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.

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.