"Either men will learn to live like brothers, or they will die like beasts."

Lord of the Flies has gotten to an extremely dramatic point in chapter 8 and 9. Mr. Keating said, "The author will try to build the mood in a story." As we read the story from day 1 to now, the mood surely has built up to a striking halt. One of the most important things is that we unravel Simon's death. The sudden death was completely unexpected.

 We knew that Simon was a Christ-figure since the beginning. Simon was thought to be a Christ figure, Mr. Keating claimed, because of his act of selflessness and kindness. Simon also showed his braveness when he considered everyone should go up to the mountain to kill the beast. Everyone disagrees. Later on, Simon goes up to the mountain himself, and finds out the beast is nothing but a dead body attached to a parachute. He wanted to let the other know that the beast wasn't at all what they thought it was. Unfortunately, the worst think that could possibly happen to Simon...happen. White the boys are dancing wildly in a circle, Simon stumbles in the circle trying to tell the children what he'd just saw. The children mistake Simon as the beast, and kill him. "Kill the beast. Cut his throat. Spill his blood..." are the painful words that are whispered to us whenever we remember Simon's death. Simon is then ostracized and jettisoned from his group, and cast out into the ocean. 

Simon was referred as a Christ-like figure

In English class, we did a reflection on Simon's death. The first question was, "Why does Golding choose Simon to be killed?" Here are a few of my answers.

*** Simon was known as a Christ-like figure.
*** He was one of the only thoughtful kids.

*** He wasn't violent like the rest.

Question 2 was, "Why is this significant?"

*** Simon had a life relative to Jesus's. Jesus was killed because of his beliefs, and he was "gaining too much power" since others followed his beliefs. On the other hand, Simon was killed because he knew the truth about the beast, but was mistaken for the beast and ripped to shreds.

In chapter 8, Simon sits alone with a sow head swarming with flies. This sow head begins to "talk" to him, claiming evil rests within every human being and the sow promises to have some "fun" with Simon. Simon thought this sow as very candid, because he thought the sow was speaking the truth and was frightened by it. As for Jesus, he comes up to a man possessed by the devil. Jesus asks for the man’s name. The devil, inside the man, speaks through his voice. "My name is Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies." Jesus is then tempted by the devil in the events leading to his death, similar to Simon. 

A sow head

*** The other children would have probably freaked out if they saw the beast, unlike Simon. They most likely wouldn't have even gone alone like how Simon did. Plus, if they saw the dead parachuter, they would have instantly tried to kill the beast. The other children are utter maniacs; no doubt they would have murdered the parachuter since they murdered Simon (by mistake). That's why Golding chose Simon as the founder of the beast. He's understanding. Simon isn't the type of kid who would immediately want to kill the beast, cut his throat, and bash him in. 

This whole idea is comparative to Halloween, and the month of October...which is this month. As we all know, October is the spookiest time of the year. Once the story began to get more into this idea of the beast, it immediately reminded me of Halloween. It's ironic how we were reading these chapters in the month of October, or Halloween month. It's almost as we, as in the class, are telling "scary stories" about beasts and devils. The dressing up on Halloween can be similar to the children on the island becoming new (but not improved) people, just like how Jack put on his mask and changed into a different person. During Halloween, we can see copious decorations on our neighbors lawns. Such decorations could include R.I.P. signs. We could pretend as if the R.I.P. signs were for Simon and the parachuter's death. 

Halloween Masks

 In chapter 8, Jack's group was mentioned. The author describes how the boys had black caps, just as how they did in the beginning of the story. The boys in the black caps mentioned in chapter 8 bring some significance to the story. The black caps could mean that the boys returned to the "dark side." This can display what their loyalty to Jack is, too. The boys decided to follow Jack...the bad guy...the enemy. Considering the boys aren't wearing cheerful, bright colored hats, this scene expunges happiness and joy. This occurrence shows that Ralph is the good side. The darkness of the black caps signifies the dark side, and Ralph in this case is the brighter side. 

The dark side in Star Wars 

  People who gossip on a daily basis can be referred as turning to the dark side. Most people will always talk or hear about gossip...whether it's about you or someone else. Once you start it, you've instantly turned to a darker side that your not used to. Who knows, some people are used to this and it has no effect on them. Gossip can hurt others, and can hurt yourself. So, once YOU start it, you're in for it. You better be willing to get some karma in return, because there's no stopping what goes around, comes around. 

The song "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye is one of the #1 songs about gossip, and what goes around comes around. 

“The key to change... is to let go of fear”

As we progress through the amusing novel, Lord of the Flies, us classmates are able to distinctly perceive with the eyes how each character has phased. That is, phased from the person they were in the first couple of chapters, to the person they are now. We could even compare and contrast each character if we wanted to...because some characters share copious traits, while others are precisely dissimilar.

 Jack is the character who goes through the most supreme adjustments from chapter one to chapter six. In the beginning of the novel, Jack is a well mannered school boy. When he is chosen to be the leader of the (hunter) pack, Jack ultimately wimps out  when given the chance to flourish his hunting skills. After this, he sets his mind on hunting..only hunting. Jack is devoted to hunt and he makes it a true commitment. When Jack puts on his new "mask" he turns into a completely different person. Jack WANTS to be different. He had became so avarice, that no one could stop Jack from gaining power. He's utterly determined to change into this new being, simply because he is displeased with the old Jack. 

As we all know, people in this world have excessively changed...past to present. We can see how people in the olden days dressed notably dazzling, with their extravagant dresses and alluring suits. That was how people dressed on regular occasions, not just on elaborate night-outs. What we see now in this time period has gone to an abhorrent limit, with sagging pants, ripped clothing...some people don't even wear ENOUGH clothing. For example, my art teacher left about a week ago to visit her mother, sick in the hospital. My teacher came back telling us her mother had passed away. My teacher decides to tell the class more about her mother. These were my teacher's approximate words,"My mother...she dressed and acted so elegantly...people acted more respectably in my mother's time...I can tell when people wear nice clothing, like when men wear a suit, they just stand a little more taller.." I can't remember what the exact words were, but what I do know is that they really spoke out to me.  It keeps people reminded of how much us humans have changed, whether it is for the better or the worse. Change doesn't always have to be a bad thing. We're moving forward. We're taking on a challenge. We're gaining a new perspective. Most importantly, we're learning from our mistakes.  

This song is called, "Please Come To Boston," by Dave Loggins. This is comparable to CHANGE. In LOTF, Jack wants to change into a new person, accepting the fact that he is stranded on a desert island. Jack wants to change into a new person, forgetting who he really is. In this video, a man wants to change where he lives, because obviously he finds other destinations to be more interesting than his own. His lover is explaining to him that his one true home is Tennessee, and nothing could change that. 

 Ralph is another character that somewhat changes throughout the novel. He has become an absolute genuine leader, getting more and more serious as we flip the pages of the book. Even though Ralph was always leader-like, he is taking his job more decisive than before. This is comparable to Jack, who is taking his job of hunting very seriously. However, Ralph is being a good leader for the sake of the children. Jack just wants to be a leader to prove of his skills and become a different person. Being a leader is a big role, and it's important to take on that role with great passion. To be in a leadership class, you need to have the ability to BE an accurate leader. What makes a good leader? Honesty, trust, determination, ability, gregariousness, fairness, and respect are some of the very few traits that we will see in commendable leaders. Bad leaders have traits such as: irascibility, furtiveness, dishonest, gaucheness, incapability, and disrespect.