. We are challenged sometimes by our evil nature, but we must try our best to face the beast inside us and restrain it, or else we would perform serious actions that would be detrimental to others or the society.
In this book, nearly every person fell to the level of Jack’s savagery except those that were able to see that evil such as Ralph, Simon, and Piggy. Those three people who were aware of the evil didn’t transform into a savage-like person like Jack because they faced his temptation that Jack brought and won against it. The three boys continuously restrained that beast, or the evil nature, as a result, which separated them as the only group who were civilized.
The theme is important to a teenager living in 2008. The theme tells us as teenagers that we must be careful when the part of our evil nature comes along, and when our good nature retires. Some point in a teenager’s life, we may think of negative thoughts because of an overburden of stress. Some people have the stress caused by an English project or intense math problems in math homework. Due to our negative thoughts, we forget what we actually need to do and urge to give up. The actions that we did are transforming us from what we actually are supposed to be. Next time, it may be possible that common teenagers in our grade may want to smoke to relieve the pain of this suffering. However, we should be fighting the evil part of our nature, the parts we generally avoid, and keep on fighting until we forget to the point that it’s even there. If a teenager is smoking because he is stressful, he/she must overcome his/her obstacle no matter how hard it is until the evil part of our nature has faded away!

The intro

Welcome to my blog. The second novel that I have read is the Lord of the Flies. I hope that you all will enjoy reading my responses without hesistation.