LOTF Questions Part 2.

4) Symbols are everywhere in LotF. Pick 2 that really stood out to you and discuss their importance to the story.

    One symbol that stood out to me in LOTF was the conch, of course. The conch was the most important symbol in my opinion, because it was the only symbol of authority, which basically kept the group under control. The conch has importance for the story because it was what Ralph used to handle the group. During the meetings where they decided on various things was where the conch was used. The only one who was holding the conch could speak, which showed authority. The conch was the symbol that was important throughout the whole story, from when Ralph blew it to call all of the boys attention, to when the conch was smashed to pieces. I think Ralph using the conch to group up the boys in the beginning of the story is where it shows the most importance.
   Another symbol that stood out to me in this book was the fire. To me the fire showed importance because it showed how the characters were determined to retrieve attention of people on a ship or some sort of transportation for them to be saved and go home. It showed how they had determination because Ralph, most of all, was diligent to make sure someone was always watching the fire, night and day, so it would never go out. Another reason why the fire had very great importance to the story is that it actually did have a benefit because the fire is the reason the naval officer went to the island, because he noticed the smoke and fire.  Furthermore, the fire also had importance because it cooked the food which they ate to survive. This had importance to the story because some characters cared about the cooking fire more than the signal fire, and it caused conflict between Ralph and Jack, and some others as well.

5) Do you agree with the idea that evil is inherent in people, regardless of age? Discuss in relation to your own experiences as well as those in the book.

I must disagree with the idea that people can be born evil. I believe that only your surroundings can cause you to be evil, but only if the surrounding isn't one that the person in particular enjoys or is happy with. In other words, if someone has a harsh lifestyle because they are treated badly or something, them memories will always be with them and effect the way they treat others later on in their life. In my everyday life, I see people treated harshly, at school for example, and it eventually causes them to treat others the same way they were treated. In the story I think that the only reason the boys had "evil" times, for example, Piggy's death, was because they were taken out of their comfort zone and regular daily lives and put in harsh conditions where they had to fend for themselves without an adult figure like they were used to, and this new lifestyle changed them completely.

LOTF Questions Part 1.

2) One of the main points of this book is to look at the effects of authority, or the lack of authority, on people. The "society" that the boys created eventually begins to fall apart; do you think this is because of the leaders they chose (Ralph and Jack), or because of the situation they were in (meaning who their leaders were didn't matter)?

In my opinion, I think the situation which the group was in was the cause of their society falling apart. I think that this happened because the group is basically all around the same age group, and they aren't used to listening to what other children want or even acknowledging it, they are only familiar with obeying most adults orders. Although in the beginning they were pretty obedient with Ralph's orders, eventually they began to be carefree of what Ralph wanted, and they did what they want. I think that this caused the society to fall apart because without them all agreeing with each other about most things and at least listening to what they have to say, they'd never be found or get a long. Therefore, in my opinion, the situation was definitely what caused the groups society to collapse.  


3) Suspend your rationale thinking for a moment, and imagine that the place you all know best involving established authority - school - is suddenly without teachers, Ms. Nadeau, etc. for an extended period of time (think weeks). What would happen?
I believe that if the school was without our principal, or any adult figure with authority, that the students would definitely make bad decisions and/or cause trouble in some way, shape or form. Most likely, the first couple of days wouldn't be too bad or crazy because most students would either be wondering where all the adults are, trying to find them, or not paying attention to it or attending school at all. After a week or so, there'd definitely be a lot less students showing up, but I don't believe there'd be a large issue with authority because most students would just go their own way, minding their own business. However, I believe there would be certain students who would try to have an authority figure over most of the crowd, but it'd probably be a failure due to the student body just not caring about what that person wants them to do or how to act. Now, after a long period of time, I believe the school would be pretty crazy, but not too too bad. After all, this is high school and most people are mature enough to not become absolutely uncontrollable. In my eyes, it seems like school would just become another hang out spot, it'd be like school with no classes, just a place to hang out with your friends. On the contrary, there would definitely be some students, whom would act immature at times, that would cause trouble. For example, they could cause arguments which would possibly result in physical fighting. Pursuing this further, there'd probably be no one who would actually stop and end the argument, causing school to become a dangerous environment for the students. School would just be hectic without adult authority.