Analyst’s Role
Essential Question 1:
How important is it to pursue our passions?
The Sound of the Shell. "You're no good on a job like this.” Chapter 1, page 22, when Ralph decides that there is a need to risk and explore the island with himself, Jack and Simon then Piggy protests but Ralph disagree that Piggy is weak enough to go with the group. This is Ralph’s impression on Piggy’s personality. Contrary on Ralph’s impression towards Piggy, Piggy is intelligent among the group. He is overweight, that leads the group to call him Piggy.He wears coke-bottle glasses, and without his glasses, he cannot see clearly. In terms of his personality, Piggy is a good friend of Ralph. He discovers things that help the group; in fact, he discovers the conch at the bottom of the lagoon and suggests that Ralph use it to call everyone. He take care the littluns to babysit them when the other boys go off on adventures. Piggy’s passion is to help the needy and he view things positively.
Painted faces and Long Hair. "He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling." Chapter 4, page 58, Jack appears with smeared clay on his face that looks like a war paint or a tribal mask. He is with Samneric and Bill and takes them on a pig hunt. Jack at the same time transform within himself that completes his move into his primal impulses. The first time Jack encounters a pig, he is failed to kill it. Later, he becomes obsessed with hunting and devotes himself into it, paints himself like a barbarian. Jack, in the novel, represents the instinct of savagery, violence, and the desire for power. Jack has a passion in matters of controlling others.
Beast from Water.
"Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had brains. Ralph was a specialist in thought now, and could recognize thought in another." Chapter 5, page 71, Ralph recognizes and adopts his friend’s pattern of thinking that is Piggy; he respects Piggy as equal to him or even more a superior, contrary to his previous impression. Ralph lapses into a long serious monologue intended to convey his intense worries and fears about the group's dynamics. He leads to finish the shelter with the help of Simon alone but the group benefit for it. He has a great concerned for the other boys in the island. He is very determined that the signal fire is lit at all times; it is a priority over the hunting and killing of pigs. From his determination, many of the children just laugh and partially take his words to heart.
Beast from Water. "Maybe there is a beastmaybe it's only us.” Chapter 5, page 80, Simon attempts to end the beast discussion with the group by his explanations not perceive things about the existence of the beast; it is they who think that the beast exist in the island. It is only fear and being paranoia that a beast exist just like how Piggy comment about the other children’s thoughts. Simon even suggests that they are the beast themselves rather than being everyone else. Further explains that it is not without but a thing from within. No one understands about his explanation and regretfully a failure on his part. He encourages everyone to believe that everything is just a negative thought about the existence of the beast in the island. Simon sets on an entirely different position from all the other boys in the island. He represents a kind of natural, spiritual human goodness deeply connected with nature.
Essential Question 2:
What does it mean to “live well”?
Gift for the Darkness. “This head is for the beast. It’s a gift.” Chapter 8, page 124, The head of the sow is cut off entirely and left to drip blood on the ground. After Roger sharpens the stick at both ends, Jack announces bravely while he lodges the one end of the stick on the ground and places the head of the sow on the other end. He picks up the other bodies of the dead pig while the other boys pay attention on the scene. Everybody is invited to attend Jack’s little party to eat more meat that is roasted by the fire for survival. Simon sits down to rest near the decapitated head of the sow and curious to see if a beast comes for its gift. They offer a head for the beast to stay away from them, as they believe it is true that the beast really exist.
Fire on the Mountain. "Have you got any matches?” Chapter 2, page 38, Ralph returns to the topic of how to speed up their rescue the moment the grown-ups come to look for them. He suggests that everyone build a signal fire on top of the mountain. Everyone gather large pile of wood and Jack has the ideas to use Piggy’s eyeglasses to light the fire through the sun’s light that magnifies the glasses. Ralph decides to modify the plan to make the smoke darker and assigns someone to keep the fire always burning. The rule is to obey since they are English who are best at everything. This act is for the good of everyone for survival purposes. The signal fire attracts the notice of rescuers to rescue the boys in the island. It also serves as a barometer of the boys as their connection to civilization. They want to be rescued and to return to society. It is a measurement of the strength of the civilized instinct existed on the island.
Civilization versus Savagery
This novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding has a great concern between the conflicts of the two impulses that exist within the society. Civilization is the instinct to live by the rules, act peacefully, follow moral commands, and value the good of the group. While savagery is the instinct to gratify one’s immediate desires, act violently to obtain supremacy over others, and force ones will. The conflicts are expressed in a number of ways: civilization versus savagery, order versus chaos, reason versus impulse, law versus anarchy, or the broader heading of good versus evil. Throughout the novel, the author Golding associates the instinct of civilization with good and the instinct of savagery.
