No Exit

1. If I was to create hell I think it would be a place I couldn't escape. I like knowing answers to everything and without answers I am lost. The ultimate hell for me would be where I was trapped in a maze and can't get out. I think that would be really terrible. I think there is no way to find peace in a hellish environment because that's what hell is: somewhere you can't stand.
2. I definitely believe that too much of a good thing or too much of a bad thing can eventually be bad. Everything is nice in moderation and hell can be too much of one thing.
3. Satre creates a sense of hell by describing what the three characters see around them. You understand what they are going through by what they do and don't say to each other. I think a hell on Earth would be were there is no freedom or room for growth.  You need opportunities to grow as a person and that is what makes me happy. Without ever accomplishing anything, to me that would be like hell.

Allegory of the Cave Sonnet

A couple men lived in a cave
They spent their whole life there
They were chained as such they were a slave
and their chance of escaping was rare

All they knew was what they saw
Their brains were mostly empty
The one who was freed was in awe
Because of what he would see

The shadows were just a vision
They were made to deceive
Not one could make a smart decision
The men were made to believe

The free man saw beyond the cave
He escaped and was no longer a slave

Literary Analysis #3 Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies

GENERAL
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read, and explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is about a group of boys who get stranded on an island. Their plane crashes and they are faced against a lot of circumstances to survive. The boys quickly separate into two groups; one which is focused on getting rescued and eventually trying to get off the island and the other which was focused on trying to survive and sustain life on the island. Jack is the leader of the hunters and he is trying to survive while Ralph is putting efforts into getting rescued. One day a ship passes by but goes unnoticed because it is the hunters responsibility but they were not paying attention. Ralph is furious and Piggy gets mad at Jack and then Jack hits Piggy across the face. Ralph calls a meeting to order and they discuss what is happening. It has been clear that the little boys think there is a monster on the island. What it really is, is the body of a parachute but still the presence of a beast is there. They find the parachutes body and it is official that the beast has attacked the island. Jack and Ralph go to look for the beast and as they go up the mountain they argue quite a bit. When they are back at the beach they separate and many of the boys are more interested in hunting and join Jack. Jack declares himself the leader of the new group and they decide to slaughter the pig and offer it to the beast as an offering. The voice is the lord of the flies and speaks to Simon and tells him that they can never get rid of the beast for he is in all men. The two groups fight and Piggy is killed and the conch is shattered. They are going after Ralph and he barely escapes. Ralph hides for the rest of the night and the following day, while the others hunt him like an animal. Jack has the other boys  light the forest on fire to make Ralph come out of his hiding place. Ralph collapses in exhaustion, but when he looks up, he sees a British naval officer standing over him. The officer’s ship noticed the fire raging in the jungle. The other boys reach the beach and stop in their tracks at the sight of the officer. Amazed at the spectacle of this group of bloodthirsty, savage children, the officer asks Ralph to explain. Ralph is overwhelmed by the knowledge that he is safe but, thinking about what has happened on the island, he begins to weep. The other boys begin to sob as well. The officer turns his back so that the boys may regain their composure and takes them all home.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.

The theme of the novel is the loss of innocence as the boys came from a strict prep school to them killing each other. They are bloodthirsty and have lost all order in their lives. As the book gets further along they become more and more savage, eventually they turn into the beast. The beast is within them. By being exposed to the world with no rules and regulations their inner beast comes out and their innocence is lost.

3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).

The tone of the novel is dark and unflinching as Golding examines the worst parts about humans. The darkest side of human nature is shown throughout these examples.

[Jack] tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up.
“I went on. I thought, by myself –”
The madness came into his eyes again.
“I thought I might kill.”  Chapter 3

[Jack] began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. Chapter 4

 “We spread round. I crept, on hands and knees. The spears fell out because they hadn’t barbs on. The pig ran away and made an awful noise –”
“It turned back and ran into the circle, bleeding –”
All the boys were talking at once, relieved and excited.
[…]
Then Maurice pretended to be the pig and ran squealing into the center, and the hunters, circling still, pretended to beat him. As they danced, they sang.
“Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in.”
Ralph watched them, envious and resentful. Chapter 4

4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)

CHARACTERIZATION
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization.  Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?

An example of direct characterization is when Golding describes Piggy. He says that he is short, fat, and chubby. He is also the shy one and sensible which is known because he wears glasses

An example of indirect characterization is when Ralph, however, is not responsive. "Ralph said nothing . . . Protected from the sun, ignoring Piggy's ill-omened talk, he dreamed pleasantly."

Another indirect characterization is of Simon. The novel states  “Here the littluns who had run after him and caught up with him. They talked, cried out unintelligibly, lugged him toward the tree. Then amid the roar of bees in the afternoon sunlight, Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach…. Passed them back to the endless, outstretched hands. “

2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?

The authors syntax and diction throughout the novel is more or less the same. A lot the passages are revolved around innocence. Some examples are..

Then, amid the roar of bees in the afternoon sunlight, Simon found for [the littluns] the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands. Chapter 3

The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and un wiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy. Chapter 12

3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.

The protagonist in the story is Ralph. He is definitely a dynamic character as he changes so much throughout the story. He encounters problems and changes things because of it and he is a round character also. At the beginning of the novel Ralph is obviously the leader and throughout he is getting out shadowed by Jack. His morals change and his innocence is lost. Ralph changes a lot throughout the novel

4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?  Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.

After reading this novel I felt as though I read some characters. The characters were well thought out and the theme was an excellent one but I felt as if it were kind of fake and only written to get the message across. An example of some parts that are not believable are "'Fear can't hurt you any more than a dream. There aren't any beasts to be afraid of on this island....Serve you right if something did get you, you useless lot of cry-babies!" Chapter 5, pg. 75

No one is that rude and speaks to little children like that. I think the characters are just written rudely to show how the older boys have lost their innocence.

My Big Question

John Locke said that people were born good. Thomas Hobbes was in disagreement and stated that people are born evil. My big question is,

Are humans born good and learn the secrets of evil through others and life or are we born evil and taught to do good by people who love us etc.?

Plato's Allegory of the Cave Study Questions

1. According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?

According to Socrates, there are three prisoners trapped inside of a cave. They have been chained there their whole life. The cave represents their own limitations. Shadows are cast on the wall in front of them and that's all they look at every single day. They are made to believe that what they see is real. They know nothing else and even though the shadows are put there on purpose, the prisoners don't know any better.  We reject reality a lot of the time and unless we are shown the right way or the truth (the sun) we will never know what is true.

2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?

The prisoners represent our own ignorance. The sun represents the the truth. The shackles and chains represent things holding us back, and the one freed prisoner is supposed to represent a philosopher.

3. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?

The allegory shows that when an opportunity is thrown upon you (the prisoner getting freed) you must be willing to take advantage of it. Sometimes you are not offered that opportunity. Do not be fooled by what you see and believe, and listen to those who have more experience than you.

4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?

The shackles show how the men are technically prisoners. They are chained down and cannot even move their head to turn around. They see only what is in front of them. The cave is like the prison, the home to these people that have complete ignorance.

5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?

In society I think our job shackles the mind. Mainly minimum wage jobs are this way. They use you, turn you into a robot and make it known that you are safe there for the rest of your life. There is no room to grow or expand. They want you in there working for your whole life and hope that you are ignorant enough to stay.

6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?

The perspective of the freed prisoner and that of the cave prisoner vary greatly. Those in the cave only see what is presented. The cutouts in front of the fire to create shadows manipulate the cave prisoner. The freed prisoner has seen the sun and therefore knows all. He knows there is more out there than just the cave. He can believe what he wants to believe now.

7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?

Intellectual confusion happened to the freed prisoner when he was released from the shackles. He was not sure what to do or where to go since he had never been anywhere before.

8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?

Socrates states that the cave prisoners may only be freed like this: The good fortune to somehow free themselves of their chain; The ability to listen to the freed prisoner and explore the world outside the cave. It is suggested that only by cooperative contemplation combined with individual will and effort that we as people can come to freedom.

9. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?

There is an immense distinction between appearances and reality. Things are not always what they seem, as a matter of fact they are not. The shadows were not what they were portrayed to be and it was all a distortion in appearance. 

10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?

The alternative to Socrates assumption would be that everything is what it appears to be. Everything is concrete and there were no illusions or trickery.

My Sonnet: A Sonnet On Hate

A Sonnet On Hate

No deep abyss of ocean drowns like hate,
Entombing all within its murky depth,
Consigning struggling hope to lose all breath
And plunge, submerging to her final fate.
No lofty mountain climbs to hate’s full height
Which no appeasing plea can ever scale
And reconciliation can but fail
If she should try surmounting in her plight.
No spreading sea is wider that hate’s breadth
Which no barque of compassion tries to cross
For it is sure to founder, with the loss
Of innocence, condemned to dismal death.
But hate itself can swim, and climb and sail
Away, if love returns to reconcile. 

C Richard Miles