Smith,+Sarah

= = Journal Entries Sarah Smith
 * __Civilization: __**
 * 1) a. The theme that I chose to go with //chapter 1// is civilization. I felt as though I could have chosen several themes to go along with chapter 1, but civilization becomes relatively prevalent at the early stages of the novel. I think one of the most important and drawn out scenes in the first chapter of the novel, was the hunt to kill the piglet. After Jack elected his choir as his hunters, he found it necessary to immediately shift gears and take the initiative to go out and hunt for everyone alongside his hunters. The desire for a communal civilization occurs very early in the novel. Surprisingly, the young boys already begin to realize that they are going to become hungry and need food to sustainably make it. Another thing that surprises me is that as young as these boys are, they are aware that they may not be saved immediately from this island and they need to take the proper order to maintain civilization. Despite this desperate desire to hunt and kill, Jack does not successfully do so. Jack’s excuse for his inability to stab and kill the piglet was, “I was choosing a place…I was just waiting for a moment to decide where to stab him”. This shows that clearly they are still unaware of the fact that in order to be civilized on an island with all boys, they must do what they need to sustain life. They are still used to being dependent upon their elders and are not quite sure how to fend for themselves just yet. Although, their proper order of civilization becomes clearer later in the novel when Jack finally kills a pig successfully. When Jack states, “All right, choir. Take off your togs”, this marks the sudden and immediate shift in the innocence of the boys. The stripping of their choir uniforms lets the reader know that they are beginning to take a stance at moderating civilization on the island by switching gears and becoming independent and resourceful beings.
 * 2) b. It would be inappropriate to judge modern civilization based off of any one factor. First you have to look at what makes up the main aspects of our civilization. The main aspects that make up our civilization are technology, government, and crime. Technologically, we make large advancements and they strive about every two-three years. So in terms of our technology we are relatively doing very well when looking at all of the advancements made since the beginning of time. When talking about the government and modern civilization as a whole, we should focus on the global level. When looking at ourselves, Americans, we have a relatively functioning system that balances itself, somewhat. But let’s say we look at the large majority of Africa where there is much conflict and corruption in many of the various governments. Yes I am mainly looking at two extremes, but none the less it raises the question as to what steps could honestly be taken to ratify the many flaws in many different governments throughout the world, let alone get them to a state that may be considered "good" or even acceptable. When taking a look at modern civilization and crime we need look no further than our own borders. Do we have a system that imprisons people for injustices and illegal actions? Yes. Is it perfect? No. Does it need to be perfect? Probably not, but it can then be considered effective if this is true.


 * __Beelzebub: __**
 * 1) a. In //chapter 2//, we are introduced to the idea of this mysterious “beastie” by a small boy with a mulberry-colored mark on his face. An undulating wave of fear swells through the group at the idea that a snake-like monster might be lurking on the island. Though they are worried, the older boys try to assure the littluns that there is no monster. The older boys say that the little boy’s idea was only that of a nightmare. This is the first incident that makes the boys fear that they could quite possibly be amongst others on the island. The theme that I chose to represent chapter 2 is Beelzebub. Although there is plenty to discuss regarding civilization and order in chapter 2, I felt it necessary to cover Beelzebub due to the fact that this is the first point in the book where something regarding fear is introduced. When the small boy attempts to express his idea of the beastie, the older boys laugh at him in disgust and keep telling him that “there is no beastie”. The way some of the biguns are reacting to the small boy’s theory is almost evil and wicked by laughing at him. This is an indication that in the future, the biguns are going to constantly ignore every altercation regarding the beastie so they don’t wind up scaring themselves. I think the ignorance of the biguns towards the small boy’s idea of the “beastie” is an example of exactly how humanity deals with bad or unpleasant, even frightening things and situations. Although many people try to deal with their unpleasant situations, you’re always going to have some people that just ignore them and let them slide.
 * 2) b. I’m not sure if my answer regarding the materialization of evil is going to be necessarily correct, but I am going to say that you can really find the materialization of evil anywhere. If you are watching the news, you’ll see what appears to be an ordinary person, yet you later find out that this person kidnapped a young child, abused, and killed them. Evil exists in every human but I believe that it comes out of all of us at different times depending on the person and the situation. You constantly hear stories of people that performed good deeds all of their life and then they suddenly wind up doing something horrific. This materialization of evil really depends on the person and what drives them to become evil. Not everyone’s materialization of evil comes out in terrible ways, but I do rest my case in saying that everyone has a bit of evil inside of them.


 * __Good and Evil: __**
 * 1) a. I chose the theme of Good vs. Evil. In //chapter 3 & 4//, Jack begins to realize that this thrill of hunting to kill is an adrenaline rush to him and it gives him a feeling of tyranny and barbarism. This begins to frustrate Ralph when he and Simon are the only two that are trying to build these huts for everyone to have necessary shelter in, while the other boys are splashing about in the lagoon as if life were the way it was prior to the plane crash. Ralph confronts Jack of the many issues and concerns he has with the way the boys all go about not paying attention to what is vital to them, but of course with hunting being Jack’s main concern, he is not interested in Ralph’s problems. Ralph comes to a conclusion that Jack and the hunters are simply using hunting as an excuse to avoid real work. Although this becomes the first scene in the novel that features Ralph and Jack’s arguing ways, you can still sense a display of Good and Evil amongst the two. The good in Ralph is evident in which he spends his time building huts for all of the boys to sleep comfortably in when he could be playing, while the evil in Jack is his desire to kill and not pay attention to what is vital for them all. Despite these two boys, you have Simon who definitely displays a large amount of positive energy and goodness in this chapter. As Simon wanders through the jungle, he helps littluns reach fruit from a high branch. After doing his good deed of the day, he proceeds to his little private sanctuary in which he sits peacefully taking in all of the beautiful open space around him. I think at this point in the novel (chapter 3), Ralph is winning at order and sustainability, but I would also have to admit that Jack is winning at leadership. Although Ralph is technically the one elected as the leader, I think Ralph’s tyrannical approach towards things makes people feel the need to listen and obey his every need. Overall though, I would have to say that Jack is the overall winner at least at this point in the novel. He’s more aware of the fact that they’re basically stuck on this island for a decent amount of time, and that they need to start addressing important issues over fun.
 * 2) b. Determining good or evil in this world depends upon one’s belief and values. What may appear good to one person may appear evil to another and vice versa. Following your beliefs and values plays a key role when it comes down to establishing what is good or evil. If you were raised to believe that polygamous relationships are not good, you are most likely going to live life believing that same belief that you were taught since a child. If you were raised to believe that lending someone money is good, you are most likely going to live life believing that performing that deed is good. I believe everyone is born good but can become evil based on personal life experiences and distorted beliefs.


 * __Nyctophobia: __**
 * 1) a. The theme that I think fits //chapter 5// the most is nyctophobia. In chapter 5, one of the littluns brings up to the group that he actually had seen a beast. He comes up with the theory that the beast comes up from the ocean at night. This then raises chaos throughout the entire group. I think nyctophobia fits well with both chapters 5 and 6 but more importantly chapter 5. The littlun theorizes this idea of the beast emerging from the ocean at night simply because he is terrified of the night-time. Since the young boy claims he has actually seen this beast with his own two eyes, the other boys start to believe that maybe there is in fact something there. In my own personal opinion, when you are afraid of the dark, you will automatically assume that there is something there that may or may not actually be there. You assume these things because it is harder to see in the dark, and you assume that something is there to harm or scare you. I believe that this shows what Golding is teaching because the littlun deals with this fear by convincing others to believe what he believes, in this case, that there is a beast on the island. If he were the only one on the island to believe that there was a beast in existent, he would wind up scaring himself more than he already is. If he convinces the other boys to believe that there is a beast on the island, he can be scared amongst the others, not alone.
 * 2) b. One of my fears is coincidentally the dark. I think that I am scared of the dark because of the inability to see. If I am alone, and in the dark, it is a very terrifying experience for me, but if I am with others, and in the dark, it is not so terrifying. This relates to what I stated above, in which I said that the littlun deals with this fear by convincing the others to believe what he believes. Your fear kind of subsides when you are with others. Another reason as to why the dark scares me is because every scary movie, and/or scary show, occurs in the night-time or complete darkness. I’m sure that if more scary things were likely to occur in the daytime, people wouldn’t be as afraid as the nighttime as they unfortunately are.


 * __Groupthink: __**
 * 1) a. This leaves chapter 6 with the theme of groupthink. In chapter 6, there is a lot that also relates to that of chapter 5’s theme of nyctophobia, but they kind of go together in chapter 6. The fear of the dark is still occurring in chapter 6 but this fear that originally struck just one child, is now striking almost the entire group of boys. At the start of chapter 6 there are military airplanes battling fiercely up in the sky. The boys are unable to see what is going on due to the fact that they’re sleeping. They did have a signal fire going strong, until Sam and Eric who have fallen asleep, were apparently unable to sustain it. During the battle, a deceased parachutist floats down and his body casts fearful shadows on the ground. When they both awaken, they tend to the fire to brighten the flames. In the light of the flames they are able to make out the man and they believe it to be the beastie. They rush back to where the boys are and inform them of what they had just seen. When the boys explain what they had just seen, the falsely accuse the “beastie” of following them when one of the twins exclaims, “The beast followed us”. The boys all now believe that in fact a beast exists by the twins’ claims. This is where I believe groupthink comes into play. Although the twins are lying about the “beastie”, each boy eventually begins to believe that there is one. The first time there was a report of a beastie, none of the boys fell for it. The second time, some of them believed it. Now this time since there are two boys involved in the theory, they all suddenly think now is the right time to believe that there is a beastie. In my opinion, I believe that since they witnessed their leader in a fearful and frightened state, it led all of them to be fearful along with him.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">a. I am aware that there is a big difference between the idea of peer pressure, and the idea of groupthink. Then again, when you are asked to associate groupthink with high school, I think groupthink is more along the lines of peer pressure. High school is a time in one’s life when they are asked to perform different things that they may or may not want to perform. One may be asked to drink something they do not want to drink, smoke something they do not wish to smoke, or engage in a sexual activity that they believe they are not quite ready to perform. When they hear of other people doing these things, they are more susceptible to doing so because they think that if others are doing it, then it is socially acceptable for them to do so as well. The same thing goes when a person is out at a party and is pressured into drinking something. When this person sees everyone else drinking, they then feel the need to do so to avoid humiliation or social awkwardness. I think people deal with groupthink differently than others. Some people realize that their opinion is the only opinion that matters, while others believe that they might as well go along with everyone else’s opinions. Although it may be hard for one to stray from the norm and express their own opinions, if they truly believe that their opinion is more important than the consensus of others, they should have the ability to go astray the whole idea of groupthink.

**Journal Evaluation**

Name __________________________________________________________________


 * **Criteria** || **Point Values** ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Overall **focus** and flow and use of transitions to make the piece **cohesive** || **5** || 4 || 3 || 2 || 1 ||
 * **Content** & textual evidence reflect the appropriate themes in the journal options || 15-**13** || 12 || 11 || 10-9 || 8-0 ||
 * **Analysis** of quotes are accurate and thorough || 15-**13** || 12-10 || 11 || 10-9 || 8-0 ||
 * Personal **connection** responses are articulate and thought-provoking || **10**-8 || 7-6 || 5-4 || 3-2 || 1 ||
 * **Mechanics**, Spelling and Grammar || 5 || **4** || 3 || 2 || 1 ||


 * Total ____45__/50**


 * Feedback**:

_$__ Provides unique and insightful perspective on the reading

__$_ Uses effective verbs and word choice to create strong sense of voice

___ Content is simplified or too general

_$__ Proofread more closely (citations from reading are needed when citing quotes)

___ Elaboration needed


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chapter 7 Journal Entry __**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dear Diary,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s me Ralph again. Many days have gone by and I am really beginning to feel homesick. I miss everyone back at home and this did not turn out the way I wanted it to be. I originally figured that a bunch of young boys on an island without adults would be fun, but I wouldn’t consider this fun at all. As the boys and I made a stop to eat food earlier today, I sat looking out into the ocean just thinking about everything. I thought about how much Jack has been bothering me. I thought about the order we once had at the start of our venture. I thought about how everything is falling apart and how we won’t be saved. I know it sounds terrible, but I just don’t think we will be saved. I mean, seriously, just think of all of the fires that we have made already. If no one has seen them yet, then no one will ever see them. I must say that after all of my thinking, Simon really stepped in and cheered me up. Simon is one of those people that just make you feel so good every time you are around them. He made me think that maybe, just maybe, we will be rescued. Later on that day, some of us stumbled upon pig droppings. This of course made crazy Jack get all excited and wanting to hunt down the pig while still continuing to search for the beast. I can’t lie when I say that I almost got to Jack’s level of excitement when we went to hunt this pig. It was just so exciting and fun! It gave us all an excuse to act absolutely insane. My excitement led me to toss my spear at the boar which only merely wounded him, but still! I think Jack was surprised and impressed by me which made me feel good about myself. Today was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed acting savage-like and insane!

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Ralph


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chapter 8 Journal Entry __**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dear Diary,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s me, Mason. When I say that things are absolutely chaotic on this island, I mean it. Earlier today Ralph and Jack got into a big argument and all of us littluns were just there watching wondering what was going to happen next. They absolutely hate each other! Jack wound up storming away from us shouting at Ralph, <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I’m not going to be a part of Ralph’s lot. Not with you…I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too” (Golding 127). At this point, I don’t know who I side with. Ralph is nice, while Jack is mean, but who will make the most effort in getting us off of the island? That is what I need to consider. I realized that Ralph makes more of an effort to maintain civilization, while Jack is about strictly hunting and acting like a savage. So for now, I am with Ralph. Oh my gosh, the strangest thing happened last night! As all of us littluns were dozing off to sleep, we heard loud noises coming towards us! Who else could it be but Jack and his little minions. They were coming to raid our camp. It made me cry. I hate to see people act so mean and evil. I just hope that we can all be saved.

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Mason


 * __<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chapter 9 & 10 Journal Entry __**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dear Diary,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am sorry. I really am sorry. I apologize for everything that went on today. I don’t know what got into me. I remember Mommy watching a show once about a woman that could put things into other people’s minds and make them do mean things. That’s what happened to me today. I didn’t want to do it. They made me. They put things into my head and turned me into a savage-like, bloodthirsty animal like them. Why did we kill him?! All that I remember hearing was “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (Golding 152). I didn’t want to kill Simon, but what would have happened to //me// if I had chose not to participate in the killing? We were all just so ecstatic about the hunting and killing of the beast that our chanting and dancing got us so pumped up and led us to kill innocent Simon!

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Mason


 * __<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chapter 11 Journal Entry __**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dear Diary,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am proud to say that I have stuck with Ralph this entire time. He is my leader and I love him and respect everything that he chooses to do. He thinks that his choice to take us all up to Castle Rock to demand Piggy’s specs back was what led to Piggy’s death, but he was just trying to do something for all of our benefits. Piggy’s death was an accident, a very tragic one at that. When Ralph decided to take us all up to Castle Rock, he and Jack’s fight was very scary. I must say though, that I appreciated Ralph’s ability to stand up to Jack. I’m a little bit nervous now. Jack is begging Samneric to join his side and I have a feeling that they’re going to say yes. That would leave basically no one on Ralph’s side. This is not good.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Mason


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chapter 12 Epilohue __**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dear Diary,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This last entry will conclude my diary. I woke up this morning to an unrecognizable face. I thought I was dreaming, but when the hand of this mysterious figure touched me, it was real. Ralph was right, we were saved! Ralph spent countless nights reassuring me that we would indeed be saved. Although we were all saved, I am so glad that I stuck with Ralph throughout all of this chaos. When I opened my eyes, all I could see were “Two hands. A spear. A face” ( Golding 199). I don’t think I have ever been this happy in my life! I can’t wait to go home and see my mommy and daddy. I am going to eat all of my favorite foods, take a long bubble bath, and sleep in my comfortable bed. Thank you to this amazing officer! We’re free at last!

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I arrived home, there was definitely a change in my level of maturity and I spent the first month waking up from terrible nightmares. I can’t complain though, I’m home! As crazy as this whole experience was, I think it really made me the strong boy that I am right now. Though I am only 8 years old, I have been through things that no other 8 year old has been through, and performed acts that many humans have not performed. I am ashamed for some of the things I have done, but I don’t regret anything but the killing of Simon. I saw Jack the other day smoking a cancer stick outside of his home. He’s on probation which does not surprise me. I heard he was killing the neighborhood cats and shoving sticks up their backsides to post out front of the owners house. He’s a sick fool, that boy. Ralph and I are really good friends, though. He lives about 25 minutes away from me and we have play dates often. He’s still adjusting to “civilization” back at home and he’s a leader here as well. He’s the president of his class and everyone loves him! Everything on the island taught him to be a leader without being bossy and that is what I love most about Ralph. He is, and always will be my savior and best friend. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; line-height: 24px;">-Mason