https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k This is a podcast dedicated to expressing how William Golding is showing how today our human nature is geared towards the idea of needing rules, an organized government, and a society. Color Key: Blue= Sydney Landers; Green= Kyle Satterwhite; Purple= Hannah Brewer; Red= MacKenzie Pendergrass en-us 2019-01-30 18:12:26 UTC 2025-12-17 17:45:54 UTC hello@padlet.com sam62513 https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/325979611 Hello, and welcome to "If Flies Could Be Lords" Here we analyze the story Lord of the Flies by William Golding.
In the first chapter we're dropped into a jungle with a bunch of unsupervised boys. Like, literally. Just like their plane dropped. Seriously, kids, where are your parents? That's what we're asking ourselves when we find out that their plane has crashed on an island that's pretty much in the middle of nowhere. I'm positive that if they were anywhere close to a main land that someone would notice a bunch of naked/half-naked boys just running around on a beach, completely unsupervised, and make some sort of rescue [attempt].
So Ralph and Piggy (I'm sorry, his classmates were little turds for calling him that. Seriously. Piggy? LORD.) are walking through the woods on this island where they  landed and they finally come out onto the sand. Ralph uses a conch shell that he finds to call the rest of the boys for some type of meeting. Piggy gets all their names, and it kinda makes me wonder why they were all on a plane together and they didn't know each other. Like, they're all in school uniforms and choir robes and no one knows each other? You'd think that they at least knew someone on that plane. Buddy system, y'all. Buddy system. Anyways. The boys' first instinct is to create rules and basically form a democracy, because they vote on who is to be their leader. And, honestly, you have to wonder why their first instinct is to do that. That's not the first thing one would expect a group of twelve-year-old boys to do. But I guess it's a good plan because they establish that "hey, maybe we should make shelter and beacons and, ya know, stuff that'll help us live here."  Which is so wild. Government must have played a pretty big role in their lives, though, since they're so quick to make these rules, especially the one about the conch shell. Whoever is holding the conch basically is supposed to be given undivided attention, which is actually pretty dope and wise because imagine having to shout over a bunch of people that you're stuck on an island with and no one is being heard. That's a fight waiting to happen. Which is really hinting at the natural instincts of the boys. They're not quite old enough to know enough about society to know how to handle certain situations, like fights and disagreements, but they are old enough to understand that they do need rules and a functional system to survive on this island. But the desire for power and order contrast and one will overthrow the other at some point in the novel.
Stay tuned.
 ]]> 2019-01-30 18:35:24 UTC https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/325979611 https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/327423906 Welcome to the second installment "If Flies Could Be Lords." At the beginning of the second chapter, Ralph blows the conch and the boys meet back up. Ralph tells them that they are alone on this island, and Jack suggest they need hunters to get food and kill the pigs on the island. Jack seems really upset he let a pig get away from him earlier. Ralph basically tells everyone that since there are no grownups here, they have to look after themselves. We will see how THAT goes. They decide to pass the conch around and whoever is in possession of it is allowed to speak. If only it really worked like that. Piggy starts to talk about how they are stranded and could be there for a really long time. This scares the boys, and one of them tells of a 'beastie" he saw the previous night.  Realizing they need to try and get help to come, they decide they are going to start a fire at the top of the tallest mountain and possibly get the attention of passing ships. They use the lenses of Piggy's glasses to start the fire, but it doesn't last very long. When they try to rekindle it, they set some of the woods on fire and one the kids goes missing. This shakes the kids and they try to pretend like nothings wrong. Deep down they feel really bad and even brings shame to Ralph.
Stay tuned.]]> 2019-02-04 17:27:32 UTC https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/327423906 https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/328082733 Welcome to the fourth installment of “If flies Could be Lord's.” Continuing into the chapters we’re still unaware of how long the boys have been out here. Piggy’s suggestion of making a sundial is blown off, but why would they want to know the time anyways? It’s not like they have anywhere to be or anything. They’re managing to survive because of the rules they put into place. However, no one really looks out for the younger ones, so I’m wondering how they’re staying alive with no adult supervision. Jack and his crew decide it’s best to go out and hunt pigs, making sure they paint their faces before. Which brings up “the mask.” The boys obey the mask when Jack orders them, instead of obeying Jack himself. What does the mask change? Are they becoming animals? Does it make Jack have more authority? Seems like it. Anyways, the boys finally kill a pig on this hunt, which would make you assume that all of the boys would be happy about finally having meat to eat instead of eating plants and fruit like they have been. Well, no. Ralph doesn’t care about the pig. He is infuriated from what we can see. Their first chance to be rescued is gone. No fire, no ship. It was a situation of either having pig to eat or being rescued. We see which one Jack cares more about, and we see which one Ralph cares more about. The government they have created seems to be falling apart. Ralph has the title of chief but the boys seem to be heading in the direction of chaos. After ordering for the fire to be restarted, they sit down to eat the pig. Ralph doesn’t really care for eating it since Jack killed it and Jack also ruined their chances of being rescued. It makes me think, do the other boys want to be rescued? Or do they enjoy the freedom they’re given? Maybe they’re losing their innocence and only care about what needs to be done in order to survive for themselves. The chant the hunters sing, “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in.” It’s almost ritualistic. They’re falling out of Ralph’s idea of order. As a result of this, Ralph calls another meeting hoping to get things back into order. Will the boys ever get back into order? Or will they end up competing against one another? 
Stay tuned. ]]> 2019-02-06 01:40:27 UTC https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/328082733 hannahbrewer https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/328405591 Welcome to the third installment of "If Flies Could Be Lords." In this chapter we start to see tension rise between the two leaders of the group: Ralph and Jack. Jack feels that it's better for the group as a whole if they hunt for meat because they want meat. However, Ralph feels it's best if they build hunts to keep the boys from dying of exposure. While Jack was out hunting, Ralph was trying to build huts with Simon. Once Jack got back from his hunt, him and Ralph start arguing about what is better for the group hunting or shelter. During this argument we start to see that just because Ralph has the title of chief doesn't mean he has power. Jack and Ralph are considered the two leaders of the group, Ralph as chief and Jack as sort of a vice-president. With two headstrong leaders like Jack and Ralph, how could this society work? I mean if they wanted a smooth running society electing Ralph as chief probably wasn't the smartest idea. Not only do both of their opinions for survival clash, but also no one is really helping them achieve their goals of survival. The only person that's helping Ralph is Simon and two boys aren't going to be able to build huts for all the boys. Jack was out hunting on his own, which isn't going to help get meat for the group. A well-made society can't run on two or three people, it takes many. With the other boys off doing their own thing it's going to be hard to decide what's best for the group because they would have no help getting it done. Ralph also stresses over keeping the signal fire going so if a ship comes near the island they will see smoke and help them. With none of the boys helping with building and hunting, how would they get some boys to keep the signal fire lit? We are only three chapters in and we are already seeing the boys' society start to crumble. How will their society end up? In ruins? Or in triumph? Stay tuned.]]> 2019-02-06 18:09:18 UTC https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/328405591 sam62513 https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/330667273 Welcome to the fifth installment of "If Flies Could Be Lords."
So basically we're at a point with the boys that we figured they'd get to eventually: they're neglecting the rules and jobs put in place to create some kind of order, and now people are beginning to get irritated. I mean, that's normal. It's like a group project that only one person is really working on while the rest aren't pulling their weight at all. So the fact that Ralph gets irritated with the other boys and calls this meeting is understandable. But late at night? Come on. That makes things worse. Also, Ralph calls this meeting after having some really deep thoughts for a twelve-year-old. On top of his really deep "life is meaningless, we spend most of our lives looking at our feet" thoughts, one of the "littluns" claims to have seen the beast. Now the boys explode with fear. Clearly, there are a lot of emotions. Ralph obviously didn't have any sort of order during their meeting, and after this outburst about the beast it just slips through his fingers like the sand between his toes. The boys have known this whole time that their attempt at building a society from literally nothing was destined to fall apart, yet Ralph, Simon, and Piggy still have hope to try and keep it together. I feel like fear really doesn't help with keeping order. When your main concern is the thing, or things, that are out to get you, you stop worrying about the rules. They really seem meaningless. It's like, "hey, we're stuck on an island with no way off, and there's probably a terrifying beast that will likely kill us if we don't kill it first, so let's not worry about these stupid rules right now. Those rules won't help us live." Which makes sense. I'd think the same thing. But their fear is what makes their mildly functional society fall apart, added to the fact that they don't have the knowledge on maintaining a community to fix the problems occurring. If these things happen, someone should really write a manual. Stick it in a plane in case something like this happens again. 
Stay tuned.]]> 2019-02-13 04:41:46 UTC https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/330667273 hannahbrewer https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/332405002 Welcome to the seventh installment of "If Flies Could Be Lords." In this chapter we see the boys start to adapt to life on the island. We find out how filthy the boys are and how they could use hair cuts. Which is understandable since they have been on the island for months. The boys start to climb up the mountain again. During this climb Ralph spears a pig, which he is very excited about. However, he doesn't kill it. I honestly don't understand why he would get excited about somewhat spearing a pig. Maybe he was thinking it would show the other boys that he was tougher than he appeared to be. Either way the pig got away, if I were them I would be pretty disappointed. The boys then start to do their pig killing chant and Ralph joins in. When they come back down the mountain it is starting to get dark. They then decide whether or not they should go up the mountain in search of the beast. They end up going. Which in my opinion is crazy because it is dark and they are little kids in a jungle but, whatever. While making the climb the mountain the boys see what they think is the beast, when really it's a dead man in a parachute being blown in the wind. The boys decide to go investigate and what they come across is a gorilla, which terrifies them and they run away. I 100% understand this because if I was in a jungle at night climbing up a mountain to find a beast and saw a gorilla I would scream and run away as well. In this chapter we don't really see the same amount of tension in the group as we did in previous chapters, which is a good sign. However, I don't think this little bit of "peace" will last very long. But, I guess we will just have to wait and see. 
Stay tuned.]]> 2019-02-18 17:22:43 UTC https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/332405002 https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/332406223 Welcome to the eighth installment of "If Flies Could Be Lords." In this chapter we learn that Jack is tired of Ralph being "the chief"  and that no one is willing to impeach him so Jack runs off. Jack is the source of meat income because he is the one who hunts for the pigs, and he offers anyone who wants to come with him, to come. It's a hard decision to make when you would be choosing between having meat to eat, or not having any meat. No one really knows what to do, which is understandable. Being alone in the woods with one other person doesn't seem too provoking. On the other hand, Simon suggests going up the mountain to face the beast. Clearly no one agrees with him, because who is trying to die? The boys who do go along with Jack find a bunch of sleeping pigs and pick the biggest one to kill. They come up with what seems to be a smart idea, of leaving some of the pig for the beast so the beast won't come for them. In case you missed it, they spear the pig right up her butt. In all honesty, they're acting childish by laughing and smearing blood all over themselves. What is the purpose in all of that. They leave the head for the beast. Meanwhile, Simon is conversating with "The Lord of the Flies," which is the first mention of the book's title. Jack invites everyone to the roast, and the boys choose to go so they don't starve. That's a reasonable reason to go. Meanwhile, Simon is still hallucinating and talking to the pig's head. The pig claims that he's the reason why everything that is happening, is happening. It's getting a little creepy. 
Stay tuned. ]]> 2019-02-18 17:27:44 UTC https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/332406223 https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/333229794 Welcome to the sixth installment of "If Flies Could Be Lords". In chapter 6 we see military planes fighting over the island! (Finally SOMETHING from the outside world.) A person even comes down from the fight (they are dead though) . This just adds to the fear the boys have been facing. The cannot tell that the man is just a man and it scares them as the fear of the unknown rears its ugly head once again in this novel. I certainly fear the unknown as well, and I am sure many others do as well. It simply is apart of human nature. Their hysteria and fear over the dead pilot (who they mistake for the beast) leads them to deciding they are going to hunt the beast down and end it once and for all. Eventually on their hunt they reach an unknown part of the island. Most of the boys are scared (FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN!!!!!!) but Ralph and Jack continue to explore these new areas and find it somewhat entertaining. Hopefully the boys can find some fun on this island as they have been very frightened lately. 
Stay tuned.]]> 2019-02-20 15:46:00 UTC https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/333229794 https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/334651525 Welcome to the twelfth, and final installment of "If Flies Could Be Lords." In chapter eight we learn that Ralph is now alone. Jack has plans to hunt down Ralph, and kill him. What started as a somewhat organized civilization with everyone trying to get along and cooperate together, has completely turned upside down. While Jack and the boys are hunting Ralph they try to smoke him out with a fire so he can't get away. The smoke becomes very important. When Ralph finally surrenders, he comes across a naval officer. Irony here, Ralph's signal fire didn't attract a rescue, the smoke Jack created brought the rescue. The naval officer tries to give them a lecture by saying a group of British boys should have put up a better show. They're children, what did you expect of them on an island all by themselves with no adult supervision. I'd expect more than three of them to have died. Ralph begins to cry about the loss of innocence. The boys have for sure lost their innocence with this experience, and I wonder what the return home will be like for them. I'm not sure they'd be able to go back to acting like normal 12 year olds. The war is still going on, so how will the boys end up? We will never know. Thanks for staying tuned. ]]> 2019-02-25 00:22:29 UTC https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/334651525 hannahbrewer https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/334675720 Welcome to the eleventh installment of "If Flies Could Be Lords." In this chapter Ralph and Piggy decide to go find Jack and the others to get Piggy's glasses back. Piggy is scared without his glasses because he can't see without them. I 100% understand this because if I was in a jungle and needed glasses to see and didn't have glasses I would be terrified. They arrive to Jack's tribe with the conch, I guess to show a little bit of authority that they might still have with the group. Ralph and Jack begin arguing over Piggy's glasses because Jack is unwilling to give them back, which is a jerk move on his part, but doesn't really surprise me. During this argument the boys start fighting. Piggy yells for them to stop and states that fighting isn't the answer and they need to stop fighting and start trying to get rescued. I think this shows how Piggy has always had a leader spirit, but didn't have the voice to be one. The tribe, however, isn't really convinced. A boulder then strikes Piggy after being slung from a catapult, resulting in the conch being crushed and Piggy dying and being thrown off the cliff into the water. All the boys are in shock but, Jack states that since the conch is gone he is the leader now and tries to kill Ralph by throwing his spear at him. Since the conch was a sign of authority, it being destroyed led Jack to make a tyrant move and state he is the leader. None of the boys protest I guess out of fear that Jack would hurt them. This chapter shows us how poorly ran governments can easily make a turn for the worst whenever any sign of weakness is shown with the thing that gives them authority. What will happen with the group of boys now? Will they be rescued? Or will they have the same fate as Piggy?
Stay tuned.]]> 2019-02-25 02:35:05 UTC https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/334675720 sam62513 https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/334675807 Welcome to the ninth installment of "If Flies Could Be Lords."
Simon wakes up and kinda seems like he's on drugs. His nose is bleeding and he's in a daze, not really sure what's going on. Simon almost serves as a symbol of innocence because he's just trying to make things better. Little kids like to do that after they've made someone mad or if there's a problem. Like, they'll color you a picture or bring you a flower with dirt still hanging from the roots and it's sweet and kinda makes things better for a little bit. So Simon discovers the pilot of the plane hanging from the trees still attached to his parachute, and this makes Simon throw up. (Simon is so pure, y'all. Like, this poor angel hasn't done anything wrong and is just trying to make things better and finds a dead man hanging from the trees. The poor boy.) So Simon decides to go tell the others what he's seen, but what he doesn't know is that Jack is pretty much a savage king (haha, underlying pun. he's a savage, acts like a king, is the king of the savages. okay, moving on.) The boys in Jack's group are pretty much losing their sanity at this point. Without their rules and guidance, they've reverted to their animal instincts and primal behavior. While Ralph and Piggy are trying to create some peace or agreement, they end up giving in to their savage ways, too, and join the boys in their hunting dance. It's really a domino affect. Once it happens to one, the rest will follow suit in no time at all. Simon finally shows up, but because it's dark the other boys can't see that it's him and react out of fear of the beast that they believe is real. Their fear is controlling them so much that they end up killing Simon, our poor bean boy, and he's swept away by the ocean. 
The storm really brings out the chaotic scene that's playing through our minds as we read this chapter. I mean, thunder and lightning as the boys are ripping into one of their own. The ocean no longer tame, just like these boys. It really all fits together and symbolizes so much in what's to come. 
Stay tuned. ]]> 2019-02-25 02:35:41 UTC https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/334675807 https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/334967139 Welcome to the tenth installment of  '´If Flies Could Be Lords¨. In this chapter it becomes very obvious that Jack and his group have turned into savages. Jack essentially turns into the Islands version of a dictator. He beats kids in his group for no reason, and his word goes no matter what. That obviously is scary for Ralph and his group as they are smaller and weaker. Jack decides he is going to attack and raid Ralph, so they can take some of their supplies. They easily take their stuff and beat Ralph badly. The worst part is Ralph gladly would have shared his supplies with them. This just shows the major differences between Jack and Ralph, and creates a clear good guy and bad guy in this story. While Ralph does not understand why Jack did it other than being the savage he is, Piggy realizes (Per usual) that the real reason was to take his glasses. His glasses hold grave importance for both groups as they are used to start fires. The wild side of Jack and his group really comes out in this chapter, as I expected it to. 
Stay tuned. ]]> 2019-02-25 17:04:35 UTC https://padlet.com/hannahbrewer/kneb60cvlq8k/wish/334967139