Friday, February 25, 2011

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, takes place during World War II when a plane crashes on an island, stranding many British schoolboys. They rejoice that no adult is there to order them around and they do whatever they want. They elect Ralph, who blew on a conch shell to gather them, as chief and a few older children (or "bigguns" as Ralph calls them) are chosen as hunters. With help from each other and a bit more from the glasses of Piggy, the "smart" one of the boys, they manage to create a system of order. But alas, this fragile balance is broken by the talk of a beast on the island. With no adults to seem strong and say that no such beast exists, everything collapses on itself. Jack, the leader of the hunters, creates his own tribe against Ralph. Many bigguns and "littluns" join Jack. Ralph is only left with Piggy, Sam, Eric, and a few littluns. The hope of being rescued is very far off as the "beast" starts a reign of terror. With perfect British Schoolboys turning into savages of a tribe, staying sane is difficult, let alone rescue. What will happen to the boys? Lord of the Flies is one of those books where there is some, if not a lot, of violence. It is not recommended to anyone who can not stand much violence. I only think that people who are interested in reading about survival should try this book. Remember: this book might be too violent for you. -Reviewed by JunHyung, grade 7.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really hated reading Lord of the Flies. I was so bored and I wanted to pull my hair out by the time I was finished with it. I would not recommend it to anyone. I thought it was a little too detailed and it made the story hard to follow. I had to read sentences over and over until I finally understood what had happened and what they were talking about. I could not concentrate on the book, it really did not capture my attention. I think the beginning was okay but as it got into the story, I could not bear to read it for longer than five minutes at a time.

Reviewed by Melody N, grade 9.
Central Library

Teen Speak said...

My opinion about the book Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, would be its really weird. In some of the parts they are really graphic because when your reading the book you can just imagine what is really happening which i guess is really good but i thought it was really sad how after a while they just started eating each other just so they could survive because they didn't want to kill any more pigs so they would do this thing called survival oft he fittest and so of course the fatter kids would be first. I don't think this is a good book to read.
Reviewed by Samantha, Grade 12.

Teen Speak said...

In a dystopian society, young boys are stranded on an island, due to a crash landing from a plane most likely escaping from war. These boys, once civilized learn to survive in the harsh wild of the island they are now forced to live on. This story not only follows the savagery within man, but also the cruelty that can be displayed in human nature. William Golding depicts his views on human nature through the allegory of this novel.

William Golding was born in England. After his very traumatizing experience in the Royal Navy, Golding's view on human nature was drastically altered. This allegorical novel depicts how humans, without society, are savages and evil. The innocent boys turn into wild beasts that kill each other for fun, until a navy officer, who also happens to be involved in a bloody war of his own, comes to the rescue with his ship. For me, I disagree with many of Golding's philosophical aspects of human nature, and I did not enjoy the gruesome and rather ridiculous way the novel depicted human nature. However, I do agree that there is evil in human nature, although not to the extent of Golding's beliefs.

Reviewed by Jemma, grade 10
Glendale Central Library

Teen Speak said...

Lord of the Flies, a book written by William Golding, details the story of several young boys stranded on an island with absolutely no adults present. Their overconfident nature leaves them unable to cooperate with one another, struggling to create any form of order from their chaotic situation. Read along and experience this incredible island adventure as these boys fiercely battle one another for a chance at survival.

I thought that this was a very enjoyable book. I liked reading about the dramatic situations that they boys were forced to endure and the tremendous challenges that they had to overcome. I think any person who enjoys thrilling books about survival in nature would like to read this book. It especially made me think about how I would behave if I were in a situation such as that faced by the boys in this book.

Reviewed by Alec S., Grade 10
Glendale Central Library

Teen Speak said...

Several boys are stranded on an island after a plane crashes. They quickly form a tribe and elect a leader, Ralph. However, another boy, named Jack, also wants to be the leader, and a power struggle begins. Eventually, Jack forms his own tribe, and recruits the people in Ralph's group. After Jack's group raids Ralph's group, Ralph and his group go to confront Jack and his group, where one of Ralph's group is killed and the rest are forced to join Jack's group. Then, Jack orders his group to hunt down Ralph, and they set most of the forest on fire. This fire attracts a ship, and Ralph makes it to safety, along with Jack and his crew.

This book was very good. It started off normally, with little going on, but it ended explosively. The relationships between the boys had an interesting evolution, and the power struggle left me wondering about what would happen next. Jack was focused on being a leader and keeping everyone together using fear, while Ralph was focused on getting out of the island. The book got very dark and grim towards the end, and seeing the boys act so insanely was surprising.

Reviewed by Anonymous, Grade 8
Grandview Library

Teen Speak said...

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a story about a group of British schoolboys who are stranded on a remote island after their plane is shot down during an unknown war. Alone in a new world without any adults or societal rules, the boys agree to become civilized as they elect a chief and develop their own rules. Soon the struggle for power emerges as the young boys become dark and violent savages; and it questions the reader’s morality about society, government and law in such situation. The story’s portrayal of “the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart” serves an allegory to our modern society.

Lord of the Flies excellently mimics the evil and sadistic nature of humanity and society in a tale about young schoolboys. Although this novel is very easy to read and is fairly short, its plot strongly remains haunting, powerful and relevant. I enjoyed Golding’s idea of revealing the corruption of authority through innocent British boys who were highly expected to act civilized. All the Freudian concepts and symbolism also add to the strength of unmasking the savagery of our nature.

Reviewed by Anonymous, Grade 12
Glendale Central Library

Teen Speak said...

Lord of the Flies is about a group of schoolboys who end up stranded and hopeless on an uncharted island after their plane crashes in the middle of the ocean. The main plot of the book regards the societal downfall and the boy's struggle to maintain humanity and morality as they try to recreate what little they know about proper civilization. One of the main characters, Ralph, is chosen by the other boys to lead them. However, a boys choir happens to have been stranded on the same island and their leader, Jack, comes into conflict with Ralph. Saying he should be the leader instead, Jack turns out to be a more conceited, selfish, and violent leader than Ralph. He urges his own group of boys to taunt and harass Ralph's friends, and grows to be feared by the more civilized group of schoolboys to which Ralph belongs. The story ultimately tells of Ralph and Jack's struggle for power and the rivalry between the two groups as they fight to maintain civilization.

I think this book not only tells a story, but one with a meaning behind it. The characters and conflicts can represent every-day societal challenges and really defines the thin fabric that holds society together. The book was rather difficult to read and I'm thus assuming it would appeal to an older audience, but is still a very good book. I really did enjoy how complex the narratives were and the small, untold details in the characters that give the overall story more depth and meaning. The author did a very good job at composing the characters in such a way that would create grudges and form hatred without implying any intention to do so, which pulls the story together seamlessly. You can tell how much thought was put into each character and how significant even the smallest roles are. Overall I would definitely recommend this book.
I think this book not only tells a story, but one with a meaning behind it. The characters and conflicts can represent every-day societal challenges and really defines the thin fabric that holds society together. The book was rather difficult to read and I'm thus assuming it would appeal to an older audience, but is still a very good book. I really did enjoy how complex the narratives were and the small, untold details in the characters that give the overall story more depth and meaning. The author did a very good job at composing the characters in such a way that would create grudges and form hatred without implying any intention to do so, which pulls the story together seamlessly. You can tell how much thought was put into each character and how significant even the smallest roles are. Overall I would definitely recommend this book.

Reviewed by Isabelle D., Grade 8
Pacific Park Library

Teen Speak said...

The novel “Lord of the Flies” was written by William Golding and was published in 1954. The novel follows a group of boys and their survival in a stranded island. In the group, a boy named Ralph decides to become the leader and tries to get them out of the island. But majority of the group led by a boy named Jack, starts to act more inhuman and becomes delusional. That makes the group unbalanced and disordered and eventually starts to destroy themselves.

This book made me think about how savage and ruthless mankind can be. This was also the reason why I liked this book. I believe that people who likes to think and be puzzled will like or eventually love this book. Another reason why I liked this book is because of how it made me feel. It made me feel the horror of what will happen if the humanity gets out of hand. It will just be horrifying and probably the most sinister thing that can happen.

Reviewed by Jonah, Grade 9
Glendale Central Library