Question:  How does the power struggle in Lord of the Flies relate to Animal Farm? What do the sides of Ralph and Jack show?

            The novel, Lord of the Flies, relates to Animal Farm, through a power struggle between two of the main characters. In Lord of the Flies, a large number of boys are stranded on an island.  The boys vote Ralph as their chief, yet there is still a struggle for power between him and another boy Jack. Ralph is more civilized than the other boys, and tries to keep order among the group. His main focus is to get off the island, while Jack is only concerned about hunting. In Animal Farm, Snowball is concerned about the treatment of all the animals, and the wellbeing of the farm.  Napoleon on the other hand, craves power, and wants the recognition of leader. Ralph and Snowball relate, because they both are more concerned about the whole community and think logically. Jack and Napoleon relate because they both focus on themselves, and desire to be above everyone else. On the island, Ralph summons a meeting to discuss rules with the boys that are important for them to follow. Jack interrupts saying, ‘“Bullocks to the rules!  We’re strong-we hunt!  If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down!  We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat-!’’’(97). Jack disapproves of Ralph’s emphasis on rules. He is frustrated that these rules are preventing him from his main desire of hunting. He desires to override Ralph and become chief, so he can control the boys along with constant hunting. Jack’s primordial instincts have taken over, giving him the desire to kill and eat his prey. This is why he represents savagery. Ralph on the other hand is a strategic leader who knows what all of the boys need to do in order to survive and get off the island. He tries to preserve their civilized ways, representing civilization. To accomplish this, he makes several rules. These are all beneficial to the boys, such as only peeing on the rocks that are washed away by the ocean, and not using anywhere you please. Ralph puts the biggest emphasis on keeping the fire always going. Ralph’s rules are there to benefit the boys, yet the boys view them as controlling and restricting. Ralph is trying to help the whole group of boys, and aiming to have everyone contribute and work together. He knows that they are not going to be rescued by luck, and need a ship to see the smoke in order to be rescued. In Animal Farm, Snowball also thinks about all the animals and wants them all to have equal work. He helps set up the Seven Commandments for all the animals to follow. In Lord of the Flies, Jack seems to not even want to get off the island, as his desire to hunt is controlling his every move. Jack is putting himself first and not thinking about what will benefit the group in the long run, just like Napoleon puts himself first by moving into the human house, treating the other animals poorly, and forcing them to obey his every move.

Lord of the Flies Discussion Question

 

Analyze the boys' decision to immediately build a fire. Based on this, do you think Ralph is the best leader?

The boys made a careless mistake by building the fire first. They reacted on instinct rather than thinking logically about the consequences of this decision. Ralph is a popular leader, but there are other boys on the island who would be better.  Although it cannot be certain, it seems that Piggy would be the best leader out of all the boys on the island, since he is worried about survival rather than having fun. Ralph did not directly tell the other boys to build the fire first, but when he brought it up, they immediately did. Ralph could have prevented them from building the fire, but instead helped to build it. Piggy thinks more logically, but is rarely heard because of his appearance. “‘…The first thing we ought to have made was shelters down there by the beach. It wasn’t half cold down there in the night. But the first time Ralph says ‘fire’ you goes howling and screaming up this here mountain…”’ (Lord of the Flies, 45). Piggy knows that although it is important to be found, it is even more important that they have all the materials necessary to survive. The fire went on to spread and burn a numerous amount of trees, limiting their resources for building shelter. Piggy thinks his decisions through, whereas Ralph relies more on instinct. Ralph’s decision to build the fire first was not well thought out, which is why Piggy would make a better leader.

 

Babysitting Nightmare

It was a stormy Halloween night. Amanda was stuck babysitting her little 5 year old cousin Carla, while her parents, aunt, and uncle were at a Halloween party. She had always hated their house since it appeared to be haunted. She was especially nervous, since it was Halloween and fear was in the air. The weather outside was terrifying. The wind was howling and it was pouring rain, with occasional lightning. The trick or treaters had long ago left, taking shelter from the storm. Amanda was watching Halloweentown with her little cousin. Then, Amanda heard a knock on the door. How strange she thought, "Why would there be any trick or treaters in this weather." She opened the door and as she looked down she saw two little girls. They were dressed as zombies, in matching blue nightgowns, covered in blood and dirt. "Trick or Treat" they said. Abigail looked around and was shocked to see the girls were alone. "Where are your parents?" she asked. "We don't have any," they replied. All of a sudden, there was a bang! The street lights flashed and then all went black. Amanda was baffled, since the power had not gone out in their house. "Would you like to come inside?" she asked. "Sure!" the girls replied. "Why are you out here trick or treating in this weather?" Amanda questioned. "This is our old house and we wanted to come visit!" the girls stated.

Amanda was starting to get worried. It was weird enough that those girls were out trick or treating in those weather conditions, without any parents. She also knew her aunt and uncle had lived in the house for the past 10 years and the girls appeared to be around 7 years old. She decided not to say anything because it was late at night and dark, so they could have had the wrong house. As they walked in, Amanda was shocked to see that her cousin seemed to know the girls. "Hey Sammie, hey Nicole!" said Carly. "Hey Carla!" they exclaimed. "Is it alright if we go look around?" they asked Amanda. "Sure!" Amanda said. "Be careful!"

After the girls had left, Amanda asked Carla how she new the girls. "Those are the girls from the painting," said Carla. "What painting?" asked Amanda. "It's upstairs in the playroom," Carla replied. Amanda was frightened. She knew there was something strange about those girls, but didn't think they were ghosts. "Will you show me the painting?" she asked Carla. "Yes! Follow me!" Carla exclaimed.

They slowly tiptoed up the creaky stairs and into the playroom. Carla showed Amanda the painting. It was the same little girls, in a garden, having a tea party. It looked to be a happy scene, but the girls' faces were filled with anger. "I don't get it," Amanda stated. "Why are the girls in the painting here?" Amanda heard footsteps behind, and turned around to see the two girls in the hallway holding daggers. "We've been stuck in that painting for the last 37 years," the girls said. "Only allowed to leave every Halloween and November 29, the day of the accident." A sick smile grew on their faces as they lifted the daggers. "Now it's your turn to be stuck in the painting!" the girls cried.

Introduction to Jenny's Blog

Hi, my name is Jenny Sharpe and I am currently a sophomore. I participate in many sports including soccer and swimming. One of my favorite activities is traveling with my family. Hawaii is my top travel destination, where you'll find me on the beach or in the water. I hope to someday visit Europe and Africa. In my free time, I enjoy baking and spending time with my friends. I enjoy reading, but lately haven't had much time for it. My favorite book series is Twilight by Stephanie Myer. This year I hope to improve my creative writing style, by using various sentence structures and working to engage readers. Hopefully this blog will not only help me with my creative writing but also help prepare my writing for college.

"All our dreams can come true– if we have the courage to pursue them" - Walt Disney