In the end..

Now that you have finished Lord of the Flies, give your honest opinion of the novel.  Explain why you feel the way you do.  Also, whether you found the novel amazing, ordinary, or boring, give a quote/passage that you found thought-provoking and tell why.  (The deadline to post a response is midnight, May 1, 2013.)

The Fall Through the Air

Chapter 11, entitled "Castle Rock, " brings us to a very tragic moment in the novel: Piggy's death.  Why do you think Golding has Piggy murdered at Castle Rock?  What is he saying about the archetype that Piggy represents in the novel? What is he saying about Roger?  (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight, Tuesday, April 30, 2013.  No credit will be given to plagiarized responses.)

The Shell and the Glasses

At the end of Chapter 10, Jack and his savages raid the other boys. What does Piggy believe Jack wants? What does this symbolize or reflect about Piggy's views? What, however, does Jack want? How does this reflect his views? What is Golding saying through this raid about the microcosm of the island? (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight, Saturday, April 27, 2013. No credit will be given to plagiarized responses.)

Trivia

You have probably seen this at the beginning of many movies. Be the first to answer this question and get an extra 100. What is the connection between this company and Lord of the Flies?

The beauty of Golding's writing...

Today, you read Chapter 9, in which Simon is murdered. At the end of the chapter, Golding writes four beautifully descriptive paragraphs. I have included them below. Comment on the Golding's use of diction(word choice) to create mood in these paragraphs. What mood does he create and how does he do it? (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight, April 25, 2013. No credit will be given to plagiarized comments.)

"Towards midnight the rain ceased and the clouds drifted away, so that the sky was scattered once more with the incredible lamps of stars. Then the breeze died too and there was no noise save the drip and tickle of water that ran out of clefts and spilled down, leaf by leaf, to the brown earth of the island. The air was cool, moist, and clear; and presently even the sound of the water was still. The beast lay huddled on the pale beach and the stains spread, inch by inch.

The edge of the lagoon became a streak of phosphorescence which advanced minutely, as the great wave of the tide flowed. The clear water mirrored the clear sky and the angular bright constellations. The line of phosphorescence bulged about the sand grains and little pebbles; it held them each in a dimple of tension, then suddenly accepted them with an inaudible syllable and moved on.

Along the shoreward edge of the shallows the advancing clearness was full of strange, moonbeam-bodied creatures with fiery eyes. Here and there a larger pebble clung to its own air and was covered with a coat of pearls. The tide swelled in over the rain-pitted sand and smoothed everything with a layer of silver. Now it touched the first of the stains that seeped from the broken body and the creatures made a moving patch of light as they gathered at the edge. The water rose further and dressed Simon's coarse hair with brightness. The line of his cheek silvered and the turn of his shoulder became sculptured marble. The strange, attendant creatures, with their fiery eyes and trailing vapours busied themselves round his head. The body lifted a fraction of an inch from the sand and a bubble of air escaped from the mouth with a wet plop. Then it turned gently in the water.

Somewhere over the darkened curve of the world the sun and moon were pulling; and the film of water on the earth planet was held, bulging slightly on one side while the solid core turned. The great wave of the tide moved further along the island and the water lifted. Softly, surrounded by a fringe of inquisitive bright creatures, itself a silver shape beneath the steadfast constellations, Simon's dead body moved out towards the open sea.” 

In the voices of reason...

Thus far in the novel, there are been several statements/words/ quotes that can be categorized as the voices of reason. One I would like you to discuss is when Piggy says to Ralph about Jack "...he can't hurt you; but if you stand out of the way he'd hurt the next thing. And that's me." What theory is being expressed here symbolically through Ralph, Jack and Piggy and their roles on the island? What is Golding inferring about society? Give a specific example from history to support your comment. (The deadline to post a response is midnight, April 24, 2013.No credit will be given to plagiarized responses.)

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.

A sign from the outside world...

At the end of Chapter 5, Ralph wishes for a sign from the outside world and it comes at the beginning of Chapter 6-- dead paratrooper. If you are the first person to answer this blog, explain the irony of this situation. If you are the second person to answer focus on these questions: Confused in the dark, Samneric believe it to be the "beastie" they have all been fearing. What does this reveal about the archetype that Samneric represent? Finally, if you are the third person to blog, here is your topic: Only Simon remains convinced that the beast is mankind. Is Simon right? In what ways are we humans the beasts of society? Continue to respond in this order. (The deadline to post a response is midnight, Sunday, April 21, 2013.)

Rules, Rules, Rules

In chapter 5, when Jack and Ralph argue, Ralph says, "The rules are all we've got!" How important are rules in society? What rules are needed in this microcosm if the boys are to survive? Why? (The deadline to post a response to this question is midnight, Thursday, April 18, 2013.)

We need names...

We have met all the principle characters/boys on the island.  Which character are you tracking and what are your overfeelings about him?  Give a line/quote from the book that has helped you create this image of him?  (The deadline to post is Sunday, April 14, 2013.)

Then man was given to the world...

With its benign climate, fresh water and abundant fruit, the island setting of Lord of the Flies could be seen as a modern Garden of Eden until... a little boy comes forward in Chapter 2 and asks the assembly questions. What element does he introduce to the island? How does he describe it? How does the descriptive phrase, "the small boy twisted further into himself" hint at a theme? Which theme? How does this theme connect to societies of today and of all times? Give specific examples. (This post closes at midnight on Friday, April 12, 2013.)

Our land...

As Ralph looks down from the top of the bastion of the island, he exclaims, "This belongs to us!" Much like an explorer discovering a new land, Ralph has found himself in charge of a new world--an island of boys. What advice would you give Ralph to keep in mind as he is chief? What is the main thing he must do? Why? (The deadline to post a response is midnight, Wednesday, April  10, 2012.)

...and the winner is...

Now that you have heard/read several tales from the Canterbury Tales, which story do you feel is the best and deserves to win the prize?  Give 2 reasons why.  (We read or heard "Pardoner's Tale,"  "Wife of Bath's Tale,"  "Nun's Priest's Tale," "Franklin's Tale,"  "Skipper's Tale," "Merchant's Tale," "Prioress's Tale," "Manciple's Tale" and "Oxford Cleric's Tale.")  (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight, Thursday, April 4, 2013.)