LOTF: Literature Project

PRCS Lit project 2015 by Tracy, Darren and Gillianne from 3/7. Click on the Navigation for the content. Thank you~! Banner by Gillianne

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Setting of LOTF

>Paradisaical Island- described like the Garden of Eden

“Beyond the platform there was more enchantment. Some act of God-a typhoon perhaps, or the storm that accompanied his own arrival- had banked sand inside the lagoon so that there was a long, deep pool in the beach with a high ledge of pink granite at the further end”

The environment of the island symbolises beauty and purity, just like the innocent civilised boys who had just entered ‘paradise’

>Loss of purity and untaintedness

“All around him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat”

“He was clambering heavily among the creepers and broken trunks”

This shows that man and his savage nature destroys the paradise just by merely entering it as the airplane- a product of man-kind, invades the uninhabited island, causes physical destruction.

Done by Tracy

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Chapter 12

Summary:

Ralph is injured and hiding from jack’s tribe, fearing for his life. He ponders about what he should do next. He finds the pig skull and destroys it. He approaches Castle Rock and Sam and Eric warn him of the danger that awaits him. He hides from the tribe at night while they chant and eat. Sam and Eric are forced to betray Ralph by Jack and Roger, revealing his hiding spot. The hunters force him out of hiding and into the open by setting fire to the undergrowth. The fire spreads to the whole island and Ralph is forced to flee towards the beach where he collapses in front of a naval officer whose ship had spotted the smoke from the burning island and had come to investigate. The boys realize that they were being rescued and started crying about themselves and their friends who were gone.

Key Concerns:

-Ralph is a fugitive from Jack’s tribe but still approaches their main base at Castle Rock

-Sam and Eric help Ralph out but were forced to betray him

-The hunters set fire to the island without thinking of the consequences

Character Development:

Ralph:

-becomes desperate to survive and ends up being hunted down with fire

Jack:

-sends the tribe to hunt down Ralph, letting loose a dangerous group of savages who end up burning their food

Sam and Eric:

-tries to fit in with Jack’s tribe but still loyal to Ralph

  Other Boys:

-become so savage that they rely on their instinct to hunt down Ralph that they end up burning their food, which would have led to their doom if the ship had not rescued them

Key Quotes:

“this was not Bill. This was a savage whose image refused to blend with that ancient picture of a boy in shorts and shirt”- this shows how the boys have become so savage that their civilized self is no longer existent.

“fatal unreasoning knowledge came to him again. The breaking of the conch and the deaths of Piggy and Simon lay over the island like a vapour.”- this shows how the many incidents which shattered the civilization that Ralph tried to build up pushed him on, to go against the savagery of Jack’s tribe.

“The skull regarded Ralph like one who knows all the answers and won’t tell”- this is a reference to the Lord Of The Flies who was portrayed through the skull and how it enlightened Simon.

“They were savages it was true; but they were human”- this shows how even though the boys were already very savage, they still had a sense of humanity.

“new and shameful loyalty”- this shows what Sam and Eric thought of being part of Jack’s tribe, a disgraceful thing to be.

“The fire must be almost at the fruit trees-what would they eat to-morrow?”- this shows how the savage boys have lost their ability to do thing reasonably and now do things on instinct.

“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”- this shows how Ralph has been suppressing his emotions about all the bad thing that had happened on the island and its large amount.

   Done by Darren

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Chapter 9

Summary:

Simon wakes up and finds the dead parachutist after climbing up the mountain. He realizes that the boys had seen the parachutist and mistook it for the beast. He frees the parachutist and heads down the mountain to tell the others about what he had discovered. Ralph and Piggy go to Jack’s feast to maintain the power balance between them. Most of the boys decide to join Jack’s tribe and they start to dance and chant. Simon emerges from the forest and the boys kill him in a moment of frenzy.

Key Concerns:

-Simon finds out about the parachutist on the mountain

-Jack gets the boys to join his tribe by enticing them with meat

-Simon is murdered when he tries to tell the boys about the parachutist

Character Development:

Jack:

-gains dominance over the boys, overthrowing Ralph

Simon:

-finds out the truth about the beast seen on top of the mountain but is murdered before he could get a chance to explain it to the other boys

Other Boys:

-joins Jack’s tribe and descends further into savagery as they brutally murder Simon.

Key Quotes:

“The life-like movement would scare them off for a moment”- this shows how the boys are more afraid than the flies of the parachutist, implying that the boys are behaving more and more animal-like.

“Simon felt his knees smack the rock”- this shows Simon’s realization of the identity of the beast on the mountain and his surprise to find out the truth.

“I mean-to make sure nothing happens” - this shows how even Piggy is getting worried about Jack’s growing power.

“Ralph made a sudden movement that became a stumble”- this shows Ralph’s surprise at Jack’s direct request to the boys to join his tribe.

“There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws.”- this shows the boys throwing away everything to do with civilization like reasoning and peace talks for immediate action driven by pure instinct.

“Then the clouds opened and let down the rain like a waterfall”- the rain creates a gloomy atmosphere to suit the dark actions of the boys.

Done by Darren

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Thoughts And Feelings (Darren)

I feel that the book has portrayed the vilest attribute of human beings which is the primitive nature that once ruled the human mind long in the past. The book shows the innocent boys who come from one of the most civilized cities in the world falling into the madness that is savagery. This just goes to show how even the most uncivilized can change into a completely uncivilized person if they are influenced enough by their surroundings. The urge to give in to anyone’s innate nature can be irresistible when there is little or no hope. This is seen as Jack becomes more savage as the boys stay on the island longer and their chances of rescue decrease. The book also gives an insight of how the oddities of humanity are rejected by society as seen in Piggy being pushed away by the boys due to the his size and physical weakness. The book lets readers think about how they would act in the position of the boys, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of both themselves and humanity in general. Lastly, the book shows the everlasting power struggle between two highly regarded people and how human beings would even use underhandedmethods to gain control over others like how Jack got the boys to join his tribe through discrediting Ralph and enticing them with promise of meat. 

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British Culture

Brief Description of British culture between 1945 and 1959

Politics:

Lesser people voted for political parties in elections and thus the parties lost a large amount of votes, despite gaining or losing a small number of seats.

Education:

The poor were given free places in schools but were refused due to additional costs which came with it that was not free.

Society:

European countries started to work together and pooled resources as well as removed tariffs to increase the standard of living.

Sources:

http://www.may2015.com/featured/a-history-of-every-general-election-since-1945-in-12-graphs/

http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/livinglearning/school/overview/educationact1944/

http://study.com/academy/lesson/1945-1959-the-beginning-of-european-cooperation.html

 Done by Darren

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Thoughts and Feelings (Tracy)

The book reveals a wide scope of realistic elements of life, such as human nature. It urges readers to ponder over the good and evil within us, and helps us to relate this to many situations in life. Piggy, being one of the most naive and innocent boys in the beginning, eventually became a savage. On the other hand, Simon, remained his civility and innocence. Furthermore, he gained insight and the truth into the real 'beast' which refers to the innately primitive human behaviour. Hence, this book opens up to more than just boys getting deserted on an island,  but also explains how our mindset can influence the way we turn out to be. I enjoy reading this book, especially when i figure out new themes present in the book. It captivates me that it can tell so much more than the words that are imprinted on the book. Lastly, it is the detailed and painstakingly written descriptions of the characters and the atmosphere, which allows us readers to put ourselves in the characters' shoes. It enables us to understand the conflict over power and control, by describing the tension between Ralph and Jack, as they share different ideals. Ralph wants to build shelters and monitor the fire, while Jack is focused on hunting. Therefore, this is a very good book because it does not tell the readers directly of the meaning of each theme in the book but entices us to comprehend and think over life values and ourselves in general.

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Thoughts and Feelings (Gillianne)

I feel that after doing this project, I learned how the characters in the story change overtime and learn their qualities as a human being. For example, I learned how great Piggy is as a side character but is able to make a big impact to us due to his death and actions when he was with Ralph.  I also start to know other characters better, mostly Jack and how his true colours affect the story and give it a sinister twist that what LOTF is known for. As I learn more things, I start to reflect and try to be more in depth in the story to fully grasp it to my fullest ability. By looking deeper in the text and being immersed with the little details, I feel like I am able to have different perspectives of the story to let my imagination run wild, but know how to stay logical.

The whole book made me think about how human nature can be a scare thing, but worst, it is in all of us despite age or gender. Golding was able to turn something innocent to horror and violence with the use of boys in an adolescent age. This was an educational experience for me.

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Chapter 11

Summary:

When the boys woke up, they discovered that Piggy’s glasses were taking away from him. Ralph found out that the fire that they made was out too. The boys needed Piggy’s glasses to make the signal fire and with out the glasses, Piggy is blind as a bat. Piggy is determined to take back his glasses even though it was not a good idea. Ralph and the twins decided to help Piggy by joining him to go to Castle Rock to meet Jack.

After arriving, the tribal boys of Jack did not allow them to enter Castle Rock but moments later Jack arrives from his hunt. Soon after, Jack and Ralph started fighting since Ralph called him a thief (“Thief! Thief!”). Piggy tried to stop them by showing out the conch, surprisingly the boys became quit. He told the boys to think and be logical and not to be savages but then after Roger killed Piggy by throwing a big rock at him and falls down to the ocean. SamnEric were taken by Jack’s tribe and Ralph ran away and flee.

 Key Concerns:

>Piggy’s glasses were stolen

>Jack and Ralphs’ conflict

>Piggy’s death

>Conch was broken

>SamnEric were captured, leaving Ralph alone

 Character Development:

Ralph

He must have been traumatised by Piggy’s death but also took it as an advantage to save himself from jack and his tribe.

Piggy

He was then known to be a very loyal friend towards Ralph even before this death, this tells us that he was a valuable friend to have and Ralph made a grave mistake in befriending Jack rather than Piggy.

Jack

He has a short temper as he was furious and fought with Ralph as he was accused of being a thief which was true.

The tribal boys

After Piggy’s speech they boys were hesitant in tying up the twins but they were forced by Jack as he was their leader. This shows how the boys are realising that what they are doing is wrong but still decides to follow Jack because they fear him.

Key Quotes:

“Piggy ended, flushed and trembling”

Piggy was still afraid of Jack but we can tell that he really wanted his glasses back as he was brave enough to make a speech to return his glasses back although Jack did not hear it.

“Well we won’t be painted,” Ralph said, “because we aren’t savages.”

“All the same—“

Ralph shouted.

“No paint!”

SamnEric thought that it would be better to seem like they sided Jack but Ralph was against it. We can conclude that Ralph was to be true to himself and not admit defeat to Jack even though it is just a disguise.

“the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist”

Loss of power and control among the boys.

Done by Gillianne

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Chapter 10

Summary:

The chapter starts with Ralph and Piggy at the beach, the morning after Simon’s death. Ralph feels terribly guilty for killing Simon with Jack’s tribe though did not meant it, he thought it was murder. On the other hand, Piggy strongly denied what Ralph said and insisted that it was an accident.

SamnEric reports to Ralph that the other bigluns joined Jack’s tribe and left. Ralph was starting to lose hope in getting rescued, but Piggy tried to comfort the chief that there is hope.

Meanwhile, Jack punished one of his tribal members for no good reason and is a very harsh leader towards his tribe. Everyone in his tribe has been painted and preferred Jack to be leader, despite the fact that he was the cause of the fire to be unlit to be rescued. Jack and his tribe believed that the beast was still alive despite killing “it” at the beach last night. He would order his tribe to do weird rituals to ensure that the beast leaves them alone.

Jack call Roger and Maurice to hatch a plan to steal Piggy’s glasses.

On the beach, Ralph decided to create a signal fire there, clinging for hope to be rescued. While the boys were asleep at the beach, Jack’s boys attempted to steal Piggy’s glasses and succeeded. Ralph wondered why the boys did not steal the conch. Piggy was desperate to have his glasses, without them, he is blind as a bat.

 Key Concerns:

>The effect of Simon’s death on the boys

>Ralph losing power of the boys, despite being chief

>Jack and his tribe turning savage

>The loss of hope in getting rescued of Ralph

>Piggy losing his glasses

>Losing civilisation to savagery

>Process of losing power and control of Ralph

 Character Development:

Ralph

Starting to lose hope and confidence in leading the boys because of Jack brainwashing them to go against him. But with the help of Piggy, he regains hope to be rescued.

The bigluns in Jack’s tribe

Quickly turning savage because of Jack, starts worshiping the head of the sow and their belief in the Beast became stronger.

 Key Quotes:

“the fragile white conch still gleamed by the polish seat”

The conch usually represents power and control between the boys but it is said to be fragile. This means that power and control can also be destroyed easily, like how Ralph is losing power over the other boys because of Jack.

“It was an accident”

There is a repetition of this being said by Piggy. Piggy is convinced that what they did to Simon was not murder, but the more he repeats himself he realises that they actually did murder Simon but does not want to admit it. This shows how much Piggy can be a coward and not facing the problem.

“The fire was dying on them”

The fire represents hope of the boys that they will be rescued, and is dying on them. The loss of hope being saved made the boys at the beach become more desperate but still clinging on what is left of hope left.

“It’s real!”

This was said by Piggy and thought that the beast has come for them. This shows how Piggy is starting to be illogical and smart as at first, he knew that the beast did not exist but now he believe in it.

“He was chief now in truth”

Jack finally had beat Ralph in being chief and now has power and control of the boys, making them more savage.

Done by Gillianne

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Author’s Background

William Gerald Golding was born in 19 September 1911 in Cornwall, UK. He studied at Marlborough Grammar School (1921-1930) in Marlborough, Wiltshire and then to Oxford University which he studied Natural Sciences for two years but then decided to study English Literature instead.

In 1935, he became a teacher for two years but then returned to Oxford University for his further studies. After a year, he continued teaching in another school, on the same year, he met his wife Ann Brookfield whom was an analytical chemist and then got married a year after. They got married several weeks after the declaration of war. He had two children.

In 1940, he joined the navy till the end of the World War II (1945). After this, he began teaching again till 1962. During this time, he published four books. One of these books was ‘Lord of the Flies’, which was his most popular book that he wrote. In 1983, Golding was awarded with the Noble Prize in Literature. Ten years after this, he passed away due to heart failure and was buried five days later.

Why did Golding write LOTF?

Golding wrote LOTF as a reflection towards society and civilisation and in contrast with human nature. He was inspired to write this story as he worked in the navy during WWII and realised the brutality of war and what humans can do to each other to obtain power. He told his story through young boys who had the attributes of human nature, regardless of age. He realised that society is dependent on human nature, not on political rights which was acceptable and just.

Done by Gillianne

Sources:

http://www.william-golding.co.uk/

http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides2/Golding.html#Lord

http://www.gradesaver.com/the-maze-runner/study-guide/the-lord-of-the-flies

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Chapter 8

THEMES

 TENSION

“He’s not a hunter. He’d never have got us meat. He isn’t a prefect and we don’t know anything about him. He just gives orders and expects people to obey for nothing. All this talk—“ “All this talk!’ shouted Ralph. “Talk,talk! Who wanted it? Who called the meeting?” This open argument between R and J, in the middle of an assembly portrays the intense level of displeasement they have towards each other. Currently, both of them are competing with each other to gain respect over the boys in a very rude manner as tension in their relationship grows.

  END OF CIVILISATION

“I’m not going to be part of Ralph’s lot—“ “Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too.”

Jack is forming a new team that would be focused on hunting and killing instead of rational measures like building shelters and making a fire for rescue. Instead, it is contrasting as how savagery is to civility. This division and separation of the boys marks the end of civilisation- which requires a ‘bonded society’ to be maintained.

 CHARACTERISATION

 JACK

“A little apart from the rest, sunk in deep maternal bliss, lay the largest sow of the lot.” “and his arm, straightening, pointed at the sow.” Jack’s choice of the mother sow to kill out of all the pigs, displayed his irrationality and ruthlessness. He does not consider the consequences of killing the mother sow, which was that the entire population of pigs may wipe out since the little piglets cannot fend for themselves. This would result in them not having any more meat to sustain themselves on the deserted island. Besides, the idea of hurting a vulnerable pig especially when she is nursing her little piglets is gruesome and inhuman.

 PIGGY

“We just got to go on, that’s all. That’s what grown-ups would do.” Piggy is very mature and persistent. In the midst of insane savagery and crisis, Piggy remains determined in setting up order on the island. He assures Ralph that they should continue to build shelters and maintain the fire, despite the present problems. This is a very logical way of reacting to problems especially in civilisation, just like what adults “would do”.

Done by Tracy

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Chapter 7

KEY THEMES

 Civilisation descending further into

savagery

 “ With the boar only five yards away, he flung the foolish wooden stick that he carried, saw it hit the great snout and hang there for a moment.”

 “He sunned himself in their new respect and felt that his hunting was good after all.” Even Ralph, who represented civilisation and order, has started to develop a passion for killing, just like Jack is and his hunters. His savage instinct is sparked as he feels pride and boasts about his attack of the bear.

 “The chant rose ritually, as at the last moment of a dance or a hunt.” “Use a littleun,”said Jack, and everybody laughed. The boys re-enact the hunting of the pig previously, and had laughed light-heartedly at the idea of hurting a littleun just like how they would catch a pig.

  CONFLICT

 “Ralph sighed, sensing the rising antagonism, understanding that this was how Jack felt as soon as he ceased to lead.” “Why do you hate me?” –Ralph

 The conflict between R and J continues to heighten as Jack’s power and authority of leading the group in hunts is threatened by Ralph. After the incident of R attacking the boar, Ralph now discovers his existing potential to hunt pigs beyond just being a leader who carries out assemblies to command the boys to build shelters and maintain the fire for survival.

  CHARACTERISATION

 Simon

Ralph was worried for Piggy: “Someone’s got to go across the island and tell Piggy we’ll be back after dark.” Simon pushed his way to Ralph’s elbow. “I’ll go if you like. I don’t mind, honestly.”

It is clear here that Simon is logical and has the spiritual wisdom to understand that there is no danger in the forest because there is no beast. He recognizes that the beast is within the human nature of the boys, and hence he is not provoked at the idea of going through the dark forest alone.

 RALPH

Ralph tells Jack that they should go up the mountain to look for the beast: “We’ll go and look.” “ Ralph surprised himself, not so much by the quality of his voice, which was even, by the bravado of his intention.” “For the first time since he had first known Jack,Ralph could feel him hesitate.” “Now—?”

This is the character development of Ralph, of him becoming a more confident and decisive leader. He used to question his own worthiness, “I can’t think. Not like Piggy.” While now, he expresses his thoughts and decisions steadfastly without consideration. The extent of his change can be clearly seen through Jack’s reaction to his idea, because even Jack, who had always been the daring one, hesitated to his proposal of confronting the supposed beast.

Done by Tracy

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Character Overview

Ralph: The chosen leader of the boys who has quiet charisma and good looks. He tries to keep the boys focused on order and civilization but loses his authority and almost his life to Jack who influences him to become a savage.

Piggy: The brain of the group, he is an intellectual who relies on scientific and logical facts and theories. He is the targeted victim of bullying by the boys for being asthmatic and obese. He is loyal and has a close relation to Ralph as they are both rational amongst the savagery on the island. Jack: The main hunter of the choir, he favours hunting and its savage pleasure of bloodlust and mean over the civilized domesticity and hope for rescue that Ralph tries to preserve. He succeeds in leading all of the boys, not only his choir, in giving into their primitive instincts, except for Simon.

Simon: The good-natured one out of all the boys. Never once in the book had he fell prey to savage and primitive desires. Also, he is the only one who is courageous and spiritual enough to want to travel up the mountain alone to figure out the mystery of the ‘beast’. He is definitely a very special person and is the visionary of the group.

Done by Tracy

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Plot Overview

In the midst of a war, an evacuating plane, which held a group of schoolboys from Britain crashed down into a deserted island. Soon, two of the boys, Ralph and Piggy discover a conch on the beach, which they used to call the other boys on the island. Once assembled, they elect Ralph as leader while Jack was to be in control of his choir who would hunt for the group. Ralph, Jack and Simon set off on an expedition to explore the island. After their exploration, Ralph commands the boys to make a fire, and they succeeded in igniting dead wood using the sunlight reflected by Piggy’s lenses. However, the boys were engrossed in playing around instead of monitoring the fire, resulting in the death of a little boy with a mulberry birthmark, who was caught in the fire. Ralph is upset over the fact that the boys continue to fool around such as playing in waters, instead of building shelters. Also, even as Jack fails in capturing a wild pig, he starts to develop a passion for hunting. Ralph and Piggy notices a ship passing by when the fire-which was the hunters’ responsibility to maintain- had gone out. At the same time, jack and his hunters came back from a successful hunt. Chanting like savages, they reenact the chase in a wild dance. Piggy uncontrollably tells Jack off and it resulted in him being hit by Jack. During the assembly in the evening, it is clear that most of the boys are suspicious of a beast lurking on the island. The twins, Samneric, who were responsible of keeping watch over the fire, spotted a dead parachutist who was involved in a military battle on air. However, in the dark, they assumed that the dead man was the ‘beast’. Rushing to Ralph, who calls an assembly for the twins to share that they had seen the beast. The boys try to organize an expedition to track the beast down. Ralph and Jack decides to travel up the mountain where they find a wizard fort. As the conflict between Ralph and Jack grows due to their different ideals, Jack leaves the group. Ralph gathers the remaining boys and they are all keen on setting things straight and working hard to maintain the fire. However, some boys had slipped away to join jack in his hunting. Jack and his hunters killed a sow brutally, and Jack had even placed the pig’s head through a sharpened stick as a gift for the beast. Simon, who encounters the pig’s head imagines it sparking to him. As a rseult of confusion between good and evil, he faints. After Simon wakes up, he discovers the dead parachutist. As he was on his way to tell the boys what he had saw, all of them, already in a savage tribe, sees him as the beast in the dark, and killed him. Then, after realizing what had happened during the day, they got into a conflict, leading to the death of Piggy, followed by the killing to Ralph. As Ralph tried to hide from the primitive boys, he was found by a British naval officer. As he asks the boys what had happened on the island, they all started to cry.

Done by Tracy