All Quiet on the Western Front Ch. 3-4 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
1-30-13

Chapters 3 and 4

 

Summary: A group of new recruits arrive to reinforce the company and many of the reruits are only 17. Kat gives food to a recruit in exchange for tobacco. Tjaden reports that Himmelstoss is joining them on the frontlines. The boys took revenge on Himmelstoss and when he arrived at the camp they ambushed him and covered him with a sheet so he couldn't recognize the boys and they beat him senseless. In chapter 4, the Second Company must lay a barbed wire at the front, a very dangerous job.They are bombarded that night while waiting for the trucks and Paul helps a quivering recruit with his helmet as they scramble for cover. When the trucks arrive, bombs fly through the air around them and they take cover in a graveyard. The shelling stops and the recruit from earlier that day who Paul helped is now badly injured and will die.

Quotation: "That evening's work made us more or less content to leave the next morning. And an old buffer was pleased to describe us as 'young heroes'" (50).

Quotation Significance: The boys are angry at Himmelstoss for all the horrors he has put him through but they do recognize that what he has done to toughen them up has worked. The boys wanted revenge on Himmelstoss and they are a little ashamed and they being trained for the war has made them into monsters and the whole point was to become "young heroes" but now they see themselves as anything but heroes.

Reflection: After the boy's beat up Himmelstoss they are sent the next day with the recruits to put up the barbed wire in the ditches, which is very dangerous. They are shelled and bombarded and at the end of the day a recruit is dead. Kat considers putting the boy out of his misery before everything gets much worse for him and he would eventually die. Paul agrees but other soldiers arrive and it is too late for the boys to anything for the recruit. Paul feels badly for the boy and doesn't thing that it is fair that he will have to suffer for a few more days before he dies. In chapter 3, the boys are talking and they say that under all the manners and customs that men are beasts. Kat says that once men get a little power they can change and they let this power rule them. This is how Himmelstoss was and the boys are now starting to recognize it. I think next the boys will go back on the front and Paul will learn more lessons about life and death when one of his close friends dies.

Discussion Question: How do you feel about the idea of men being beasts underneath their manners and customs? Does war bring out this beast in them? Is this relatable to the "essential illness" of man in Lord of the Flies?

 





All Quiet on the Western Front- Ch. 1-2 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
1-28-13

Chapters 1 and 2

Summary: Paul Baumer and the other members of his Second Company during WW1 are resting after being relieved from the front lines, after two weeks in constant battle. Paul, Leer, Muller, and Kropp are all 19. Out of 150 mean, only 80 made it back. Katczinsky is the unofficial leader of their group which also includes Tjaden, Westhus, and Detering. Kemmerich, a member in the Second company is in the hospital with a thigh wound. Paul remembers their teacher, Kantorek, the man who pressured them into joining the army and now the men despise him. The men see Kemmerich and know that he will not live long and his leg was amputated. In chapter 2,  Paul remembers being a kid and writing poetry. Paul realizes that he has nothing to return to after the war and it has become his whole life. Corporal Himmelstoss, trained Paul's platoon. He always enjoyed humiliated Paul and his friends. This toughness Himmelstoss gave them helped the boys in battle. Kemmerich is near death and gives Muller his boots and he later dies.

Quotation: "My feet begin to move forward in my boots, I go quicker, I run... The earth is streaming with forces which pour through the soles of my feet... The night cracks electrically... The night lives, I live. I feel a hunger, greater than comes from the belly alone" (33).

Quotation Significance: Paul runs out of the hospital after Kemmerich's death. I think here he is describing the feeling of loss and sadness for his friend, yet he feels powerful that it wasn't him who died on the battlefield. He feels powerful and strong that he is defeated death for the time being and is remembering the joys of life and how special life really is.

Reflection: In this story, Paul and his friends are fighting on the frontlines of World War 1. Their teacher encouraged them to volunteer and made war seem like somthing heroic and good. But the boys are realizing how war is a terrible thing that is the most un-heroic thing that they can imagine. They now despise their teacher for encouraging do something where they will most likely die. Kemmerich dies and this helps Paul remember girls and meadows, some of the greater happiness and joys in life. Kemmerich's death helps Paul feel special and lucky that he is alive. It helps him see the joy in life and that maybe he has something to go back to once he reaches home. But it is hard for Paul and his friends to realize this because they are so young and they haven't had time to build families like the older men have. Paul is worried that once he reaches the U.S. again he will find that he has no where to go back to.

Discussion Question: How do you think that Paul is handling Kemmerich's death?





Lord of the Flies Ch. 12 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
1-22-13

Chapter 12

 

Summary: Ralph lays in the covert and sneaks up Castle Rock to talk to Samneric. They give him meat and tell him that the tribe is planning to hunt him tomorrow. Ralph finds the pig's head and smashes it. Ralph decides to hide in the thicket by the Rock and tells Samneric to keep the tribe away from it. The next day, Samneric are forced to give him up and a rock is launched at Ralph and the thicket set on fire. Ralph runs and hides again in Simon's old hiding spot and is discovered and runs until he gets back to the beach where he and the other boys find an officer with a ship and the boys are rescued.

Quotation: "... otherwise the thing was lifeless. Or was it?... Little pricks of sensation ran up and down his back... The skull regarded Ralph like one who knows all the answers and won't tell..." (185).

Quotation Significance: Ralph finds the pig's head and feels like it is almost alive and feels like the skull has answers that it won't tell him. Ralph senses something weird about the pig's head and smashes it. This is maybe symbolic of savagery starting to be broken from the boys and is symbolizing their return to society.

Reflection: This final chapter of Lord of the Flies was really good. Samneric start off on Ralph's side but they are heard by a tribe member and Roger and Jack force them to give Ralph up. Samneric and Ralph are the only ones on the island with any inkling of society left. Ralph outsmarts the boys and in the end the boys are rescued. The savagery is broken in them when the pig's head is smashed by Ralph, which helped to rid the beast in side of them and also when they lay eyes on the officer. After they run into the officer the boys start to cry. When the pig's head is smashed, the feeling of savagery leaves the boys and they are starting to replace this feeling with being civil. Even Jack feels this and accepts the rules of society at the end of the story. Overall, this was a terrific book I would recommend for anyone and I will definitely read it again.

Discussion Question: Do you think that the breaking of the pig's head was symbolic? Do you think that the boys will re-adjust easily to civilization?

 





Lord of the Flies Chapter 9 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
1-17-13

Chapter 9

 

Summary: Simon goes to the top of the mountain and finds the dead parachutist everyone thought was the beast. The boys all come together and have a feast. Tension between Jack and Ralph develops and it starts to rain, and the boys play a game where Roger pretends to be a pig and they chant. Simon comes by to tell them about the dead parachutist and the boys are excited in their game of hunting the beast that they attack and kill Simon. His body then begins to drift out to the open sea.

Quotation: "At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws... Even in the rain they could see how small a beast it was; and already its blood was staining the sand" (153).

Quotation Significance: The boys become caught up in their hunting game and they basically pretend Simon is the beast in the heat of the moment and their lust for blood and flesh is so strong they don't even pause to realize that Simon isn't the beast.

Reflection: In chapter 9, Simon is killed. He comes down to the feast to tell them about the dead parachutist but they get caught up in their weird chanting game and they basically kill Simon. They were so eager for blood they killed the first thing they laid eyes on, unfortunately this was Simon. The boys are now totally lost from the rules and inklings of society they had held on to. Even Ralph and Piggy. It is easy to see that high tensions are forming between Ralph and Jack. Jack has almost all the biguns now. Including Samneric and Bill. Now Ralph has only Piggy and the littluns. Jack is treated like a king and doesn't care about being rescued because all he wants is power. Now that Simon is dead they have no idea about the dead parachutist and it floats down the mountain that night and scares the boys away. I think that next there will be lots of fighting between Ralph and Jack's tribe until eventually kill everyone on the island.

Discussion Question: Do you think that Simon's death bothered any of the boys? Do you think that Ralph and Jack's tribe will all fight to the death?

 





Lord of the Flies Ch. 8 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
1-15-13

Chapter 8

 

Summary: Jack becomes upset and deserts Ralph and some of the other boys follow him. Piggy comes up with the idea to make the signal fire down at camp. Jack and some hunters go on an afternoon hunt for a pig, steal some fire and invite Ralph and his boys to come have a feast with them. Simon finds the pig head on the stick and has a conversation with the Lord of the Flies. Simon learns that the Beast is inside him, and it can never be defeated. Then, Simon faints.

Quotation: "Fancy thinking the Beast was something  you could hunt and kill!... You knew didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are?" (143).

Quotation Significance: Ralph sees a vision where the pig's head is talking to him and he names it the Lord of the Flies. The pig's head tells him that the Beast is inside him and that this is why things are getting bad and this is man's essential illness.

Reflection: This chapter is one of the best chapters yet! Jack leaves the tribe along with Henry, Robert, Roger, and Maurice. The boys hunt and invite Ralph and his boys to a feast. I think that Jack and his tribe will hurt, threaten, or even kill members of Ralph's pack. Jack and his followers are turning into a savage pack of animals and are forgetting all the rules of society and civilization. Ralph still sets the rescue fire as the number one priority, which is a main reason why Jack leaves. He calls Ralph a coward and leaves because the rest of the boys don't vote him to be chief instead of Ralph. Ralph still has his heart set on being rescued and hasn't yet lost all the rules of society and he is trying to hang on to them but this isn't working. Simon has a weird encounter with almost himself. He meets the Lord of the Flies (the pig's head) and it tells him that he is the Beast and that this is why everything it going wrong. It just basically means that the essential illness of man is taking over all of the boys slowly and it is why they are attacking each other. I'm guessing the illness is power. Power has corrupted Jack and his little taste of it while being in charge of the choir boys is making him want more, he wants Ralph's power. Ralph is the chief and he is the only one with more power than Jack so when Jack doesn't get what he wants, Jack leaves. Simon is starting to realize what is happening to the boys on the island but isn't making a move to stop it at all.

Discussion Question: Do you think the boys are suffering from man's essential illness? Do you think that Jack and the hunters will hurt or kill Ralph's tribe?





Lord of the Flies Ch. 7 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
1-14-13

Chapter 7

 

Summary: The boys find a pig-run and go hunting and Ralph hits a boar in the snout with a spear but then it runs off. The boys then play a game and pretend Robert is the pig and then decide to climb to the top of the mountain. Simon goes back to camp to tell Piggy the boys will be returning after dark. They take a pig-run through the forest to reach the top of the mountain and Jack, Ralph, and Roger  go ahead to climb the mountain and Jack spots something on the mountain top. They get closer and spot a creature bobbing up and down with the wind.

Quotation: "Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering" (115).

Quotation Significance: The boys are having a tough time curbing their urge to become savage and to kill things. This even happens when they are playing with their friend Robert. They bash him with the butt of their spears and brandish knives at him. They were getting close to actually deciding to kill Robert. Even Ralph expresses his urge to kill Robert.

Reflection: The boys are starting to fins more of an urge to kill and are having a hard time dealing with it. This can be seen when they are playing with Robert and pretending he is a pig. A few chapters back, one of the boys throws rocks at a littun. The boys are getting more and more savage and will most likely kill each other in the end. Even Ralph feels an urge to kill Robert and Jack brandishes his knife at Robert. The boys decide to climb the mountain to look for the beast and Jack accuses Ralph repeatedly for being scared and Ralph doesn't want to be seen as a sissy to Roger and Ralph go along with Jack to see if they can find the beast. They see a figure at the end of the chapter but it is really most likely the dead parachutist that flew in the night before. The wind causes the parachutist to move up and down with the wind. The boys are making a huge deal out of nothing and they are letting their imaginations and their fear get to them. Ralph is starting to hate Jack and I think eventually they will fight over who gets to be chief.

Discussion Question: Do you think that eventually the boys will start to kill each other? Do you think that a beast is on the island?



Lord of the Flies Ch. 4 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
1-9-13

Chapter 4 Litblog

Summary: A young boy named Henry wanders off down the beach and Roger follows him silently  and throws stones six yards from the boy. Jack finds him and he shows him how to use clay to camouflage himself to catch pigs and the boys leave to go catch some. While in the pool, Ralph can't see the smoke anymore and the boys spot a ship. It is too late because the ship sails by when the boys go up and see the fire is unlit. Jack and the choir boys kill a pig and Ralph is mad at Jack for letting the fire burn out. Jack punches Piggy and Ralph reasserts his power and Jack does too when they are all eating the pig. Ralph sets up a meeting for later and leaves.

Quotation: "Slowly the silence on the mountain-top deepened till the click of the fire and the soft hiss of roasting meat could be heard clearly. Jack looked round for understanding but found only respect. Ralph stood among the ashes of the signal fire, his hands full of meat, saying nothing" (74).

Quotation Significance: Jack yells at Simon for giving his food to Piggy and Jack feels unappreciated. The kids are becoming more and more violent and cruel to one another and Jack wants to be understood but he is only respected because the boys fear him. It seems Ralph understands what Jack is going through and is letting him assert his power over the boys too.

Reflection: The boys are starting to become more powerful and assertive over the weaker members of the group, like Piggy and the little boys. This is shown when Jack punches Piggy and when Roger throws stones around Henry. The boys are starting to forget the old rules of society and Ralph is losing control of the boys, especially Jack. Jack was an angelic choir boy who is now turning into a savage hunter. This book shows how being away from society with no outside influence can change people. Jack is now obsessed with killing pigs and him and the hunters sing a song about killing pigs and they are ecstatic of telling people how much they enjoy killing pigs. Ralph is still the leader and is envious that Jack is getting all sorts of attention for killing the pigs and Ralph is determined to be on top but he hasn't become as savage and obsessed like Jack. Simon gives Piggy the meat and in the last chapter goes and hides all by himself. It seems that he feels sorry for Piggy and weak members of the group and doesn't want to spend much time with the boys, and he thinks some of their behavior is wrong but he won't say anything about it. This is a parallel to Benjamin in Animal Farm. Piggy is fat, weak, and harmless but he is also very smart. He comes up with the conch idea, and the fire idea, and other key ideas through out the story but he gets almost no credit for this. Piggy is abused and belittled for how he looks and no one is paying attention to how much his ideas have contributed to the group. In my opinon, he should be the chief.

Discussion Question: Why are the boys starting to turn savage and trying to assert power over one another? Do you think that Piggy would be a good chief for the boys?





Lord of the Flies Ch. 2-3 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
1-8-13

Chapters 2-3

Summary: The boys have another meeting and a young boy talks about seeing a beastie the night before and then the boys go to light a fire on the mountain to signal passing ships that they need to be rescued, and use Piggy's specs to shine a light and start the fire. The fire goes out of control and burns the rest of their wood supply. The boy who spoke of the beastie is missing and might be in the fire and the boys hear a drum-roll on the unfriendly side of the mountain. In chapter 3, the boys are trying to build shelters and catch pigs to eat but most of the boys aren't helping. Jack and Ralph leave to go find traces on the island and Simon finds shelter among a mat that the creepers had created.

Quotation: "He still says he saw the beastie. It came and went away again an' came back and wanted to eat him-" (36).

Quotation Significance: Piggy tells the group during a meeting of a beastie. This young boy says he saw it and it was basically a huge snake. The other boys laugh it off and says he had a nightmare because he saw it at night and swears it will come back the next night. Creepers (Snakes) surround the whole island and the boys aren't ready to realize that their island but not be as perfect as they thought.

Reflection: The boys don't know whether to be scared by the beastie the young boy talked about or assume it was a nightmare because the child is so young. The boys also just don't want to believe that their island might not be so perfect after all. The build a fire and use Piggy's specs without his permission to start it. Piggy becomes angry and starts to yell at Ralph but Ralph doesn't care what Piggy thinks and they get distracted by the horrible idea of the young boy stuck in the fire. Ralph tries to say the boy might be at camp but he has a feeling the boy is in the fire but doesn't want to risk his safety to help him. Ralph tries to rally the boys together to finish their shelters which are falling apart but the boys ignore him and go eat and swim. Jack gets close to catching a pig but he is still afraid to kill one and doesn't know if he can. Simon sneaks off and finds a hiding place and this makes me suspicious that he is up to something bad.  I think next that Ralph, Jack, or Simon will kill a weak member of the group like a young boy or Piggy and chaos will break loose. They will also probably succeed at killing a pig.

Discussion Question: Do you think that Simon is up to something in his hiding place and do you think that Ralph and pull the boys together and build shelters and catch a pig?

 





Lord of the Flies Ch.1 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
1-7-13

Chapter 1

 

Summary: A plane crashes on an island and a boy named Ralph and a fat boy named Piggy explore the island and find a conch shell by a pool and call the other boys and establish a meeting. It is decided that Ralph is their chief and the choir leader named Jack, Simon, and Ralph climb to the top of a mountain and survey the island and confirm no other people live there. They rejoiced because the island belongs to them.

Quotation: "They knew very well why he hadn't: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood." (31).

Quotation Significance: On the way to the mountain, the boys find a piglet covered in creepers. And one of the boys asks why Jack didn't stab the piglet. Without asking the boys knew the answer, they couldn't bear the thought of ending someone's life and seeing the blood drain out of any creature.

Reflection: This island is full of a bunch of boys who are lost, hungry, and looking for leadership. They find this in Ralph. Ralph has a vote and makes himself the leader and Jack remains the leader of his choir boys, and he has absolute leadership of the boys. Piggy is upset because he asks Ralph not to call him Piggy but he tells the boys of Piggy's nickname. Piggy is upset and tells Ralph but Ralph doesn't seem to care and gives him the job of learning all the names of the boys. When the three boys are on the mountains they discover that the island is uninhabited. On the way to the mountain, the scene where the piglet is covered with creepers I am thinking that it might be a metaphor. I heard that in this story the boys all end up slowly killing one another so I'm thinking that the creepers are the killers (a group of boys) and the piglet is their weak victim (a boy like Piggy). I also get this idea because of the title of the book.

Discussion Question: Do you think that the boys will establish a working community under the authority of Ralph or will conflict occur?