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Blog 6: Setting

*Are there any settings in the novel which you have found to be beautiful? Or disturbing? Or memorable? Describe these settings and comment on why they were meaningful to you.

“What’s that?”
Ralph had stopped smiling and was pointing into the lagoon. Something creamy lay among the ferny weeds.
“A stone.”
“No. A shell.”
Suddenly Piggy was a-bubble with decorous excitement.
“S’right. It’s a shell! I have seen one like that before. On someone’s back wall. A conch he called it. He used to blow it and then his mum would come. It’s ever so valuable…” (Page 14-15)


I found this setting beautiful, memorable, and meaningful because it reminded me of my past childhood memory. This setting takes place when the children in the island discover a conch. They are extremely happy and amazed of the discovery of a large shell.
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First of all, I found this setting beautiful because when I visualized it, it was simply beautiful. The reason that it is stunning is not only because of where it took place, but it is also because of the children’s reaction. I could totally visualize how the setting looked like. The pure, innocent amazement in the children is beautiful because I know how it feels like when you find a new thing! I believe this excerpt took place near a sunny and clear blue lagoon. The sunny weather and sunlight flashing on the lagoon and the conch shining… That is just lovely. That setting emphasizes the beauty of the conch and the pure children's reaction, and that’s why I found the setting beautiful.
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Other than the setting being beautiful, I thought the setting was memorable and meaningful. When I lived in the States in North Carolina, my parents and I once traveled to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. Myrtle Beach is one of my favorite beaches in the world and I have so many memories there. Among all the memories, this particular one is similar to the setting of this passage. The setting of the story takes place at an island, but this setting occurs near a lagoon, which is a smaller version of a beach. When I was in Myrtle Beach, just like the characters in the novel discover, I found the largest shell I’ve ever seen. The reaction that I had is very similar to how the characters in the novel react upon the conch. That is why this passage is so meaningful to me. My first reaction to the discovery of the shell was “WOW!!! This is so beautiful!” I was absolutely startled and amazed just like Piggy is in this situation. I was able to make connections with the characters. Because I reminisced of the good times at Myrtle Beach, I consider this setting very memorable and meaningful. It was good looking back at the past memories and the joy and happiness I had at the moment when I found the biggest conch in the world. Reading this passage with such memorable setting made me have nostalgia of the past. While reading this passage, I loved how I could look back at the past.

Blog 5: Significant Passage

* Please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you. Why is this passage meaningful? Please type it into one of your entries and comment on what you think about the passage.

“…Simon was dead-and Jack had…The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island…” (Page 184)

When reading this passage, I had a flashback when I was in first grade. This passage is significant and meaningful to me because I had once underwent a similar situation as Ralph did in the passage. Because I experienced such thing, I was able to sympathize and understand how Ralph felt.

I once had a moment where I tried to endure all the sadness and anger, but had to burst out tears at one point. I came to Korea from the Untied States when I was in first grade. Korea was an absolutely different place with a different culture compared to America. I could clearly tell the difference at that time and I even felt the difference. I really liked the American culture that children in America yielded to each other and was kind towards each other. However, I realized that Korean kids were tougher, more aggressive, and were not educated to yield their friends. One day, I was playing in the playground while waiting for my mom to pick me up from school. At that time, I didn’t have many friends because I was new to Korea. I had to do everything by myself. Since I did not know anyone at the play ground, I was riding the swing alone. However, some of the guys who seemed to be older than me approached me and demanded me to get off the swing. I was dumbfounded because I never faced this kind of situation. In America, my friends took turns and played together, but it was not like how it was in the States. I didn’t know what to say, so I was forced to get off the swing. I did not understand why I had to get off the swing. I couldn’t even fight against them because they were bigger than me. So I sought for another thing to play with. Therefore, I was playing in the sand. As I played all by myself, some kids came up to me asking what grade I was in. I said that I was in first grade with awkward Korean, and they replied surprisingly, “What? You are in first grade? How come you are so short? We are in first grade too.” Deep inside, I was hurt by what they had said. Right after they commented on my appearance, they started teasing me about my short height calling me a peanut. I told them to stop and I expected them to stop because my friends in America never called me like that and I was not used to it. However, they were very aggressive and they played on me. They threw sand on me and pushed me around. I kept the anger and sadness in my heart because I did not want to lose to them. In Korean culture, if you show tears in front of them, it shows that you are a loser. I had to bear the bullies and just hoped that my mother would come quickly.

My mother arrived school after a while. I was dirty with sand covering me, and I was depressed after all the teasing and bullying. My mom ran towards me with a big smile and she asked, “How was school today, Bryan?” Immediately, I burst out tears and kept crying. I continued to cry for about ten minutes sitting there in the playground, while my mom was trying to console me.

When reading the very last part of the novel, I reminisced of this past memory. Looking back the past made me feel very sad. I found this passage very meaningful to me because it reminded me of the hardships I had when I first came to Korea. In addition, this passage was significant to me while reading the book because I believe this was the part where I sympathized and understood Ralph’s feelings the best. Like what I underwent, Ralph was at a new environment. Ralph was left alone in the end, and he was chased after his peers. Thankfully, a rescuer appeared in front of him, just like my mom appeared in front of me at that time. Ralph had never cried before during his life in the island, but he had to, he could not bear his feelings any longer, which result him sobbing in front of the man. I really thought this passage was doleful. I absolutely understood how Ralph felt, and that is why this was very meaningful to me.

Blog 4: Climax

*What is the climax of this novel? What happens? How do the events of this novel make you feel?

I think the climax is when Piggy is killed. The conflict of this novel is between Ralph and Jack, who are the protagonist and antagonist. In the beginning, all the children in the island were united with Ralph being the leader. However, as the story goes on, Jack, who desires for being the chief, and Ralph continuously have bitter quarrels. Therefore, Jack ends up with creating his own tribe. As the children are divided into two groups, majority of them join Jack’s tribe, and the only people who are on Ralph’s side are Piggy and himself. The event that triggered to the climax occurs one night when Jack’s group raids Ralph’s territory in order to seek for Piggy’s glasses. Ralph is outraged by the unjust actions of Jack’s group and so Ralph and Piggy visit Jack’s tribe the next day to get the glasses back. Ralph claims that Jack is a thief and that he could’ve lent the glasses if they asked. As Jack and Ralph argue back and forth, Piggy, raises the conch, the symbol of authority and civilization, and tries to talk. As he is talking, Roger drops a boulder right on the top of Piggy, and thus, Piggy dies. The conch is crushed at the same time due to Piggy’s death. Afterwards, Jack puts a fire on the island, and his whole tribe chases after Ralph.
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The moment Piggy dies is the climax because it clearly portrays the point of no return, which resolves the conflict as well. This event is the point of no return because first, it determines the throne of leadership, and second, it shows that they no longer can return to a civilized state. Since Piggy is dead, Ralph is all by himself without any followers. Ralph is alone, and that makes Jack the head chief in the island now. In addition, this event shows that the children in the island are no longer innocent or civilized. Instead, the children turned violent and corrupted, and even worse, murdered their colleagues, including Simon and Piggy, it shows that they are painted with savagery. In addition, the symbol of civilization, the conch, is destroyed. Therefore, they no longer can return back to who they used to be.
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The climax of the novel made me feel extremely terrified. I could not believe how the innocent children turned into brutal, merciless, and violent ones. I still cannot believe how they could kill their former colleagues. I was surprised by how the children can change in that short time period. In addition, I was very angry with Piggy’s death. Piggy was my favorite character in the novel because I believe that he was the most naive and the smartest one in the island. As my favorite character was ‘intentionally’ killed, I felt outraged as if he were my best friend. I really wanted to yell and fight against the wicked tribe for justice. This novel was absolutely overwhelming and astonishing in a bad way. I was shocked by the fact that one can change in a short amount of time with anarchy going on.

Blog 3: Main Characters

*Who are the main characters in the novel? Do you like them? Why or why not? What is special about them? What do they reveal about the universal human experience?

There were a lot of characters that appeared in this novel, and many of them were very important in the story. When I am asked of the question about who are the main characters, the first two characters that come into my mind are the protagonist and antagonist. However, I believe there is one additional main character that cannot and mustn’t be omitted. I personally thought Piggy was the main character as well because he plays a very important role in the novel and reveals certain truth.
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First of all, Ralph was the protagonist of the story. To describe Ralph in five words, I would say charismatic, persistent, optimistic, logical, and civilized. Ralph is elected as the leader in the very beginning of the story, and he plays the leader role very well. He is absolutely optimistic and ensures that they will all get rescued while some others say that they’re going to die in the island and never get rescued. In addition, Ralph remains civilized while almost every other character becomes savages. He is very planned and organized as a leader, and he sets tasks in order to get rescued. I loved the optimism and the leadership he showed. It is extremely hard to think positively in a situation where one is stranded in a never-known island, and thus I respect Ralph’s optimism in that perspective. In addition, I really liked his persistence of remaining civilized among all the negative forces that wandered around him. Most of all, I felt pity on him at the end when he sobbed in front of the rescuer. Ralph is very special in this novel because he is like the minority; not just a minority, but the good minority. He reveals that there are a few like Ralph who can resist savagery and remain civilized in such a chaotic situation.
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Jack, on the other hand, was the total opposite to Ralph. To be very honest, I detested this character. Words that I choose to describe Jack are unjust, savage, violent, defiant, and cruel. He was the one who desired to become a leader. But his peers elected Ralph as their leader, which made him very upset and act defiant upon Ralph. Jack agitates other kids and plays the major force that turned everyone into barbaric children. What made me furious about him is that he had claimed that he would be in charge of taking care of fire and hunting, but he failed to do his duty. Keeping the fire on is a very important task that, they consider, is the only way to let people outside the island know their existence. However, he was so focusing on hunting that he let the fire out when a ship was passing by the island. I hate irresponsible people, and I was extremely mad at Jack when that happened. Even though Jack is a character who carried around the evil force, he plays an important role in revealing a universal truth. He exposes that every one has an inner corruptness and greediness. He also revealed the truth that such anarchy is caused by savagery.

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Piggy is considered as the main character of the novel too. Frankly speaking, Piggy was my favorite character not only because of his characteristics, but also because I sympathized with him quite often. The two main traits that I liked about him are that he is wise and faithful. I think he is the most intellectual character in the novel because he is the one who helped Ralph to come up with logical plans. In addition, he was the only one who remained loyal on Ralph’s side until the end. His steadfastness made me like him. I especially sympathized with him because he was a poor character who was always picked on by his peers due to his weak and plump appearance. I really wanted to protect Piggy from being made fun of, because I once underwent a similar case due to my short height. The reason why I believe Piggy is a main character is because without Piggy, Ralph wouldn’t have been the main character. Without Piggy’s support, Ralph wouldn’t have been able to make wise decisions and perform great leadership. Piggy was the one who was always there for Ralph. The truth that Piggy reveals is the value of loyalty and persistence. Standing up for what is right is the action that Piggy portrays in the novel.

Blog 2: Current Situation

*Are there any current situations in the world that relate to the novel? What are they, and how do they relate? Does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved or “fixed”?

When I was reading this novel, it reminded me of a current situation in the world: children soldiers. Children soldiers are used for military purposes especially in Africa. The training process of children soldiers is very harsh. Young children, even at the age of 5, are forced to be recruited into the military. The brutal military leaders train the young children; for example, they teach them how to shoot a gun. Moreover, the leaders plant wrong principles into children’s mind and eventually brainwash them to believe that killing humanbeing is totally fine. Once a child enters into this wicked world, like the picture on the right, he or she is no longer innocent. Even though the boy is carrying a teddy bear on his back in the picture, it’s just because he is still young and naive on his outside. However, his minds and thoughts are totally altered due to brainwashing. Just look at his face. He doesn’t seem to have a child-like smile, but instead has a malicious expression on his face.
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So how is this current situation relevant to Lord of the Flies? The characters in the novel and the plot very well represent this current situation. In the beginning, all the characters that were stranded in the island were innocent and benevolent. However, as time passes, the children are divided into two groups as a result of a conflict between the two main characters, Ralph and Jack. Just like in the story, children soldiers did not exist before. However, as children soldiers were created, children were divided into two groups of ordinary children versus soldiers. In the story, Jack is the creator of children soldiers because he is the one who establishes his own malevolent tribe. He recruits followers, and the followers who join his group are similar to the children soldiers in the real world. The kids who become part of Jack’s gang change negatively overtime. A great example is Roger. Roger used to be an ordinary child; however, as he becomes an advocate of Jack, he becomes violent and bloodthirsty just like the child above in the photo. Every other single child except Ralph and Piggy enters the world of Jack. That is how two groups are created. Even worse, Jack’s tribe attack Ralph and Piggy.
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Before I end up with explaining about how this novel is relevant, there is another current situation that links to what I just talked about in the last part of previous paragraph. I heard this situation from Miss Simpson. This event took place in Africa. One day, a teacher traveled to a certain region with his students. As he crossed the boarder of that region, a child approached the driver, or the teacher, to warn that no one can enter that area. Surprisingly, the child who had spoken to the teacher was a former student of his. The teacher was glad to see him, and instead of moving out of that place, attempted to talk to him. The students that were on the same vehicle were nervous and scarred because they knew that child became a child soldier. As the teacher refused to retreat, the soldier shot everyone. Even though they knew each other and were like a family at school, the child soldier, without hesitation, shot his friends and teacher. Like in the story, even though Jack’s tribe and Ralph’s group was once together, Jack’s tribe was determined to kill Ralph and Piggy.
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The novel sheds light on how the issue of children soldiers can be resolved. In the novel, the chaos in the island ended by the rescuers. The disorder in the island could not be resolved by themselves until the rescuers came. Like what happened in the novel, children soldiers have been fighting in wars, and this situation won’t be over soon because they cannot solve the conflict within themselves. Similar to the novel, there needs to be external help in order to resolve the conflict. That external help will have to come from foreign nations. If an international agency like UN intervenes these fighting nations, then it would be possible that anarchy disappears and they gradually resume back to peace. In sum, other nations should together help to end the wars with children soldiers in places like Africa. No matter how long the war takes, it is unlikely to resolve their conflicts. Help from outside is the key to resolve the situation.

Blog 1: Theme

*What is the major theme of this novel? Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2008?

The major theme of this novel is that anarchy can turn civilized people into savages. The characters of the story happen to be located in an unexpected new environment and fall into anarchy where rules and systems are destroyed. As time passes in that anarchy condition, the characters are no longer civilized. Therefore, the story depicts well on how civilized individuals turn into barbaric savages.

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All children in this novel were innocent and civilized when they arrived in the uninhabited island at the very beginning. However, the only human beings in the island are children. There are no adults or authorities. Even though the children select Ralph as their leader, orders and rules don’t last long but chaos is followed shortly. As the plot progresses, Jack, the antagonist of the story, becomes the main force of savagery. He learns how to hunt for the first time in his life, and he becomes bloodlust and violent. Despite the rules and duties Ralph sets up, Jack is irresponsible and defiant. His greediness and desire for power cause him to rebel and create his own tribe. Ever since a new tribe is made, Ralph is left alone with a very few followers, who are the only ones left to be civilized. Savagery is depicted when everyone is involved in killing Simon. One night, Jack’s tribe has a festival and Simon runs towards them in trying to say that he finds out there is no beast in the forest. Jack shouts out that the beast is coming towards them, and everyone, including Ralph and Piggy, kill Simon. In addition, Piggy dies at one point by a boulder that is thrown by Roger. These two actions are the two main evidence of savagery. They all used to be friends before they live in this anarchy situation. Now, their human relationship and friendship no longer exist and instead they kill each other like beasts without thoughts and conscience. Everyone except Ralph turns into barbarians, who enjoy hunting and killing. Jack’s tribe put the island on fire in order to capture and kill Ralph, the only civilized one left on the island. Luckily, the rescuers arrive right on time, and the Ralph is saved from death.

The theme of the novel is important to a teenager living in 2008 because the savage characters of the novel reflect on certain aspects of teenagers’ life. Every teenagers undergo a phase of puberty, although the severity of symptoms that puberty brings to varies from person to person. Based on my personal experience, puberty is a chaotic time of my life where all the rules and beliefs that I used to and am supposed to think as truth are shaking and I tend to rebel against the existing authority. During that specific time period, teenagers defy to listen to their parents and teachers, and follow their own rules. As a consequence, they sometimes run away from their homes, and even worse, commit bad and unacceptable behaviors. Some examples of bad behaviors are smoking, committing crimes, gambling, and at the extreme case, murdering. The theme of the book delivers a message to teenagers that puberty might be the time where they change, but they should still obey and listen to their parents and authority. The novel clearly shows how teenagers can change negatively if they do not obey or follow according to the rules. From the novel, we can learn that the consequences of outrageous behavior coming from anarchy or savage are so brutal and often irreversible. Therefore, the theme is significant to teenagers who undergo puberty and desire freedom or anarchy away from rules and their parents.