Quote from Lord of the Flies Page 202

"...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."
-Lord of the Flies Page 202
Ralph is saddened and disturbed by the events on the island. During his time running from Jack, he had not had time to fully realize the magnitude of Jack's changes and it's effects on the island. He is bothered by the thoughts of what Jack and his groupd were going to do to him if they had caught him. Jack and the rest of the boys had landed on the island as sensible young boys, but had been transformed into bloodthirsty animals. The boys' characters had no innocence left and their hearts were cold as stone. Ralph also wept for the soul of Piggy, who was the only true friend he had never realized.
Song: Wish you were here - Pink Floyd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXdNnw99-Ic

Quote from Lord of the Flies Page 171

"I'm going to him with this conch in my hands...Give me my glasses, I'm going to say-you got too!"
-Lord of the Flies Page 171
Piggy asks Ralph to go with him to confront Jack about the theft of his glasses. Piggy believes that Jack may still have morals and give him back his glasses just because it's what's right. I don't believe Piggy realizes that Jack has no morals left. Jack does not care what Piggy has to say and would sooner kill him than return the stolen glasses. Piggy's bold decisions to go confront Jack lead to a dreadful end and give Ralph the realization that no common sense or civility is left on the island.

Quote from Lord of the Flies Page 152

"A thing was crawling out of the forest. It came darkly, uncertainly. The shrill screaming that rose before the beast was like a pain. The beast stumbled into the horseshoe."
-Lord of the Flies Page 152
This is an important moment in the novel. This quote tells of the beginning of the first murder in the novel. The boys of the island have begun performing rituals that detail the hunts that they partake in. Simon, in the dark appears to be the beast and falls into one of the rituals. The boys savagery leads to Simon being beaten to death, marking a point in the novel in which the boys pass from being innocent young boys to being blood-thirsty mongrels.

Quote from Lord of the Flies Page 127

"'I'm going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too.' He blundered out of the triangle toward the drop to the white sand."
-Lord of the Flies Page 127
This quote shows the climax of the scene in which Jack leaves the original group of boys. The divisions in the boys were caused by Jack's unwillingness to be ordered around by anyone else. He wants only to answer to himself and no one else. Jack's independent tendencies lead him to quarrel with Ralph constantly, leading to his departure from the conch and Ralph. Jack believes that Ralph is a poor leader, but the others do not seem to agree. These events all lead Jack to leave the original pack of boys.

Quote from Lord of the Flies Page 111

''Ralph-we need meat even if we are hunting the other thing.'"
-Lord of the Flies Page 111
Even as the group is trying to hunt the beast, many of the boys can only thing of hunting, killing, and eating pigs. The thought of meat seems to put the boys in a trance where the sole objects in their minds is killing pigs. This obsession with meat is beginning to tear the island apart. Even Ralph's mind is beginning to embrace the ideas of hunting pigs. This obsession may eventually lead to the demise of the order on the island.

Quote from Lord of the Flies Page 89

"Simon became inarticulate in his effort to express mankind's essential illness."
-Lord of the Flies Page 89
Simon attempts to explain to the other boys what is really the beast on the island. He attempts to tell them that the real beast might be themselves. The soverignty on the island has been breaking down because of the disagreements in leadership. Simon believes that the once noble endeavors of the islanders have become skewed and evil. Jack and his posse once worked for the good of the island, but became engulfed in pride.
Picture:http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/april2007/lord_flies.jpg

Quote from Lord of the Flies Page 81

"'You hunters! You can laugh! But I tell you the smoke is more important than the pig, however often you kill one. Do all of you see?'..'We've got to make smoke up there-or die.'"
-Lord of the Flies page 81
This passage comes from Ralph's inspired speech to the boys after the ship has passed. This act infuriates Jack because his love of hunting is belittled. Jack believes that the only important thing to do on the island is to hunt. He gets a sort of adrenaline high from hunting. Ralph uses this speech to try and get the point across that the fire is more important than anything else anyone could do on the island.

Quote from Lord of the Flies Page 68

"The fire was dead...smokeless and dead; the watchers were gone. A pile of unused fuel lay ready."
-Lord of the Flies Page 68
This quote is from a very important scene in the novel. Ralph becomes infuriated when the boys he assigned to keep the fire going choose to go out and hunt. A possible rescuer floats by offshore and the signal fire is out. This event is what starts the schism between Ralph and Jack. Jack defies Ralph, saying that hunting is more important than the fire, while Ralph believes the fire to be much more important than eating meat. This division in the parties eventually leads to death and fear.
Picture:http://www.crwr.utexas.edu/gis/gishydro06/Introduction/TermProjects/FinalReport_Drake_files/image006.jpg

Final Words on Brave New World

William Golding's Lord of the Flies is an interesting insight into the primal characteristics of man. The characters in the novel progress from being civilized, English boys to savages on the verge of losing all of their civility. The book serves as an insight onto what might happen when humans are taken out of a world of law and government, and pushed into a world of total freedom and anarchy. The struggle for power between Ralph and Jack lead to the deaths of two of the more sensible boys. The book also possesses many symbols. The conch is one of the most common of the book. The conch represents order to many of the boys. It is what calls the boys to assembly and what dictates who is to speak at the assemblies. The stuck pig head that "talks" to Simon is also a symbol in the book. It represents the island’s overwhelming power. The pig’s head represents human nature. It tells Simon that it is the Beast, and it is inside him. Human nature was the Beast that the boys on the island should have feared, instead of some physical monster. Pigs were also a symbol of Jack’s regression into becoming a savage. The thoughts of hunting and eating meat possessed Jack, causing him and the rest of the boys to forget of being rescued. The signal fire was Ralph’s last connection to any civilized thought. The rest of the boys had reverted back to savages and forgot about the fire, but Ralph’s single-minded obsession was to keep the fire going to signal possible rescuers. Lord of the Flies serves as a testament to what may occur when law and order are removed and people are left to govern themselves.

Lord of the Flies Pages 180-200

The scene with Ralph running into the naval officer illustrates a very powerful oversight in the book. As the novel progresses, Golding's descriptions of the characters and the events of the novel make the reader forget that the characters described are only ten, eleven, and twelve years old. The last scene with Ralph and the naval officer gives a different perspective on the characters. The descriptions change. Golding uses words such as "little boys" to describe the boys the naval officer meets on the beach. No where else in the novel does he describe the boys in such a manner. Golding is narrating the scene through the eyes of the naval officer. The officer is met by a group of boys who appear tribal in their ways, but British school boys by their appearence. Golding also makes the boys appear more adolescent when he writes that they begin to sob after they have realized what they have become.

Lord of the Flies Pages 140-160

The divisions in the island become even deeper. Jack's group of boys continues to become more and more savage. They seem to be regressing to a primal human state. It is almost as if the boys are devolving mentally into simple hunters and gatherers. Ralph, Piggy, and the twins are the only ones on the island who seem to keep their wits about them in the face of the island. Simon, along with Jack and the savages, also seems to be losing his sanity. His thoughtfulness earlier in the story seems to be leeching out of his personality. His delusion of the talking pig may be a symbol of how man is his own worst enemy and biggest threat to himself. Simon's theory that man is the biggest threat is shown in Jack's hostile actions towards those who did not join his group. He acts as if he may attempt to kill them off soon.

Lord of the Flies Pages 120-140

The boys split up into two groups as Jack leaves Ralph's leadership and goes off with other boys to be hunters. The two boys had held a very tense relationship regarding the island's leadership. I believe that the stories of the beast made this relationship even more tense. Both boys had different views of how to deal with the beast. Jack took a more aggressive stance, while Ralph would rather just avoid the monster to keep the fire going. It seems that Jack has lost the will to be rescued because he doesn't care about making any signals for ships to see. Ralph is almost consumed by the thoughts of keeping the fire going. Both boys are tiptoeing the line between lunacy and sanity. Simon also seems to be losing his sanity. He is becoming more and more solitary, withdrawing from the rest of the group. I believe that this may foreshadowing some ominous event.
Picture: http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2007/06/06/flies460.jpg

Lord of the Flies Pages 100-120

The boys paranoia grows as two of the twins say they have spotted the beast. Jack's ego also continues to grow. He seems to be offended by Ralph's leadership. Anytime Ralph gives an order, Jack comes at him with some sarcastic or rude remark. This may be because Jack has always been in charge of groups he has been a part of, such as the choir. Ralph and Jack take turns leading a group of boys up the mountain, on the hunt for the beast. Ralph and Jack's personalites clash as the expedition moves up the mountain. Eventually only three boys are left. Jack presses Ralph to go on, but Ralph refuses. Jack's ego pushes him up the mountain, only to be deflated as he sees the beast, sending him running back for where Ralph and the other boy set up camp. Ralph is also paralzyed at the site of the beast. I feel that the differences in personality of the two boys will eventually lead to an epic clash and possibly a death or two.

Lord of the Flies Pages 80-100

The boys call an assembly to talk of the problems of the island. They talk of a beast that the smaller boys have seen. The talk of the beast sends the assembly into an uproar. Jack and Ralph begin to fight over whether or not there is a beast. This fight shows the tension between Ralph and Jack. Jack, the aggressor in the conflict, takes off with a slew of other boys leaves the assembly. The social structure of the island is in shambles and Ralph feels unable to do anything about it. The setting of the novel also lends itself to stories of beasts and monsters. The island is said to be unexplored and the boys are intimidated by its thick jungles. Anything could be hiding in the dark green mess of the jungle. The boys are psyched out by the unknown of the island, which leads to a sort of hysteria among them.
Song: Pink Floyd-Brain Damage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M00KyGpJRVY

Lord of the Flies Pages 60-80

The social structure of the boys on the island begins to fall apart. Jack's personality begins to change. The time he has spent on the island, along with his obsession with hunting pigs probably has something to do with his personality change. He repeatedly challenges Ralph at the meetings by the lagoon and he appears to resent Ralph's elected authority. Ralph becomes very angry at Jack for letting the signal fire on the mountain go out. Jack had been hunting pigs while he was supposed to be watching the fire. Ralph's demeanor on the island also begins to change. The initial optimism has died and Ralph has realized that being stuck on the island may not end well. He also begins to realize that he cannot trust many of the boys on the island to do their jobs. This leads Ralph to become pesimistic. Many of smaller boys on the island also being to resent Ralph's leadership.
Picture: http://home.swbell.net/blsh948/tulsa912/snake912small.jpg

Lord of the Flies Pages 40-60

The boys begin to realize that living on this island is not going to be very fun. Ralph and Simon construct shelters for everyone, while Jack tries to kill his first pig. All the other boys go and play in the ocean or sleep. Ralph begins to become frustrated because all of the other boys won't work. His leadership skills seem to be slipping because he cannot seem to get the boys to do what he wants. Simon is becoming more and more withdrawn. This is a sharp contrast to what at first he came across as. He seemed at first very outgoing, but this may have just been a cover for something that he is hiding. Jack seems to be becoming obsessed with sticking and killing a pig. He only talks of killing pigs and every thought he has includes pigs in some way. This obsession may have started because of the boredom of living on the island. The pigs offer a hobby that help focus him away from other things.
Picture:http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/4e/cc/c8/makeshift-shelter-on.jpg

Lord of the Flies Pages 20-40

The boys begin exploring the island. Ralph leads a pack of three around the island. It is clear that Ralph has emerged as the alpha-male of the group because all of the other boys seem to listen to him and do what he tells them to do. At first, Jack the choirboy seems very confrontational. He seems to take an aggressive stance against Ralph after Ralph has called all of the boys with the conch shell. This aggressive attitude eventually gives way to a submissive attitude when Jack goes along with what Ralph says. The other boy Simon is a very odd character. At first he seems quite melodramatic, but a little later in the novel he seems like a very quiet character who speaks only when spoken too. Piggy also begins to change as the story goes on. He seems withdrawn in the first few pages of the novel, but later in the novel, he seems to be outspoken and assertive.
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Lord of the Flies Pages 1-20

What seems to be the two main characters are introduced in this section of the novel. Ralph seems to have all the characteristics of a leader, and I believe he will lead the group of boys during their time on the island. The other boy, Piggy, seems to be much more subserviant. He also appears to be much more child-like than Ralph. The story hints that there has been a plane crash which stranded the boys on the island, but never actually tells of what happened to the plane or how the boys survived. I would've appreciated it if the story had told how all the boys survived. I find it odd that the boys survived, but no adults survived. I don't understand how a plane crash can lead to the deaths of the adults,without so much as an injury to any of the boys. I would also like the story more if the setting was described in more detail. I could not gain a full mental picture of the island from what was described in the novel.
Picture: http://nobelprize.org/press/nobelweb/press_releases/images/flies.jpg