Invictus Poem

The poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley, reveals Ayn Rand’s philosophy of individualism. Her philosophy, declared by “it regards man- everyman- as an independent who possesses an inalienable right to his own life, a right derived from his nature as a rational being. Individualism holds that a civilized society can be achieved only on the basis of the recognition of rights- and that a group, as such, has no rights other than the individual rights of its members” (The Ayn Rand Lexicon, p.218). This philosophy connects to the quote “My head is bloody but unbowed” (Henley 8), in the poem. This shows the power of ‘self’, because even though negative circumstances have been suppressing him, he has found the power within himself to keep his head up and keep going. Another quote that portrays Rand’s philosophy is, “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul” (Henley 15-16).  This anaphora exemplifies individualism by telling the reader that no matter how hard his life is, he is the only person that has control over his actions and thoughts.

Lord of the Flies: chp 11-12 post

Prompt 10

Chapters eleven and twelve of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, were gruesome and present the falling action and resolution.  The falling action begins when Piggy, blinded by the theft of his glasses, summons the courage to confront the ‘Tribe’ and convinces Ralph and the twins that it is their option.  Of course, for Piggy this was a fateful decision.  When Piggy, who represented knowledge, is crushed by the bolder, and the conch, which represented civility, destroyed, the last fragment of the society fell with them. 

I think my favorite part in the book, though, is when the naval officer asks “Who’s boss here?” (201) and Ralph responds, “I am”.  Jack hides himself in the background, realizing that the boys will not speak highly of his leadership role.The very final paragraph of the novel where Golding describes the naval officer turning away “to give them time to pull themselves together” (202). It is evident that Ralph will realize civil decency once more.

In regard to the prompt, I believe Golding sums up the theme of the novel in the last few sentences when he writes, “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy” (Golding 202). The drastic change in the young boys becoming ruthless savages was rather chilling and it does make me think of my own life and future.  I remember days when my family would be playing in the yard, or going to the beach or something very ordinary, but and I would come home at night and squeal that that was the ‘best day ever!’ I haven’t felt that innocence for sometime and fear that losing it has made me a more serious person.  Of course, we all must grow up and innocence is lost, but if we have family and good friends and memories, our heart will not grow dark.

Lord of the Flies: Chp 9 and 10

Prompt 7

Chapters nine and ten of the “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, were very intriguing, and thrilling. I believe the climax of the novel is described, although somewhat disguised, in chapter nine. I realize now that the climax began to unfold when Simon is gleaning knowledge about the Beast from the Lord of the Flies at the end of chapter eight.  When the Lord if the Flies said, “Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could kill!” (Golding 143) I was perplexed, but now it is now evident to me that Golding is trying to demonstrate that the Beast is the savagery that exists in human nature.  As chapter nine unfolds we see the savagery at its worst.  The description of Simon discovering that the Beast was not the dead man covered by the parachute was also difficult to decipher, but upon looking back over this section I realized that this Beast was not what the boys should fear, but the Beast within themselves.  Once Simon realizes this he rushes to tell the others of his breakthrough but his news is lost in the din of thunder and the chant  “Kill the beast. Cut his throat. Spill his blood”(Golding 152).   This is certainly the climax, the thunder cracks and the boys are in a turbulent frenzy when Simon stumbles into the melee and is savagely beaten to death.  The death of Simon affects the remainder of the novel because the boys are changed forever knowing that they have killed a friend. It confused me how they could not have realized it was Simon, however, the boys seemed to be feeding off each others thirst for blood and were caught up in the moment.  I believe this could be described as a ‘mob mentality’, where one person in the group initiated the act and everyone else followed. The significance of killing Simon is that he was the symbol of purity, a figure of Christ and nature, and when they kill him they are killing off all that is good in their society.

 Another part of the novel that intrigued me was “Power lay in the brown swell of his forearms: authority sat on his shoulder and chattered in his ear like an ape“ (Golding 150). This perplexed me because at the beginning of the novel, it was Ralph who everyone wanted as leader and now they have shifted their allegiance to Jack.  It may be that the savagery has led to this power change as they realize that Ralph will likely try to tame the barbarism and bring back the civility.  The civilization rapidly went down hill when Jack assumed power, and now we see that Jack is intent on keeping the power as he has taken to beating and punishing Wilfred for no reason.  This would instil fear in the others assuring him control by domination.

Lord of the Flies: Chapter 8 Response

Prompt: 5

Chapter 8 of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, is still depicting rising action, although the beast is exposed it is not the turning point of the entire novel. While reading this passage, a few intriguing things became evident to me and made me wonder why the author chose this prose. One quote that perplexed me was Ralph’s assertion, “The fire’s the most important thing. Without the fire we can’t be rescued. I’d like to put on war paint and be a savage. But we must keep the fire burning. The fire’s the most important thing on the island, because, because” (Golding 142). This was interesting to me because in the previous chapter Golding had shown Ralph’s character enjoying brutal savagery, but here he has reverted to his civilized nature where he is still keeping alive the “fire” of hope in the society. This confused me, because if one is stranded on an inhabited island, then their sanity would most like slowly degrade and possibly not be restored. 

Another quote that perplexed me was, “ I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too” (Golding 127). This confused me because just prior to this statement, he was asking the boys if they still wanted Ralph as leader, implying that Jack wanted to be supreme leader. His thirst for power was so strong that he branched off to form his own society where he could be supreme ruler. This reminded me of the beast project we have just completed.  In this circumstance, Jack has become the beast, taken over by greed and the craving for power. He is separating the society into two distinct factions that will cause their small society to suffer. Personal greed on Jack’s part will change the collective goal to a personal one, which does not bode well for the future of the community.  The beast is alive.

Lord of the Flies: Chapter 7

Prompt 3:

Chapter 7 of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, sees rising action still unfolding, readers can feel the story is nearing a climax because the savagery is more communal. Now nearly every person has done something that has shown signs of savagery. The answer to the essential question, ‘Why do some societies fail while others thrive?” becomes evident in this chapter.  If a society loses sight of it’s goal, then the society will collapse.  For example, after Ralph had hit the pig, “the boar was floundering away from them… Ralph was full of fright and apprehension and pride” (Golding 113), the thrill and pride that Ralph got from hitting the pig was sign of Ralph’s human instinct of savagery. Although he, as a leader, didn’t believe hunting was the most important job to be done, once he got a taste of the thrill of killing, he got caught up in the exhilaration and lost sight of the goal.  A struggle for power can also cause a society to fail.  Jack has set his sights on gaining the trust and adoration of the kids through providing food, the most essential requirement of survival.  The power struggle between Ralph and Jack is causing the society to fracture, which will have an effect on the shared goal.

Societies can also fail due to lack of communication of purpose. For example, after they had tormented Robert, they were deciding weather to go back for Piggy and, “By now, Ralph had no self-conscious in public thinking but would treat the days decisions as though he were playing chess” (Golding 117). This is different than the beginning of the novel, as he has stopped acting proactively, instead responding to events as they occur, which makes reaching a goal near impossible.  A game of chess is a surprise game; you never really know what the outcome will be.  This connects to Ralph’s new ideal that he shouldn’t really plan how the society will work he will just let it come to pass. This lack of planning and communication will lead to a loss of motivation and purpose.

Lord of the Flies Chapter 6 Response: Prompt 7

Chapter six of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, depicts further rising action, for the events in this chapter do not change the course of the novel but simply adds to the conflict. The entire first segment of this chapter is describing the scene through the use of imagery. The picture that Golding paints with the descriptive language about the sky foreshadows what is to come for these boys. The imagery used in the statement, “There was a sudden bright explosion and corkscrew trail across the sky; then darkness again and stars” (Golding 95). This foreshadows an imminent threat as the sudden bright explosion could be interpreted as the plane crash that was sudden, and how everyone was positive and civil immediately after the crash. While the darkness represents the savagery between the boys and the unwanted fate of death, that will occur long after the crash.

Another quote on this page that foreshadows the boy’s fate is, “The figure fell and crumbled among the blue flowers of the mountain side, but now there was a gentle breeze at this height too and the parachute flopped and banged and pulled” (Golding 95). This illustrates how once the boys started to lose insight and positivity that their concept of civility and rationality was lost because of the obstacles they had to face. The obstacles of the wind and the mountains banged up their innocence and turned them into savage animals. The author decided to use quotes like these to show, though figurative language, the events that will lead to the climax of the novel. I used these two quotes, because they vividly portrayed the obstacles to me; optimistic views at the beginning of each sentence, then a catastrophic ending, which is likely a microcosm of the entire novel.

Chapters four and five: Lord of the Flies Prompt 3

Chapters four and five of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, is still part of the rising action.  We see the conflict arising, but know that it is not the turning point in the novel. The climax is nearing because the boys aren’t as civil as they used to be, which is a contributing factor to why some society’s fail while others thrive. During these chapters Ralph, the leader, calls for a meeting where he discusses the pitfalls within their society, and what they could to make it better and to survive. For example, in one meeting, Ralph claims “Things are breaking up. I don’t understand why. We began well; we were happy. And then….. Then people started getting frightened” (Golding 82). This quote shows how when they created their society, everyone was happy go lucky and optimistic about their survival. Once reality hit them and they realized that there was the possibility that the may die on the island, fear set in and has brought turmoil which they will need to quell to maintain a civil society. If they continue with this pessimistic attitude, nothing will get done and they will not survive. This proves that when a society loses sight of their goals the people living in the society will lose the motivation to work and to survive, which will cause a society to fail.

When a society loses sight of their motives and civility, it results in a failed society. Nearing the end of the meeting Ralph organized, Ralph proclaimed, “’The rules!’ shouted Ralph ‘ You’re breaking the rules!’ ‘Who cares?’ Ralph summoned his wits. ‘Because the rules are the only thing we’ve got!’” (Golding  91).  This shows that since the community they made for themselves to survive, has lost interest in sticking to the rules to make the society work, people of this community have become selfish and ignorant.  Laws and rules are the only thing a leader can enforce to ensure a stable society, therefore, a leader should do anything what is necessary to ensure that citizens are abiding by the rules. This proves that when people lose their civility and rationality it leads to a lack of community and unity and eventually a failed society.

Chapter 2 and 3 of Lord of the Flies: Prompt 10

Chapters two and three of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, depicts the rising action of the novel.  It is apparent that the conflict that will undoubtedly ensue, reflecting the turning point of the novel, has not yet transpired.  The rising action describes the savagery of living on an isolated island and the effects on the children of being left alone to fend for themselves.  The quote “How can you expect to be rescued if you don’t put first things first, and act proper?” effectively portrays to the reader that only when one can act appropriately while facing obstacles do they have a chance of sanity and survival. This quote affected me as it confirms that if a person resorts to savagery, and doesn’t act on their plan, nothing will be accomplished and may lead society to mass insanity.  This is also strikes me as important as it makes me wonder how people expect to be saved from their problems if they don’t try and learn from their mistakes to prevent further tragedy from happening, and to make it easier for others to help them.

This quote plays a role in this chapter because it foreshadows that their failure to take action on their plans will have a detrimental effect within the community and on their ultimate survival. It also, plays a role in novel by indicating that if there is no stability within the society that they will lose civilized values and revert to savagery, like any society without order.  This plays a role in my life by showing me the importance of having a plan and a goal for the future.  If I did not have an idea or goal for my life, or even my week, my life would be without purpose and therefore I wouldn’t strive to be my best. For me, the only way to function is to have a plan, act on that plan, and realize that any negative things happening in my life will surely change and with a positive attitude and hard work, all will be good in the end.

Lord of the Flies: Chapter 1 Response

Chapter one of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, presents the initial conflict, and shows how they are somewhat trying to cope with how and why this accident occurred. These boys wake up in rubble confused of where they are and how they got there, and feeling quite out of place. This ‘lost’ and confused tone of the chapter reminded me of one time in my life when I had no idea where I was going. It was Halloween day, of my 4^th grade year, and I was ready to go out trick or treating with my friends. So I meet up with the big group and we started in one girl’s neighborhood, then as a group we went up to all the houses and got candy. Nearing the end of the night, everyone felt like they had done enough trick-or-treating, but this other girl and I, so we continued. Since it was not our neighborhood and we were not familiar to the area, in a matter of seconds we were lost.

Being dramatic 4^th graders, we sat next to a tree thinking we would never see our parents again. I remember, feeling so worried and upset with the fact that this other girl and I were out and alone in the middle of some unknown neighborhood. Then after a while of worry, we ventured in the direction we thought we came from, to find our parents in their cars waiting for us. Although my life connection is not nearly as dangerous as these young schoolboys being lost and an abandoned island, I still felt as though I would never find home again. This connects with the first chapter because like the characters in the novel, they are confused and worried of their fate and how they would get to safety again.

Lord of the Flies- Pre read activity

In order to achieve a ‘perfect society’ or utopia, on an uninhabited island, it would necessitate a large group of people that can cooperate, organize a plan, and act on that plan. An ideal civilization would also inculde a well functioning democracy, where the citizens can vote, and committees check over all aspects of life. This government would also need to have a law and punishment system. This system would keep the citizens in check to make sure everything is running smoothly. Punishments would be a deprival of rights for a short while, and to ensure that the criminal learn their lesson, and would no longer disturb the peace of the society.  The laws of this utopia would be similar to what America’s laws today are, which means murder, thief ect.. would be unacceptable.

This island that we landed on would be 3 miles by  4 miles, we would use as much space as possible so we could expand our agriculture. This tropical island would also be scattered with palm trees, and in the center would be a thriving rainforest with an abundance of water. The rain forest would supply my utopia with water and food. Then in a more dry area, a little ways out of the rain forest would be where we would set up our shelter. Here we would have a lot of houses that protect each group of people from the dangers of the outside world.  The larger buildings would be dedicated to storing medicine, food, and water. Doctors would be needed to fulfill the role of aiding those in need. Then hunters would supply the society with food and water.  The rest of the citizens would either help build structures or be a teacher. Education would be a major part of the eutopia, every person is required to have a some sort of degree of education. This would ensure that at citizens are helping the community at large and benefitting off each other. 

Jumble Short story

Tonight is the night that everyone has been waiting for, a night that most people will remember until they are octogenarians.  Everything about this night was created for remembrance.  It was the perfect night.  Perfect, that is, until the incident.  The incident that would change the lives of many people. The incident that started with one fatal flaw.  This is my story.  My name is Toby.

Up until the incident, the night was fantastic.  I was having the best time of my entire high school career, which seems very hard to believe because I am very popular here at Oakland High. But tonight was the night of graduation, where everyone you use to love and be friendly with would soon be absent from your life forever. As the principle called each and every student’s name in my senior class, to extend them congratulations and luck, my best friend texted me saying that he wanted to go out with me after graduation.  Although post-graduation is usually family time, where your family floods you with congratulation, I agreed with my best friend that we should hangout after.  After throwing our caps in the air, and wishing those who I had spent the last umpteen years with good luck in their life, my friend James and me set out for a night of freedom and adventure.

Walking to my set of wheels, we screamed and shouted of freedom, as we no longer had to be confined to this hellhole of a school. I asked my friend where our destination lay and he replied, ‘where every the winds takes us’.

Strapping myself into my father’s car, I was quite worried that I was neither qualified nor legal to be driving non-members of my family. This indeed would be my first time driving with a friend, with me behind the wheel, because I had just (finally) gotten my license just days before.  My choice to drive was the fatal flaw that would change my life forever. Sitting there waiting for some sort of traffic jam in the high school lot to disperse, James blared the music until I couldn’t hear my own voice singing. After finally getting out of the parking lot, I headed to the town beach. With the music still blaring, utter blackness lay ahead of me, I was no longer aware of my surroundings or capable of taming them

Hangman reflection

Life in some perspectives has both controllable factors and uncontrollable factors. The controllable factors are how you live your life and how you view the world, while the uncontrollable factors are your chemical and biological makeup. This means that somethings in life can be changed and somethings can't and yet the many times people get judged on uncontrollable factors, which has a direct impact on the formation of a person’s identity. Society unfairly judges an individual by appearance and  other uncontrollable factors, and once a person learns to ignore these judgements and develop their own character is when one 'comes of age'.  This message of coming of age is effectively portrayed in the short story Hangman, by David Mitchell, through the use of literary techniques such as hyperbole, personification, and similes.

Throughout this short story the author uses hyperbole to illustrate how people often magnify their problems to be much greater than they actually are. For example, when Jason was discussing his stammer in school he proclaimed, “You can’t stammer in a classroom, either. My students’d crucify me” (Mitchell 35). This exemplifies that Jason is really scared to stammer in class for he is afraid of the judgement that will result from him speaking his mind, and although his stammer is uncontrollable he will still get the reprimanded for his stammer.  He uses the word ‘crucify’ as an over exaggeration of this judgement.  This exemplifies that if one magnifies their problems to make it a much bigger deal, it indicates that they are not ready to 'come of age' because it’s a childish phase to make small problems a big deal. This proves that in order to 'come of age' one has to ignore the haters and let them be their motivators, which will allow a person to develop into their true character.

The major conflict in the story is how the main character, Jason, must deal with the repercussions of his stammer, which he refers to as his 'Hangman'.  The author uses personification to illustrate the conflict. For example, when Jason is telling the readers about the stages of his stammer, he says, “February’s Hangman’s favorite month. Come summer he gets dozy and hibernates through to autumn” (Mitchell 29). This proves that Jason is treating this stammer of his as a living creature. By using words like hibernates and ‘he’ is giving a life to an inanimate object. Also this proves that he does not accept his stammer as a part of him, but instead sees it as an annoyance that he has to deal with it everyday. When one learns to accept these uncontrollable factors in their genetic makeup, that is when they will 'come of age'.

The message of 'coming of age' that they author is portraying in this piece is also depicted through his use of similes. For example, in the beginning of the novel Jason feels that “Most people think stammering and stuttering are the same but they’re as different as diarrhea and constipation.” (Mitchell 25). This shows how Jason compares the problem of his stammer to diarrhea, which is used to show how disgusted he is with his problem. Also, this shows how these two uncontrollable conditions are alike because they are both viewed as disgusting and hated in Jason’s mind.