After reading chapters 4 and 5 of Lord of the Flies. React and personally
connect to the following quotes for each chapter. Make sure that your reaction
and connection includes a combination of detail from the novel and your own
thinking and opinions. This assignment will be out of 10 marks - 5 for each
entry. You will be graded on your ability to develop your connection to the
quote using novel details and personal opinions.
Chapter 4 - Reaction and connection Quote:
“They became accustomed to these mysteries and ignored them, just as they
ignored the miraculous, throbbing starts.” William Golding
In chapter 4 the quote “They became accustomed to these mysteries and
ignored them, just as they ignored the miraculous, throbbing stars,” can be
interpreted in many different ways. I believe the meaning behind this quote is that
the children on the island got use to all the difficulties they had on the island but they
try to ignore them, just like they forgot to remember all the little things that were
happening in life. The children forgot all the little things in life that have meaning,
they were all too caught up in playing around. Now they finally realize what truly is
happening what reality is. The little children start to understand. They never took the
time to sit down and look at all the things that were happening; instead they deciding
to ignore all that was evolving around them and continue to fool around like normal
little children would. But unlike the children on the island, they aren't living a normal
child's life. They are facing much more difficult challenges, in which they all have to
wake up and face. The kids are use to everything bad happening on the island and
tried to ignore them, but now they have finally stop ignoring. The boys have to work
together to solve their problems. They can't let ones power rule over the island; if
they do they will all crash down together. They must work together to solve the
mysteries so they have time to sit down and see the “miraculous, throbbing stars.”
The children are too busy playing around to solve the mysteries when they truly
should be working together, and embrace the reality pondering around them. I can
see why they spend so much time trying to ignore reality, because I feel that
sometimes reality is just too hard to be faced. Sometimes you just want to ignore
what is truly happening. You don’t want to accept what is actually happening. They
ignore it by fooling around. They have to take the time and realize the truth. They
can’t spend forever ignoring. This is a turning point for them. As said the “end of
innocence”
A little below the quote they discuss about mirages, and seeing illusions. All
the children’s are too caught up in the illusions that are presented in front of them,
and they forgot what is really happening. I’m not too sure but I feel that the children
on the island are fighting something they think they see, but its not truly there. They
are letting something they think exist conquer them. The children can't truly see
what is around them, instead they let the illusions and mirages conquer their
thoughts. An example from the novel is when one of the littluns mentions something
about a beast existing. This is a thought, an illusion. This thought carried out to all
the other boys. Causing them all believe and fall into this illusion. They are slowly
getting closer to something that is not truly there. The boys are all falling into an
illusion and can't keep up with what is truly happening on the island. The boys are
getting use to the island therefore they are no longer curious just like how they are
no longer as innocent. They are slowly adopting the island as their home. They
aren’t as worried about the mysteries in comparison to the beginning.
My connection to the meaning behind this quote is that I think that we all have
to take time in our lives to see the beauty and not get too caught up with all the work
all the struggles. We need to learn to take time and just look at the stars in the night
skies, or follow the clouds in the morning atmosphere. We spend so much time
worrying, working, etc, and we totally forget about the true beauties in life because
we spend so much time ignoring them. We can’t live a life happily without taking a
breather once and a while to see what magnificent wonders that are surrounding us.
In the summer my sister and I would go out on the rooftop and watch the sunset, my
parents told us not too since it wasn’t safe. But when I got the chance to be outside
and just see how beautiful the sun was when it set, it just took all the fear, stress,
and everything away. I could breathe and just relax and forget about the world we
live in.
Chapter 5 - Reaction and connection Quote:
“He found himself understanding the wearisomeness of his life, where every
path was an improvisation and a considerable part of one’s waking life was
spent watching one’s feet.” Ralph’s thoughts, William Golding
The quote “He found himself understanding the wearisomeness of his life,
where every path was an improvisation and a considerable part of one’s waking life
was spent watching one’s feet.” Ralph’s thoughts- is found at the beginning of
chapter 5 when he was walking along the beach. I believe he feels that when it was
the first time he walked on the beach he felt a thrill of excitement and he saw such a
beautiful beach, now he is walking this path again but this time the enjoyment of
from the past is no longer there. He understands the burden of life, and the past was
just an improvisation of happiness. He made the best out of the past situation, be he
is finally is seeing the path he took but without the improvisation of happiness. Ralph
fell into a path where his life is no longer sparked with excitement each day, he has
given up slowly in the improvisation of living happily. He feels as if he is walking the
same path over and over again. He is losing in a battle of leadership which is why he
put himself on a mood where he cannot see the beauty and the happiness. I believe
that throughout this novel you will be able to read and feel all the characters change
and grow. I feel that Ralph is maturing faster than the others which is why he has a
better level of understanding. Ralph knows what has to be done in to live on the
island. You can really sense Ralph’s maturing but near the end of chapter 5 Ralph is
feeling weaker because he is losing power and attention of the boys. Ralph has the
decision to give up and hand to power over to Jack and let death overcome them, or
he has the choice to keep fighting to guide the children so that they have a better
chance of survival. At the end Piggy is talking to Ralph about how if Ralph gave
away his position as chief, that it would be all hunting and there would be no fire and
that would mean that they would all end up dead. Ralph knows that what piggy is
saying is true, therefore he knows he mustn't give up and he must continue to fight
the battle to lead the group for the sake of survival.
Throughout chapter 5 there is discussion of a beast; a beast that does not
truly exist but something that the boys created with their minds. Jack doesn't
understand, he believes it's an actual animal that can be hunted down and kill. Jack
thinks he can hunt down the beast that is frightening all the children but it's not
possible to kill something that is created through our minds; something that isn't
actually there. But you created with your thoughts and fears. I believe that Ralph
started to understand the beast and what it really was and he knew it wasn't
something that can be fought off. He knew that they had to work together to
dismantle the thought and creations of the beast. I feel that “He found himself
understanding the wearisomeness of his life…” is about how Ralph understands the
path his group of boys have been put into and the life that has been chosen for him.
I think Ralph feels that the survival of the boys relies on him, which is most likely
true. Even though there are many bad thing happening Ralph is managing himself
for the all the boys lives. I feel that Ralph is the most powerful character in this story.
In government wise i feel that his power would rule over the rest eventually. The true
identity of the beast is only recognized by the one who is losing his power over the
boys. Therefore Ralph has to continuously fighting for attention and power. Ralph
doesn't only know what the right thing to do is, but he also has power to guide the
boys. Ralph may be doing everything right but he has to push himself further now
and do everything right with more effort and spark things up so that he will be
capable of keeping the boys with him. Since the boys are young they lose focus
easily and will fling themselves back and forth between Jack and Ralph. The boys
have to see that the one who will lead them to survival is Ralph not Jack. If they
chose Jack they will be guiding themselves to their own grave.
My connection towards this quote is that many of us live our lives the same
way every single day with very little change to it. We tend to have a daily pattern we
always seem to go through. We find ourselves living and walking the same direction
every day but with our improvisation there tends to be a small spark of excitement in
each day we live. Similar to Ralph’s path he is in power of the children but yet he is
losing their attention so he has to keep the children interested. Just like how we
normal human beings keep ourselves interested by sparking up our daily lives with
little things, or big things. Just by doing that we can continue to live on our normal life
with little twist and turns. Just like Ralph he will still be in power with little twist and
turns.
Rubric rating submitted on: Fri Jan 31 2014 13:57:05 GMT-0500 (EST) by
9martin2013@gmail.com
Use of
Novel
Detail
4
3
2
1
Details are used
consistently to
support opinions,
reaction and
Details are used
to support
opinions, reaction
Limited use of
novel detail to
support opinions,
reaction and
Little or no use of
novel detail.
4
connection.
and connections.
connections.
Voice
Reaction includes
well developed
personal opinions
and connections.
Reaction includes
personal opinions
and connections.
Reaction
occasionally uses
personal opinions
and connections.
Reaction includes
little or no
personal opinions
and connections.
Mechanics of
writing enhance
piece.
Mechanics of
writing do not
distract the
reader.
Mechanics of
writing distract the
reader.
Mechanics
distract and make
it difficult to
understand the
text.
4
Mechanics
4
Comments:
20/20 Excellent development of your reaction. You use detail and connections to
analyze and see beyond the literal interpretations.