Question #8

Put entry of your choice.

For the entry of my choice, I want to talk about its unique ending. At the end of the story, there was a big fire in the mountain. It almost burned all the trees in the island. When Ralph escaped from the mountain and was crawling down, he saw the Navy. The Navy came to the island when they saw the big fire spreading. Ralph felt revealed, thinking that he is now safe from the war. Ralph really struggled a lot from the war that happened at the island. Boys were murdering each other and the fire also made him feel very stressful. It was like a war there at the beautiful island. So coming of Navy was a very relieving for Ralph. Moreover, the story sounded like it ended there. However, if you think closely, there is another conflict that Ralph has to face. The background of this story is when the World War I was going on. Maybe the Navy ship’s destination was the place where the war was going on. That means that Ralph and all the other boys were rescued by the war ship. Even though Ralph ended with the small war at the island, he now has to face the bigger war, which is the World War I. Ralph may think that he is now over with that sickening war, but he is actually involved in much bigger war. I think it was very clever for the author to make an ending like that since it leaves us readers some questions at the end. ‘What will happen to Ralph and Jack?’ questions like this will stick in my head for a long period of time.

Question #7

Are there any settings in this 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 island where the pathetic drifted boys landed is absolutely stunning. William Golding described the island so beautifully in the novel. When I read about all the palm trees, shining sands, emerald sea water and pink rocks especially, I really wanted to go to that island for my summer vacation. I think whole island itself is so memorable to me. All the sea shells and lovely rocks are irresistibly attractive not only to me but all the other reader in the whole world. The island didn’t sound so big in the novel because teenage boys were able to climb the entire mountain, only spending couple of hours (or maybe only an hour). But tiny islands are sweet, too. It would have sound stranger if it was described as a humongous island. I can just imagine the little ‘uns, swimming under the green blue ocean, laughing and joking. It’s just like a paradise in dreams. I can’t really believe that the tragedy actually happed at this charming island. I think the author purposely created a pretty island like this to make the story ironic. It is really contrastive because the horrible and unforgettable murder occurred in a place so wonderful island like this. The author could have created a somber setting, but it was more interesting for readers with an ironic settings. I think it is one of the best backgrounds I have ever read in my whole entire life. I really liked reading a novel with a setting like this.

Question #6

Please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you.

Why is this passage meaningful?

Please type it into one of your entries and comment on what you think about the passage.

““This is ridiculous. You know perfectly well you’ll only meet me down there- so don’t try to escape!” ….. ..“I’m warning you. I’m going to get angry. D’ you see? You’re now wanted. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island! So don’t try it on, my poor misguided boy, or else-“ Simon found he was looking into a vast mouth. There was blackness within, a blackness that spread. “-Or else” said the Lord of the Flies, “we shall do you? See? Jack and Roger and Maurice and Robert and Bill and Piggy and Ralph. Do you. See?” Simon was inside the mouth. He fell down and lost conciseness.” (page 143, 144)

This passage was meaningful to me in many ways. First, it was actually first official dialogue of the Lord of the Flies. Previous, the Lord of the Flies appeared, but he basically talked to himself so this passage reveals the identity of him. Also, this tells us that the Lord of the Flies is the ‘evil one’. From reading this passage, readers can find out that the Lord of the Flies not only knows everyone in the island, but he can control them. When Simon talked with him, he threatens Simon that if Simon tries to escape (if he tries to tell anyone the truth), then he would kill him. If I was in Simon’s position, I would have frozen just like him. Simon face to faced the dark evil itself, so I can imagine how frightened he was. I don’t want to think about having a one o one meeting with the evil itself by myself. Simon eventually ends his life because he tried to tell everyone what the real evil was. I personally liked Simon so I was sad when he died. I think Simon was a very braze and righteous boy since he tried to reveal the truth regardless of the threats from the evil. I think he is so admirable boy. I wouldn’t have made the same choice if I were him. This passage was the most impressive passage of all to me because it was the point where all the problems were solved.

Question #5

What is the mood of this novel?

What happens?

How do the events of this novel make you feel?

The mood is this novel is dark. There’s no other word than ‘dark’ to describe the mood of this novel. At first, because of the stunning setting, I thought this novel will be a happy story, on the contrary of the previous novel I read, which is The Animal Farm. I should have realized the mood when Jack was eager to kill pigs! Anyways, the murdering of the teenagers shocked me a lot. I mean, they are younger than me, and they are murders? How can they be corrupted like that? I learned lots and lots of lessons throughout the book. I learned that controlling my temper is one of the most important elements in lives. I felt bad in several different situations as I read this novel. For example, when the boys mistreated Piggy just because he was fat, I was really angry. Piggy was actually the smartest kid out of all, but they just ignored him, judging the book by its cover. When Piggy conversed about their foolishness at the mountain, I was like “Yeah! Piggy! You’re the smartest kid. Ignore what they say, and just say what you want to say!” Actually, I think other readers felt the same when they were reading that part. I think Jack killed Piggy because Piggy was the one who always said what’s true. Everyone hates hearing what’s right, no? That’s why I felt blue of Piggy’s death. This novel really creates the dark force inside us. Even though it was a dark and gloomy book, I really liked William Golding (the author)’s idea.

Question #4

What is the climax of this novel?

What happens?

How do the events of this novel make you feel?

The climax of this story is when Jack kills Piggy. There is a point when he killed Simon too, but this event entirely turned Ralph’s perspective. Before this event occurred, Ralph too was power-hungered, selfish and prejudiced boy. He favored Jack and his choir since they were the strong body guards for him. Anyways, when Jack killed Piggy, Ralph himself has to make an essential decision. Ralph has to join the abominable Jack and his members, and if he does not join them, they will probably kill Ralph too. This is really the ‘point of no return’ in Ralph’s life. He is not sure if he can escape from the island or not, so he finally decides to follow Jack’s will in order to survive. I would have made the same choice if I was Ralph. Surviving is the crucial problem, and it’s very important for him to live so that he can go back to his normal life. Actually, this shocking event ruffled me a lot. I didn’t know that this novel has a dark climax like this. When I was reading this part, I got very frustrated. I felt sorry for Ralph (whom I didn’t really appreciate at first) at that point, and I was especially angry at Jack. I think this book has a very strong climax that really tells us something. It’s not the best climax I have read in my life, but I think the dark climax really hooked me into the novel once again.

Question #3

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 universal human experience?

Main characters in the novel are Ralph, Piggy, Simon, and Jack. I personally don’t like Ralph. It sounds like Ralph is the protagonist of the novel, but I have no interest in him. Even though he is the leader of the group, he didn’t listen to other people’s opinion. On the contrary, I really liked Piggy. In the story, Piggy came out to be the fat, annoying and useless boy. But from his dialogue, I can see that Piggy is actually the smart one. For example, when the boys tried to set fire, Piggy told them that they will burn the whole island. Also, he was the one who discovered the disappearance of the little boy. I really like Piggy, so I felt very uncomfortable when they murdered Piggy. Through out the whole book, I had pity on Piggy. Simon is one other character that I really liked. Simon was gentle and intelligent hard-worker. This novel killed two characters that I had favor, so this book is certainly not my best book of all. Jack is kind of antagonist of the novel. He is cruel, harsh and selfish boy. I didn’t know that a young boy can be corrupted that much. Actually, I recognized his cruelty when he worked that hard to kill a pig. Characters in the story revel a lot about universal human experience. They explain fairly well about our natural desire toward power. In the story, everyone wanted to gain control. Even though they had a leader, they choose their own way regardless of them. Since there’s no good leader, they all became greedy and selfish. From this novel, we can see what’s really inside our heart.

Question #2

Are there any current situations in the world that relate to the novel?

What are they, and how do they relate?

Does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved for "fixed"?

There is no current war in the World, so I picked a non-fresh situation. I want to relate the World War I and World War II with The Lord of the Flies. At the end story, we can see that Ralph and other survived boys got involved in a bigger war. Ralph thought it will all go smoothly and peacefully since they are rescued. But the reality was different since they were shipped to someplace worse. The World War I and World War II are similar with this situation. After the World War I, the whole World blamed Germany. They demanded Germany to pay for all the damages caused by the war. Also, they didn’t let Germany to create their own army. When the World had this decision, they thought the war was over. They thought that the war will end with no more harms. But actually, they ended up with more serious result. Angry Germans rebelled because they couldn’t obey the decisions other countries made. Since they couldn’t afford all the damages, they let Adolph Hitler to be in control along with a huge army. That is the start of the World War II. Basically, the idea of peace was broken. The war did not end, but it brought bigger war. I think this is very similar with what happened at the Lord of the Flies. Even though the World War II is over, there are some people who think that World War III will start soon. I think I also can relate this to the novel because the mistreatments towards North Korea made the North Koreans angry. Since North Korea is developing nuclear weapons, I agree that the World War III will soon occur. I think I should start praying before what we read in the Lord of the Flies won’t replay.

Question #1

What is the major theme of this novel?

Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?

I think the major theme of this novel is “Face your fear.” This really stuck in mind as I read the novel. In the context, when one of the little ‘uns said that there is a huge snake, almost everyone was in fear. I thought there was really a snake at first, but as time passed, bigger monsters appeared and I then realized that all the monsters they said are actually their fear. There weren’t any creatures at the island, but they just made it up because of their fear. Basically, they feared at nothing but themselves. I really felt sympathy about that. If I’m alone at home, I keep on getting this feeling that I’m being watched. Also, I get this creepy feeling that I’m keep on hearing something. Without any hesitation, I imagine myself, kidnapped and tortured by strangers whenever I hear something. I think this theme is very important to every teenagers living in 2007. Teenagers especially have more fear than anyone. We all feel unsafe, sad, anticipated at this age time. That is why so many teenagers commit suicide. They always feel gloomy and unsecured about their lives. I want all teenagers to feel safe. If they don’t feel that way, serious consequences that happened in the novel might also happen in the real life. So it is super crucial for teenagers to get rid of their fear. Life is too short just to terrify. “Face your fear!” Rainbow always appears after thunderstorms and harsh rains^^.