This week, our group analyzed chapters 3 and 4 of "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding. Our discussion consisted of analyzing the concealed darkness slowly evolving as the boys continue living on the island. In chapter 3 we talked about how the mutual hatred between Ralph and Jack has been present ever since the vote for chief and has only been developing progressively. Now, during a meeting, the first verbal argument between the two individuals as their hatred ruptures out of concealment. Ralph believes that "[they] need shelters" (pg.52) and requests the assistance of the group to help build them but on the other hand, Jack neglects Ralph's demand for help and states that "[he'd] like to catch a pig first." (pg.54) We see that Ralph is a civilized character that's trying to mimic the setting of modern society while Jack is slowly transforming into a savage with his mind set on feeding his exhilarating bloodlust.. Without the presence of adults, Jack is slowly being consumed by his hidden, dark ,inner self and is changing into a savage as each day passes. But our group noticed another element that was present aside from all the conflict and darkness. Simon represents that there is still a bright side even at the darkest moment because even with so much hostility amongst Ralph and Jack, "Simon found for [the littluns] the fruit the could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, [and] passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands." (pg.57) I believe that this connects perfectly with Hotel Rwanda with Simon relating to Paul the hotel manager. Even in the midst of a genocide, Paul portrayed his sympathy and kindness towards the Tutsi refugees and aided them even though it meant putting his life at risk.
In chapter 4, we notice that the resentment between Ralph and Jack worsens. The struggle for power is becoming more apparent as the group is beginning to split into two. Ralph believes that the power should be used to maintain the welfare of the group while Jack has lost all his interest in the group and is only concerned about feeding his bloodlust. Furthermore, Ralph is attempting to use his power to create an orderly society for the the boys to live in while they're on the island but Jack's group of hunters is abusing their power by bullying and harming the littluns. They're being counterproductive to what Ralph wants to achieve and it's creating a vast gap between the two groups which is creating a very hostile environment. The irony is that initially, Jack says that "we've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages." (pg.42), but after living on the island for an extensive period, "he began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling." (pg.66) I think this connects to the Rwandan genocide as two parties began splitting further and further apart due to the difference in beliefs until it finally turned into conflict.
Overall, I think our group is doing very well and we all have a very good understanding of the different layers in the book. We all have insightful input and we have great efficiency that allows us to usually finish our discussion before we're out of time.
The changes I made were that I added quotes and a few more things to help further explain my writing.
YOu have supported your writing well with many examples from the text. Do you see how this helps develop what you are trying to say. I like how you are also looking at hte big picture questiosn as well-eg power. You may want to challenge yourself and look at more of the EQ's in your future writings.Overall well done.
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