Independent Reading Book Choice

For the Independent Reading Project, I decided to read the book So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, which is the fourth book in Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. The reason I want to read this book is because I have already read the previous three books in the series, but haven't had any time to read the other three. I enjoy reading the books in this series because the setting changes very often, and you never really know what's coming in the next chapter.

Blog #12 (LOTF)

Chapter 12: Cry of the Hunters

Perspective: Ralph

Dear Journal,

I am now safe and sound after the naval officer rescued us from that horrible island. I remember the time Jack and his hunters wanted to kill me with their spears. I had to hide in a thicket for hours to try and diddle the hunters. I told Samneric where I was going to be, but they had to tell Roger after he tortured them. The night I told them, they said Roger tortured them so they would join Jack's tribe. They also told me Roger had sharpened a stick at both ends for when they formed a cordon and killed me. They told me to go away for my own good, then gave me a piece of meat from Jack's feast. The hunters started their hunt for me the next morning. I was hiding in the thicket, but they started dropping boulders on it. I wasn't hurt, but then they lit it on fire, so I had to escape before the flames reached me. I ran towards the beach, and the hunters were chasing me, their ululation ringing in the air. The fire was spreading, and the hunters were catching up on me. I gave up all hope, and decided to throw myself in the sand so it wouldn't be hard for them to see me. I looked up, and I saw a naval officer on the beach. He had seen our smoke, and I told him we were the only ones there. He asked me if anybody was hurt, so I told him about Simon and Piggy. He looked very disappointed at us for acting like savages and killing each other. When the hunters apperaed on the beach, they came to a halt when they saw the officer. I told the officer I was the leader on the island, and Jack was going to say something, but he kept quiet. A little boy, Percival, tried to say his name, but he had forgotten it since he joined Jack's tribe. The naval officer took us home on his ship, and now we are safe and sound.

Blog #10 (LOTF)

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

At the beginning of chapter, Piggy tells Ralph to call a meeting so they can decide what to do about Jack's tribe and the fact that they stole Piggy's glasses.

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

Piggy tells Ralph he's going to go up to Jack and ask for his glasses back without fighting about it. He tells him he wants the glasses back not because Jack's stronger than him, but because it's the right thing to do.

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

Ralph tells the other boys they should go to Castle Rock clean, and with their hair combed back. One of the twins argues they should go with face paint like Jack's tribe, but Ralph reminds him they are not savages like Jack.

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

As the boys approach Castle Rock, Roger (Jack's most loyal assistant) yells, "Halt! Who goes there?". The boys come to a cessation, and Ralph tells Roger to stop being silly and let him see Jack.

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

When Ralph sees Jack comes back with a few boys from his tribe, he had been hunting pigs again. Jack is constantly cutting off pigs' heads to give to the beast. The pig's head seems to act like a talisman for him, since it supposedly keeps the beast away.

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

Ralph confronts Jack about Piggy's glasses, and calls him a thief. Jack becomes furious because of this and starts fighting Ralph.

7. What happens to Samneric after the fight?

After Jack is done fighting, he orders his hunters to tie up Samneric. He later makes them join his tribe by threatening them.

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

While a blinded Piggy is sitting screaming to the hunters about what they've done, Roger decides to throw stones at him and the Ralph to try to scare them off.

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

I think both Jack and Roger are responsible for Piggy's death. The reason Jack is responsible is because he was the one who encouraged the hunters to act truculently. From the moment the boys elected Ralph as chief, he has been showing obvious signs of envy. Ever since he lost the election, he had been trying to make his own tribe by telling the other boys he could get them meat. He also made them break the rules to go hunting instead of watching the fire, and it's because of that the boys missed a potential rescue. Now moving on to Roger. The reason I believe Roger is responsible is quite obvious: he dropped the boulder that killed Piggy. Roger seems to be very evil and always does what Jack tells him to. He was even trying to hurt Piggy by throwing stones at him and Ralph while Piggy begged the hunters to get things the way they were before. I think Roger likes hurting people, since he was the one that tortured Samneric so they would tell him where Ralph was hiding. Also, Roger became sort of delirious when Jack's tribe and him went hunting a pig. Roger was the first one on the island to kill someone else on purpose.

Double Post (LOTF)

Chapters 8 and 9:

For this post, I'm choosing to write about the scene when the Lord of the Flies talks to and threatens Simon.
I think this scene was one of the scariest in the book because it showed that the boys were so afraid that they were imagining things like the Beast and the Lord of the Flies. I think Simon is the one that's most afraid because he's sorta between two teams: the Hunters and Ralph's Tribe. He's the only one that sees things as they really are on the island. For example, he was the one who saw the dead parachutist and knew that it wasn't the Beast. He runs to tell the others that the dead pilot isn't the Beast, and hopes that it will get the two tribes back together because the Beast was what split them up. He's also the only one that really feels things around the island and the only one that realizes what the Beast really is. He sees Lord of the Flies and the Lord of the Flies tells him that they created the Beast by being afraid of the things that they didn't know about the island. After Simon talks to the Beast, it warns him that if he starts running the hunters and other boys will kill him, but he still runs away because he is scared. He runs into the middle of Jack's Tribe, the Hunters, as they're doing a sort of dance and they boys think that he's the Beast coming out of the bushes and stab him. After Simon dies Ralph thinks that it was his fault because they were at the feast too with Jack and his tribe. He feels that he shouldn't have joined Jack and his Tribe's dances because things like the feast and the dance are bad and will lead to another accident like Simon.

Who was responsible for Simon's death and why?
I think that Jack is responsible for Simon's death. The reason I think this is because Jack was the one that encouraged the other Hunters to wear face paint and act all wild. When Simon walked into the middle of their feast, they were in a sort of a frenzy because they were dancing around the fire and so they didn't know that it was Simon and not the Beast. Jack was also the one that suggested dances and rituals. These dances made the hunters more wild every time, until they stopped caring about what they were doing. Jack seems to be obsessed about hunting and pigs. In conclusion, I think that Jack is responsible for Simon's death because he was the one that made his tribe act crazy and not really know what they were doing. It was his fault that they killed Simon.

Blog #7 (LOTF)

Chapter Seven: Shadows and Tall Trees
"The Game"
Perspective: Simon

What is the game the boys play after spearing the pig? Who spears the pig? Describe the mood of the boys afterwards.

After spearing the pig, the boys pretend a boy named Robert was the pig and "hunt" him. They circled around him the same way they do to a pig, and charged at him as if they were playing rugger. They started poking him with the blunt end of their spears. Ralph was the one that speared the pig, but he didn't kill it since the spear only hit the boar in the mouth. After playing this game, the boys have a sense of bravado about hunting now, and even Ralph started liking how it feels to spear a pig.

What does Jack suggest as a substitute for a pig? What does this foreshadow?
Jack suggests using a littlun as a substitute for a pig, since he doesn't like the littluns very much and often thinks of them as useless and stupid. He is always impervious to their cries or requests, even if he should help them. I think this means he's willing to kill anything as long as he gets some fun out of it.

What evidence did the boys find that proves there is a beast? Why are they so gullible?

When Jack climbs the mountain to check on the fire, he returns with a dun, scared look on his face. He told us that he saw some kind of shadow in the dark, and he was sure it was the beast. I think the boys believe there is a beast because they're all afraid of what might be in the island. They probably think there are animals other than the pigs here and are windy in the dark.

What do you think of the game the boys played after spearing the pig?

I don't think Ralph should have played that game with the hunters, since they could have hurt Robert or someone could have gotten too excited and accidentally poked him with the sharp end of the spear. Also, if Ralph starts playing games with the hunters, Jack might think Ralph's joined his tribe and could think he's more powerful than he really is.

Blog #6 (LOTF)

Chapter Six: Beast From Air

The Beast Has Landed

Perspective: Piggy

What sign comes down from the grown-up world?

While everyone on the island is asleep, a dead parachutist drops down from a plane after an air battle takes place near the island. The dead pilot's parachute gets tangled up in a tree on top of the mountain, where Sam and Eric were watching the fire.

Why aren't the boys aware of it?

When the dead pilot fell on the island, all of the boys were asleep including Sam and Eric, who were supposed to take turns watching the fire that night but fell asleep since their minds work almost identically.

Why are Sam and Eric terrified?

After the twins wake up, they start to light the fire again when they see it went out while they were sleeping. After lighting the fire, Eric sees the dead parachutist and thinks he's the beast. The boys believe the flailing parachute is the beast's wings, and run off to tell the others.

How do Sam and Eric describe the beast?

Sam and Eric are so startled after seeing the dead pilot, their imagination goes wild when they tell Ralph about it. They almost spoke at once, and their interminable chatter spoke that the beast had teeth, claws and giant wings (the pilot's parachute).

What is the attitude of the boys when going off to look for the beast?

Jack and his hunters immediately thought of killing the beast when they heard about it. Ralph, however, thought we should have a strategy and plan how they were going to approach it, since their spears were obviously not enough to kill it. When they arrive to a cave at the other side of the island, they don't find the beast, so Ralph suggests they look somewhere else. Jack argues mutinously, and the rest of the hunters join him to form a new tribe. Ralph then goes waxy at Jack and his hunters, saying they should protect the littluns and keep the fire going.

Is there really a beast? How do you know?

Ralph has always said the same thing to the littluns: you only get big animals in big countries. If there really was a beast like the one Sam and Eric describe, someone would have noticed it already. Also, if the beast was already at the island when we arrived, it would have known we were there and would have attacked us a long time ago.

Why do you only have "one eye"?

A few days ago, when Jack let the fire go out so he could go hunting, him and Ralph were arguing about what our top priority was. Finding myself embroiled in their mess, I decided to speak to Jack about how foolish he was to let the fire go out. He became mad at me after a few seconds and punched me in the stomach, and then proceeding to smack me on the side of the head, dropping my spectacles on a rock.

Blog #5 (LOTF)

Chapter Five: Beast From Water

Just Business

Perspective: Ralph

Why is an assembly called?

I called a meeting so we could talk to the littluns about this "beast" they believe is watching them. I also wanted to talk to everyone about how nobody seems to be doing their job anymore. I wanted them to know how important it was to do our jobs, or we wouldn't survive on this island.

What concerns are brought up?

During the meeting, some of the littluns talked about what they think they've seen in the forest at night. One of the boys said he saw the "beast" near the shelters one night, but we later found out it was just Simon. He said he had gone to a place he knows in the forest, but he wouldn't tell us what it was. We also talked about how we had to do our jobs

How do you feel about those concerns?

I don't think the littluns should be scared of anything, since the island is very small and the hunters, Simon, Piggy, and I have seen most of it. There is no way an animal like the one they talk about can live on an island so small. Instead of being scared of some ludicrous dream, they should help build shelters or bring water for the ones who are working.

How are things breaking up?

Things haven't been looking very well lately, and I think it's because of many things. First off, the littluns aren't helping at all to build the shelters or bring water from the stream. Another thing that makes me upset is that during the meeting, Jack didn't tell the littluns there was no beast, but instead told them he and the rest of the hunters could kill it. This makes the littluns trust him more than me, since they think he can save them from the animal. Jack really shouldn't have done that, as it is against the rules to take the conch from someone. Besides, I'm supposed to be chief, not him, and I should be the biggest effigy of power to the littluns.

Why do you think the littluns cry in their sleep?

I think the littluns cry because they're scared of the island. Most of them are very small, and have probably never been alone before. My best guess is that they miss their mothers or are still afraid of the dark. Piggy and I are trying to let them know there's nothing to be afraid of so we don't have to hear their lamentation every night. I also think they might be crying because they feel the tension building every time Jack and I argue about something.

What was Percival Wemys Madison afraid of?

Percival seems to miss home more than the other littluns, and often cries when people fight around him. He's also afraid of the "beast" like all the other littluns, but I think he's smart for a boy his age, since was taught to say his address every time we asked his name. Repeating his address doesn't help much here, especially when he starts crying in the middle of his discursive speech. It's weird how he believes his address is some sort of incantation that will bring him back home.

What do you think is the "dirtiest thing there is" about human nature?

I think the biggest problem people have is competitiveness and bad sportsmanship. If people could just learn not to get angry after a loss, they wouldn't do embarrassing things to try to get back at the winner. One example of this is Jack, who is always trying to get the littluns to listen to him and not me.

What is your attitude about decision making and being chief?

There are some advantages to being chief, like being able to choose people's jobs for them, or telling them to do something without being confronted. When the chief tells people to do something, they do it, because they think,"He's chief, so he obviously has a good reason for this!". There are also disadvantages, though, since everybody is counting on you to do the right thing when you're chief, and it's a lot of pressure. My government over the littluns isn't really working out, and I almost quit being chief, had it not been for Piggy reminding me why I couldn't.

How have you changed since you arrived on the island?

I think I have become a better person since I got to the island, since I've had to learn to be nice to the littluns when I'm around them. I also think I'm a lot more responsible now that I have to lead a crowd of kids. I'm constantly telling people to do their jobs, or to make the fire bigger, or go get water, even if I know they're not going to do it.