Maloney,M

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Good and evil has appeared multiple times in chapter one, alone. The best example, however, is the well-known encounter that Simon, Ralph and Jack had with the pig. They were tired and hungry when they stumbled upon a pig caught in creepers. It was the perfect opportunity for easy food. Jack could have easily struck the pig and had enough food for at least six of the kids. As he was getting ready to blow, however, he paused as mixed emotions came rushing through his head. The pig got away within seconds of Jack rethinking what he was about to do. As soon as the pig ran, Jack regretted not killing it. He said to the boys “‘I was going to,’ said Jack. He was ahead of them, and they could not see his face. ‘I was choosing a place. Next time—!’” (Golding 31) His internal conflict was a distinct example of good versus evil. When he paused, he was deciding whether he wanted to kill a living thing. In this instance, it is obvious that good won him over. If it had been a few seconds later, that may not have been the case. He might have thought it through and killed the piglet. However, his morality won and he stopped in time for the pig to get away. This taught him that he needs to be more aggressive and less moral if he wants them to survive. He decided that he would not hesitate next time he finds a pig.=====

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In this world, it can be difficult to decide if it’s good or evil. There are ways to think it through, though, to make sure it is the right choice. First, make sure it benefits others. In the case of Jack, if he had killed the pig it would have benefited at least 3 other boys if not more, by bringing them meat to eat. Also, make sure it can benefit you. Whether it is making you feel good about yourself or if it benefits your health, it would be a source of good in the world.=====

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The boys’ civilization is not doing well. Even though they have clear leaders, and the boys are obedient, they are just kids. They are afraid of the dark, easily distracted, and Jack, Simon and Ralph have no idea how to run a whole civilization. It is more than just babysitting, and they are not doing a good job of know how to make the kids feel better. The three of them barely know how to take care of themselves, let alone how to make a town with houses, and a government and food. Especially since the three boys have different ways of how to govern. As Ralph was trying to talk to the boys, at the meeting, Jack had other ideas. As soon as he heard the idea of the fire, he had the boys rowdy and loud chanting “A fire! Make a fire!” (Golding 38). Even as Ralph was trying to speak, no one heard him. Jack had no intentions of sharing his power and triumph right now, even though it was Ralph’s idea. Right away, he said “Come on! Follow me!” (Golding 38), leaving Ralph in the dust.=====

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In all honesty, I don’t think our civilization is really doing a “bang-up” job. The economy is the worst it has been since the Great Depression. Gas prices have sky rocketed. Sometimes it feels like there is more hatred in the country since segregation was legal. Our civilization is holding up, but with the uncertainty of how long this economy is going to last, people are not happy. They want to know that their kids and grandkids are going to grow up in a safe world, where money is not as stressful as it is now. Where there is more tolerance of other’s beliefs. Freedom of speech can get out of hand sometimes, and though every case is different, there is a fine line behind stating their opinion and being flat-out rude and uncalled for.=====

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The boys are all unfamiliar with the island. No matter how many times Jack has traveled around the land, there are still hundreds of thousands of things undiscovered in the woods. They all know that there are things out there that they are not used to; that they never knew existed. Even Jack, one of the older kids says “There’s nothing in it of course. Just a feeling. But you can feel as if you're not hunting, but- being hunted, as if something’s behind you all the time in the jungle” (Golding 53) knowing how the littluns feel. Jack doesn't know what is in the forest. It is human nature, no matter what age you are, to easily fear something you are unfamiliar with. Though there are a select few that do not fear unfamiliar things, most people; especially kids of such young ages; easily fear something that they know nothing about. Golding shows that people, especially little kids, can and do get scared over things that they don’t know about, or unfamiliar with. Jack looks at like it’s just a feeling and he has to keep going, because he is reasonable and knows there is nothing there. The littluns, however, avoid their fear and deal with it as any little kid usually would; relying on elders for support, comfort and shelter.=====

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Society deals with fear in so many different ways. I have a friend that learned to look at things logically. For example when it came to scary movies she would look at them as actors/ actresses not real people and it would not be as scary. When it came to something in their life she would look at how it would affect her in the long run and just accept whatever came at them, and they powered through their fears. Me, on the other hand, is a different story. I hide under pillows and blankets during scary movies, and during real life. Whatever I am afraid of I try to avoid it, rather than, like my friend does, plowing through it head first. Society deals with their fears in different ways.=====

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There are multiple things that could be considered, or that could represent Beelzebub. Some perceive Jack as a representation. However, in chapter five I think that the beastie is more of a materialization of evil. The boys had called an assembly to “figure out what’s what” as Ralph had put it. They needed to figure out a way to run the new society in a more organized fashion. Not only for peace at mind, but so that they can get things done- like the shelters, keeping the fire going and hunting more effectively. During this meeting, however, the beast inevitably comes up once again. A boy, Percival, claims that he had seen the beast. When they assembly is in disbelief that there could be a beastie, it’s because they believe that there is no place for a beastie to hide during the day on the Island. At that Percival tells Jack- which Jack repeats to the assembly- “He says the beastie comes out of the sea” (Golding 88). This was something none of the boys, little or big, had thought of. Jack had been all around the dry land, but what lays beyond the shore to the horizon is still unsure to even the boys’ parents. In this chapter, the realization of a beastie, or a possible Beelzebub, has started to take over the boys thoughts. They start to realize that maybe there really is something out there that could be after them. At night when they most vulnerable, they can’t see and something that they know nothing about can come alive, they boys will be most afraid.=====

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Hitler is the most obvious materialization. At first, all the people voted for him. He put on a façade that made it seem like he would help the people of the country, and that he had their lives in mind when he was leading it. However, when elected, he started to change. He became more involved in “purifying” the country in his own way. Without thinking of others, he murdered an estimated 11 million people. The scariest part was that he thought he was doing the world a good deed by getting rid of all the Jewish people, while being completely unreachable by any opposers/ enemies trying to stop him.=====

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Groupthink is when the group has to make a decision that benefits both the leader and the group. In chapter six, the boys had gone to look for the beastie. While Piggy stayed with the littluns, the biguns and the hunters went to hunt the beastie. When they got to the spot that Sam ‘n Eric had seen the beastie, Ralph volunteered to climb the mountain and test the cave. Jack ended up going along with him. On the way to the side of the mountain the twins saw the beastie, the group found a cave. Ralph had to decide to stay and explore that or to keep going and look for the beastie. Roger, one of the hunters, argued to stay and explore. He said, in response to Ralph’s order for smoke, “We’ve got plenty of time” (Golding 108)! When Ralph yelled at the boys for dilly-dallying and looking at the useless fort, some boys disagreed with his order to get more smoke and carry on. They had to choose: was it better to make the fort a shelter, ignore the beast for now and wait until morning? Or was it better to leave the fort make smoke and hunt the beastie now? The group, mostly under Ralph’s order, however some did agree, decided that it was better to get rid of the beastie and ignore the inconvenient fort.=====

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People, especially in high school, deal with Groupthink all the time. During group projects, we have to divide the work evenly and figure out which part is best for which person to work on. As seniors, we are trying to organize senior activities. Together we decide dates that work for everyone rather than just a select group of people. As a high school, we have to think of ways to make our school a better, more enjoyable place for the diversity of people in it.=====

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I have no idea what is going on with the older boys. Ralph and Jack seem to fight a lot. It reminds me of my parents sometimes. They used to fight, too. Ralph keeps saying that we do not do enough work. He says that we need to get more done, and that we need to focus more on the shelters and being rescued rather then so much on hunting. Jack likes to hunt, though. That is why they fight. Jack wants meat and Ralph wants shelter and fire. I like Jack. He always likes to run around in the forest and chase after pigs. It is more fun with Jack because chasing pigs is like a game. With Ralph we are always working. Ralph seems to get mad at Jack a lot. I like the Island. I think it is fun. I like to be close to the water and to always play with my friends. My mom and dad didn’t always let me play with my friends, and I was never able to build sand castles at home. I miss them, though. I miss my comfy bed and my warm blankie. I miss mommy and daddy too. They always made me food like pancakes and waffles. I don’t like it here because at night I do not have the night light that mommy and daddy bought me. I used to sleep with them when I got scared, but now I can’t because they are not here. I get scared every night. I have nightmares a lot. I always feel more scared at night then I do during the day. I do not know why. There is a beastie in the woods. Ralph, Jack, Piggy and Simon sometimes say that there is not one, but today they said there was one. All the younger boys stayed at the shelters with Piggy while the older boys and the hunters went to fight the beastie. The younger boys played a lot, but some of us older ones knew by the end of the night, when the hunters did not come back, that something was wrong. As night fell, some of them came back but Roger, Ralph and Jack were still gone. The hunters that came back all looked tired, dirty and very scared. I am very scared now, and I just want to go home. I feel safer with mommy and daddy. I like it here playing with my friends at the beach all day, but I do not feel safe and I want to go home.=====

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It’s really scary now. Jack, Roger and Ralph said they saw the beastie. This isn’t fun anymore. I don’t like it here. They called the meeting and right away they started fighting about who should talk first. Jack kept insulting Piggy and Ralph. I know how they feel, because people were sometimes mean to me back at school. Jack also said during the meeting “Yes. The beast is a hunter. Only- shut up! The next thing is that we couldn’t kill it” (Golding 126). That makes it even scarier, because it means that the beastie is really trained, and knows more about the island then our hunters, since it’s his home. I got nervous because after the meeting Jack just left. He just jumped from the platform and walked alone into the forest. He is rough sometimes, but I am worried that the beastie will hurt him. Later in the night Ralph told us to start building the fire again. I’m not very big, but I’m not one of the really young littluns, so I worked as much as I could with the biguns. Soon, though I got really tired. As I was working, I saw biguns leaving. I was so bored and tired of making a fire for the whole time, that I followed Roger into the forest. I don’t know why all the boys are acting so crazy. They all like to hunt and kill things. So, since I was with Jack now, I had to do it with them or I would get left behind. I didn’t do much, I mostly just ran with everyone. Soon, the hunters killed a pig. We finally got some meat! But they hung the head on a stick by where we had the feast. It was bloody and kept looking at me. Jack declared himself a new chief. He’s really bossy. He makes even the youngest boys work. Jack invited Ralph and his tribe to join our feast. I was proud because that was really nice of him. I am glad that I followed Jack because he does more than just build a fire. I am very afraid and I have a lot of bad dreams. I can’t sleep at night because of the beastie scaring me. Before I joined Jack I was afraid to go into the woods, too, but he is strong and makes me feel safer. I’m also happy that I’m with Jack because I am losing hope that mom and dad are still looking for me. I miss them a lot. I think they miss me too, but I don’t know if they are still looking, and the fires don’t seem to be helping. Hunting with Jack seems more useful, because I am less hungry then before, with the meat that we’ve been eating. I have to go, Jack is telling us it's time for bed.=====

(Chapter 9&10)
Dear Diary, They thought I went to bed. The biguns saw me leave. Some of the others did too. I stayed up though. I wanted to see if Jack changed when so many of the littluns fell asleep. My parents used to do that. Fight only when they thought I was in bed. Or talk about money when they thought I couldn’t hear. Jack didn’t change, though. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I know it’s true. I was right next to the thing. I was hiding in the woods, watching the biguns messing about. I heard it panting first, and I saw as it crawled towards the circle. I was not as afraid as I thought I would be. I didn’t feel near it. Soon I realized why. As the biguns were chanting, with some of the littluns in a ring of their own, the creature crawled into the light of the fire. I saw him. It was Simon. He helped me and the other littluns pick fruit before disappearing. Now, he was crawling slowly into the mass of phased biguns. I knew that they were too wrapped up in what they were doing to see it was a person not the beastie. Just thinking about the beastie I moved a little closed to what was now a horseshoe shaped line, with the hunters sweating and dirty. After the shrieks of the littluns died down, and the hunters had formed a line they charged Simon. I was going to yell but I saw what they were doing. I was afraid they would hurt me too, if I tried to stop them. I stood shocked at watching while “The beast was on its knees in the center, its arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise…” (Golding 152). The whole time I knew it, but didn't stop them. I was in too much shock. I didn't know what to do, or how I would help, anyway.

From, Patrick

(Chapter 11) Dear Diary,

Jack stole Piggy’s specs to make a fire. I don’t know why he didn’t just ask to have some, but Jack has always done a lot of silly things to make things more violent. Samneric, Piggy and Ralph only wanted Piggy’s specs. Jack and the other hunters went up to the top of the cliff and heaved a rock down the side. Piggy, too fat to move, and just in a bad spot, was hit dead center with a huge boulder that the hunters placed. The conch itself, the sacred horn, blew to pieces as the boulder hit Piggy with full force. I stopped looking after that, since I didn’t want to add to the nightmares I already have. Ralph and Jack got into a true fist fight. I didn’t turn again until I heard the breaths of them slow down and leave each other. With Piggy gone too, Ralph was alone. I knew it was too late to intervene. I hated it here, but it’s easier that no one knows I am here, so that they don’t try to recruit or “train” me. Soon Ralph just walked through the forest looking for a place to sleep, so I switched to watching Jack. Jack was forming a plan of pattern and attack to get Ralph out to the open. He threatened Samneric until they cracked and joined the force. He had them tied up, asking them questions in a loud voice, saying “What d’you mean by not joining my tribe?” (Golind 182). He was trying to scare the two into the tribe.

 From, Patrick

(Chapter 12 Epilogue) Dear Diary, The world away from the water is so different then the way I remember it was before I was on the Island. There are things I have never noticed before; there are things I had never liked so much. I didn’t realize how much I wanted to just get home. I wanted to see my mom and dad. The whole plane ride there was so long, but so comfortable. There was real food and drinks. The plane had a running bathroom and I showered in a hotel before I got on. There was no one else on the plane. A lot of the kids are from different areas, and I am the only one from this area of England. I had this entire plane to myself, but I didn’t want to be alone. I had couldn’t sleep. I was so tired, but all these images keep coming back. All the boys slept just before the battle. The hunters only did for a little, but Ralph seemed jostled by the noises. I couldn’t see him even if I stared at it. I pictured him in there. The image of him helpless at first makes me feel guilty for not joining him. Then, out of nowhere, I saw flames. All of a sudden the fire spread. It was amazing, but in the astonishing way, rather than the flattering way. It was up in flames in almost no time. The way the fire spread it took no time. It all felt like it was over. I ran for my life. I burst through the edge of the trees, still feeling the heat of the fire while the sun hurt my eyes, as they accustomed to fast lighting change. I kept running to the water. I know that water puts fires out, so if it spreads too fast I can stay in the water and it can’t hurt me. I kept running, looking back at the forest, I turned to see how far the water was from the spot and I ran right into a grown adult. I thought I was hallucinating. It was a man in an army uniform. He caught me and helped me to my feet before he sat me down slowly. As soon as he sat me down I burst into tears. I usually get made fun of for crying, since I’m a boy, but he gave me a big hug and said everything was going to be alright. From the island we took a ship. I have always wanted to be on a big ship, but at this point I was a little sick of seeing the horizon with nothing but water. I slept on and off the whole way there. I was so excited to see my mom and dad, to have a real bed with real sheets and pillows. On the way to the hotel and to the plane ride the soldier kept asking me questions about what happened. He wanted to know if I knew how many there were on the island on the first day, and on the very last day. Of course, I had no idea. He wanted to know all about everything. Even though I was so tired, I answered the same questions over and over, with different programs and from different levels of the army. What makes me mad is that I am only 9 years old but I just survived an empty island with a bunch of kids, and turned out healthy. They still treat me like I’m weak right now, but I know a lot more. I know that I will share more, and do more, because maybe more than two kids didn’t make it off the island. That scared me, because I was so nervous that I wouldn’t make it either was too tough to deal with. But, all of us kids matured so much more since we did this. We didn’t go to school, but we learned so much more about the outdoors. We learned survival and cooperation. Or at least, I did. The kids at school will want answers. The soldiers said to tell them anything I want, but now if I am ever bullied again, I learned techniques defend myself, and I am more confident with myself, and being able to do it. Once I saw my parents, who were over joyed to see me, I went straight to my room. Traveling is tiring. So is being stranded. Once I walked in the door, I ran up the stairs dropped my bags on the flood and collapsed into bed. I didn’t dream or wake up that night, and it was probably one of the best sleeps I have ever gotten. My parents still treat me like a kid, and for now that is ok. I want to be treated more mature later, but for now I like all the attention my parents are giving me. From, Patrick