Friday, September 25, 2015
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Blog #4 Open Essay
William Golding, author of "The Lord of the Flies", writes a dark, compelling story of an "adventure" gone awry when a group of kids are stranded on an island. The kids, having never lived one day on their own, were to survive in the wild. Terrified, fear ran high, bringing out the true identities of the children, some bold and some cold. The stranded kids, blinded by their need for survival, turned to cruelty to get the job done. Cruelty works as a form of oppression, ranking one above another, while reflecting the true nature of the heart in both the oppressor and the suppressed.
Originally good-mannered kids, the island made the kids lose their meaning and in effect, turned the kids into "savages". In effort to be civilized, they made an object, the conch, a symbol of power. It had the ability to bring people together and put the power in whoever held it. Meant with good intentions to enact order, the conch instead desire. Desire to rule, desire to oppress.
The cruelty is brought out by fear. Fear that stemmed from the children's will to live. Fear blinded the kids to act upon their emotions rather than reason, where their emotions lead them to enact cruelty. When the Beast is introduced, and kids go hungry, Roger, a bully, takes civilization and transforms it into anarchy, using cruelty as a tool to control the others. But cruelty in one person is like a mirror, others will reflect the personality to benefit themselves or people will run and become submissive in fear, afraid of their own reflection. Situations constantly change, and people slowly shift from human to savage, losing their moral compass for the sake of survival.
Cruelty is a form of ranking. By ranking, I mean that it tells others, "I'm better than you". If we think about, the oppressor is the big man while the rest of the population will fall under his orders. It's a way of revealing people who believe that are more superior that another.
In The Lord of the Flies, Roger is the boss of the bullies in short. Piggy, slightly more abundant in adipose and skin, glasses and everything, didn't fit in with the rest of the pack. Immediately ostracized, Piggy is put down, made fun of, and deemed worthless to everyone else. By just living and being Piggy, he is placed at the bottom of the ranks. No one has a concern about him, dead or alive, Piggy was just there.
Darkness taking over Roger and his pack, they begin to not only taunt Piggy, but use actions too. Forcing Piggy into "slavery" in simple terms and using Piggy as entertainment, the "savages" go too far and their actions end up putting Piggy over a cliff, leading to his ultimate death. In just a few days, consumed by power in the form of cruelty, the "savages" have managed to kill. This shows how even in the most mannered of people, how cruelty can grow like bacteria, spreading through-out the body transforming anyone from human to "savage".
And that's what cruelty is. It can start small and then it multiplies contagiously, spreading amongst a pack till everyone is no longer recognizable.
Reflection:
Friday, August 28th, we took a diagnostic open question essay. The prompt, in simple, asked how cruelty worked in the world by using a work of literature to defend your stance.
The hardest part for me was remembering what happened in any of the books the prompt allowed for. Remembering the plot and then having to manipulate it, unsure of whether you're talking about the right book or not, was what made me uncomfortable with the essay. In comparison to the Prose and Poetic essay, I believe it was easier to answer the prompt because it allows for more room with interpretation. I still think that my thinking could be more complex. I feel as if I am scratching the surface of glass, not quite where I need to be but in a good place.
The goal is to have a better control over my writing and stronger analysis. To track my progress, I should be able to norm where my essay with the sample one's given in class. Though totally different topics, I'll be able to see where the strength of analysis and writing lie. If I really am making progress, my essays should compare better each time with the sample open essays.
Overall, I think I could manage a 4 or 5 on this essay based on lack of significant analysis.
Essay Revision:
William Golding, author of "The Lord of the Flies", writes a dark, compelling story of an "adventure" gone awry when a group of kids are stranded on an island. The kids, having never lived one day on their own, were to survive in the wild. Terrified, fear ran high, bringing out the true identities of the children, some bold and some cold. The stranded kids, blinded by their need for survival, turned to cruelty to get the job done. Aware of their survival being dependent upon the structure of teamwork, the boys naturally turned to a pyramid of order infiltrated and propelled by cruelty. Cruelty works as a form of oppression, ranking one above another, while exposing the true nature of the heart in both the oppressor and the suppressed.
Originally good-mannered kids, the island made the kids lose their meaning and in effect, turned the kids into "savages". In effort to be civilized, they made an object, the conch, a symbol of power. It had the ability to bring people together and put the power in whoever held it. Meant with good intentions to constitute order, the conch instead represented desire. Desire to rule, desire to oppress.
Cruelty is brought out by fear. Fear that stemmed from a situational change. Fear blinded the kids to act upon their emotions rather than reason, where their emotions lead them to act with cruelty. Fear will create enemies out of oneself, fighting to take over ones conscience that discerns what is moral and immoral, turning boys from structured human to cruel savage. When the Beast, representative of fear, is introduced, testing the courage of the survivors, Roger, a bully, takes civilization and transforms it into anarchy, using cruelty as a tool to control the others. But cruelty in one person is like a mirror, others will reflect the personality to benefit themselves or people will run and become submissive in fear, afraid of their own reflection. Situations constantly change, and people slowly shift from human to savage, losing their moral compass for the sake of survival.
Cruelty is a form of ranking. By ranking, I mean that it tells others, "I'm better than you". If we think about, the oppressor is the big man while the rest of the population will fall under his orders. It's a way of revealing people who believe that are more superior that another.
In The Lord of the Flies, Roger is the boss of the bullies. Piggy, slightly more abundant in adipose and skin, glasses and everything, didn't fit in with the rest of the pack. Immediately ostracized, Piggy is put down, made fun of, and deemed worthless to everyone else. By just living and being Piggy, he is placed at the bottom of the ranks. No one has a concern about him, dead or alive, Piggy was just there.
Darkness taking over Roger and his pack, they begin to not only taunt Piggy, but use actions too. Forcing Piggy into "slavery" in simple terms and using Piggy as entertainment, the "savages" go too far and their actions end up putting Piggy over a cliff, leading to his ultimate death. Piggy is a true test to the morality of the boys, which they undeniably failed. Once he is killed, the boys have become full-fledged savages overcome by the cruelty in their hearts. In just a few days, consumed by power in the form of cruelty, the "savages" have managed to kill. This shows how even in the most mannered of people, how cruelty can grow like bacteria, spreading through-out the body transforming anyone from human to "savage".
When/if the immorality of cruelty is ever recognized, it instills shame, loss of self-respect. The irony of cruelty is that once identified, it can humble the heart. The boys, once found, were immediately disgusted by their loss of reverence, ashamed and heart changed, they went home never to be the same.
3x3
Boys constitute structure: Increased awareness:
Fear exposes identities: Test, Allies, Enemies
Recognition of irreverence: Return home
Final Reflection:
I definitely think that the 3x3 has helped me revise my essay. I didn't have very much plot summary to begin with but the 3x3 paralleled with the "hero's journey" allowed for deeper analysis. My analysis was originally very shallow but by using the 3x3, I was able to make my analysis hold more ground. By "hold more ground" I mean that my analysis was rooted deeper and showed more complex thinking. Though Lord of the Flies is not a fairytale, by comparing it to the hero's journey, I was able to pull out comparisons between the two and add it to my writing. The 3x3 has also helped me realize how much more psychological, rather than physical, the "journey" was for the boys on the island.
Originally good-mannered kids, the island made the kids lose their meaning and in effect, turned the kids into "savages". In effort to be civilized, they made an object, the conch, a symbol of power. It had the ability to bring people together and put the power in whoever held it. Meant with good intentions to enact order, the conch instead desire. Desire to rule, desire to oppress.
The cruelty is brought out by fear. Fear that stemmed from the children's will to live. Fear blinded the kids to act upon their emotions rather than reason, where their emotions lead them to enact cruelty. When the Beast is introduced, and kids go hungry, Roger, a bully, takes civilization and transforms it into anarchy, using cruelty as a tool to control the others. But cruelty in one person is like a mirror, others will reflect the personality to benefit themselves or people will run and become submissive in fear, afraid of their own reflection. Situations constantly change, and people slowly shift from human to savage, losing their moral compass for the sake of survival.
Cruelty is a form of ranking. By ranking, I mean that it tells others, "I'm better than you". If we think about, the oppressor is the big man while the rest of the population will fall under his orders. It's a way of revealing people who believe that are more superior that another.
In The Lord of the Flies, Roger is the boss of the bullies in short. Piggy, slightly more abundant in adipose and skin, glasses and everything, didn't fit in with the rest of the pack. Immediately ostracized, Piggy is put down, made fun of, and deemed worthless to everyone else. By just living and being Piggy, he is placed at the bottom of the ranks. No one has a concern about him, dead or alive, Piggy was just there.
Darkness taking over Roger and his pack, they begin to not only taunt Piggy, but use actions too. Forcing Piggy into "slavery" in simple terms and using Piggy as entertainment, the "savages" go too far and their actions end up putting Piggy over a cliff, leading to his ultimate death. In just a few days, consumed by power in the form of cruelty, the "savages" have managed to kill. This shows how even in the most mannered of people, how cruelty can grow like bacteria, spreading through-out the body transforming anyone from human to "savage".
And that's what cruelty is. It can start small and then it multiplies contagiously, spreading amongst a pack till everyone is no longer recognizable.
Reflection:
Friday, August 28th, we took a diagnostic open question essay. The prompt, in simple, asked how cruelty worked in the world by using a work of literature to defend your stance.
The hardest part for me was remembering what happened in any of the books the prompt allowed for. Remembering the plot and then having to manipulate it, unsure of whether you're talking about the right book or not, was what made me uncomfortable with the essay. In comparison to the Prose and Poetic essay, I believe it was easier to answer the prompt because it allows for more room with interpretation. I still think that my thinking could be more complex. I feel as if I am scratching the surface of glass, not quite where I need to be but in a good place.
The goal is to have a better control over my writing and stronger analysis. To track my progress, I should be able to norm where my essay with the sample one's given in class. Though totally different topics, I'll be able to see where the strength of analysis and writing lie. If I really am making progress, my essays should compare better each time with the sample open essays.
Overall, I think I could manage a 4 or 5 on this essay based on lack of significant analysis.
Essay Revision:
William Golding, author of "The Lord of the Flies", writes a dark, compelling story of an "adventure" gone awry when a group of kids are stranded on an island. The kids, having never lived one day on their own, were to survive in the wild. Terrified, fear ran high, bringing out the true identities of the children, some bold and some cold. The stranded kids, blinded by their need for survival, turned to cruelty to get the job done. Aware of their survival being dependent upon the structure of teamwork, the boys naturally turned to a pyramid of order infiltrated and propelled by cruelty. Cruelty works as a form of oppression, ranking one above another, while exposing the true nature of the heart in both the oppressor and the suppressed.
Originally good-mannered kids, the island made the kids lose their meaning and in effect, turned the kids into "savages". In effort to be civilized, they made an object, the conch, a symbol of power. It had the ability to bring people together and put the power in whoever held it. Meant with good intentions to constitute order, the conch instead represented desire. Desire to rule, desire to oppress.
Cruelty is brought out by fear. Fear that stemmed from a situational change. Fear blinded the kids to act upon their emotions rather than reason, where their emotions lead them to act with cruelty. Fear will create enemies out of oneself, fighting to take over ones conscience that discerns what is moral and immoral, turning boys from structured human to cruel savage. When the Beast, representative of fear, is introduced, testing the courage of the survivors, Roger, a bully, takes civilization and transforms it into anarchy, using cruelty as a tool to control the others. But cruelty in one person is like a mirror, others will reflect the personality to benefit themselves or people will run and become submissive in fear, afraid of their own reflection. Situations constantly change, and people slowly shift from human to savage, losing their moral compass for the sake of survival.
Cruelty is a form of ranking. By ranking, I mean that it tells others, "I'm better than you". If we think about, the oppressor is the big man while the rest of the population will fall under his orders. It's a way of revealing people who believe that are more superior that another.
In The Lord of the Flies, Roger is the boss of the bullies. Piggy, slightly more abundant in adipose and skin, glasses and everything, didn't fit in with the rest of the pack. Immediately ostracized, Piggy is put down, made fun of, and deemed worthless to everyone else. By just living and being Piggy, he is placed at the bottom of the ranks. No one has a concern about him, dead or alive, Piggy was just there.
Darkness taking over Roger and his pack, they begin to not only taunt Piggy, but use actions too. Forcing Piggy into "slavery" in simple terms and using Piggy as entertainment, the "savages" go too far and their actions end up putting Piggy over a cliff, leading to his ultimate death. Piggy is a true test to the morality of the boys, which they undeniably failed. Once he is killed, the boys have become full-fledged savages overcome by the cruelty in their hearts. In just a few days, consumed by power in the form of cruelty, the "savages" have managed to kill. This shows how even in the most mannered of people, how cruelty can grow like bacteria, spreading through-out the body transforming anyone from human to "savage".
When/if the immorality of cruelty is ever recognized, it instills shame, loss of self-respect. The irony of cruelty is that once identified, it can humble the heart. The boys, once found, were immediately disgusted by their loss of reverence, ashamed and heart changed, they went home never to be the same.
3x3
Boys constitute structure: Increased awareness:
Fear exposes identities: Test, Allies, Enemies
Recognition of irreverence: Return home
Final Reflection:
I definitely think that the 3x3 has helped me revise my essay. I didn't have very much plot summary to begin with but the 3x3 paralleled with the "hero's journey" allowed for deeper analysis. My analysis was originally very shallow but by using the 3x3, I was able to make my analysis hold more ground. By "hold more ground" I mean that my analysis was rooted deeper and showed more complex thinking. Though Lord of the Flies is not a fairytale, by comparing it to the hero's journey, I was able to pull out comparisons between the two and add it to my writing. The 3x3 has also helped me realize how much more psychological, rather than physical, the "journey" was for the boys on the island.
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