Anthem: Chapter 2

In the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand, the author’s message about relationships is that they aren't supposed to be formed. For example, when Equality 7-2521 is thinking about Liberty 5-3000 he says, “We do not know why, when we think of them, we feel of a sudden that the earth is good and that it is not a burden to live” (41). Equality 7-2521 is really starting to like Liberty 5-3000 and this is something that would be very frowned upon if anyone were to know.  Everyone is supposed to be equal, so nobody is allowed to form relationships because this would cause them not love everyone the same. Equality 7-2521 knows that its unusual that he thinks this way, and thats why he is confused about the feelings that he has. In addition, when Equality 7-2521 was finally talking to Liberty 5-3000 for the first time, “We felt our lips drawn tight with hatred, a sudden hatred for all our brother men. And the Golden One saw it and smiled slowly, and this was the first sadness we had seen in them" (45). This is a moment in the book where both of them are starting to realize how the government is holding them back. They know that they aren’t supposed to be having any sort of feelings for anyone, but they are letting lose a little bit. In the novel Anthem, the main character is beginning to stray more than usual from the “social norm”, and is showing how sometimes you can find a relationship when you weren't even looking for one. 

Lost | Blog Post

        There are many similarities between the first episode of the show Lost and the novel Lord of the Flies. For example, some of the characters in both stories seemed to have a lot in common. From the beginning it was obvious right away that Jack, one of the main characters in Lost, played a similar role to Ralph, one of the main characters in Lord of the Flies. When Jack and all of the others first arrived on the island Jack stepped up right away. He tried to help as many people as he could and that helped to give everyone on the island some sense of community. When Ralph and the boys first arrived on the island Ralph knew right away that in order to get rescued they’d need to survive for as long as they could by creating some sort of society. Both characters were the symbols of reason and had the personality trait of being naturally good leaders. Another character comparison that I noticed was between Kate (from Lost) and Piggy (from LOTF). This is because it already very noticeable that Kate has formed some sort of connection with Jack, and has almost become “loyal” to him. This is similar with Piggy and Ralph’s relationship because although it was a more one-sided friendship, Piggy did become very loyal to Ralph and stuck by him throughout the entire novel. 

       There were many similarities in the settings of both story lines that I noticed. For example, both groups of people suffered through a plane crash and ended up on an island. These islands were both completely barren and had no civilization or any sense of human life. They both work to develop themes or images because they both imply the theme of having to create a new society out of nothing. One instance of irony that I noticed in the episode that connected to LOTF was the fact that both plots have some sort of “beast” figure. Whether its real or just a figment of their imagination, there is some sort of power over the people on the islands. The overall theme of the episode seemed to be that when isolated, people really begin to realize how much they depend on one another. This compared to themes in LOTF because once the other boys stop contributing to helping with their jobs, Ralph starts to realize how much slower everything is taking without the help of others. The essential question of our unit that this relates to is “How do humans react to isolation?”. The answer to this question is that they start to realize how much they really depend on other people.

Chapter 12: Cry of the Hunters

At the end of chapter 12 of "Lord Of the Flies", Ralph is left crying. He is crying because now they're finally being rescued, and hes thinking about all the awful things that have happened to them on that island. Even though Ralph tries hard to act tough in front of the other boys, this is a moment where he really just breaks down and shows his vulnerability. "The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island" (Golding 202). Sometimes when reading this book its easy to forget that these boys are just young kids, and they've been showing a strong face for a while, and now Ralph is showing that he has weaknesses. Through this, Golding reveals the message that although people may lose themselves and get out of touch with who they are, they will always carry with them some sense of morals. 

Chapter 11: Castle Rock

Ralph accuses Jack of being a beast, swine, and theif. Their battle shows a shred of civilization because at first they arent using weapons, so it shows that they probably didnt have the intention to kill anyone.

Ralph has become more violent, which makes him seem more savage. At the beginning of the book he probably would have never fought with someone, or tried to intentionally hurt another person. Piggy stops it because he reminds them of the real reason why they came, which was not to battle.

William Golding is sending the message that the enviornment is causing these boys to become more and more savage. Throughout the entire book Golding has made hints at how humans naturally have some evil in them, but in scenarios like these it is very apparent.