Lord of the Flies ch.1-3
In the spirit of creating great discussion amongst my two classes, I want you to discuss with one another what you think of LOF so far? What are your initial impressions? What questions do you have? Can you help to answer one another's questions? Talk to me people! Make sure to check back to help one another learn and collaborate.
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So far, Lord of the Flies (LOF) is an alright book. I've definetly read better books, but its better then reading something like Animal Farm. One thing that irritates me is Ralph. I can hardly stand the kid. I hope his character will improve. Piggy, so far, is my favorite because of his caring personality.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anna on some parts of this. The book has some interesting aspects that might appeal to some readers, but definitely not to me. I felt that the lead in to the story was a bit boring and it did not pull me in as most other books have. I do disagree with her positions on Ralph and Piggy. I think Ralph is trying his best to lead the boys with the little experience he has, even though his methods can be a bit unusual. Ralph also has the strenuous task of having to put up with Jack and his competitiveness. I can see how Anna might like Piggy, but personally I find him a bit annoying. He is a little too needy and sensitive. He is probably the most level-headed of the bunch but still I am not really connecting with him yet. The character I dislike the least is most definitely Jack!!! He really needs to accept Ralph’s leadership and just get it in his head that he is not all powerful.
ReplyDeleteOkay, does anyone else like really hate Jack?????? I know Katiew does!!! Haha, but seriously that guy is a jerk... He should... Be nice!!! I feel soooo sorry for Piggy all the time because he gets told to shutup!! I don't know about you guys, but I think that sooner or later Piggy is gonna freak out and do something to Jack or anyone else who makes fun of him.
ReplyDeleteSo far, I like Lord of the Flies (LOF). The beginning didn’t pull me in very much like mast books do but as I read it gets better. LOF didn’t pull me in very much during the begging because it just got confusing. For example, Ralph saw a bird, and then all of a sudden a voice is calling him. I had to reread this part to understand it. As I got toward the middle of the first chapter it got less confusing and better. My least favorite character would probably be Jack. I agree with Katie that Jack needs to accept that he is not the leader. To me it seems that Jack is trying to prove his masculinity by showing that he can kill a pig. I honestly don’t like Ralph very much. Yes, Ralph is trying his best to lead the boys with the little experience he has, but I think that he could be nicer about it. Piggy was with Ralph originally and then he just ditched him as soon as he became the leader.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Britni. Jack has a serios ego problem he needs to get over himself and I have a feeling none of the guys who know him have ever stood up to him. I think Piggy is the one who should have some amount of a leader ship position. At least he actully knows what he is doing. One thing i would like to point out is the reason why they are acting this way. They are reverting back to the most basic of human behavior. They are doing what they have learned and what they know works. One of the best examples of this is at the meeting when they said they have to raise their hand to get the conch and talk. The conch is another thing, I have a feeling it symbolizes something but I can't figure out what. Maybe power because you have to have it befor you can talk. Maybe hope because it pulled them all together and gave them hope of survival. I know it holds some higher meaning and it will have something to do with the end I just don't know specificly how or what. I also think the story itself is interesting. From what I have they were flying somewhere, they got shot down, there was a man but he is now gone, there was a atom bomb that went off, and there could be a war going on. This is a very interesting book. It deffenitly is not the best i have ever read and the the writing style is the weirdest i have ever seen(Which makes it really hard to read sometimes.) but i think it is worth the read if you can get through it all.
ReplyDeleteOk I like that book but jeez why does Ralph keep on standing on his head when he's happy? Who does that? I feel really sorry for Piggy though because even though he told Ralph not to call him Piggy Ralph still did. I think alot of the guys in this book have a huge problem when it comes down to whose better at certain things and whose the leader. You can really tell that Jack wants to be the leader but since Ralph has the conch he can't..... yet. I agree with Kyler in how the conch symbolizes something but I can't figure it out either. They use weird words too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with janiep. At one point or another, Piggy is going to get so fed up with being told to shut up or getting told that all he talks about is nonsense, that he is goning to do something to alter the leadership of the group. After all, he was the one that found the conch shell. Ralph really bugs me because he does things that people would never do, like chloe said, standing on his head. Jack also bugs me because he seems like a dictator who is so full of himself that he doesnt realize what's really going on around him. When i first started the book, i was kind of confused what the creepers were but now i totally understand what they are. Also, I can't believe the little boy that was afraid of the snake disappeared! Did he fall in the fire or did the "snake" get him?!? In the following chapters I hope they give piggy more respect!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kara. At the beginning of the book i didn't understand what the creepers were but now i understand. I don't think that it was fair that Ralph and Simon were the only ones working, everybody should have helped. The boys shouldn't have made fun of Piggy either. Honestly i think this book is kind of odd to start off with but hopefully it will get better. Jack makes me mad because he thinks he is all that when he doesn't do anything and i agree with every one else that Ralph standing on his head is weird.
ReplyDeleteJosh used the exact word I was thinking of... odd. This book is odd (so far). I think the writing style is very unique and I'm sure I'll end up liking it as the book goes on, but it'll definitely take some getting used to. It seems very abstract, and it requires the reader to use their imagination to get a lot of the things that are being said, like with the creepers and snakes. On one hand I like reading in between the lines but on the other it feels like so much work to just comprehend one small event.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I feel like mentioning that I found interesting was the lack of female characters in this book. Was it a coincidence that there were no girls on the plane that crashed? Are they there, just not significant enough characters to be mentioned? Based on this alone I think it'll be an interesting read because there are few books with characters that are all one gender. Speaking of characters, I may be alone on this one but I kind of like Jack! Ralph bothers me so much to the point where I can hardly read about him without cringing (what an attitude that kid has - I mean really, where does he get off on being such a jerk?) and Piggy seems rather oblivious and sensitive, like Katie said. To be honest he seems really socially stupid and I pity him. Jack on the other hand... I'm intrigued by him. He doesn't seem like as much of a jerk as Ralph does and he certainly isn't a pushover like Piggy, but he does seem independent as well as a bit confused. I'm looking forward to see how these characters evolve.
So far, I am not too impressed by Lord of the Flies. The introduction by E. M. Foster provided in my book left me with a bit of bias. Foster says that Golding wrote the book to show the flaws of society by uncovering the flaws in human nature. Foster says that Golding planned to show this by starting with a group of innocent young boys alone on an island, a romantic idea and very similar to Peter Pan. Foster warns that Golding tries to make the beginning as romantic and the characters as realistic as possible so that the reader will feel the full impact when the first horrible events hit. The author does provide us with a little bit of warning when the boys set part of the island on fire, killing the one of them. This is the first of the “…hideous accidents that promote the reversion to savagery.” Honestly, what kind of sick person writes about little boys dying or becoming seriously hurt? Foster also says that “… [Golding’s] attitude approaches the Christian: we are all born into sin, or will all lapse into it. But he does not complete the Christian attitude, for he never introduces the idea of a redeemer.” This line made me hate the book at once, because I do not believe that the entire essence of humanity is pure evil. Right away, Lord of the Flies sounded like the most pessimistic book written by the pessimist of all pessimists. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to rid myself of this attitude.
ReplyDeleteI found the first three chapters of this book to be good, but slightly confusing.
For example, how did the boys get out of the plane? I also had some very undesirable characters. I found Ralph to be very much stuck up and Jack to be nothing but a cruel bully. My favorite character so far is Piggy because he is the only boy on the island with a little bit of common sense. Personally, I have no idea what is so exciting about causing a large boulder to roll down a mountain where it might injure someone or why anyone would laugh about setting part of a forest on fire. I would be horrified. That is why I feel sorry for all the boys, that they do not understand that Piggy is the only responsible one. All the other boys really do just “…act like a bunch of kids.” If they listened to Piggy more, they would have a much better chance of survival. Yet, they all tell him to shut up. The introduction by E.M. Foster gave me the impression that something very bad will eventually happen to Piggy. What will the other boys do without his wisdom?
As an answer to Chloe’s question, I believe the conch represents cooperation. Remember the rule that whoever holds the conch may speak? Imagine what would happen if it broke. No one would be able to speak without being interrupted and no one would be able to share their ideas without being contradicted before they even finish making their point. Without the conch, the boy’s meetings would be like a very unprofessional learning environment, where everyone disrespects each other by not raising their hands. It would be like a disorganized sacratic seminar without any rules. More importantly, without the conch, nothing would be done and the value of each boy’s ideas and perspectives would be lost. That is why the conch, like cooperation, is so vital to the boys. That is why Piggy picked it up before climbing up the mountain when all the other boys just forgot about it as they ran to start a fire. That is because Piggy is the only boy smart enough to understand its value.
I agree that the Lord of the Flies is a strange book but I think that thats because of the point the author is trying to make. As melissa said, this book is supposed to point out the flaws in society by uncovering flaws in human nature. This book is like a microcosm of the world and to show this the author has to exaggerate some things to get the point across. I think its also important to keep in mind the time period in witch this is taking place.
ReplyDeleteI think that Jack is so power hungry and boastful because he has unmet love/ belonging and esteem needs (Mallow's Hierarchy of needs). He wants to be important and respected, so he shows off. I feel that piggy also lacks these needs, but shows it in a different way. I think that piggy has strong beliefs and would make good contributions to the group but the others don't take him seriously.
I think that the second quote that she presented will become more clear as we reach that part of the book. Though it may be oddly written and confusing at times, once you fully understand the Lord of the Flies its very powerful and will make you think about the nature of human kind and the nature of yourself.
I agree with Chloe because I think that jack is really jealous of Ralph because he has the conch. The conch i think symbolizes power, and in a way unity. I feel bad for Piggy because even if he has a brilliant idea, it just gets disregarded. The other members of the group don't like Piggy because he is different from themselves. I didn't like it when Ralph broke his promise to Piggy about not telling anybody else what his name was. Also, when Ralph was deciding whether or not to allow Piggy to come with them, he decided to forget about what relationship they really had and just decided to insult Piggy. To me I kind of felt like Ralph gave in to a kind of peer pressure. Otherwise, the book is alright.
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of things I'm starting to pick up on in LOF. One is Ralph's cruelness towards piggy, and his desire for power and to be in control of everybody. He always has to prove himself right. Another is Jack's developing passion to kill. The book talks about him wanting to kill a pig but i think that there is something else rising up in him that makes him bloodthirsty and vicious. Also, seeing they have the island to themselves, they begin not to think much of being rescued, and instead just going with life and having fun while it lasts. I have to wonder if they will even want to go home when they are finally rescued. When piggy's glasses were broken it made me wonder how are they going to start a fire if the other lens gets broken. I picked up on something that I'm not sure is important; I think it is pretty significant. There is a picture of broken glasses on the front of the book. I'm guessing the fat boy is piggy, but I'm wondering what the fly is. It's probably a metaphor for something, that's usually what books do, like in To Kill a Mockingbird. A question I had was, what if our world was like their island? No adult supervision, no rules. Would I not go to class if I knew I wouldn't be tardy? Would I cheat on a test if I knew I wouldn't get caught? The last thing I wondered was what is Piggy's real name? We never really found out.
ReplyDeletePersonally, so far I hate this book. I can't stand the writing style, all it does is confuse me. The subject that the book covers is, I find, very interesting, but the way it's written and the events I know are coming are a major turn off for me and this book.
ReplyDeleteI agree with half of the people who have already commented. Jack is such a jerk!!! He is always mean to piggy and he thinks that he is the leader, someone needs to stand up to this dude. I can hardly stand his character and him alone is at least 35% of my disinterest in this book. Now, back to the book it self, some parts are pretty good but others are just...really confusing. For example, in the book when they are talking about how all the trees are cut down from the landing and when they are on top of the mountain before the fire and they can see how there is a huge path in the forest of broken trees because of the crash, yet they say that the plane didn't land on the island? I don't get it. I do agree with what kyler said though, i do think there is a war going on somewhere especially because of the atom bomb comment. One thing though that has really impressed me about this book is how efficient these young kids are! Yea, there definitely not doing exemplar work here but for a group of kids around the ages of 5 through like 12 or 13, maybe 14 tops, they are doing a pretty darn good job in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAbbie i totally agree with you, the writing style of this book stinks. it makes it a whole lot more confusing, does anyone else feel this way?
ReplyDeleteLord of the Flies hasn’t been the most interesting book in the world. I usually don’t like adventure/survival books; they bore me, and just don’t appeal to me. So far nothing fascinating has really happed; all they did was crash on the island and looked for food.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Janie, I feel really bad for Piggy, I think because he is fat nobody wants to talk to him or wants him to talk, he’s always being told to shut up even if he has good ideas. I kind of have some “theories” about Piggy I think that either he is going to end up having some really good ideas and saving everybody at one point, he will be the weakest of the whole group and something bad will happen to him, or he will end up getting really mad and take his anger out on the group in a violent way.
I also agree with Allie, I hate the writing style too; it really confuses me, for example, in the very beginning where the bird came out of the forest. The writing style made it sound like the bird was talking, I kind of got excited because I didn’t know what this book was about, I didn’t bother to read the back, so I thought this was going to be some cool fantasy book, boy was I wrong! Often in this book have to read some sentences or even paragraphs multiple times. This ends up making the book really tedious to read.
Even though this book isn’t very good right now I don’t think I am one to judge because I just started reading the book. The end of this could be amazing and inspirational, you never know until it’s over.
After reading the first three chapter of Lord of the Flies, I have a couple of thoughts. One of them is that Jack is a bully. He always tells Piggy to shut up, and for the most part, completely ignores everything he says. I also think that Jack might be one of the first to go crazy on the island, because on page 46 when he is talking about hunting another pig, it says, "The madness came into his eyes again." I think this foreshadows him going insane. Another thing that I noticed is that Piggy is always bullied, and it isn't always by Jack. I think that Piggy thought that Ralph was his friend, so Ralph is sort of being mean by first, telling his bad nickname to the whole group and not caring when Piggy confronts him about it, but then also by dismissing him as just another member of the group, even though he gave him the idea with the conch.
ReplyDeleteSo far, the book doesn't really appeal to me, but I hope that changes as I read more of the story.
So far i think this book is really weird. The idea for using the shell as a horn was a very smart idea on there part. I still think its kind of weird how they use the conch for a lot of stuff. I mean come on your in the middle of nowhere and you want to use a conch? I also think there minds can get the best of them. Like the snakelike beastie thing. They all believe a six year old that there is a snake beast on the island
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the book, I really didn't favor Piggy. He seemed a bit too dependent on others, especially Ralph. Ralph in my opinion seems to be the person that the story will wrap around, with him being made the leader of the group, it is somewhat easy to tell that they story will follow him. I also agree with everyone when talking about Jack. He is the jerk and wants everything his way. It seems like there will be some problems between Ralph and Jack.
ReplyDeleteBut to say the truth I really don't mind the writing style of the book. I can easily follow most of the things of the book. Although it is slow at first, hopefully the book will pick up.
Ok, most of you should disregard my comments as I have read the book before and know how it ends so I am not entirely unbiased, but I think that Ralph is just thrilled to be included, and in a position of control because Jack is much better suited age and experience wise to be leader and he is merely trying to fit in with Jack to seem like a better leader. Jack is admittedly rather controlling but in his defense, he is trying to keep up an image of toughness for the sake of the other boys. That is not to say that he has a right to be cruel to piggy, I am simply offering an answer as to why he is so cruel. In addition, Piggy is controlling as well and also very high strung. The primary difference is that Piggy is better intentioned than Jack. Ralph is well intentioned overall but also a little bit childish and a little bit like Jack. At the moment, I would say that Ralph a nice balance of Piggy and Jack's best traits. Simon on the other hand is completely different from the other characters in that he is entirely well meaning and very agreeable, unlike the other three who are each at least slightly high strung.
ReplyDeleteI agree with those of you who are commenting on how resourceful they are, but they are also very childish and dependant on adults to save them as Piggy makes a point of noticing.
Last, those of you who are making negative comments about the book (And animal farm which was an awesome book, by the way), we wouldn’t be reading it if it wasn't quality reading and it disappoints me that several of you have already written it off as a book you're not going to like. A lot of you commented on it having an odd writing style which is true now, but back when it was written, I'm sure it was perfectly normal. A lot of you are partial towards Piggy at the moment and have written off the other characters, but I urge you to remain open in your judgment of characters because it is still too early on for you to make decide which characters you do and don't like. That's all.
I think that Ralph is a good leader, but doesn't treat people very well. He is cool headed but wants to control everything. He wants people to belive that there is no monster, that his daddy is coming to rescue them, and that everything is going to be fine. Also, i was wondering why all of the kids survived and no adults. It seems that they crash landed or something like that but none of the adults made it. THey either all died or weren't in the plane while it crashed. I am also curious as to why thery crashed. They make it sound like there was a fire or something like that and everything went down. Also, how did they land? Did they parachute or just crash the plane?
ReplyDeleteThe first three chapters to me are rather boring and unusual. This book doesn't draw me in like other books, but I'm expecting it pick up soon. Jack and Ralph seem to be the leaders. Ralph is also a jerk as he told everyones Piggy's name. Ralph also seems to be optimistic as he believes that his daddy is coming to rescue them. The conch is a cool idea as I would have expected something like a search instead of a conch to find everyone. The plane also seems to have crashed for some time as everyone was in a different part of the island. This book for now is not very good, but many books I've read start slow to develop characters and plot, then pick up to make the rest of the book great.
ReplyDeleteJust like everyone else, this book didn't exactly hook me in right away, however I do think it has great ideas, so I am assuming that it soon will. Personally, I do not think Ralph is a jerk or a bully, given he did tell call Piggy, Piggy even after he told him not to. I think that Piggy brought that on himself more then anything because if he really didn't want Ralph to call him that he shouldn't have told him that in the first place. I also agree with Michelle, because even though they haven't really made shelter or try to help out, they are handling it very well they are taking this fairly well. I know that if I were put in this situation I would probably break down crying and like freak out. One thing that I have trouble with in this book is that I feel like the author doesn't really connect his ideas, he kind of just starts the chapters at random points and builds off of that, which confuses me a bit. Other then that I think the book is so far so good and I am just waiting for the plot line to pick up.
ReplyDeleteThe book isn't only written for a fun little adventure though. If you look past the initial story line and look at the characters themselves, it's really well written. There are so many themes developing and the relationships between characters is what really interests me.
ReplyDeleteAs many of you have said, this has been a pretty odd book so far, with no great hook leading us in. I think the same thing too, Most of the time, If a book hasn't a great hook, I will read to about the third chapter and see if there is anything drawing me in, and if not the book will go back to the library.
ReplyDeleteMost all of the characters have acted very immaturely, doing whatever sounded good at the time, not waiting to get the job done. Ralph has been a pretty good leader, but he needs to respect the other children more or they may realize that just because you have a conch shell doesn't make you a leader. Piggy, has suprisingly not showed any agression after Ralph disrespected him like that.
I agree with a lot of you. I don't dislike Lord of the Flies so far, but it hasn't grabbed me like I hoped it would. I too feel sorry for Piggy. He has a lot to offer the group, but they don't respect him. However, Piggy seems to be clingy and I can understand Ralph enjoying his power. The characters Ralph and Jack both bother me. They are both far too entitled and rude. However, I do understand some of their frustration since many of the boys don't even make an attempt to get things organized and I think they have made some good choices so far. I have one question about sayings in the book. A couple times through the first three chapters it says something about Ralph standing on his head. Is that metaphorical or something? I don't understand. Let me know if you figure it out.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the first three chapters of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, I only have a few criticisms and praises. To start on the negative side, I agree with everyone else that the author’s writing style is very different. I have been confused more than once when the author has jumped from one topic to the next with little or no transition. I also find many of the characters actions are strange. On page 2 the author hints that there may have been a plane crash or something similar, however he forces the reader to investigate thoroughly before this conclusion can be formed. Similarly the characters often become excited, and an entire page will be devoted to the young boys interrupting each other, and coming to a conclusion without the reader understanding what is happening. To agree with many of my classmates, I find this book a bit dull and hard to get into at times. On the other hand William Golding is very descriptive at times, and can cause me to relate to many characters.
ReplyDeleteI like Ralph’s character because he thinks sensibly most of the time and I believe he will step up and truly “take charge” in the nest few chapters. I do not like Jack because he has a very annoying ego issue. When Jack is introduced on page 16 he is extremely arrogant and this attitude has continued throughout the first three chapters. I also feel bad for Piggy because so far, everyone has been against him. He has been thinking the most logically given the circumstances, and I am sorry that he is always bullied.
Lastly, being a boy, I find the plot very enticing so far. I have made connections with many of the “adventures” described in the first three chapters. I believe that if Ralph does not “rally his troops” soon, some of the characters will die like the little boy on page 48 and 49. However, in saying all of this I also find many of the characters extremely immature for their age. Perhaps it is the situation they are in, or perhaps this is just the way they are. In either case, I cannot clearly state if I like the book or not without having finished reading it.
I don't know if it is metaphorical Margot, that was confusing me too. I also agree with everyone else who has said this book hasnt grabbed me yet. I normally don't read adventure/survival books, and it seems to be exactly like all of the other ones at this point, maybe just a different type of enviornment around the kids. Definitely not a book I would just pick up to read, I am sort of bored of it right now, and
ReplyDeleteI am a slow reader so that makes it even worse. Hopefully the plot starts to get more interesting soon. RIght now I also don't care for Ralph and hopes he begins to be nicer to Piggy because they are stuck there and they both are starting to get on my nerves. I am waiting to see what exciting is going to happen in the book, because right now I dont enjoy reading it, but I will be interested in finding out the purpose for us to be reading this novel.
As most of you have said, this book didn’t exactly draw me in. It’s certainly not my favorite book, but I am going to keep an open mind about it. It is hard for me to follow, but I’m doing my best to keep up with it. I’ve noticed by reading other comments that there are things that went on in the first three chapters that I did not know about. I think the writing style might be causing me to miss these events. I am going to wait until I’ve read the entire book to decide if I like it or not.
ReplyDeleteI agree with bwinter because to enjoy this book to the fullest, you must not complain about it but just endure it and see what happens next. Unlike most people, I find this book sort of enjoying but I hate how Jack is so mean to Piggy. In my opinion, Piggy is the smartest one of the kids because he is keeping his head while all of the other children are loosing theirs. I also agree with bwinter because before I judge the book, I’ll wait to the end to truly see if I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI thought Garret N. had some interesting ideas. Jack, as many of you have noted, has a serious ego issue that I do not care for. Like Garrett said, Jack has an odd and relatively unsettling passion to kill. I am starting to wonder if his desire to kill will eventually harm someone. I also share Garrett’s curiosity in what Piggy’s actual name is.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know if anyone liked this quote, but I thought it was hilarious: “And I work all day with nothing but Simon and you come back and don’t even notice the huts!” (pg. 49) Does he sound like a wife who is angry at her husband to anyone but me?
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good book so far. I have heard a lot about it, and I know it will get darker. And I do agree with Bailey W. about the angry wife. That is a funny quote. Did anyone catch the boys marching on the beach as being Hitler's Nazis? My dad actually pointed that out to me.
ReplyDeleteShannon J. said that she didn’t think the author connected his points very well. I completely agree with her. This may be why I am having issues understanding the book.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Elijah’s comment about Piggy not reacting to Ralph’s rudeness, I don’t think Piggy is the aggressive type. I seriously doubt he will ever lash out at Ralph or Jack. He is harmless.
There were some people who talked about a couple different events that went on that I had no idea about. Melissa M. was one of them. She was talking about how someone rolled a big boulder down the mountain. When did this happen? I must have missed it, because I don’t recall reading about a boulder being pushed down a mountain. Also, Kara N. said that the little boy who was afraid of the snake disappeared. I definitely do not remember that happening.
I liked Melanie’s observation about the lack of female characters. I am guessing the author did this for a reason, but we have yet to discover what that reason is. I am also curious why the boys on the island are all from England.
I have been wondering what creepers are the entire time I’ve been reading this book. Josh and Kara said they finally figured it out, so maybe they could help me. What are they?!
Finally, I share Chloe’s lack of understanding of why Ralph stands on his head when he’s happy. It must be something people do in England because we definitely don’t do it in America.
The book, to me, is just OK so far. It seems a bit unrealistic so far. In the first two chapters these kids just crashed on an island and are all fine like nothing happened. They are also some what happy because there are no parents around. My favorite characters so far are Ralph and Jack, because they are the leaders and they just tell everyone to shut up which is humorous to me. My least favorite is Piggy just because he is really annoying and difficult. The only real question I had was at the beginning of chapter three how long have they been on the island?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with bwinter about Ralph acting like a angry wife, but i also think he has every right to. Everybody is kind of taking his blood, sweet, and tears for granite and it is not fair to him or Simon.
ReplyDeleteJack really is getting on my nerves. All he thinks about is hunting. He is totally neglecting everything else in his life, such as his friends, his hunting team, and not to mention his own safety. If he doesn't snap out of it soon i think he may kill something a bit bigger than a pig. I believe Jack is a huge liability to every ones well being.
One of the things that creeps me out every time i read it is the snakes. I'm still not positive on weather or not they are a metaphor for fear or a tangible object. Does anyone else have an idea on these creepy critters?
I agree with JDH2013. This book is kind of weird. Its chapters don’t make much sense, and some information isn’t given. Like the snake thing, whats up with that? But it also has a “Peter Pan” like quality to it. They are all thrilled to have no adults and they all play all the time. Ralph is like a meaner version of peter. He and the others are horrible to piggy. I also agree with Eric2013 about how Ralph is probably too young to be the leader but Jack is just to mean. He just sasses piggy all the time.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I noticed was how innocent they all were at the first chapter. They were so sure everything would be good and his father would find them right way. Then the next chapter’s time has pasted and the leader boys seem put out and unsure how to handle things. Can you blame them though?
A question I have is; after the first chapter, how long have they been there? Because it talks about how his hair is longer and they already have had time to make some shelters and get sun burnt.
Over all though I think it’s a pretty good book
I disagree with bwinters comment that Piggy is harmless. I believe that when he snaps all heck is going to brake out. He is either going to hurt others or himself.
ReplyDeleteAlso, i highly doubt if Piggy will live through this experience. He is too pessimistic and doesn't have enough friends to look upon him with favor.
Has anybody given much thought to the time period? My guess is WW2 because of the plane being shot down and all. Also, the way the kids act give some clues in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is during World War Two because they were talking about the atom bomb, and they were all from London.
ReplyDeleteLike a lot of people said, I really dislike Jack. He's bossy and arrogant, and I think that after a while, he might try and take over leadership from Ralph.
Also, does anyone know what happened to the plane? Were the boys pushed out or something just before it would have landed? They didn't find any bodies, like of the pilot, or the plane wreckage.
Hey does anybody think that these kids are seriouusly stupid. I mean why are they trying to hunt pigs with flimsey little sticks when they could be fishing. They need to concentrate on making huts and coralling the little one's or they will die.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to convey emilym's question of where the heck did the plane go, it has to be on sthe island or where would the "scar" have come from? I also want to know how the heck they all survived and how come the y survived and know adult lived.
Connorr I did a little research and I'm pretty sure that this time period is post WW2 and around the time of the Cold War.
The character Jack has turned out to be quite the jerk. He is an arrogant little boy, I think that he is going to doom their group. I'm also not impressed by Ralph's leadership skills dhe needs to do somthing or they are all heading for disaster.
Umm....nick, you do realize that kids that you say are "dumb" might have a little trouble catching fish with the refraction of the stick in the water...just saying...
ReplyDeleteIt is most definitely in World War II. I too hate Jack. He's a "cool kid" who tries to do amazing and "cool" things, but in reality is an idiot. His attitude and maturity keeps him the leader of the pack even though one of his followers might be able to kill better than him.
I'm confused on the "beastie." Is it like Harry Potter 2 basilisk or more like average bull snake. Young children use hyperboles like a million times :) and their perception of size is different from an adult.
I've already read the book and it gets better, a little hard to follow with showing what many different characters do at different times, but better.
So far i honestly havent enjoyed read lof. I have had trouble focusing on it and i find it a burden to read. I especially dislike the anictating. Like I don't know about you guys but I am one of those readers where i cant be interuped if I am gonna understand it and keep up with what is going on. The way I see it, anictaiting as another destaction please comment if you have any advice cause the Lord knows I need it.
ReplyDeleteSince reading Lord of the Flies, chapters 1-3, I am not impressed by William Golding's writing style. The setting of the story seems vaguely familiar to the show Lost in which a plane crash occurs on an island and the survivors are stuck on an unknown little island. The characters have no depth, and i honestly think that Ralph is very cocky and self obsessed. I finally understand what creepers are, after critical thinking. I agree with Eric's comment on how the children are dependent on adults. I mean, in every chapter, they mention adults rescuing them, but if there are no adults around, why can't they just man up and start building ships or rafts to get out of there. They went or still attend school, figure it out!
ReplyDeletePersonally, I found the first three chapters of Lord of the Flies to be pretty slow. I hope that the book speeds up and becomes more interesting. Its hard to read three pages about starting a fire or hunting pigs!
ReplyDeleteSo far, I have a lot of questions that have gone unanswered. It feels like I am missing alot of important points. I did find it helpful how Emily thinks the story takes place during World War II. But still... does anybody know how the plane crashed, or how there are only boys who survived???Also, I have the same question as jack. What is a BEASTIE?? Wow, right now I'm a bit clueless.
As far as characters go, I have to agree with annag that piggy is my favorite character. He has some natural leadership skills. Its sad how he is made fun of so much. Between Jack and Ralph, Jack seems a lot more violent and Jack is more thoughtful (deep down).
And Jay, when i comes to annotating, just write down your thoughts! Just whatever comes to mind as you read (it may be totally random but thats ok). Its hard for me too, but as long as you just write down your thoughts it shouldn't be distracting.
So far, I really haven't enjoyed LOF that much. It seems to be just another adventure/survival book, nothing really special to it. I do enjoy annotating more than I thought I would. At the beginning, it almost seemed like I was hurting the book. Did anyone else feel this way? As for the book itself, it seemed a little slow. I thought the part where they elect Ralph to be their leader was a little odd. The choir knows the guy for 15 minutes, yet unanimously votes him in. They don't even think about voting in their leader. Is it just me or did that seem not very realistic? Also, I hate Jack. He seems so unwilling to submit to Ralph's authority! To answer Zach B.'s question, I was under the impression that a "beastie" was just an average snake, but the children exaggerate and make it seem like some monster from a different planet. Overall, I thought the book so far wasn't that great, and had parts that weren't realistic, but hopefully it will pick up soon.
ReplyDeleteSo far, this has not been a very exciting book. This has been a very slow read so far. One thing I have really found a lot in this book, is it is very hard to tell what is real and what the boys are imagining. I think the "beastie" is just something the boys are imagining, and it shows their fear, but maybe it is real. I just can't tell. The conch seems like it is very significant. Just having the conch automatically made Ralph the leader in everyone's minds. I would imagine that will stay significant throughout the story. I think that as the story goes on, the kids are going to become less and less concerned about being rescued and more of them will become violent and want to be hunters. I agree with the many people who have said Piggy is the most likeable character in the book. Ralph and Jack both come across as arrogant and mean. Hopefully this book will become more exciting as I read more because the beginning is very boring.
ReplyDeleteThis book was very different from the material that I've read before. This is mainly because I'm used to reading Non-fiction books about conflicts in the world. Lord of the Flies presented an entirely different storyline for me. My most nagging question from the reading is the simple question of how they became stranded in the first place. My thinking is that it was nearer to the end of World War II. This is because one of the boys mentioned an atomic bomb. It is easy to determine that they are English, and that the island they crashed on is in the Pacific. My only reasoning for their location is that they were being evacuated from England to Australia. Australia was relatively safe during the war, even with it's close proximity to the Japanese forces. The plane that the boys were on could have been engaged by a Japanese fighter and disabled so that it crashed. Any facts other than that I have not found.
ReplyDeleteSo far i think that LOF is a great book with an interesting plot that provides for many questions to be asked. I think that as soon as you get past the first few pages the book gets really interesting. I think that the authors writing style is great especially because of the amazing descriptions of the characters and the scenery.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the first three chapters in Lord of the Flies, I havent become very fond of the book. I havent really liked the writing style and there is something about the book that just doesnt grab my atttention and draw me more into the book. But in the beginning, I noticed that Jack was not a very likeable character. He seemed rude to Piggy and he tried to take control too much. When he met Piggy, he promised to keep his name a secret. When they met up with the other kids, Jack turned on him and told them his name. He seems too controlling in the respect of when they went to go find out if they were on a island. When Piggy wanted to go with them, Jack refused in a rude manner. A question I had though, was why they were the only people who survived the plane crash? Did the adults survive too and we wont find out until later? I also have the same question as katea. What is a beastie? I think that the author should clarify that. If the author would clarify more of the book, i think that this book would be more understandable and easier to follow. It may even make the book more enjoyable to read.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, after reading the first few chapters I'm not loving Lord of the Flies. I just keep waiting for something big to happen because so far it's been really slow. I've been really confused with some of the terms that the author has used such as, beastie and creepers. And I think it's a good question for Rebekkah so bring up, are there adult survivers that we just don't know about yet? I dont think so but who knows.Hopefully as the book goes on it gets more interesting and the boys talk about more than just being rescued and hunting pigs!
ReplyDeleteSo far, the book Lord of the Flies is realllllly confusing. Just reading the first 3 chapters I have a ton of questions in my mind. First off, where are they? They’re on an island yeah but what island and where and stuff. Another question I have is why are they all guys? It seems kind of weird to me that everyone is a guy on the island, and if there was an atom bomb and everyone is dead but them, is humanity doomed? The biggest question I have at this point is what happened. Obviously there was a plane crash, but what happened before the plane crash that a bunch of boys were put on a plane that happened to crash on some island in the middle of nowhere. Crazzzzyy stuff haha.
ReplyDeleteSo far my favorite character in this book is piggy, but only because I feel bad for him. Ralph really embarrassed him during the group meeting by telling everyone his nickname was piggy, and it’s pretty sad that it just so happens that the fat kids name is piggy. My least favorite character at this point is jack. I think that he tries to show his authority too much and just comes off as being mean to everyone else. Also, are they a choir or what? It confuses me that the choir all has black badges and black capes with grey shorts and stuff. They sound like more of an army than they do a choir
So yeah, I’m hoping the book gets better and my questions get answered. This book is realllllly confusing so far.
The first 3 chapters of LOF were not super interesting. I was confused with some big words. I had no idea what creepers were. I didn't like Golding's intro, he just like dropped the kids on a random island without adults. I agree with everyone - Piggy is the kid pushed around by Jack and Ralph. He needs to step up for himself. These kids were not prepared to survive in the world because they were so dependent on their parents. I like Dannyv's idea on how they got to the island. This isn't one of my favorite books, but it might be better if he clarifies more. I heard this is a sad book, so I think someone is going to die.
ReplyDeleteThe first three chapters of LOF were very confusing and not so interesting. At first I was confused and I still am sometimes. This book looks like a really good book and I think I am going to enjoy reading this book. There are a lot of big words and some words that I have no clue what they mean. From the very beginning you could tell that Ralph took the leader role and was a natural at it. This book is very descriptive has good vocabulary. Piggy needs to stand up for himself because he gets pushed around a lot by Jack and Ralph. Jack and Ralph became best friends instantly and they aren’t very nice when they are together. I have heard lots of things about this book so lets see how it turns out!
ReplyDeleteLike Tatiana, I found the first three chapters of LOF confusing. I think it may partly be that they're British, so many words are words that I don't know or wouldn't use in the sense that they do. I also agree with Janie in that Jack is rude. However, he's not my least favorite character- that's Ralph. I think that Ralph needs to stop just trying to be friends with Jack and the choir boys. It's almost like they're in middle school (or high school); he's trying to fit in with the so-called "cooler kids", so he has to be mean to someone because they are. I also really like how much the author describes the scenery, because I can imagine the way everything looks pretty well. I'm still wondering why it's called Lord of the Flies, but I'm sure I'll find out soon enough! I think that this book is very well written and it's not boring or anything, but I'm not really enjoying it yet. It doesn't really seem like the type of book I would pick out to read, but hopepfully it'll grow on me!
ReplyDeleteI don't really like this book. It was very challenging for me to finish the assigned reading- I just couldn't focus.
ReplyDeleteGraceC2013, I agree that Ralph is my least favorite character. He seems very stuck up and rude. However, I don't feel that he's pretending just for the sake of the "cooler kids". Rmember in the first chapter, when Piggy was trying to talk to him and become friends, Ralph tried to ditch him because of thier physical differences? That was before he had even met Jack and the chior kids. So, it has gotten worse since he met Jack and his possey, but Ralph's feelings have always been there in some form.
In response to Meredith's question on the people electing Ralph leader after knowing him only a short time; I believe that it is becasue as Tatiana said he is a natural leader. He also had the conch shell in his hands and to the boys it is sort of the symbol of power. But by Meredith bringing up that point has caused me to question what would happen if the conch was destroyed? The boys need the conch to keep order on the island, so would it just be chaos?
ReplyDeleteAs far as the first 3 chapters go, I am not loving LOF. First off, the word fluency and word choice is very unique and different that in places i have to reread sections to understand what they mean. Maybe as the book continues i will get used to this and begin to like it more. Also, this book does not answer most any questions about the crash, so it leaves me very confused. Also in the first chapter it mentioned an atom bomb???! Maybe i skipped a page explaining this but im very very confused. Another thing that confused me is the utter lack of concern among the boys. The characters have crashed on an island with no adults, and no one knows they're there.Isn't this a reaon to be freaking out??
ReplyDeleteCharacterwise, i symtpathize for Piggy, but agree with KatieW that he seems too needy. i do think it was wrong of Ralph to tell the group his name was Piggy when it was the one thing he asked him not to do. This leads me to agree with JanieP, that Piggy will become fed up and lash out to make people stop making fun of him. As for Jack i think he has had a rough past or family life, so he feels like he must gain control to be pushed around like in a past life. I think he must get over this because in the future he will do something desperate for power. Ralph i don't see as great or horrible, maybe becuase i don't typically connect with the leader. I agree with BritniJ that he could be nicer in his tactics, but he does a good job of keeping the boys civilized.
I agree that the conch symbolizes something, but i am not sure. MelissaM mentioned it being cooperation, which i can see it being, but then again it seems like its more deep than that.
I hope this book gets better later on, because, as of now i am not too impressed.
I have to say that I do not like Lord Of The Flies. To me there really is no point to the story. I will be totally honest that I had trouble finishing the reading because most of it went right over my head.
ReplyDeleteI have to dissagree with GraceC2013 and KatieW2013 I do like Ralph and Piggy both. However Ralph can get on my nerves some times, as can Piggy. There is also this one part in the book where the author says they're on a terrace. Isn't a terrace a porch?
I agree with bwinter because to enjoy this book to the fullest, you must not complain about it but just endure it and see what happens next. Unlike most people, I find this book sort of enjoying but I hate how Jack is so mean to Piggy. In my opinion, Piggy is the smartest one of the kids because he is keeping his head while all of the other children are loosing theirs. I also agree with bwinter because before I judge the book, I’ll wait to the end to truly see if I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeletei was a little confused when they talked about the "man wiht the megaphone". is that the pilot or Ralph. i also thought it interesting how there was no sort of "bliss" period where they thought that it was great to have no rules and adults. They also set up a hirearchy very quickly. They are also not very nice kids. they taunt Piggy and knock over the little kids sand castles. Jack is kind of stuck up. he just walked into the meeting and expected to be the "king"
ReplyDeleteNathan, I think the man with the megaphone is the pilot because Piggy said that before they found the conch.
ReplyDeleteFor me it is very hard to judge Lord Of the Flies because I have already read it and have made my mind that I do not it. It generally shows the worst of these boys and I think that people young or old are generally better than portrayed in this book. It is kind of a slap on the face to all people when they write about Ralph being picked as the leader with no other reason than his looks. Over all I think that at this point in the book we have little information to base judgments on.
ReplyDeleteI think from the beginning, Lord of the Flies is definitely an interesting book. The theme is very similar to Lost in many aspects. The first three chapters set the stage for what evolves into a pretty entertaining and enlightening novel. The characters, Ralph, Jack, and Piggy are all well developed by the author, the reader can quickly relate or understand their situations. I think as I read further, the book will continue to get better and I am actually excited to read on.
ReplyDeleteI think Lord of the Flies is a very engaging story. Although, some of the others think that it's boring I think its quite interesting to see how people would fend for themselves; who's strong enough to survive or woh will die out. It has great vocabulary and a very descriptive way of writing. The author seems very talented, but I wonder how he came up with these great ideas? These childern left alone on an island to fend for themselves hardly seems fair, but life isn't fair. They have to battle their way out of an almost set fate. Their constant war during between the two leaders seems that it will cause problems in the future. Jack seems to be thinking long-term, as in staying and living here for the rest of their lives. While Ralph (my personal favorite since he has both brains--Piggy-- and he seems to care about the childern a lot more than power like Jack) is more concentrated on short term and getting help. The feuds against each other sounds like it will soon lead to a split in the group. small potenial problems could overall lead the group of survivors to destruction. The booking is interesting and keeps you thinking ahead.
ReplyDeleteOkay, does anyone else find it weird that Jack is like obsessed with hunting a pig... And there happens to be a character named PIGGY?????? And Jack always is bashing on Piggy and telling him to shutup and stuff... Does that mean he wants to kill Piggy and a pig?? Or is it just a weird coincidence? William Golding makes some strange connections and is confusing if you ask me!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is probably one of the most confusing and wierd books I have ever read. This is almost as confusing as the book a Wrinkle in Time. That book i did not enjoy reading either, but despite these set backs I think LOF might actually get better.
ReplyDeleteI actually am really liking the book so far. It's like a combination of the TV show Lost and Peter Pan. I agree with a lot of people that Jack is a jerk. He seems really cocky and thinks that he knows everything. I really like Piggie though. I feel bad for him the way he's treated. I think he'll end up saving the day somehow though. We'll see, I can't wait for the next chapters.
ReplyDeleteSo far, this book isn't necessarily my genre. Parts of it are rather boring, but this author gives vivid and detailed descriptions. As for the characters, I agree with some of the people who have written so far. I don't care for Jack at all. I feel he is too power hungry for he and Ralph to truly get along. I also feel that he is mentally unstable and has an obsession with killing, as shown with "the look in his eye" and his thoughts to himself while talking to Ralph. Ralph is trying to be as good of a leader as he can be in this situation, but he is lacking in manners and occasionally wits. Both of these boys are probably going to suffer later in this book because of how they treated Piggy. He is probably one of the smartest characters, if not THE smartest, but he gets absolutely no credit because he looks very different from the other boys. I'm pretty sure that Piggy will rise above everyone else and maybe even lash out violently. And Emily, to answer your question, I would guess that either the plane landed and skidded down the island during low tide, and the boys got out, but shortly after, the plane was washed away. My biggest questions so far are: What is Piggy's real name? And what happened to that little boy who was worried about the beasties? I also wonder whether or not the beasties are actually real, or just in some of the younger characters' minds.
ReplyDeleteI am really confused what Simon was doing in the jungle when he was in that closed off space. Can someone please explain this?
ReplyDeleteFrom my initial reading of Lord of the Flies I have seen a few key roles, the leaders Jack and Ralph, the brains or one with ideas, Piggy, and the followers, all the other kids. At this point in the book I can not decide if I like it or hate it, but I think it will keep getting better as the plot thickens.
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