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Today is the day we make our choices for tomorrow. English IV will be your last language arts class prior to graduation. This is the time to gain as many skills in writing, reading, and analyzing as you possibly can. Here on this blog spot, you are free to express yourself about the things we are studying. You are reminded about being appropriate to the school environment. I welcome your mature comments.

Expressing our views

Expressing our views

Monday, April 22, 2013

Simon inside the head of the beast....

I wish my doctor would have allowed me to come back to teach today so that we could go over Chapter 8. I think it is the most amazingly symbolic chapter in the novel. I hope that speaking with Miss Lovelace helped you to see some of the symbolism within the chapter. Comment on your reaction to Simon's encounters with the Lord of the Flies. Do you think that Simon is hallucinating because of the heat? Remember that Simon is only a young boy, about ten or eleven. Does such a young person usually have the kind of understanding and insight that Simon seems to possess? Do you think the Lord of the Flies's assessment of the other boys's feelings about Simon is accurate? Is there any evidence to support this? Cite it. Do you think the Lord of the Flies's warning that the others will "do" Simon if he tries to interfere is realistic? (The deadline to comment on this blog is midnight, Monday, April 22, 2013.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I thought it was a surreal moment for someone, especially at that young of an age, to go through. I think that Simon is having a seizure due to dehydration and overheating which is causing the hallucination. He does seem to be special in a way which ties in with the Jesus depiction he represents. I don't think the Lord of the Flies is accurate with this assessment; it's just Simon's subconscious mind trying to mess with him. I do, however think that it is realistic that the other boys could be against Simon if he interferes given their increasingly primitive nature and strong desire to do whatever it takes to be rescued from the island.

Unknown said...

I believe that while Simon is very insightful for his age and shows more maturity than most other boys on the island, that his communicating with the pig's head was only a hallucination. I do however believe that is is possible for a young person to hold such insight-fullness at such young age in situations much like the boys are in. I also think the Lord of the Flies assessment of the boys feelings toward Simon is current and that they will "do" Simon if he tries to get in their way, but they are not going to seek out Simon to hurt him, they are also not going to stop Simon from getting in the way though. "We're gong to have fun on this island. Understand? We're going to have fun on this island! So don't try it on, my poor misguided boy, or else---"( Gaulding)
-Kaylan Shawver