Chapter 7: Shadows and Tall Trees

In chapter 7 William Golding reveals his beliefs that all humans have the tendency to act like beasts. Throughout the entire book the boys have started reverting back to animal like tendencies, but Golding’s beliefs about it are more apparent in this chapter. For example, when Ralph and the other boys were trying to catch the pig, Ralph "was full of fright and apprehension and pride” (113) after his spear hit the pig in the snout. On any other normal basis, this doesn't seem like something that Ralph would take pride in. Ralph is showing the human tendency to act like a beast because on any normal occasion, Ralph wouldn't be the type of person to take pride in injuring an animal. However, given the circumstances, he has to in order to eat. In addition, when the boys were reenacting the pig chase they made Robert play the pig and, "Robert squealed in mock terror, then real pain" (114). None of them even realized that Robert wasn't playing along anymore. They were treating him like an animal and nobody saw anything wrong with it. This is an example of how humans have the tendency to act like beasts because, as the boys are adjusting to life on the island they're becoming more aggressive and almost losing a part of their morals, which is causing them to become beast like.

Chapter 5: Beast from Water

1.) Ralph is different now from the way he was the first time he walked on the beach because now he is starting to come to terms with his situation. At first he always thought about being rescued and brought home but now he is starting to realize that they wont be found. This is causing him to transform into a stronger leader. He is being a stronger leader because he knows that now that since they probably wont get rescued, he needs to establish order and stability so that they can have a strong foundation and survive out on the island.

2.) Ralph blows the conch which signals for everyone to meet up at the beach. The tone of this     meeting is more stern and serious then some of their meetings in the past. Ralph is angry with the group and wants to make them realize the severity of their situation. He talks about how nobody helped to build the shelters, how nobody is following the rules that were set to keep order and peace, and how nobody’s doing their jobs.

3.) The quote completed is: “We’ve got to have smoke up there- or die.” Ralph is talking about the fire in this quote, and how its the only chance of them getting rescued and surviving. He’s saying that its the most important thing on the island, and it should be their main focus to keep the fire alive. He is right about the smoke being more important than catching a pig because the fire is their only hope of having a boat see them and rescue them. He is wrong about the fire being more important than catching a pig because the boys are in desperate need of meat. All they've been eating is fruit and its causing problems with their bodies. 

4.) Jack says to the younger boys that they shouldn't get scared and worry about the beast. He says this to calm them down because they don’t need any added stress and he wants everyone to feel as safe as possible. He is being sensible by trying to be the adult and calming everyone down. Also because he doesn't believe in monsters, so he thinks its all their imagination. 

5.) The littluns are starting to behave more and more paranoid. Their paranoia is caused by the “monster” that they think comes out at night. To add to that a new theory is made, that the monster comes out from the ocean only at night. They start to cry because they are so scared of the monster. 

6.) Simon comes up with the idea that they should go to “a place he knows” in the jungle at night, but its dangerous because the littluns are still afraid of the monster and Simon’s the only one thats been there before. His idea is quickly dismissed and leaves Simon feeling humiliated. 

7.) The meeting ends when Jack and Piggy fight about the conch. Jack runs away and all the littluns follow him. 

8.) At the end of the chapter they wish that there was a way to communicate with the adults in their families because they still have a tiny bit of hope left of getting rescued. They miss the idea of having older people to keep them in line, and they miss civilization. 

Chapter 4: Painted Faces and Long Hair

In chapter 4 of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, Jack begins to physically transform. Jack is beginning to care so much about killing a pig that its the only thing he thinks about or worries about. He is also starting to become less civilized. For example, when Jack went out hunting it says that he, “"began to dance and his laughter turned into a bloodthirsty snarl" (Golding 64). His surrounding are transforming him into becoming almost animal like. The only thought that is occupying his mind is killing a pig, and its making him become sort of crazy. At the beginning of the book the thought of blood stopped Jack from killing a pig, but now he is thirsty for blood. He is turning into a predator. In addition, when Jack was getting ready to go hunting, "He made one cheek and one eye-socket white, then he rubbed over the other half of his face and slashed a black bar of charcoal across from right ear to left jaw" (Golding 63). This quote is another example of how Jack is started to revert to animal instincts. He is getting very into hunting and he is determined to bring back a pig for the boys and himself. This new him is changing his perceptions of himself because its probably making him feel like he has more power. Since he is in charge of killing a pig, people are depending on him and with the responsibility comes a sense of authority. His behaviors towards others are also starting to change. For example, he hit Piggy and broke a lens of his glasses. He is starting to feel like he is above the other boys and its making him meaner.

Chapter 3: Ralph and Jack

Jack and Ralph are pretty similar in the sense that they both act somewhat as “leaders”, but they are also very different. Ralph is more hardworking and selfless. For example, when Ralph was complaining to Jack he said, “All day I’ve been working with Simon. No one else. They're off bathing, or eating, or playing” (Golding 50). Ralph has been working for days to make shelters, and hasn't gotten much help. He shows how selfless he is because even though no one else is committed to helping besides him and Simon, he continues to make the shelters because he knows in the end they will benefit everyone. He is very determined and that is also shown when he says to Jack, “You remember the meeting? How everyone was going to work hard until the shelters were finished?” (Golding 50). Everyone else has quit making the shelters besides Ralph and Simon. This shows how determined Ralph is because even though everyone else quit, he is still continuing to work. Jack on the other hand isn't as motivated and hardworking as Ralph. For example, when Jack came back from hunting he was complaining to Ralph and he said, “We want meat” (Golding 51). He is complaining about not having any meat, yet he is the hunter and he gave up hunting. Jack could have just kept trying until he caught something, but instead he gave up and complained. If it were Ralph he probably would have continued working until he was finished, because he knows how much the entire group depends on it. Ralph seems to be more mature and seems to have more of the qualities of a leader. 

Prompt #4

I’m relating this book, “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, to the movie “Castaway”. In the first chapter of this book I’ve learned that a plane carrying a group of boys crashed over the ocean, and the boys became stranded on an island with no civilization. The story line of “Castaway” is similar, a plane crashes over the ocean and a man is stranded on an island all by himself. In both cases the main character(s) have to learn how to adapt and survive in their new environment. For example, in “Lord of the Flies”, when Jack couldn't get himself to kill the pig, he thought to himself, “Next time there would be no mercy” (Golding 31). This shows how they are learning how to adapt to their new environment because they have to learn how to kill animals in order to be able to get their own food. They are both completely isolated from the outside world and have to make do with what they have. There are differences however, such as the fact that in “LOTF” there is a group of boys, and in “Castaway” there is only one man all by himself. The concept faced of being desperate for food brings to mind the issues that less privileged people have to face, because some things that seem so easy to get for us may be a struggle to get for some other people.