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Lord of the Flies

Discussion in 'Entertainment and Technology' started by Owl333, Jun 20, 2014.

  1. Owl333

    Owl333 Guest

    What did you think of it? Do you think it's a realistic view on human nature? Would that really happen?

    Oh, and who was your favourite character? Mine was Piggy, but Simon was a close second. Of course they have to die. :frowning2:
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  2. greatwhale

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    It's a haunting book. I attended an event hosted by our university where William Golding (the Author) was the guest of honour. It was a treat to see him and hear him speak.

    I don't think it's really about human nature, only, I think it's more about our universal human situation, our "deserted island" is our lonely planet itself floating in the vastness of space; and our tribes are our countries. The message is really that for us "grown ups" there is no naval officer in white who will show up to rescue us...so we'd better get right about how to live with each other or it will indeed all burn up.
     
  3. Acm

    Acm Guest

    I love that book, I think I liked Piggy and Ralph best. I feel like it is sort of realistic but I don't know if it would have happened to that extreme...(at least I hope not)
     
  4. Owl333

    Owl333 Guest

    Yeah, that's a very good point. I do think, however that the book was also about Human Nature. By putting a group of innocent schoolboys on an island, and showing how they slowly descend into savagery. As well as when Simon hears The Lord of the Flies say 'you knew didn't you? I'm part of you?' I interpreted that Golding was saying that inside everyone, even an innocent schoolboy there's a 'beast' or savage.

    ---------- Post added 20th Jun 2014 at 12:06 PM ----------

    What do you think would have realistically happened?
     
  5. Acm

    Acm Guest

    Well I think the part where it all falls into chaos is realistic, but I'd like to think that a bunch of young kids wouldn't start killing each other. I guess it could happen though
     
  6. Owl333

    Owl333 Guest

    Do you think if it was a bunch of adults they'd start killing each other?
     
  7. CharlsOn

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    Is the book recommendable?
    I want to read it one day!! But first I have to buy it...
     
  8. Owl333

    Owl333 Guest

    It's my all time favourite book at the moment. You can get it pretty cheap too, or if there's a library near you it's probably in there. I would definitely recommend it. I guess it depends on what type of book you like though. :thumbsup:
     
  9. CharlsOn

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    Cool.
    I will definitely buy it!!
     
  10. Opheliac

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    I had it in school two years ago for my elective literature class. I really liked it. It was just fascinating. Especially the part where Simon is killed, and the way he is killed. He's my favourite character.

    This thread is reminding me of the projects our class had to do for LOTF. We were divided into four groups and our teacher gave each group one thing to change about the premise, and we had to write and present a summary of what we think would have happened with those changes. The topics were "what if real wild beasts existed on the island instead of a metaphorical one?", "what if the boys were all adults?", "what if they were all girls instead of boys?", "what if the parachutist who fell from the sky had been alive, so there was one unquestionable authority figure with the boys?"

    These might be fun to discuss here... I know we had loads of fun with the projects.
     
  11. TurtleCat

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    I loved the book. I remember reading it at 12 years old. It's one of my favorites. :slight_smile:

    The movie was good too.
     
  12. greatwhale

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    Props to you for zooming in on the one key passage in the book! Yes, of course it is about human nature, but it is also about our imperfect attempts at controlling it (the conch symbolizes this). Your interpretation is absolutely correct, but you need to be careful not to rush to a value judgment about this.

    Savagery or beastliness in the human is a classic literary theme (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, for example), but it is important to understand that every person has a dark side; yes, everyone. However, it is a necessary human trait.

    In people who have mastered themselves, the dark side expresses itself in determination, decisiveness, the willingness to do hard things for the greater good. In others, the evil impulse manifests itself in destructiveness, arrogance and cruelty.

    So, yes, it is about human nature, but I would put it that it is also about our fragile institutions and laws that attempt to re-direct the evil impulses to better purposes.

    ---------- Post added 21st Jun 2014 at 08:55 AM ----------

    In response to your question as to whether it could really happen, I looked up Peter Brook's description of the experience of filming the 1963 movie, and this quote struck me as quite realistic:

    A side note: the boy who played Ralph was just some kid found at a swimming pool in Jamaica just 4 days prior to shooting the film!
     
  13. Toast8971

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    I just finished reading it for my English class this last school year. It wasn't my favorite book, probably because I couldn't relate to it very well.
     
  14. Owl333

    Owl333 Guest

    Ok, cool. That makes sense. I didn't mean that the boys were just savages or anything, I just meant it was one part of them. It was their dark side, I guess. What exactly is our dark side? Is it that we're naturally drawn to be sadistic to a certain extent? Or is it just survival instinct? :confused:
     
    #14 Owl333, Jun 21, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 21, 2014
  15. Definitely Ralph.

    I have to admit, I didn't like him at first since he pushed Piggy around a lot. When reality sunk in after he realized that Jack is his only adversary, Ralph grew up.

    I totally hated Jack. His leadership just turned to greed and tyranny.

    I remember my English teacher telling us, "Imagine never seeing a girl for the rest of your life; what's going to happen when you hit puberty along with the rest of the boys on the island? OH DEAR..." :lol:
     
  16. stormborn

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    i wasn't a fan of the book while i was reading it, but studying it made me really appreciate it. i had to do an in-depth study on robert, and damn that kid is messed up :lol: it was very interesting though.

    i liked simon. but i'm usually drawn to the innocent characters.
    i also liked samanderic. the fusing of the two of them was very interesting to me.
     
  17. DreamingLove

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    I loved that book from start to finish.I didnt liked the movie thought it was childish comparing to the book .
    Simon was my favorite character since he is the only one who spoke with lord of the flies which I think was embodiment of fear and violance inside the kids/humans.
    But if you read the book there is really no need to watch the movie its just dissapointing
     
  18. mkchoco

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    I didn't like the movie because it didn't quite capture the depth of the book.
    My favorite character was Ralph probably because i identify with him the most (with the whole leadership thing)
     
  19. greatwhale

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    When you ask "what exactly is..." about anything, you're really asking "what is it like?". I cannot tell what anything is if you don't know what it is like...if you can't relate it to your own experience you can't comprehend what you are being told.

    But yes, life does sometimes require us to be forceful, decisive and a little cruel. For example, a boss has to fire an underperforming employee, or a limb has to be amputated to save a life...these things require, to a certain extent, a "dark" side, but without a doubt, a necessary one.

    People engaging in evil rarely, if ever, see it as evil. They see it as doing something necessary for what they perceive to be the greater good. Hence the importance of having the right values, of knowing what is right and what is wrong. All these types, from Christian fundamentalists to militant jihadists, all believe they are doing God's work...the evil here is simply that they are wrong but won't accept that.
     
  20. asdfghjk

    asdfghjk Guest

    My as-mar

    ---------- Post added 22nd Jun 2014 at 09:16 PM ----------

    I remember enjoying this book but I dont remember much beyond that now.