8th Entry
Entry of your choice

I think this novel is full of symbolism and meanings. At first, I was confused with some character’s traits and what happened on the island. After I understood the inside meaning of novel, I was able to connect it with our life and society very easily.
At the beginning of a novel, there was a big war, and the plane that the boys were riding crashes on the island. I think this means that no matter how much the society is civilized, it can never escape the evil nature inside all humans. Our evil nature is always the reason for the downfall of our society.
The conch shell plays an important role in the novel. It is used to gather the boys and have an assembly. They meet at a certain place and decide things together for a better and civilized life. Therefore, I think the conch symbolizes the democratic power and civilization. However, as the story proceeds, the boys become violent and fall to savagery, and the power of the conch shell is lost. At the beginning, the shell was new and sharp, which indicated that the boys were trying to follow the order of the society and civilize. Later on, the conch shell is all worn out and the color is fading. I think this indicates the start of the savagery and loss of democratic power in the island. At last, the conch shell is shattered in to pieces, which means the lost of human’s civilizing instincts.
Another object that plays an important role in the novel is Piggy’s glasses. It symbolizes intelligence and science. It is also a main source that would help the boys to be rescued from the island. Piggy, who is the owner of the glasses, is the most rational and intelligent boy on the island. He represents democracy and civilizing instincts inside all humans. He represents the human’s instinct of trying to follow rules and rejecting evil. However, his glasses slowly destroyed through out the story. This indicates the downfall of civilization and the rational thinking. First, one of the lenses is broken. Then, the glass is stolen by the Jack’s tribe or the savagery on the island. Ralph and Piggy tried to get it back, but they fail in doing so. Here, Piggy dies, which means the demise of human’s civilizing instincts. Also, the glass is taken away from Ralph, leaving him hopeless with despair.
Signal fire’s purpose is to catch a ship passing by and get rescued from the island. Therefore, it is the boys’ only connection with the civilized society. When the fire is low, their connection with the civilized society is weak and it indicates that they don’t care a lot bout being rescued. When the fire is going on well, it indicates that their desire to be rescued and go back to civilized society is desperate. At these times, their connection with the civilized society was very strong. However, as savagery takes over the island, their desire to go back to the civilized world is weak, and the signal fire is completely out.
The Beast in the island is an imaginary creature created by boys’ fears. As savagery takes place on the island, the belief about the beast grows stronger and stronger. This is because the beast also stands for savagery, violence, and fear. The boys become more and more frightened about the beast, and the beast’s existence seems to become more real. Simon is the only one who realizes that the beast is the fear inside each of them, which is why they all think of beast as different forms (snake, water monster…). However, Simon is killed by the beast itself, or the fear and evil inside all of the boys.
The Lord of the Flies is physically a sow’s head on a stick. It is actually the evil nature inside all humans. This is the reason why the boys turned in to savagery. Lord of the Flies connects greatly to the Beast, which is the fear inside all humans.

Question 7

7th Entry
Are there any settings in this novel which you have found to be beautiful? or disturbing? or memorable? Describe these settings and comment on why they were meaningful to you.

As I read the novel, I thought that this was indeed a beautiful island. Filled with dancing butterflies and sweet fruits, the weather is also pleasant and calm. The sea is crystal clear and blue, and the honey-colored sunshine is always enjoyable. The flowers and the trees are also beautiful. At night, the dark sky is loaded with twinkling stars. This setting was memorable and beautiful to me because it made me dream of a paradise. I could easily picture a marvelous place that would only appear in fairy tales.
However, the island was disturbing at the same time. The darkness of the thick forest creates an air of evilness. Also, the steep rocks and the cliffs of the mountain made me feel like there was always evil watching over the children, trying to soak the whole island in to violence and savagery. It made me feel like evil spirits were living in the island. Also, when the dead guy with a parachute landed on the island, it was so despairing and dreadful.
I think what makes this beautiful island in to a place full of fear and evil is the boys living on the island. The evil nature inside them commits murders on the island. The violence becomes worse, and Jack’s greed takes over the whole island. From this novel, I learned that no matter how good the environment is, human’s evil nature can be easily shown. I thought before that the lack of food or drink might cause the violence in the island, but even when they had enough of it, there was still savagery. At the end, the whole island is set on fire and burnt down because of the boys’ fears and evilness. This shows that when a society is filled with evil and violence with no rules, everything comes to destruction.

Question 6

6th Entry
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.

(Chapter 12) Ralph looked at him dumbly. For a moment he had a fleeting picture of the strange glamour that had once in vested the beaches. But the island was scorched up like dead wood- 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; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of men’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.

This passage was significant to me because although Ralph is reused, he cries in despair and grief. When he sees the civilized creature in front of him, rather than reminding him of the comfortable bed and food, he is reminded of the horrors and the evil things that happened on the island. He knows that things wouldn’t be the same anymore, or that he wouldn’t be the same anymore, even if he goes back to the civilized society. Now, he knows about the evil nature inside all humans. He knows what humans are capable of. He had experience the deepest fear inside all humans which results to evil and violence. The horrors that he experienced in this island will always haunt him as he lives though his life. The situations such as war would always remind him how humans really are. The darkness of men’s heart is maybe what results to every misfortune in this world. Murder, violence, ignorance, grief, sadness, cruelness, and all the other evil in this world didn’t come out form Pandora’s Box. It came out form the box inside us, which is always trying open a little wider, creating misfortune both to ourselves and the world that we live in.
However, I believe that we all have a lock to close that box inside us. It is called “Love”. With love and care for each other, we can defend our world from pure evil. Love has the power to overcome the evil. Although it may be impossible to get rid of the evilness inside us completely, we can always love each other. I think that is why God created both love and evil exists in this world.

Question 5

5th Entry
What is the mood of this novel? What happens? How do the events of this novel make you feel?

The mood of this novel is dark and tragic. However, at the very beginning, it seemed so bright and cheerful. I could just picture the paradise where there are no adults to nag you and every thing is perfect. Also, the boys seemed to start off well. They had many plans and made rules to live like a civilized people. They cooperated and helped each other. They were certain that they were going to be rescued. Most of all, they really wanted to be rescued and cared a lot about it. They seemed to know the importance of the rules and the orders of the society. However, the rules were never followed, and the civilized society they were planning on making came to pieces. The boys started to ignore the rules and lived a savagery life. They killed two boys, Simon and Piggy, and they even plan to kill Ralph, who became the only person in the island who wants civilized life due to the death of his companions. First, I thought that this was impossible. How can small boys be so cruel and violent? This must be because it’s only a story. Then, I began to think, “Isn’t this what is currently happening in our world?” And I realized that nothing was different, except that we were on bigger scenery. There is war still happening around us, and people are killing each other with dangerous weapons. When I thought of this, I felt shame and anger at the same time. Why can’t we just eliminate the evil side inside us? Why do we choose to hurt and kill each other? We are no better than the boys on this island. I felt that the world with absolutely no war and violence would never come to us; or that we will never let it come to us.

Question 4

4th Entry
What is the climax of this novel? What happens? How do the events of this novel make you feel?

The climax of this novel is when Roger kills Piggy by rolling a huge rock on him. Piggy and Ralph set off together with Sam and Eric to retrieve the stolen specs. However, when they arrived at the castle rock, the members of Jack’s tribe are guarding the place. When Jack’s whole tribe arrive with Jack in the lead, Piggy is killed by Roger who rolled a huge rock from over Piggy’s head. He was killed because he spoke boldly for what he believed was right. Although almost nobody agreed with him, he tried his best to tell them that savagery was bad and the importance of a peaceful society and democracy. Although he dies, I believe that he was brave and stood out for what is right till the very end.
The events of this novel make me feel eventually hopeless and sorrowful. At the beginning of the novel, the boys seemed so innocent and nice. Who would have believed they had and evil side inside them? They seemed to have a great time enjoying all the food and the environment of the island. However, as the events go on, the boys become more and more violent and barbaric. They ignore the rules that Ralph keeps trying to tell them. They act as if they don’t care about being rescued or not. I believe that at the end, when they run away from Ralph and follow Jack, they really do not care. The events were more and more shocking as they proceeded. First, an accident occurred and a little boy died. Then, Simon was killed by a whole bunch of boys screaming and dancing in madness. At last, the event that gave me the most shock was the murder of Piggy. He was killed by Roger, and Roger must have known that this isn’t the right thing to do. I just couldn’t believe that those innocent boys at the begging became so violent.

Question 3

3rd Entry
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?

The major character in this novel is Ralph, Jack, Piggy, and Simon. They all represent different things in the novel.
Ralph is the protagonist of this novel. He was chosen as the chief at the begging, but gradually, he loses authority over the society. After he becomes completely against Jack, his rules and orders become useless. He respects rules and restrictions, and knows the purpose of them. He represents civilizing nature in all humans, choosing to live peacefully, obeying all the rules. It is shown clearly in the novel that no matter how much he tries to emphasize the importance of rules, he can never win the evil side. Because he refuses the evil and savagery, he is constantly having conflicts with Jack.
Jack is the antagonist of this novel. He doesn’t respect rules and orders, and he represents the savagery side of humans. Because Ralph keeps emphasizing him about the importance of rules, Jack becomes more violent and rejects against the rules strongly. He thinks that civilizing and creating peace and harmony in the society is not important. He is violent, and wants to rule over everybody with violence and force. Because he didn’t want to be in part of the society where people have to obey rules, he created a tribe of his own and became as violent and wild as he wanted. As the story goes on, he becomes more barbaric and violent.
Piggy is the main follower of Ralph. He represents democracy and civilizing instincts that the humans have. Although they are on a wild, inhabited island, he clings on to the rules and the orders. Rather than wanting to disobey the restrictions that the adults make, he respects them and wants the society to also obey the rules. He is intelligent and has the ability to think logically. He is also rational and knows what he is doing. However, he lacks the ability to socialize with the other people. Because of his intelligence and the respect for the rules, he is usually treated as an outcast in the island. Is logics and rational thinking is sometimes laughed at.
Although Simon seems to have a little role in the novel, he is a very important character. Because of the pure goodness inside him, he is the first and the last one to find out what is really the beast in the island. He faces evil nature of humans, face to face in his mind. He is the only one to realize that the horrors and the terrible things on the island are resulted by the evil side inside them. At the end, he is killed because he tried to tell the other people about what really was the beast in the island.
My favorite character in this novel was piggy. I like him because he stands up for what he believe is right. He rejects all evil, and wants harmony and peace. He knows that the orders and rules are not made for them to suffer; they were made for them to help them to create peaceful society and also help them to escape from the island. He knows this by heart, and he keeps encouraging Ralph into believing what is right. Because of him, Ralph didn’t give up his hopes of creating a peaceful society. He seems to tell the readers that you should never give up on what you believe is right. If you are forced to do something that you believe is wrong, you should stand up boldly and speak what is right, even when there are few or nobody agreeing with you.

Question 2

2nd Entry
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 for "fixed"?

I think the War between Iraq and United States relates to this novel greatly. The major thing that creates the theme in this story is the evil nature inside all humans. When 9.11 Terror happened, United States determined Iraq as an axis of evil. This “axis of evil” is a group of countries, including North Korea and Iraq, which are known as countries that are against peace and creating dangerous weapons such as nuclear bombs. Although the purpose of the war was to create peace and harmony, the war itself turned out to be bloody. United States attacked Baghdad, and the missile was shot. This is similar with what happened in the Lord of the Flies. Iraq can be seen as Jack, who is violent and doesn’t respect rules. He doesn’t really care about the peace and harmony between people. Like the way he attacked Piggy, Iraq attacked the Twin Towers. Thousands of people died, without even knowing why. United States can be seen as Ralph. Because he believes that rules and restrictions are crucial, he is against everything with Jack. Ralph could have been more compromising and cooperative with Jack, but at times, because his anger got over him, he was too mean and harsh on him. United States is also attacking Iraq pitilessly. Although there have been reports that there are no such weapons like nuclear bomb being made or experimented in Iraq, the so called “Freedom of Iraq” maneuvers are still going on.
Actually, this novel ends very bitterly. The fallen society of the kids, where savagery has taken place, is no longer guided by rules or restrictions. The violence, evil, and fear have already taken over the whole island. Even though when they were rescued, it was a sign that they were being taken to the bigger scene of the whole decaying society. The war was taking place, even bigger one than the one that they had on their island. The naval officer who came to their island is surprised that educated British kids lived so violently. However, he is not noticing that he is also a part of that society, only in a bigger scene. The violence, evil, and fear inside all humans can’t be covered up totally. No matter how big the society that a person is involved, it can’t escape form the evil nature inside all humans. When we are face to face with our conflicts, or our opposing enemies, we can’t escape from the shadow of the evil in our minds. Therefore, I think this would be an unrealistic but an ideal solution: Even when we are facing our greatest conflicts and fears, we should always obey the rules, for they are our only ways of stopping our evil natures from uncovering. They are our only way of stopping the downfall or war in our society.