Lord of the Flies

Dec. 21, 2006

These are four of the final essays done on Lord of the Flies. Its themes of where do we really encounter the beast in our lives is still very relevant. I am extremely proud of these young men and how they continue to dig into the literature we are reading.

Dec. 21, 2006

New Ending by Cody Priddy Awoken by the shrill cries of the savages, Ralph realizes that he has to run. He picks himself up and takes off. He can recognize jack’s voice above everyone else’s, chanting, “Kill the enemy! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” Ralph picks up his pace, his heart throbbing faster than ever before. He looks back and sees the group of maniacs. He realizes that this may be the end. He quickens his pace, his legs feeling almost disconnected. Then out from the sky lands Jack. They stare at each other, eyes linking, one full of terror, the other full of hate and the want for blood. “Jack, why are you doing this?” an out of breath Ralph questions. Jack chuckles, “You’re the enemy, Ralph. I have to kill the enemy.” A vile grin runs across his face. “I just want to get off this island, like everyone else!” “Who cares about getting off this glorious sanctuary? We have all we need and no bloody adults!” “Sanctuary!? SANCTUARY!? This place is. . .Hell!” “And that’s where you’re be going soon enough!” “Wha...just listen to yourself, you’re batty!” “Perhaps. But, I own this island now, and I’m never leaving!” “What’s the use with you? Just kill me, but you’ll rot on this island.” “Great.” Jack turns off his smile and runs toward Ralph. He stabs and kills him. Blood spurts into the air, and mixes with the clouds. It lands on Jack’s face with a satisfying splat. He licks it off his lips, smiles and walks off into the distance, blood dripping from his hand. One year, seven months and six days have gone by since Ralph’s murder. No more animals inhabit the land, except for the humans, of course. The fruit is gone and many people are ill. Jack’s a mess. By now he is realizing how right Ralph was. Suicide crosses his mind, but an old memory crosses his mind. “Kill me, but you’ll rot on this island.” “Great.” Jack created what the island is today and he cannot allow himself to escape from it, whether it be by ship or death. So Jack stayed and watched as many people died. Soon two years have passed and he is the only one left, not tainted by illness or death. He has eaten the corpses of others to survive. But eventually there is absolutely nothing left. He starved to death, never thinking to fish. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is what probably should have happened for a number of reasons. The kids should not have escaped their island, they should have rotted on what they created. Only Ralph should have been set free, since he had no part in ruining the island. So by dying, he actually won. While Jack lost as he watched all the people he had been with for years die. For a time he was this so-called “beast,” but near the end his sanity returned and he regretted many things. This made his end even worse.

Dec. 21, 2006

New Ending by Gabe Wright My ending picks up after Piggy died. Ralph was stabbed in his ribs. He felt horrible pain. The tip of Spear still stuck in his side. He fled All the boys laughing at him. They were victorious, this time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ralph looked back in agonizing pain, he had to sit down. He was at least a third of a mile away from Castle Rock. He leaned his back against a rotten log. Ralph looked at his wound, seeing that it was only a flesh wound, he grabbed the end of the spear and pulled it out. Blood oozed out and he felt the warm liquid across his stomach. He ripped what was left of his shirt and wrapped it over his gash. Ralph breathed in and out feeling his side burst with pain. He clenched his teeth. He laid back his head against the rotten log; and, breathed slowly outward. He eyes closed. Piggy flashed in his head. “Piggy didn’t deserve to die. Jack and Roger will pay!” he mumbled to himself. “It seems safe for now. Tonight I will strike,” he said with a smile. Raising his fist into the air, and then pulling it back from the pain caused by his wounds. “Piggy is dead and he died horribly. Roger killed Piggy. He had no right to do that,” Ralph thought to himself, “How could he do that?” Tears started to stream down his face. He leaned his head down, trying to hide his tears from the world. He felt a rain drop on his head. He looked up tear streaked. “I will avenge your unnecessary death!” he yelled. As his voiced echoed through the trees it seemed to reach the end of the world. He lifted his dirty head with blood red eyes and a grimacing smile, and said, “If they want savage, I’ll give it to them!” Jack looked at the overcast sky, it had been orange just a minute ago. It was as if someone had summoned these unforgiving clouds. He looked at the fire. The wind was blowing at the back of his head. And, he noticed how the fire flickered in the dimming sunlight. He didn’t care if it went out, he had Piggy’s specks. He had fire. Jack turned around and looked at Roger. “It’s going to rain. We will go and hunt tomorrow for Ralph,” said Jack with his red and white striped face. “Well, we will get him tomorrow for sure. We’ll smoke him out and we’ll scan the place so good that he’ll have nowhere to hide. But the storm...the storm is rolling in....What about the fire?” “What about it!” said Roger with a disturbed look on his face. Roger looked at the dark gray sky. He frowned thirsting for more blood. Ralph was there...Castle Rock. He was fidgeting with the spearhead in his hand. He smiled with vengeance oozing out of his teeth. He was ready but the time was not right. The fire was going and people were still looking out for him. Ralph would have to wait for it to rain. The smell of fresh salty rain was in the air. Ralph licked his lips with dissatisfaction they tasted like dirt and salt. Ralph waiting for the time to be right went to the left side of the camp and sat down. Looking at his wound, he smirked. The rain was close, he smelled it. He closed his eyes. Ten minutes later, Ralph raised his eyelids. He looked up, the rain was beating hard on his face. “Perfect!” he said with a very happy smile. “Now is the time to strike!” Ralph stood up with the spearhead clenched in his hand. The smell of smoke had diminished. He walked towards the rock. No one was patrolling the area where he had been waiting. The fire was out and he could sneak in. He went to the side of the rock were the fire was completely out. He knew that almost everyone was asleep inside, but a few were still patrolling the area closest to the fire. But, it was too dark to see them as more than just silhouettes. He sneaked closer, he is in the middle of the sleeping boys. I must strike quickly before anyone wakes up, he thought. Stepping over a boy who was squirming, he reached towards a boy who was sleeping comfortably. Ralph couldn’t see who it was but it didn’t matter, he put his knife to the boy’s neck. A centimeter away, he covered the boy’s mouth slowly. The boy yawned, his hot moist breath heating Ralph’s hand. Ralph smiles, pulls back his hand ready to strike, sweat dripping from anticipation. Ralph swooped the knife deep into the boy’s neck. Blood squirts out. Splats over his face. Ralph smiles. The boy opened his eyes in horrific terror. He tried to yell, but choked on his own blood. The only sound was a bloody gurgle. The boy’s eyes close and he stops breathing. Ralph took his hand from the silhouette who laid dead in front of him, looks around to see if anybody has awakened. Nope, they still lay sleeping. Ralph looks back at the body. It laid motionless. Ralph smiles. Crouched and stepping over the pool of blood, searching, seeking for his next victim, Ralph sees slight movement and moves into the shadows. Behind a rock, he hid and spied his next target. It was still too dark to see and he didn’t really care who it was. Ralph stepped carefully over sleeping bodies. Finally, he stood over the squirming body with the bloody spearhead in his hand. He reached for the throat of his target, moving ever so slowly, ever so carefully, ever so close. He had very little time so he must work fast. His sweat mixing with the blood of another. Placing his hand over the sleeping victim, Ralph’s heart was beating fast. He crept the knife close to the sleeping body, then swooped it across the boy’s neck. A gurgle spurted from his lips and blood streamed out. The boy fell silent and still. He was dead. “Sleep, your nightmare is over,” Ralph whispered. Looking for another, Ralph saw who he thought was Sam. This should make an impression and tell them that this is NOT a game! Ralph said inside his head. Reaching for his final victim, his hand is now covered in blood. Moving slowly, he crept over to the boy. His hand shaking from excitement. The blood dripping...drip, drip...a drop falls on the third victim’s face. Ralph stops and looks around. The boy sleeps on. Knowing he has little time left to strike, it is getting light, Ralph covers the boy’s mouth. His hand is wet from blood, the boy opens an eye. He screams at the figure looming over him. Ralph puts Spearhead right into the boy’s forehead. The blood sprays over Ralph and showers him in warmth. Jack stood up as did others and scanned the dark room. A few slept on, three would never wake up, again. Ralph looks up and sees the commotion, it is time he made his exit! As he is running out of the cave and into the forest, Jack is trying to wake everyone up. He screams, “Turn the fire back on!” His face damp from the dew, Jack takes a step and felt a warm puddle between his toes. Reaching down, he feels the goop. He steps outside into the dim light. Dark red. Must be blood. Looking back with startled eyes asks, “Whose blood is this?” The crowd of boys looks back into the cave. Three figures lay still. Ralph lies at the end of the beach, his heart throbbing and his side bleeding freely, again. Tearing more of his shirt off, he ties his wound once more. Lying on the beach watching the light coming from the horizon, he puts he head back and lets a tear drop fall down his check. There is the smell of smoke in his nostrils, the island is on fire! Ralph turns and faces the horrid flames. A shadow looms over him, turning he finds himself staring at a pair of kneecaps covered by socks. He looks up into the face of a bearded man. “Are you the only one?” he asks in a husky tone. “Yes!” “Well, get on the boat, we’re set’n’t sail.” Once on the ship, Ralph looks back at the blazing hell that he is finally leaving. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The reason that I wanted Ralph to go a little crazy was because I wanted to see his evil side. Throughout the story, Ralph battled to choose which side he was on. I made him go temporarily insane for two reasons. First, by giving into his “dark side” he survived. Yet, in surviving he turned into what he didn’t want to be. He became a changed man by leaving his Enemies on the island to live out what they had made. Second, I wanted Ralph to kill the three boys to show that even though he was trying to do the right thing, he went in the opposite direction. He succumbed to revenge and savagery. He realized that Piggy was his only true friend. Even though Piggy wasn’t rough and strong, he was an innocent, he didn’t hurt anyone, always trying to do the right thing. In my ending savageness beat out the proper way to live. I see it that Piggy was Ralph’s good conscience and that Jack sat on his other shoulder. In loosing Piggy, Ralph lost the part of him that made him reasonable and civilized.

Dec. 21, 2006

by Thomas Campbell The three main symbols were Piggy’s glasses, the conch shell, and the head of the pig. Piggy’s glasses represent technology because when Piggy wears them he speaks rationally, intelligently and scientifically. The conch shell represents democracy and everybody’s chance to speak. It gathers them together and brings structure to all the boys. It helps them choose the leader with less arguing. The pig’s head represents superstition and savagery. The superstition is that there is a beast and the savagery is that it would want a blood offering. Jack uses the pig’s head to excite the blood lust of the tribe. In this book there were many symbols knowing how to recognize the symbols will help you understand a book better. by Brandon Hamilton The conch is one of the most important things on the island. It symbolizes government, justice and society, instead of savageness. When the story first started Ralph and Piggy found the conch on the beach. Ralph blows it to assemble all the children on the island. Then they all vote on a chief, which ends up being Ralph. As chief, Ralph decides to use the conch so everyone has a chance to be heard by passing it around. Whoever has it is able to speak so everybody wasn’t talking all at once. Ralph also decides when he blows the conch everyone is to gather for a meeting. After a while, Jack stops listening to Ralph and starts his own tribe. The children that were Jack’s friends when the plane crashed were the first to join Jack’s tribe. Later, almost all of the kids joined Jack because they saw that his tribe had no rules. The only five that were left in Ralph’s tribe were Ralph, Piggy, Simon, Eric and Sam. Jack didn’t respect society, he also didn’t respect the person that was speaking with the conch because he talked when he didn’t have the conch, in fact, he really didn’t respect any of the children on the island. At the end of the story Piggy tried to use the conch to get everyone to calm down and act civilized. His valiant effort cost him his life because he could not see without his glasses, therefore, he did not see the rock coming straight for him. After Piggy’s death, the conch was destroyed; and, Jack’s tribe tried to kill Ralph, but was unsuccessful. Even though the conch represents well being it wasn’t fool proof. At first it worked, until Jack began to disobey the rules and do what he wanted. It is worst to be a savage then to be civilized. Society doesn’t easily accept or tolerate those who act wild and uncivilized. In this story Simon, Piggy and Ralph are the civilized ones while those who deserted to Jack’s tribe did so because they believed that savagery was just another fun game.