Well well well, it looks as though we have, sad to say, reached the end of LOTF. I must say, I was expecting (and kinda hoping for) a much bloodier and brutal ending than what went down, but nevertheless I enjoyed the book overall.
The last chapter reminded me faintly of The Hunger Games, in the scene where Katniss is sprinting through the fire, although she is not, in fact, being chased by a pack of feral boys. On the subject of feral boys, Ralph seems to really revert in this chapter, wildly stabbing and screaming and running for his life. One of the best things about this book is how very harsh and realistic it is, really making us think about what WE would do if we were in their place. My only complaint is annotating. I really don't much care for annotating, I just like to read and enjoy and process the book my own way, but I do see why it's necessary, making sure people actually do the reading and understand important passages. I am quite glad we read this book and will someday give it to my kids to read.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
Reading Focus With a Hint of Depression
For maximum effect, listen to this whilst reading- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh7vy7KJb6s
Well, it's been a long 2 hours trying to recover my Reading Focus Chart. That's right, it's all gone. 11 chapters of hard work, down the drain. It's disheartening, I assure you, to have to re-do EVERYTHING but of course, I'll end up doing it. I'm just so....so tired......imagine a two hour pause here, whilst I do my chart.
Sigh......I'm back. Well, saddened as I am, heres some hearty "evil" music for you all to enjoy while I discuss evil in LOTF............... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrX-QmcyhIA
Moving along, here are 3 majorly "evil" things that went down so far in LOTF.
1. The beating of Robert-pg. 114: The boys really lose control here, letting loose their dark sides as they brutally beat and even stab at this defenseless boy simply because they think of him as a pig, prey, and they are so stuck in that mindset they don't realize he's a real human.
“Ow! Stop it! You’re hurting!”
2. The Sacrifice to the Beast-pg. 137: This is a pretty weird one, and it deals sorta with some ancient forms of worship. See, Jack decides to leave an offering to the "beast" so that he may appease it, an offering of flesh. This is a big no-no, as he is worshipping a monster or even Lucifer himself, so the evil here is just palpable.
“This head is for the beast. It is a gift.”
3. The Death of Simon-pg. 152: Here is where even Ralph and Piggy, previously so "pure" join in the savages cruel "Dance" and lose themselves in the frenzy, ending up killing their friend Simon. They turned away from civilization and got a taste of the wild side, and both feel very guilty afterwards.
"The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed."
Well, it's been a long 2 hours trying to recover my Reading Focus Chart. That's right, it's all gone. 11 chapters of hard work, down the drain. It's disheartening, I assure you, to have to re-do EVERYTHING but of course, I'll end up doing it. I'm just so....so tired......imagine a two hour pause here, whilst I do my chart.
Sigh......I'm back. Well, saddened as I am, heres some hearty "evil" music for you all to enjoy while I discuss evil in LOTF............... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrX-QmcyhIA
Moving along, here are 3 majorly "evil" things that went down so far in LOTF.
1. The beating of Robert-pg. 114: The boys really lose control here, letting loose their dark sides as they brutally beat and even stab at this defenseless boy simply because they think of him as a pig, prey, and they are so stuck in that mindset they don't realize he's a real human.
“Ow! Stop it! You’re hurting!”
2. The Sacrifice to the Beast-pg. 137: This is a pretty weird one, and it deals sorta with some ancient forms of worship. See, Jack decides to leave an offering to the "beast" so that he may appease it, an offering of flesh. This is a big no-no, as he is worshipping a monster or even Lucifer himself, so the evil here is just palpable.
“This head is for the beast. It is a gift.”
3. The Death of Simon-pg. 152: Here is where even Ralph and Piggy, previously so "pure" join in the savages cruel "Dance" and lose themselves in the frenzy, ending up killing their friend Simon. They turned away from civilization and got a taste of the wild side, and both feel very guilty afterwards.
"The sticks fell and the mouth of the new circle crunched and screamed."
LOTF Chapter 11
Well, I can't say I'm TOO surprised. (or saddened, for that matter) I've always had a strong loathing for Piggy, hes the type of guy I absolutely despise-Whiny, loud, annoying, nosey, and just a downright brat. It was indeed a very exciting chapter, what with their stupid shell finally being shattered (how an ordinary shell survived this long, I'll never know)
In any case, I was interested by the part where Jack and Ralph tussled, because even though they were both armed with lethal weapons, neither of them dared to inflict grave wounds upon one another. There was the symbolism of the shell breaking, symbolizing Ralph's role as chief has ended. There is also Piggy's death, which does not simply mean the death of an annoying character, so much as a death of logic and reason on such a savage island. Ralph is on the run, and the optimist may hope that he makes it to a ship just in the nick of time, but the realist (me), is sure that this will not end well, that even if Ralph escapes the island, he will still be haunted by memories of smoke, writhing orange flames, and a tribal dance which he left part of himself behind in.
~Charles
In any case, I was interested by the part where Jack and Ralph tussled, because even though they were both armed with lethal weapons, neither of them dared to inflict grave wounds upon one another. There was the symbolism of the shell breaking, symbolizing Ralph's role as chief has ended. There is also Piggy's death, which does not simply mean the death of an annoying character, so much as a death of logic and reason on such a savage island. Ralph is on the run, and the optimist may hope that he makes it to a ship just in the nick of time, but the realist (me), is sure that this will not end well, that even if Ralph escapes the island, he will still be haunted by memories of smoke, writhing orange flames, and a tribal dance which he left part of himself behind in.
~Charles
Reading, Etc.
Well, I honestly can't quite remember everything I've read this semester and over the summer, but I can try. I read the first 3 books in the Game of Thrones series, the full set of manga for Deadman Wonderland and High School of the Dead plus a lot of Fairy Tail and Naruto. I'd say the most challenging would be A Game of Thrones, as there are so many characters and there is so much going on all at once. Naruto would be the next most challenging, as it too has a lot of characters and a plot so complicated you would have thought it inconceivable. Then Deadman Wonderland and then High School of the Dead.
I have learned that, as a reader, almost everything I read is fantasy. Maybe I'm trying to escape this bleak, unforgiving world and indulge in the untold miracles that can unfold in fantasy. I am a very strong reader, that I already know, but my real weaknesses lie in non-fiction, as I can't focus nearly hard enough to understand and just get bored with whatever material I happen to be reading. Therefore, I should probably try to practice reading one or two non-fiction books as my reading. Speaking of reading...
Reading Log-
Saturady-Work on Literary Analysis, 30 mins.
Sunday-A Feast for Crows and Naruto Manga, 2 hrs.
Total Pages-about 150
I have learned that, as a reader, almost everything I read is fantasy. Maybe I'm trying to escape this bleak, unforgiving world and indulge in the untold miracles that can unfold in fantasy. I am a very strong reader, that I already know, but my real weaknesses lie in non-fiction, as I can't focus nearly hard enough to understand and just get bored with whatever material I happen to be reading. Therefore, I should probably try to practice reading one or two non-fiction books as my reading. Speaking of reading...
Reading Log-
Saturady-Work on Literary Analysis, 30 mins.
Sunday-A Feast for Crows and Naruto Manga, 2 hrs.
Total Pages-about 150
Thursday, December 6, 2012
LOTF Chapter 10
Chapter 10 was less of a "happening" chapter (up until the end) and more of a "reflection" chapter where Ralph and Piggy have to think of what to do next. It is strongly implied that both of them lost control at the dance and actively participated in killing Simon.
They are both, of course, deeply upset that not only is their good friend dead, both contributed to his demise. Both are very upset, Ralph a little more so than Piggy. Piggy tries to reassure him but it sounded more to me like he was trying to convince himself. After they both have sufficiently made their feelings known on what happened at the dance, they speak little. Meanwhile, a bright day dawns on the savages across the island. They plan on getting some meat soon (shocker), but Jack also says a line about trying to stay on the Beast's good side. Will there be more sacrifices? I'm not sure but I have a sneaking suspicion something of that sort will happen again. And finally, at the end, Jack and his raiders have aquired a tool to make fire, courtesy of Piggy's stolen glasses. They now have a huge leg up on Ralph and Piggy and I'm sure now have something Ralph and Piggy will be sure to go after.
They are both, of course, deeply upset that not only is their good friend dead, both contributed to his demise. Both are very upset, Ralph a little more so than Piggy. Piggy tries to reassure him but it sounded more to me like he was trying to convince himself. After they both have sufficiently made their feelings known on what happened at the dance, they speak little. Meanwhile, a bright day dawns on the savages across the island. They plan on getting some meat soon (shocker), but Jack also says a line about trying to stay on the Beast's good side. Will there be more sacrifices? I'm not sure but I have a sneaking suspicion something of that sort will happen again. And finally, at the end, Jack and his raiders have aquired a tool to make fire, courtesy of Piggy's stolen glasses. They now have a huge leg up on Ralph and Piggy and I'm sure now have something Ralph and Piggy will be sure to go after.
LOTF Chapter 9
Well, the blogs just keep comin. Chapter 9 was a letdown but also a major victory to me, I'm not sure how it seemed to you all. I was disappointed that Simon had died in such a brutal fashion, I liked him and his pondering quite a lot. However, my topic being evil, I have become a bit obsessed with Roger and am now captivated by his actions and his sadistic mindset.
It always bothers me when I know something characters don't, and when Simon wasn't able to tell Ralph and Piggy about the Beast I was frustrated with him and his odd ways of walking right into a crazy tribal dance. But, it was still a pretty cool way to go, stabbed multiple times by what used to be your friends with the flickering flames cackling at your blood pooling in the sand. It went very quickly from a casual get together feast to this full-blown war dance that even then spins out of control. This was rather off to me, but perhaps it's my "civilized manners" not comprehending the savages behaviors. Another thing which is pretty neat about Roger and Simon-they are essentially Christ vs the Anti-Christ, respectively, which gives me reason to believe that something Simon has done will come back to bite Roger. Or perhaps the allusion could be a lot less subtle and have Simon be full-on resurrected, that would be pretty cool. In any case, not a whole lot of evil this chapter as opposed to savagery.
It always bothers me when I know something characters don't, and when Simon wasn't able to tell Ralph and Piggy about the Beast I was frustrated with him and his odd ways of walking right into a crazy tribal dance. But, it was still a pretty cool way to go, stabbed multiple times by what used to be your friends with the flickering flames cackling at your blood pooling in the sand. It went very quickly from a casual get together feast to this full-blown war dance that even then spins out of control. This was rather off to me, but perhaps it's my "civilized manners" not comprehending the savages behaviors. Another thing which is pretty neat about Roger and Simon-they are essentially Christ vs the Anti-Christ, respectively, which gives me reason to believe that something Simon has done will come back to bite Roger. Or perhaps the allusion could be a lot less subtle and have Simon be full-on resurrected, that would be pretty cool. In any case, not a whole lot of evil this chapter as opposed to savagery.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
LOTF Ch.8
Well, one very trippy chapter done, ladies and gentlemen. Chapter 8 is one of the weirdest chapters yet, featuring a speech by a talking pig's head, a pig getting a spear rammed up her butt, and Jack and his gang of wackos leaving Ralph's group to form a savage "tribe" of sorts.
When Jack left I wasn't particularly disappointed, but I was interested by how Roger went with him, probably because without restraint, without civilization, Roger will become something of a insane killing machine. We get another example of his sadism this chapter when he shoves a spear up the pigs butt. Now, perhaps it was a mistake, but I very much doubt one would fail so catastrophically at hunting that you would accidentally shove a spear up the rear end. It was a cruel thing to do, feeding, no doubt, his sadistic inclinations and a great source of amusement. And then this pig's decapitated head strikes up a conversation with Simon, in a manner of arrogance and experience, plus his sly way of speaking, that reminds me very much of how Lucifer confers with Jesus on several occasions.The head also refers to itself as "the Beast", another name for Lucifer. Simon resists best he can, but ends up succumbing to the darkness. Also, it sounds almost like he puts the head on, like a mask. Which reminds me not only of Leatherface, but of an anime called Deadman Wonderland. Anyway, thanks for reading.
~Charles
When Jack left I wasn't particularly disappointed, but I was interested by how Roger went with him, probably because without restraint, without civilization, Roger will become something of a insane killing machine. We get another example of his sadism this chapter when he shoves a spear up the pigs butt. Now, perhaps it was a mistake, but I very much doubt one would fail so catastrophically at hunting that you would accidentally shove a spear up the rear end. It was a cruel thing to do, feeding, no doubt, his sadistic inclinations and a great source of amusement. And then this pig's decapitated head strikes up a conversation with Simon, in a manner of arrogance and experience, plus his sly way of speaking, that reminds me very much of how Lucifer confers with Jesus on several occasions.The head also refers to itself as "the Beast", another name for Lucifer. Simon resists best he can, but ends up succumbing to the darkness. Also, it sounds almost like he puts the head on, like a mask. Which reminds me not only of Leatherface, but of an anime called Deadman Wonderland. Anyway, thanks for reading.
~Charles
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
LOTF Ch. 7 (Plus, I need your help)
Another thrilling installment of my ongoing required reading of LOTF. (Should I do commentaries? I think that'd be fun, comment a suggestion, perhaps?) Anyway, chapter 7 just seems to keep tensions high and all the readers on their toes. There is a disturbing development, probably the most famous, I know, I just was really......disturbed by it. I'm referring to, of course the scene where Jack and his band of merry nutjobs start to pretend Robert is a pig, and Ralph joins in on the fun. At first it's all good, everybody's having fun, but then Robert's squeals of delight turn to ones of distress.
Ralph and the hunters go ballistic, screaming "kill it! kill it!", etc, while jabbing at this little BOY, notice he is not a pig, with their spears. I was sure something like this would develop honestly, and I was not disappointed. I mean, in reality, if it was ME embroiled in this whole ordeal with being stuck on an island, etc, I have an honest feeling that I'd end up killing, perhaps even backstabbing, in order to survive. However, I probably would be suicidal at this point, so I might even beg someone to kill me instead. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the agony of choice. In any case, I was terrified by Ralph, the leader himself, stoop to such low levels, turning completely wild here and losing control. I'm also very interested to see what Roger will do next, the way he is so quiet and his rather suspicious behavior on the way up the cliff, I have a feeling he is a true force to be reckoned with.
Ralph and the hunters go ballistic, screaming "kill it! kill it!", etc, while jabbing at this little BOY, notice he is not a pig, with their spears. I was sure something like this would develop honestly, and I was not disappointed. I mean, in reality, if it was ME embroiled in this whole ordeal with being stuck on an island, etc, I have an honest feeling that I'd end up killing, perhaps even backstabbing, in order to survive. However, I probably would be suicidal at this point, so I might even beg someone to kill me instead. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the agony of choice. In any case, I was terrified by Ralph, the leader himself, stoop to such low levels, turning completely wild here and losing control. I'm also very interested to see what Roger will do next, the way he is so quiet and his rather suspicious behavior on the way up the cliff, I have a feeling he is a true force to be reckoned with.
Monday, December 3, 2012
LOTF Chapter 6
Chapter 6 was very intersting to me as it seems we finally learn more about this exotic "beast" that all the hooligans are always blabbering on about. My guess here is that its the corpse of the paratrooper /rescuer/Jurassic park re creationist is going to be the big, scary "beast." I sure hope the kids do something intelligent for once and use the parachute once they find it for a useful purpose.
Of course, I also wish that the kids would quit listening to Ralph just because he has the conch, it really bugs me. Speaking of Ralph, things arent lookin too hot for him at the mo, his mental state seems to possibly be deteriorating at an even grater rate, as he goes a little off the handle when he thinks of the fire being out and screams at the boys to get to the fire. He also seems to be having hallucinations of some sort, where a smoky shadow flits across his vision in the blink of an eye. I'm not sure if this is really important, but it may be some sort of foretelling for the coming of disaster in the form of fire or darkness, or maybe its just Ralph being ever more obsessed with fire and smoke, he has such an odd affection for it. Anyway, thanks for readin,
" From here on out, this world shall know true pain!"- Pain of the Akatsuki
~Charles
Of course, I also wish that the kids would quit listening to Ralph just because he has the conch, it really bugs me. Speaking of Ralph, things arent lookin too hot for him at the mo, his mental state seems to possibly be deteriorating at an even grater rate, as he goes a little off the handle when he thinks of the fire being out and screams at the boys to get to the fire. He also seems to be having hallucinations of some sort, where a smoky shadow flits across his vision in the blink of an eye. I'm not sure if this is really important, but it may be some sort of foretelling for the coming of disaster in the form of fire or darkness, or maybe its just Ralph being ever more obsessed with fire and smoke, he has such an odd affection for it. Anyway, thanks for readin,
" From here on out, this world shall know true pain!"- Pain of the Akatsuki
~Charles
Reading Times
Wednesday-30 mins
Thursday- 30 mins
Sunday-1 hour and 30 mins
I read a little LOTF and some Deadman Wonderland manga
Total pages-147
Thursday- 30 mins
Sunday-1 hour and 30 mins
I read a little LOTF and some Deadman Wonderland manga
Total pages-147
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