Lord of the Flies- Chapter 12

Chapter 12- Cry of the Hunters

Perspective- Ralph

Today was the best, and worst day of my life. Jack's tribe, aka everybody else on this island, decided to hunt me down and try to kill me. They were to send a CORDON through the island to find me. I saw Samneric, who gave me some meat from their feast and also warned me about Jack's plans. I still can't believe the twins were forced into Jack's tribe. Obviously, he was trying to isolate me and boy, did it work!

The only detail the boys gave me was that Roger had "sharpened a spear on both sides". This symbolized that he planned on me meeting the same fate as the sow known as the "Lord of the Flies"; he wanted to decapitate me and make my head into an offering to the beast.

I had to hide in a thicket to stay protected from the hunt! I stayed there for a long while, until the boys tried to get me out by rolling huge boulders through it & eventually setting it on fire. I got pretty hurt from boys and I was running out of options, so I decided to flee towards the beach. When I got there, I was shocked! There was a naval ship at the island! I guess the smoke from the fire meant to get me out of hiding caught a ship's attention. Jack and the others followed me onto the beach, but they didn't hurt me any further. There was an officer standing there, in his EPAULETTE-covered DRILL! I was so thankful. When he asked who the leader was, I said it was me. Nobody, even Ralph, objected to it. The sad thing is, Percival Wemys Madison, the boy who could remember important details of his life back home, forgot his own name. What a pity. The naval officer was disappointed in us because he said that, because we are English, we should not have lost our composure and civilization in such a short period of time. I guess he's right; things did go a little overboard.

Once I accepted the fact that we were to be rescued, I began to weep. Everyone else joined in and the officer had to look away because he seemed a bit embarassed. We're currently on his ship, heading back to England. I can't wait to see my parents! This has definitely been an ordeal, but it was an adventure nonetheless. I definitely learned a lot about human nature and survival tactics while out here; Daddy will be proud.

Lord of the Flies- Chapter 11

Chapter 11- Castle Rock

1. In the beginning of the chapter, what does Piggy tell Ralph to do with the conch?

-Piggy wanted Ralph to call an assembly with the conch. He says, "It's the only thing we got." To Piggy, the conch is a sort of talisman.

2. What reason will Piggy give Jack for the return of his glasses?

-Piggy told Jack that he doesn't have to, but he should give them back because it's the right thing to do.

3. What does Ralph declare their appearance will be when they approach Jack?

-Ralph wanted to look clean and presentable when reasoning with Jack.

4. Who challenges the boys on their approach to Castle Rock?

-Roger is the first to say anything to them.

5. When Jack appears, what has he been doing?

-Jack had been hunting.

6. What does Ralph call Jack that provokes a fight?

-Ralph calls Jack a thief which makes Jack angry and delirious.

7. What happens to Samneric after the fight?

-They got bound up and forcibly were added to Jack's tribe.

8. What is Roger doing during Piggy’s plea for a return to decency?

-Roger was throwing stones at him and Ralph.

9. Write a STRONG PARAGRAPH about who is responsible for Piggy’s death and why.

-I believe that Jack is responsible for the cessation of Piggy's life. If not for Jack, I doubt that any of the other boys would be so cruel and uncontrollable. They would not have started a new tribe of savages, and they would not have stolen Piggy's glasses. If the glasses had not been stolen, Piggy would not have had to go ask for them, leading to his death. Overall, I believe Jack is fully responsible for the murder of Piggy because he lead the boys in their truculency.

Diary Entry: Perspective- Simon

After I was mistakenly killed by the boys, I guess I became a floating spirit above the island because I see everything the boys are doing now.

I see that Piggy is much more calm than Ralph is about my death. Ralph keeps repeating that "it was murder", while Piggy seems to believe it was an accident. He says it was an accident because I stumbled into that crazy group at a bad time; everyone was a little insane right then. Also, it was pretty dark, so how should they know it was me and not a beast? And Piggy especially, his specs are broken so he has a hard time seeing things anyway. He also says that they were scared. To me, that's somewhat believable. I guess I should have waited, but still, you'd think they would know it was only me. Either way though, they should not have killed me. I was merely trying to tell them that there was nothing to fear.

Jack is a different story. He believes that I was the beast in disguise. This is just ridiculous. How could a beast get into my body? Ugh. Also, I can't believe he started his own savage tribe! That was definitely not a smart move. He has no rescue plan. All he wants to do is hunt. That will not make out for a good tribe. Jack's main rule is to guard the fort 24/7 in case Ralph and Piggy should try to sneak in. He is such a cruel leader! Apparently, he got angry at Wilfred, a boy in his tribe, and decided to tie him up for hours, then beat him. That is not the way to lead a group!

Then, Jack decided to sneak over to the original group at night to steal Piggy's specs with Roger and Maurice. That plan was sadly successful. They attacked them and made them end up physically battle each other, while they walked away with their treasure.

Overall, I'm really disappointed in the boys' behavior. They should be working cooperatively, trying to be rescued instead of being childish. They aren't playing the game right!

Lord of the Flies- Chapters 8 & 9

Chapter 8- A Gift For the Darkness

I believe that the part where Jack and the other hunters put together the "Lord of the Flies" is definitely the most disturbing. This part is in Chapter 8 when they go hunting and find a large mother pig. They chase her all about the jungle, finally cornering her in a clearing. The ironic is, this clearing was absolutely gorgeous. There were butterflies flitting around and flowers everywhere. They brutally murder and decapitate the sow in the middle of it. There were gouts of blood and insides gushing out of her poor body. Jack stuck a stake in the ground and smashed her head on top of it, making it look like a huge pig-head lollipop in the earth. He says that it is a gift from his tribe to the "beastie", in an attempt to get on its good side. The swine's guts were all around her stake and the flies absolutely loved it. This, of course, made her the Lord of the Flies. The thing is, Jack and the others think this is nothing out of the ordinary at all. That is an especially disturbing contributor to this section because you would think boys of their age would be at least a little frightened or something, but they aren't. That is a part that stuck to me.

Chapter 9- A View to a Death

I believe that World War II killed Simon. There are no specific examples of this in the book, but let me explain. The boys were on a plane to school in the middle of WWII. If the war was not happening, they would have easily been there a while ago and everyone would still be alive. But since that didn't happen, the plane was shot down and crashed on the island. Then, if Ralph and Jack had gotten along, Jack probably wouldn't have founded his own tribe. Since he was going insane, him and the hunters did a get-together around a fire, where they all started going a little crazy. Then Simon happened to stumble into the mix while trying to tell the others they were safe from a beast. That was definitely a mistake on his part, because he should have noticed the mood from afar. In that ring, Simon was murdered. No part of this ordeal would have occurred if World War II had never started, so I blame the war for Simon's death.

Lord of the Flies- Chapter 7

Chapter 7- Shadows and Tall Trees

"What Was That?"

Perspective- Simon

Dear Diary,

Today, the boys and I went on a hunt for the beastie. During our trip, Jack found some pig droppings and we decided to hunt for swine as well as the beast. We found this huge boar. Apparently, its tusks scratched Jack’s arm while galloping by. It was running right towards us, when Ralph SAGELY threw his spear at it! It only hit its snout, but Ralph was extremely excited and kept talking about it nonetheless. He thought he had a lot of BRAVADO to do something like that. People playing RUGGER back home probably get more hurt than the boar did, though.

Although he boar ended up getting away, the others were still the opposite of DUN about what happened. They decided to reenact what had just happened, using a boy named Roger as the boar. The boys formed into a circle, closing in quickly while dancing and chanting. Forgetting that this is just a game, they began to jab poor Roger with spears until he cried out and tried to escape. They almost killed Robert! Ralph had to remind everyone that this was just for fun. Robert suggested using a real boar in the next game like that, but Jack offered up the idea of using a littlun instead. How cruel! The others just laughed and agreed. I think this game was disgusting and dangerous, and wanted no part in it. I had to be IMPERVIOUS in front of the others, though.

We decided to continue on the hunt, but knew we wouldn’t get back to Piggy and the littluns until after dark. I offered to go back through the forest alone to tell Piggy the update.

Although I was not there, this is what I heard happened after I left: Ralph wanted to wait until the next day to climb the mountain of account of the difficulty of seeing, let alone hunting, at night. Jack mocked Ralph and challenged him to join him and another to continue. To be seen as leader once again, Ralph decided to go with them. Ralph and Roger went partway up the mountain, but Jack went to the very top alone. After a few minutes, Jack returned to the group sounding fearful. He saw the beast, or so he claimed. The other two went to the tip of the mountain to see if he was telling the truth. According to them, they saw it! The beastie is real! They came running back right after.

I think Ralph may call for a meeting soon, so I’ll talk to you later, Diary.

Lord of the Flies- Chapter 6

Chapter 6- Beast From Air

"What Was That?"

Perspective- Piggy

What sign comes down from the grown up world, and why aren’t the boys aware of it?

While we were sleeping, a dead adult fighter came down from the sky and landed somewhere on this island. We know about it because Sam 'n Eric found it while tending to the fire. They were both asleep when it fell from the sky, but they noticed it when they got back to the fire.

Why are Sam ‘n Eric so terrified?

Sam 'n Eric thought that it was a beastie! They ran back to Ralph, who immediately called an INTERMINABLE meeting.

How do Sam ‘n Eric describe the beast?

They say that they saw a monster, with claws and scary teeth. They also said that it tried to attack them!

What is the attitude of the boys when going off to look for the beast, and why did you stay behind?

Some of the boys wanted to hide from the beastie, but of course Jack and the other hunters wanted to go out and hunt it. While they went searching for it, the littluns and I stayed behind. Hopefully, Ralph and Jack aren't EMBROILED anymore. I stayed behind cause I only have "one eye" because Jack broke my specs and only one lense made it. My mum will be so WAXY when she sees what's happened to them! Gosh, I wish the others would listen to Ralph and show some DIFFIDENCE! They've been so MUTINOUS lately.

Is there really a beast? How do you know?

Of course there isn't a beastie! That's just ludicrous. The littuns were definitely making it up; it's so obvious. Beasties don't exist! These rumors don't exist.

Lord of the Flies- Chapter 5

Chapter 5- Beast From Water

"Ghosts?!"

Perspecive- Ralph

Dear Diary,

Today I realized something. Life on this island is very unpredictable and spontaneous. Piggy is actually quite sharp. His mind is logical and scientific. The rules we initially set up for this island are not being put in play. We may never leave this place. Many of my thoughts and values were adjusted today. I needed to call a meeting.

At this meeting, I had to be forceful and serious. This assembly, unlike the others, was no fun and games. I was very DISCURSIVE when talking about how nobody is following up with their jobs. Nobody is contributing to the construction of shelters. Fresh drinking water was supposed to be put into coconut shells and covered with leaves under palm trees to stay cool. That happened for a few days. The boys aren’t even using the designated bathroom areas. They are just “going” wherever they feel, contaminating our food and areas. This lacks a lot of DECORUM. The signal fire was going to be constantly on, service of the hunters. That didn’t happen, even when we needed it most- when the ship came near. They need to know how important it is to have the fire always going! You never know when a sudden rescue vehicle could come by.

Problem is, nobody listens to me anymore. Jack keeps challenging my authority by protesting and turning other boys against me. I think he’s just jealous that I have the leader spot and he doesn’t. Actually, I know he’s jealous. He is going crazy! All he wants to do is hunt and murder pigs. He believes that I’m always on Piggy’s side, and that we always side against him. That's just LUDICROUS! I just happen to usually agree with what is coming out of Piggy’s mouth, compared to Jack’s. He JEERS Piggy so much, it makes me lose my patience with Jack extremely quickly.

Honestly, I want to give up my authority. The boys don’t respect me anymore. They speak of a beast, or a ghost that comes up from the ocean at night. This makes the littluns cry their sleep. It is really quite eerie.

Jack TEMPESTUOUSLY ran off with the hunters and littluns. Piggy wanted me to blow the conch for them to come back, but I was too scared that they wouldn’t. If they didn’t come back, I don’t think that I would have wanted to continue being the leader. I just decided to let them blow off some steam before trying to call order again.

Piggy says that without rules, chaos will reign. I believe him, but it’s not like the boys are following them anyways.

Simon told us of this secret place he goes to, but we don’t know where it is yet.

I think I’m going to go try to find out where it is; I’ll talk to you later diary.