Peer Responses

            First I have chosen to respond on Eric's blog. I have chosen the post with the picture that he created. It is a picture of a skull.

            I like the idea of the different layers like the beach and the fire. I also like how you made the teeth symbolize the evil in the island. I also like how you had the skull symbolizes that the island is deadly and that it is up to no good. I also like how the blue is the vast ocean that surrounds the island. You should consider expanding the description of the teeth and how they symbolize evil. How does the evil part of the island connect to the good part?

            Your description of this picture is good. It describes every part of the picture that I saw right away, but it also describes the hidden meaning of the picture.  Even though your drawing is simple, the meaning that you wrote about in your description tells a whole, more complicated, new story. Great job on the description. It really helped me understand the picture. Also that was a great idea for a picture.

            Next I have chosen to respond to Leon's blog. I have chosen the post: "New Cover Page". It is the new cover design that he made for the book.

            I like the cover design. It does a good job of giving us the setting and some main items from the book. Even without the description I knew that there was going to be a fire and a conch in the book. I also knew that those were going to be two very important items. The cover also gives me an idea of the setting. It tells me that the story takes place on land near the shoreline, probably an island.

            Your description tells me more about these items on the cover. I tells me what they are but also the connection between them and the book. You did a great job telling me what these items were and why they were important. It also tells me a little bit about the connection between the items themselves. You should consider expanding on how these items are linked to each other.  Otherwise great job!

            Finally, I have chosen to respond to Viji's blog. I have chosen the post: "Journal 2". It is the journal entry for Ralph.

            This journal entry is very nice. I like how you chose to write about the part where we, the readers have no idea what is happening. Your journal entry gives me an idea of why the boys were on a plane and where they were going. It tells us some information about this character that we didn't know. I also like how you put some words and phrases in all capitals to express the way he is talking.

            Your description is very good. It tells me a lot about why you chose this character and this time in his life. I agree that it was a good idea to write about before the story even starts because it tells us what it was like before the story and how it affected his behavior and personality when the story started on the island. I also think that the way you predicted what to write. You should consider expanding on the way you came up with the ideas for the journal entries like where and how did you get the facts about where he was and what he was doing when we didn't know. Overall this Journal Entry told me a lot about this character, Ralph.

Posters

I used an application called "Phoster" to make two posters that go with my book. Just for fun!
(Click on the posters to view a larger version.)

Glossary

Creepers
(In the book creepers are vines)
noun:
- A climbing plant.
- Produces grapes.
e.g. "The creepers were everywhere, they were circling on the trees and all over the ground. I could even swing on one." 

Savage(s)
adjective:
- wild; not cultivated.
- barbaric; not civilized.
 noun:
- An uncivilized human; a barbarian.
verb:
- To attack or assault someone or something ferociously or without restraint.
e.g. "The last two deaths proved how they were nothing but savages." 

Brutal
adjective:
- Savagely violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel.
- Crude or unfeeling in manner of speech.
e.g. "The last two deaths were very brutal. There was blood everywhere."

Pig Run
noun:
- A run or narrow, deep-trodden path made by wild pigs.
e.g. "While they were eating, three pigs came down the pig run."

Conch:
noun:
- A marine mollusc which lives in its own spiral shell
(the shell can be blown to make a loud horn-like sound.)
e.g. "The conch was so beautiful with all the colors and the perfect spiral and the top of the shell."

Quotes

"When we was coming down I looked through one of them windows. I saw the other part of the plane. There were flames coming out of it."

Note: This quote was said in bad grammar. It is not a typo.

This quote is from the beginning of the story. This line was said by Piggy when he met Ralph in the jungle. Ralph, Piggy and a bunch of other boys were in a plane and have been shot out of the air. Ralph and Piggy thought that they were the only boys there. Later they find a conch and blow it. All the boys join Ralph and Piggy. I think this quote represents this section of the book because it describes the bombing of the plane.

This quote has a connection to another text. It connects to a book called "At the Edge". In one of  the parts of the books it talks about the bombing of the plane. There are people who witnessed it and are talking about it. It connects to this story because it has the same scenario. This quote also connects to incidents that happened in real life. There are lots of incidents that are similar to this one. They are all of a plane crash landing or getting bombed. This quote connects to these incidents because it describes the planes accident.
Another connection would be to myself. I was once watching TV, and then all of a sudden the program was interrupted for breaking news. The news was about a plane crash just a little off the southern coast of Nova Scotia. It was a malfunction of the plane's instruments. The plane had crashed into the ocean.

<pg. 2>

"You didn't ought to have let that fire out. You said you'd keep the smoke going. We can't get no nothin' done around here."

This quote was said in the second quarter of the book. It was said by Piggy. It was said during a fight between Jack and Ralph. While they were fighting, Piggy spoke up and said this. He was calling everyone lazy, but he himself was the laziest one. I think this quote represents this part of the book because this is the part where everyone slacks off and thinks that everything will just come to them without any work.

This quote connects to a book called "The Life of Being Lazy". In this book there is a group of kids who get sent to a testing facility. In the facility they do some survival tests and one of them is surviving on their own for five days in a wild surrounding set. They have water, wood and wild squirrels. They don't survive all five days (they come out on the third) because at the beginning they had order but after a little bit, everyone slacked off and nothing was getting done. This is what happens in this part of Lord of the Flies. This quote also connects to myself. About three years ago our family hosted a family picnic with lots of our relatives. During the preparations I was supposed to help but for most of the time I slacked off and did nothing. This is what happens to the boys after a couple of days. This quote connects to a real life event. A couple of years ago there was a building that was  being built. It was later finished six months after the scheduled finishing time. Turns out that the workers took a one month secret break when they weren't supposed to. The workers got nothing done for that month. This is what happens in Lord of the Flies.

<pg.75>

"I'm not going to be part of Ralph's lot. I'm going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too. We are going to have a feast at my new place!"

This quote was said in the third quarter of the book. It was said by Jack when he was leaving Ralph's group. It was said during a meeting. They were talking about the beast. They were also discussing about Jack's hunting. Ralph said that Jack was hunting too much and not helping with he more important stuff like the fire and the shelters. Jack was tired of Ralph being so bossy so he stood up and said this line. This quote describes how Jacks left Ralph and why. This quote is an example of propaganda. Jack tells everyone to join him because he is going to have a feast.

This quote connects to an event in real life. We are going all the way back to communist Russia. There was a leader. Communists or Rebels came and took over. Those communist leaders told everyone that they were going to make everything better. They used propaganda. This is what happened when Jack formed his rebel group. This quote also connects to a book called "The Hunger Games". In the book, the government takes control over everyone and tells them that everything is going to be better than before. The used Propaganda to form their own group. This is similar to what happens in Lord of the Flies. This quote connects to something that happened to myself. When I was in grade 3, I was running for class president. There was another person who was competing against me. I said that if the class votes for me they get candy. I also said that if they vote for me, the class will be better than ever. Because of that I won and I gave the whole class candy. We also changed the class a little bit and, indeed, it was better than ever. Everyone was happy. I used propaganda and bribery. This is similar to what happens in the book because Jack uses Bribery too.

<pg. 140>

"I got the conch! Let me speak!"

This quote is from the end of the story. This line is said by Ralph near the end of the book when all of the rules had been abolished. He says this in front of Jack and his tribe. When Jack formed his rebel tribe he said that the rules don't count for his tribe and his territory. When Ralph tried to speak with the conch, Jack ignored him. Ralph tried and tried but Jack said nothing. I think this quote represents this part of the book because this is the part when all of the rules had been abolished and no one would follow them anymore.

This quote has a connection to myself. I read in a newspaper that in Libya, there was a leader and some people didn't him. They wanted to take over the government so they formed a group to fight against the leader. There were no more laws in this country because of the war. This is similar to what happened in the book. This quote also has a connection to a book called "The Hunger Games". In the book there were rules, very strict rules that everyone had to follow or else they would have been punished by death. Later in the story, a rebel group forms and they take over the government. This is exactly what happens when Jack forms his group. This quote connects to an incident that happened in real life. I already told you a little bit about the incident in Libya, but I will tell you more. Over time the group that didn't like the leader grew more powerful because other countries like the USA started supporting them. They eventually killed the leader and took over the government but it was savagery. This is also what happens in the book.

<pg. 199>

Journal Entry for Simon

Today was a very tiring day. I helped Ralph with the shelters all day. They fell down again. I wonder why no one else helps us. They all go and swim in the water. I wish I get to do that. Ralph won't let me because I am of higher authority so I have to stay with him. Tomorrow I am going hunting with Jack. I like hunting, but not when it's with Jack. Jack is so bossy and thinks he should be chief. No one else thinks he should be chief. Everyone voted for Ralph so Jack should just stop complaining and get on with his life. I think he hates Ralph.

Yesterday I went hunting with Jack. It was the worst. I accidentally let go o f a pig that I was holding and it ran away. Jack started yelling at me so loud that everyone on the whole island could hear him. I ran away because I was so embarrassed. I ran straight up the mountain. I fell down and fell asleep because I was so tired. When I woke up it was already night. I slowly crept back to the shelters so no one would wake up. When I was close to the shelters I stepped on a branch. A little'un was awake. He heard that and looked in my direction. He ran right back into his shelter.

Today we had a meeting. Ralph called it because he wanted to talk about a beast that the little'un were afraid of. Apparently they little'uns were having nightmares about this beast and one little'un even said he saw it. Turns out that the little'un that saw the beast was the one that saw me last night. And the beast that it saw was me. I had to confess that the beast was me. Ralph asked me why I was in the forest in the middle of the night. I couldn't tell him the truth so I said that I go to a "special" place in the woods at night. At the meeting Jack was saying that he thought the beast was real and that it lived at the top of the mountain. Ralph disagreed. Jack wanted to hunt the beast down. Ralph now started talking about how Jack hunts too much and doesn't help with more important things like the shelters and the fire. Jack and Ralph started arguing. Jack got mad and said: "I'm not going to be part of Ralph's lot. I'm going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too. We are going to have a feast at my new place!" Jack just stood up and left. Tomorrow I am going to see if the beast I real.

I am now on top of the mountain. I have realized that the beast is not real. It is just a figure formed by the trees. Right now Jack is having a feast. I heard that Ralph is going to go and try to reason with Jack right now during the feast. I'm going down there to tell them that there is no beast. I'm going to leave my journal up here on the mountain...
_________________________________________________________________

I chose this character because he was one of the important secondary characters. He was the one who discovered that the beast was not real, but only the evil inside the boys. He was usually secretive and that is probably why he was thought of as the beast when he came down from the mountain. Because he was moving so secretively, Jack thought he was the beast so the hunters killed him. After a couple of seconds, Jack noticed it was Simon. Jack didn't care because he was already a savage. I chose this time in Simon's life because this is when he was the only brave one who went to see if the beast was real.

I think that Simon is vital to the novel because he could always talk sense into people. He would also always solve problems using logic. He was the bravest boy on the island. At some time he was even the only brave boys who was to do something. When the beast was thought to be living on the mountain, no one wanted to go and see if it is true. Simon was the only one, but he went secretively.
I came up with the predictions for this journal entry using the facts about him from the story. If you combined all the facts about Simon that were scattered all around the book, you could make a full bio about him. When I combined the facts and made the bio, I easily predicted what he was doing when the "spotlight" wasn't on him. That is how I made the journal entry.

Journal Entry for Jack

Note: This font might be different from the font on my other blog posts because I was writing this post in a Microsoft Word document.

Today was so easy. This morning I went hunting and I caught a pig. Then later I went swimming in the ocean. I relaxed for a long while. Why doesn’t Ralph come and relax with us. He is always working. Ever since he became the leader he is always working and sometimes he makes other people work for him like slaves. He always yells and gives orders. He is a leader but not a good one.

Today Ralph called a meeting. I hate it when he calls meetings. He thinks that when he calls a meeting everyone is fine with it. Well he’s wrong! The conch is the stupidest thing ever. When we had landed on this island, Ralph had found a conch and blown it. The conch was the thing that brought us together. Just because it was the thing that brought us together, Ralph is making it a sacred item. Only the person with the conch can speak at meetings.  This meeting was about the beats. I personally think that the beast is real. Ralph thinks that we are just paranoid. I wish someone would just go to the top of the mountain and see if the beast is real. I brought up the fact that we should maybe hunt the beast down. When I said that another argument started. Ralph does not like how and when I hunt. He says that I hunt too much and that I should focus on helping with the more important things like the fire and the shelters. I got mad. I stood up and said that I will be forming my own group on the other side of the island. I said that whoever like how and when I hunt can join me. I even said that we are going to have a feast tomorrow. I then walked away towards Castle Rock. That is where my tribe is going to be.

The feast is about to start. Today we made lots of preparations for the feast. Half of my hunters and I went hunting while the other half of my hunters and Roger went to gather fruit. All we needed now was a fire to cook the food. We were going to raid Ralph’s group for fire. We crept there and when we were very close I yelled and we all charged. Ralph and his group jumped up and we started to fight. Ralph hit me in the stomach very hard. It hurt. While the fight was going on, Roger got some fire and we all ran back. Ralph was confused. He didn’t know why we came.  After that we made a fire, cooked the food and now it is all ready.

The feast is on right now. Ralph and his group came, but they didn’t do anything so it was all good. We are all having fun. Everyone is here except for Simon. He’s probably in his special place again.

Yesterday was the scariest day of my life. While we were having fun we heard a rustling sound coming from the forest. We thought it was the beast. We got our spears ready and then when it came out we charged at it and we stabbed it. It was kind of small for a beast. When I looked at it closely… it was Simon…

_____________________________________________________________

I chose this character because he is one of the main characters. He was a great leader and he could easily control the big group of boys when he needed to. He was the one who formed his own group. He then successfully persuaded the boys to join him and leave Ralph. He used propaganda and bribery. He then fulfilled all of his promises. I chose this time of his life because that is when he had a chance to become a leader and he was a very good leader too. While he was a good leader he had some downs. He was not patient. When he heard rustling in the forest during the feast he automatically charged at it when it came out. He didn't bother to wait and see if it was one of his friends. When he killed Simon he didn't care because it was too late. He had already turned into a savage.

I think that Jack is vital to the novel because he was an essential part of the survival of the boys on the island. At first he was the one who brought the food for the boys. When he made his own tribe he became the leader there and he proved that he was a good leader. He did his job better than Ralph. He could also control the group of boys when and argument or a fight starts. Jack was also a great arguer. He won all of his arguments except for the last one, where in the end he did get to do what he wanted. The reason he won arguments was because he had lots of convincing points. He was a very convincing speaker.

I came up with the prediction for this journal entry by using the facts about Jack in the book. Because he is one of the main characters, he was almost always in the "spotlight". For the times that he wasn't in the scenes, I did not have difficulty predicting where he was and what he was doing. Because there were so many facts about him I always knew where he was and what he was doing. That is how I made this journal entry.