14. (favorite character)

My favorite character in the book is definitely Simon, as you may have gathered from reading my previous blogs.  Unlike most of the other characters in the book, who generally have at least one large societal flaw, usually violence, Simon contributes positively to the boys' society.  He helps out Ralph in his ventures, while preserving, or at least attempting to preserve, the boys' society.  Although people usually think of Simon as odd or unusual, I think he is a very interesting character, who has very interesting and often very valid opinions.  The best example of that I can think of is his opinion on the beast, which is actually the opinion I believe to be true.  One of Simon's most beneficial traits in this book is the ability to think things through.    He is more like Piggy than anyone else in that sense, and is less impulsive than the rest.  He is also the only boy among the group that really seems to appreciate the island.  The others are mostly just focused on killing things, or having fun.  Lastly, I think Simon's priorities are in order, much more than the priorities of Jack, who appears like he couldn't care less if they never got rescued, so long as there were pigs to kill.

13. (analysis of the circle game with Robert)

To me, this event presents a serious red flag to the little society the boys have going on.  In my mind, what happened here was the boys wielded the hatred and anger they have towards pigs on the island and unleashed it on Robert.  This is concerning to me because this shows that the passion for killing some characters, namely Jack, have in this story can and just might be translated into violence against their own.  It also shows that the boys are at the point where a game, however simple or seemingly harmless, can turn into an activity of violence and brutality.  The boys certainly have no problem isolating members from their society, as they did with Piggy so handily and nonchalantly, and did again with Robert in this instance.  If you put these circumstances in play with a situation where there is actual conflict, this could easily result in the death of one of the boys.  Keep in mind that Robert never even did anything, and that lead to Jack drawing his knife.  Imagine what could happen if it was someone who Jack thought deserved punishment.

12. (the future of the beast and the boys)

Since as readers we know there is no beast, save for a stranded man with a parachute, it is safe to assume that the boys will never find the beast.  Thus, the fear that has been haunting the boys will remain in place, especially within those that have, indeed, seen the beast (Sam n Eric).  The actual future concerning the boys remains up to this point unclear, although it has been made very clear that there is the potential for some serious conflict.  Piggy and Jack have a strong bond of disliking for each other, while there is also the constant power-struggle between Jack and Ralph.  Throw all of that into a situation full of constant tension, possibly violent individuals, and the fact that Jack blew a chance to get them rescued, and it could all just boil over.  The fact that the boys seem to be becoming more violent as the story progresses is all the more worrisome.  At the same time, however, you do have certain individuals that could keep the peace.  Piggy would fall into that category if he didn't cause Jack so much anger, but the real mediator will have to be Simon.  The only issues there are that Simon is shy, and nobody really listens to him.

11. (what is the beast?)

Although nobody initially gave Simon a second look in assemblies, and Jack at a point even says: "What good does Simon do speaking?", I still think that out of all the opinions voiced during the late-night assembly, Simon's makes the most sense.  I think the fear the boys have of the beast is just a label being thrown on the internal fear on the island, which comes about due to the boys' fear of each other.Although up until this point nobody has really physically harmed or injured anyone else, there are many people on the island who show the potential to do so.  I think this just creates all sorts of tension on the island, which ends up becoming a collective fear.  I believe that the reason this fear gets translated into the fear of a beast is because, in all honesty, this is just a group of young boys.  No matter how much bravado they put on in the face of danger, they're still just boys, and they have no way to grasp such an internal and penetrating fear, especially the littluns.  Simon is the exception to that rule, and his quiet, subdued wisdom might be the only thing that can save the boys from what they have become.

10. (opinion of Simon after his experience in the jungle)

Even up until this, point, Simon had been generally thought of as a strange person.  I don't think this changes that much when we read of his sneaking into the jungle alone, but at the same time I think we can discover some new layers to Simon after reading this passage.  He really thinks about things in depth, and is a very perceptive and deep person.  Really, the others are just a bunch of boys, stranded out on an island.  In reading this passage, we can learn that Simon is just a little bit more.  He has the capacity to truly appreciate his surroundings in a way that Jack, Ralph, or even Piggy would.  As the story progresses, more evidence does emerge to support Simon's intelligence, especially when he suggests in Chapter nine that "...maybe it's only us", referring to the beast.  Really, what I think the author is trying to get across through this section is that there is more to Simon that meets the eye, and much more than the other boys think.

9. (observation on the differences between Jack and Ralph in chapter 3 of Lord of the Flies)

From the beginning of the book, it was clear that Ralph and Jack are by no means the same person, but it is in chapter three that significant differences appear in their character.  There is actually a confrontation towards the end of the chapter between Ralph and Jack, which stems from their personality differences.  Jack, ever since his initial confrontation with a pig on the mountain, has up to this point become more and more obsessed with killing a pig.  While Ralph worked on matters which required more immediate action, namely the building of huts on the beach, Jack was out hunting.  When Jack finally returned from his hunt, once again empty handed, Ralph asked him if he was ever going to catch anything.  In my mind, this specifically is what set Jack off.  Jack had always tried to assert himself as a leader and the epitome of toughness, and to have his ability to accomplish anything, much less a many task questioned, was an insult.  In this chapter, Jack's obsession with killing really comes to the surface, and Ralph's exasperation with Jack's lack of contribution to their society is verbally conveyed, and this really differentiates the characters from one another.

8. (analysis of negative foreshadowing in Chapter 2 of Lord of the Flies)

It is in this chapter that we can really start to observe negative aspects of the situation other than the fact that the boys are stranded on the island.  Chapter one mainly outlined the joys of the island and the discovery of its aspects.  In chapter two, conflict and internal group fear begin to set in.  Early in the chapter, a "little 'un" tells of his experience with the beastie the night before.  In all likelihood, there is no beastie, and Ralph certainly makes that clear, but there really are things to fear on the island, particularly a fear of the unknown, and this beastie really is a physical embodiment of the fear closing in on the smaller children.  Also in this chapter, Ralph's leadership is in question, and the impulsiveness of the boys bites them.  When the boys set out to make a fire, any number of things are left entirely unconsidered.  First of all, they originally have no means of lighting the fire, and once they manage to get it lit, they forget about the original purpose of the fire, which was smoke, and they then proceed to let the fire burn out of control.  All of this leads to a public confrontation between Piggy and the two societal leaders (Jack and Ralph), and the discovery that the very child who posited the existence of a beastie is found missing.  It is at this moment, fresh out of a comedy of errors, that the boys realize that the island might not be so perfect after all.

7. (Thoughts and Opinions on Chapter 1 of Lord of the Flies)

In my mind, the bulk of this chapter is dedicated to discovery.  Originally, when only Piggy and Ralph are together on the island, they discover the conch, which is ultimately destined to become the symbol of the boys' society.  Even the discovery of one another, which is of great importance, happens early in the chapter.  This is also the chapter in which the main characters are introduced, and their specific qualities begin to show.    The appearance of Jack on the island, in my mind, sets the tone for the rest of the book.  He immediately attempts to assert himself as the unrivalled leader, a quality of self-importance and power hungriness we can observe in him throughout the entirety of the book.  He also opens the gate by tossing out a few insults towards Piggy, and telling him not to come on the venture to the mountain.  It is at this point the rivalry between Jack and Piggy is established, and Piggy is initially exiled from the community.  Finally, the boys' expedition to the top of the mountain occurs in this chapter.  This lays down the groundwork for much of the rest of the book.  The boys learn a lot about the nature of the island, including the fact that it is in fact an island, which presents the prospect of a wait before rescue.  Also, Jack has his first encounter with the pig on this expedition.  This really becomes a battle of wills in chapters to come, as Jack becomes more and more empowered to spill a pig's blood.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

6. (Nature of Things Episode on the Teenage Brain)

 I think the part of this episode I will remember (and thought was the most interesting) was the brain science part of it.  It is neat to think about how the nature of a specific age group can really just be traced back by the growth happening in the brain.  Specifically, I enjoyed the piece about the systems of the brain.  I found it interesting that the risk-taking part of the brain actually develops faster than the decision-making part of the brain, which is why teenagers are often impulsive and can make really bad decisions with almost no thought as to the consequences.  Overall, I thought that this episode was very interesting, and gave viewers a unique insight into an area of science that you really don't hear much about.

5. (opinion on Lance Armstrong)

 There's certainly no denying that Lance Armstrong is an incredible cyclist, and is also a very inspirational person after his battle with cancer.  His contributions to LiveStrong have raised huge amounts of money to a very worthy cause.  However,  I still think that his use of performance-enhancing drugs and especially his later denial of the mistakes he made outweigh the many pros in the grand scheme of things.  Let's face it, it's really not that uncommon to see the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports these days.  It actually happens quite often.  The factor separating Lance from the pack is the fact that he used them in a way that lended itself to his not being caught, and then repeatedly earned accolades and accepted them under false pretences.  For many years, he told the press, publicly stated, and even wrote in his memoir that he never took any drugs.  In my mind, it's one thing to break the rules (a thing you should stay away from at that), but another thing entirely to lie about it.  As much as Lance has been a great person in other aspects of his life, it's just kind of hard to look up to someone who has been revealed as a cheater and a liar.

4. (thoughts and opinions on the Spencer West story)

I thought that this story also was very interesting and definitely very inspirational.  I think that one of the main things to be learned from this article is to be a little more careful about the things you do or say, because any moment could become a milestone in someone's life.  I'm sure the boy who stopped Spencer's wheelchair wasn't intending to change his life, or even knock him down, but he ended up doing both.  The thing that really stood out to me, however, was the fact that Spencer was actually able to take that event, coupled with the circumstance he was in physically, and completely overcome it.  Similair to the story of Christy Brown, Spencer was in a position which others had told him rendered some things in life a veritable impossibility.  Rather than accept that to be the definitive truth, he chose to push the limits, to redefine possible not to get fame or money but to inspire others to do the same.

3. (thoughts and opinions on Christy Brown's My Left Foot)

I thought this was a quite interesting story.  The fact that someone who was basically deemed fated for a lifetime of physical and mental disability could actually take charge of his own fate, and wind up becoming one of the great authors of his generation is truly inspiring.  I think that one of the main lessons to be learned from this story is to never give up, in any capacity, really, on others or even yourself.  Seeing as the story is being told from the memory of the person who was supposed to be completely disabled, we can assume he had cognitive ability long before he actually made his grand revelation.  He, as an individual, could have easily given up hope on his own cause, as I am sure he continually observed his family's hopelessness, or even disappointment/dismay at his condition.  The fact that he was actually able to overcome this most critical of conditions is really amazing.

2. (opinion on Mandela's childhood memoirs)

I thought that this excerpt was actually very interesting.  To me, it was neat to see what figures and obstacles impacted Nelson as a child, and how he was prepared for the figures and obstacles he would encounter as a young man and an adult.  When you look back to Nelson's past and look at the people in his life who had a hand in his upbringing, you can really see how he got some of the characteristics that ended up driving him to salvage the future of an entire country.  I thought one of the most interesting points of his childhood was how the actions of his father changed his early life.  His father's quality of rebelliousness (one that we can certainly observe in Nelson himself), ended up leaving the family broke, but his earlier actions of kindness towards the to-be-chief wound up leaving Nelson with not only a great childhood education, but also a continuous observation of democracy in action.  When you look back on the factors that affected him under the influence of the chief, you can understand why he was striving for the ideal democracy: he had seen it firsthand!

1. (explanation of poem choice)

 The reason I selected the poem that I did (the 'when I was 5' model) was that I felt it was the most poetic, especially at the end.  With the others, the ending of the poem made sense in relation to the rest of the poem, but  never made any definitive conclusion or worldly statement.  With this poem, however, I felt like I actually related back to not only what I was trying to sum up about the past, but also to the present, and in doing so posited a foreseeable future.  I also think of all the poems, this one flows better as a piece of literature, and never feels like I am just trying to jam in lines to rhyme or get a specific point across.  I feel like every line has at least some tangible meaning that relates to the mood set by the previous lines, and at the same time makes logical sense and doesn't sound ridiculous.