Thinking Outside the Box

Both Plato and Sartre have their focus on our limited knowledge of what is "out there" but differ in their ideas about what it is that prevents us from learning about it. Plato believes that it is outside forces that prevent our full understanding.  The 'controlled' environment that is presented at school or work or even the filters that are put in place by search engines such as Google and Yahoo and the advertisements that are presented to you on Facebook.  In "Allegory of the Cave", the cave and the chains restrict what the people see.  On the other hand, Sartre suggests that what we don't know is our own fault.  It's our own fear of what is "out there" that prevents us from seeking it. In "No Exit" even when the door is opened the people are still terrified to leave. 

To overcome these barriers we need to break free from the cave and the chains to learn about what is really out there. We need to understand that what we know isn't all there is to know.  And most importantly we need to have an open mind and not fear the things that we don't know or fully understand.

AP Term: Flashback

Flashback: A narrative device that flashes back to prior events. Also used as a way for authors or directors to inform you of something that happened before the current event.

The Notebook was one of the best movies I could think of to include because the entire movie is a series of flashbacks that take place while Noah is telling the story to Allie.



Also, if you have seen the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp) has lots of flshbacks about his childhood. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find a video of this...

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/pto/lowres/pton211l.jpg
And I just found this ^^ entertaining.

Literature Analysis #3

To Kill a Mockingbird 

By: Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird is a story about a girl named Scout and her story about her her brother Jem broke his arm. To explain how he broke his arm she takes us back to help us understand how it all started.  Scout's family lives in Alabama during the great depression and eventually both Scout and Jem become friends with a boy named Dill who is always interested in the spooky Radley house at the end of the street.  Eventually Dill has to leave and the year goes on, but Jem and Scout start finding what they believe to be gifts in a tree in tree in the Radley's yard. When Dill returns the next summer he is still infatuated with the Radley house. On his last night, the children decided to sneak onto the property to get a closer look at the house.  They are shot at by Nathan Radley and while trying to escape Jem loses his pants.  when he goes back the pants are fixed and folded for him. Jem and Scout continue to find gifts in the tree until Nathan Radley plugs it up. Scout’s father Atticus defends Tom Robinson (a black man) on trial and even though the man is innocent, he is still convicted because of the racist community. He is later shot to death while trying to escape.  Bob Ewell (the man who with his daughter convicted Robinson) is furious at Atticus and vows to get revenge. He attacks Jem and Scout on their way home from a Halloween party and breaks Jem’s arm. Boo Radley steps in and saves the children and kills Bob Ewell.  Scout finally fells as though she can see Boo Radley as an actual person and believes once again in human goodness.

I believe that the theme of the novel is Human Goodness. The book goes against all of the stereotypes that were in place during the great depression and shows that there is good in everyone no matter what their color or how different they are.

The author’s tone is innocent. It’s told in a way that could only be done through the eyes of a child. 

"I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks."

“Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad.”

(Talking to Jem about Dill) “Yeah. Don’t say anything about it yet, but we’re gonna get married as soon as we’re big enough. He asked me last summer.”

Symbols: The Mocking bird was the biggest one and represented innocence. Therefore to kill a mocking bird is to kill innocence. 

“Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy... but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

Imagery: The imagery that Lee uses throughout the book paints a vivid picture in your head about how Scout sees the people in her life.

“It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived."

Setting: The setting itself explains a lot. A small town in the south during the great depression is the only place where a story like this could take place.

“Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square.”

“The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box. As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it - whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.”

The Big Question

What are the genetic, biological, psychological, spiritual, cultural, and environmental factors that create the concept we call love?

Hamlet Essay

Performative utterance and self overhearing are techniques in which many authors choose to portray their characters. It allows us to understand what a character is really thinking and allows us to better appreciate the characters and their thought processes and actions. It is most easily recognized in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. Hamlet uses self overhearing to think through situations and come to decisions, which results in our ability to have a deeper understanding of Hamlet. He also uses performative utterance by turning his words into actions, again allowing for a more valuable comprehension of his meaning.  Without these two techniques, audiences wouldn’t be able to understand Hamlet on the level that they do. And these techniques don’t just pop up in books, they’re present in our lives as well.

We talk to ourselves and we do it all the time.  It doesn’t matter if it’s out loud or in our heads, or whether it's consciously recognized or not. We talk to ourselves about what’s going on in our everyday lives. We ask ourselves questions, and then in turn answer them.  This process of talking to ourselves is called self overhearing and was first thought up by Harold Bloom. By talking to ourselves we create new signals in our brain and we create new pathways for those signals to travel along. In my personal experience, I have found that self overhearing is an exceptional way of processing and dealing with new information. It’s something that I’ve been doing (without realizing it) even since I was a child. Every time I self overhear, I’m allowed a new opportunity to look at the same situation in a different way.  When memorizing “To be or not to be”, self overhearing allowed me to interpret the soliloquy in different ways and made it easier to memorize.  Without realizing it I was able look it over from a hundred different angles and view points allowing myself to come away with a better understanding of the soliloquy as a whole. It’s getting more bang for your buck. (In a sense)

Hamlet isn’t any different.  In every one of his soliloquies, Hamlet not only allows us access to his inner most thoughts, but he also makes himself subject to the affects of self overhearing.  That is to say that Hamlet is directly affected by the things he thinks about and goes over. He looks at things from different view points and analyzes them in a way that we wouldn’t be able to understand without him overhearing his spoken words.  Hamlet’s words not only describe the reality around him, but they create it as well (Performative utterance). When he vows to avenge his father by killing his uncle he’s not only describing what he’s going to do but also locking himself into that promise, therefore creating an action.  He finally carries out this action in the final scene of the play by stabbing his uncle. The way that Hamlet talks has an impact on the characters and the plot by influencing his thought process and the way that he goes about coming to decisions. Without this thought process, Hamlets thoughts wouldn’t turn into the actions that they create.

Performative utterance is also present in real life. The idea that words are also actions isn’t as far fetched as it sounds. “I now pronounce you man and wife” isn’t just describing what’s going on, it’s joining two people together. Therefore the words are also an action. There is also the locutionary force which is the ability of language to deliver a message. Followed by the illocutionary force which is what is done in being said. In other words, the meaning in which the message (locutionary force) was intended. Finally the perlocutionary force which is what is achieved by being said, or the direct outcome that the words have. An example would be someone saying, “I have total trust in you.” If we look at the words themselves we are looking at the locutionary force and the speaker appears to be delivering a heartfelt message. Unfortunately, this phrase was said sarcastically. Now we see the illocutionary force and realize that this wasn’t meant to be heartfelt at all. It meant the total opposite of what the locutionary force implied. Now whatever reaction the person being spoken to would have, would be an example of the perlocutionary force. 

Self overhearing and performance utterance are both very important when it comes to understanding characters in plays as well as people in real life. Hamlet’s self overhearing impacts his own thought process as well as our understanding of him as a character. Without the effects of self overhearing, people would be lacking a very critical and beneficial way of problem solving and self understanding.  Without performance utterance, it would be impossible to understand the true meaning behind anyones words or to even put meaning into words. Therefore, Hamlet’s words would create no action which would change the entire story and plot line. By including both of these techniques in Hamlet, Shakespeare allows us insight into Hamlet’s mind and helps us to realize that Hamlet’s words are not just words, they’re actions. 

An AP Exam-Worthy Essay

Hamlet and Beowulf are both very different characters for many different reasons.  Although none differentiates the two better than their use of language. Beowulf doesn't think through his actions or his thoughts out loud. Instead he tells us what he is going to do without pausing to think of the effects of his actions or what might happen after they are executed.  Hamlet on the other hand talk to himself about everything. He goes over things time and time again out loud and allows himself to self overhear. He thinks about both the good and bad sides of his actions.


Beowulf uses his language to tell us what he is going to do. He explains his actions but doesn't use his language to talk things through.  This in no way implies that he doesn't think about his actions before hand, it simply means that all of his thinking and processing is worked out in his hand.  "This fiend is a bold and famous fighter, but his claws and teeth... beating at my sword blade, would be helpless. I will meet him with my hands empty--unless his heart fails him, seeing a soldier waiting weaponless, unafraid. Let God in His wisdom extend His hand where He wills, reward whom he chooses!" Beowulf uses his language more for the benefit of others rather then his own benefit. He uses language and words to motivate others and encourage them rather then work out his problems and ideas.


Hamlet is the complete opposite of Beowulf.  Hamlet uses language mainly to think about his actions, ideas, and problems out loud.  By doing this Hamlet allows himself to self overhear and as a result come away with a better understanding of his own thoughts. Hamlet uses language almost exclusively for himself and his own benefit.  He looks at situations from all different angles and allows himself to see different viewpoints of the same issue. "To sleep--perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause." Through this method of self overhearing (listing to your own thoughts out loud) Hamlet not only allows himself a deeper understanding but also allows us as readers to better understand and interpret how he thinks. Without this valuable insight, our understanding of Hamlet as a character would be drastically altered. 


Hamlet's character is one that is defined because of the way he uses language to think. Beowulf on the other hand has his language and thought process defined for him because of the kind of character that he is. We learn about Hamlet through his countless soliloquies and the way that he uses self overhearing to learn about his own thoughts. "But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovered country, from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will, And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all..."  On the other hand, because Beowulf was created to be an epic hero, he had to posses those qualities known to and expected of such a character. So as a result, Beowulf doesn't self overhear or talk out his thoughts.  He uses language simply to describe his thoughts and convey them to others.  Both are valid ways of using language but because they are so different, they shape the characters in drastically different ways.


Hamlet and Beowulf are characters that use language in very different ways.  Hamlet uses language to deeply think things through and analyze them.  Where as Beowulf uses language to convey messages after having previously thought them through in his head.  Because of the differences in the way that the characters use language, we end up with two completely different characters with two completely different ways of thinking. 

The Major Concept

I think that one of the main things I've learned in this class is to do the things that scare you.  There's no way that you can ever improve if you don't step out of your comfort zone.  You have to take those somewhat scary risks and meet the challenges head on.

This video isn't about facing you academic challenges but it is about doing those things that scare you and turning out alright in the end. So, it can still be applied to stepping out of your comfort zone. Hope you like it :)

The Medium is the Message

Today in class we had a really cool video chat with Roy Christopher. If you don't know who Christopher is, he is a self published author who started off by making little booklets for BMX biking. He was also totally against new technology and computers when they first came out. He didn't want anything to do with them. But now he has his own website and tries to help us bridge the gap and find a balance between old and new technology. He finds ways to link things together that don't even seem to be in the same spectrum.  Christopher mixes cultures because that's what's happening in social media right now.  Different ideas and technologies and being shot out faster than almost anyone can count and they're all being mixed together in this '2.0 stew' if you will. And it's come to that point where we need to "program, or be programed." "The more you know about how things work, the closer you are to digital maturity."  But this in no way means that you need to go out and buy every single new device that's being put on the market.  You can pick and choose what you want to be a part of and avoid those things that have no interest to you. There is a lot of value in analog as well as in digital media and there's lots to be learned from both. What's important is that you know and understand the differences.  Christopher himself doesn't own a tablet or a smart phone because he enjoys the idea that he'll have something waiting for him when he gets home. A new email, a Facebook update, something like that. kind of like the excitement you get when you have something for you in the mail. (as long as its not a bill that is. lol)  And what's really cool is that Christopher thinks that adults and older generations should have more trust in teenagers ability to navigate and understand the Internet and all these new technologies. I personally thought that that was really cool :)  Thanks Roy :D

Link to Christopher's site: http://roychristopher.com/

Literature Analysis #2

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read.


     Of Mice and Men By: John Steinbeck is a story about two men to journey off to find work as farm hands in order to earn enough money to start their own farm. The two men (George and Lennie) and very different. George is smaller but very smart and has very "sharp, strong features". Lennie is very tall and has a sort of featureless face. He also has a mild mental disability and doesn't seem to know his own strength.  The two men work of the farm where they befriend a few people and try to stay away from Curley the farm owners son and his wife. They share their plan to own land with their friend Candy but swear to tell no one else of the plan.  While the other men are away, Lennie goes to the barn to pet a few puppies but accidentally kills one. Curley's wife tries to help Lennie but Lennie accidentally kills her too. Lennie back to the road that he and George walked on the way to the farm and hides. George finds Lennie and before the other men can find Lennie and hang him, George kills his friend as an act of mercy. 




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


     The theme of this novel is Brotherhood. The bond that Lennie and George have shared since they were kids is one that can never be broken.  George acted as Lennie's older brother for all of his life.  He helped Lennie through difficult times and protected him when he got into trouble. Lennie was always there for George too, though of course not in the way that George was there for him. Lennie was the best friend that George had and vice versa. 




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


The author's tone is one of hope. In everything that happens the characters are always looking to the future and knowing that one day everything will be better. 

"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. . . . With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us."

 “S’pose they was a carnival or a circus come to town, or a ball game, or any damn thing.” Old Candy nodded in appreciation of the idea. “We’d just go to her,” George said. “We wouldn’t ask nobody if we could. Jus’ say, ‘We’ll go to her,’ an’ we would. Jus’ milk the cow and sling some grain to the chickens an’ go to her.”

"The rabbits we're gonna get, and I get to tend 'em , cut grass an' give 'em water, 'an like that... It ain't no lie. We're gonna do it. Gonna get a little place an' live on the fatta the lan'."

4. Describe five literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the theme and/or your sense of the tone.  Include three excerpts that will help your reader understand each one.


Foreshadowing: Candy's dog being shot foreshadows Lennie's own death.

"He pulled the trigger.  The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering."

Dialogue: The way the characters talk brings you into the time setting of the novel.

"A guy sets alone out here at night, maybe readin’ books or thinkin’ or stuff like that. Sometimes he gets thinkin’, an’ he got nothing to tell him what’s so an’ what ain’t so. Maybe if he sees somethin’, he don’t know whether it’s right or not. He can’t turn to some other guy and ast him if he sees it too. He can’t tell. He got nothing to measure by. I seen things out here. I wasn’t drunk. I don’t know if I was asleep. If some guy was with me, he could tell me I was asleep, an’ then it would be all right. But I jus’ don’t know." 

Tone: The tone always reminds you of how hopeful George and Lennie are that everything will turn out alright in the end.

"We'll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. When it rains in the winter, we'll just say the hell with goin' to work, and we'll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an' listen to the rain comin' down on the roof."

Tools that Change the way We Think

Now a days it seems like I change topics really fast. It's not that I can't concentrate one thing, but I just get bored with only one subject for an extended period of time. I think that this might be a reflection of the way the internet allows you to have 5 different things going on at once. Facebook chat going on, music from iTunes or YouTube, researching information for school on Google, checking your mail, and Skyping with that family member in Texas. Doing one thing and one thing alone just isn't heard of anymore... My priorities have shifted too. Instead of focusing on the long term benefits of getting work done early, I focus on the short term rewards of procrastinating. (Maybe that's why I'm doing this assignment at 9:40) Back in the days when smart phones and internet didn't exist, you had to go about finding information in a much different way. You had to find someone who might know about the topic you had in mind or go to a library and look it up. Now it's only a few clicks away on your computer at home or on your phone in the middle of class. (Because God forbid you should ever have to sit through a class without texting) We want our information. We want it quick and we want it sooner rather than later.

In Search of...

From this video I learned that your filter bubble is designed for you and only you. No one else will see those same results even if they were to type the exact same thing in the search engine. Also, you don't ever get to see what the algorithms don't think you want to see. They filter things based on your past searches and if they don't think that something is relevant, they wont show it to you. End of story...
This new information makes me feel really small... Almost insignificant. I'm just another number or code in their eyes. It also makes me feel somewhat lied to. They aren't showing me everything that's outnthere and making me believe that what I see is everything that there is.
It makes me wonder what else is really out there. Im starting to realize that the Internet really is as big and dangerous as everyone says it is. And that's a really scary thought.
I guess to improve my searches I have to be very specific about what I want. I can't just use general terms. Also is I tried different phrasings of the same idea it might generate more results that I wouldn't have gotten the first time at it.


This time when I did the Shakespeare search I didn't just type in "William Shakespeare" and call it good with what I got the first time. I searched on 3 different computers and I typed in things like "Mr. Shakespeare" "Greatest English poet" really just anything I though might provide a different result. And to be honest, I didn't really get anything new. I got a little bit moremon his early life and am more organized list of the prices that he wrote but that's it.n this might be because I regularly use all of these computers and they already have my filter bible in place. I was hoping that this wouldnt occur seeing as that my parents also use the computers but it didn't go as well as I had hoped... To really get away from my filter bubble I think I'll have to go to a public library or a friends house and do a few searches over there.

Notes on Hamlet

 Post to your blog under the title, "Notes on Hamlet." Explain how your thinking about the play has evolved from the time we began reading to the end of Act III. Has anything changed your mind about the plot or characters since the ghost showed up at midnight? Where do you see things going from here?


     When we first started this play I thought that I was going to hate it. But now I can honestly say that I like it a lot more than I had originally thought that I would.  I feel as if I better understand hamlet as a character, a person and as a thinker. After studying the monologue I feel a lot more connected to the way he thinks and i can better predict what his next move or action will be. I used to think that Polonious was a good man who just worried about his daughter but now I think of him as a sneaky brown nose-er with a hidden agenda. He seems to only want to get n the kings good side and he'll take any measures to do that.  He spies on people and sends people to do his spying for him.  From here I can only see things getting worse. Hamlet will continue to fall apart and so will his uncle until they will finally have no choice but to battle it out. Hamlet will fight his uncle and his uncle will die.

Who was Shakespeare?

     "William Shakespeare" (According to Wikipedia) He was an English poet and playwright and thought to be the greatest writer in the English-Language.  Was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and married Anne Hathaway at age 18.  No one knows for sure when he was born but it is assumed to be in early 1564.  There are no school records of him but it is assumed he went to a free school next to his home. He had three children during the course of his marriage but one died at age 11.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare )


     "William Shakespeare" (According to The Literature Network)  He wrote 30+ plays and histories, 154 sonnets, and 5 poems. The website states that he has caused much controversy dealing with the question of whether or not he actually wrote his works or borrowed and added on to other previously published works.
( http://www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/ )


     When I hear the name Shakespeare, I'm filled with this great sense of awe and admiration. I love the idea of Shakespeare and the way that he spoke. But as soon as I sit down to read his plays, I can think of 100 other things I'd rather be doing. I like the idea of Shakespeare and what he writes but I detest having to actually sit down and struggle through his language. 

To Facebook or Not to Facebook

     When Facebook first came into view for me, I hated it.  I thought that Myspace was SO much better. You could play more games, the format was cooler and you could change the background! How awesome is that?! But finally I grew up a little and realized that Myspace is lame. (no offense to those who like Myspace) I really enjoy Facebook because it makes it so easy to stay in touch with the friends that I wouldn't see on a day to day basis. I can be kept updated with little to no effort on my part other than a few mouse clicks. But you do have to be careful. Once something is on the internet, good luck getting it off. The article made me realize that just because my Facebook settings are 'private' doesn't mean that they're actually private. Millions of people can still see your wall and photos. Companies can view what you like and dislike and advertise to you specifically. 
     Do you have any idea how scary it is to do a Google search of yourself and actually see pictures of yourself?! I do because that's what I just did...  from now on I'm gonna be extra careful about what I say, do, and post online.

(Don't) Be Hamlet

Now that you've mastered the text of "To be, or not to be..." reflect on Hamlet's dilemma and help him make up his mind. Use the text of the play and your own logic to support your opinion.


     In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet begins to contemplate the choice between life and death.  He wonders if putting up with all his trials and tribulations is actually worth all the trouble that he's going through day by day.  But there's a problem... While ending it all might make for an easy way out, there's no telling what lies beyond death. He also wonders whether it's more honorable to keep on fighting what appears to be a losing battle or surrender to the promise of eternal peace.


     Hamlet has been put through a lot. His father has been killed by his uncle, his mother seems to have totally forgotten his father, and he can't quite seem to get the girl.  As all these problems begin to accumulate he starts to stress out and think about alternatives to the troubles.  The easiest being suicide. A "bare bodkin" would quickly end "the sea of troubles".  Suicide would mean that he doesn't need to watch his uncle take his father's place, he wouldn't have to constantly see his mother hanging all over his uncle, and he would never have to worry about all the drama between Ophelia and himself.  


     But a problem presents itself. "...in that sleep of death what dreams may come?" We can't really say that death promises peace because there's no way to know that.  When someone dies, they're gone.  We can't ask what death is like and even if we did, they could never answer us. "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all..." By not knowing what lies in the unknown, Hamlet almost fears death more than he fears continuing to live with "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."  There's another problem as well. Hamlet wonders is giving up on a hard life is noble. He knows that it's a sin and that can actually make a decision harder. After all, the forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest. 


     I would tell Hamlet to not give up on life. Not only because it would be a sin to do so and he doesn't know what death will bring but also because it won't solve anything.  It won't change the fact that his father is dead. It won't make his mother hate his uncle and it will make it impossible for  the drama between himself and Ophelia to ever be resolved.  By continuing to live and fight against these hard times, Hamlet would prove to be a noble, brave, and courageous warrior. 


     Hamlet is dealing with the death of his father, what seems to be his mothers betrayal of his father and drama with a girl.  All of these are hard enough to deal with by themselves, but put them all together and you've got a mess of problems that would drive anyone mad. This leads Hamlet to start thinking about suicide and how it would how would get rid of the pain.  But in actuality, it wouldn't solve anything.  It would also be a sin and very un-noble of him. 

Literature Anaylsis

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read.


After the plane crashes, Ralph takes over as leader and Jack becomes in charge of food. Ralph, Jack and Simon go off to explore and decide to light a fire to attract a plane. It burns out of control and one of the boys dies. Jack is more concerned with hunting and Ralph more with shelter and finding adults.  When Jack makes his first kill, he starts to turn into a savage as well as the other hunters. A fight breaks out between some of the boys and the little boys start to become afraid. One morning some of the boys wake up and see the outline of a dead man with a parachute and think that it is a beast. Ralph and Jack are now at each other's throats and the boys start picking sides. Jack and his boys become savage and make an offering to the beast of a pig's head on a spear. Simon tries to tell the group that the beast doesn't exist but they kill him.  The next day Piggy gets killed by a boulder and Ralph is almost killed by spears. Ralph runs from Jack and his followers as they set the forest on fire and Ralph finds himself at the feet of a Naval officer who has come to rescue them. 


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


    I believe that the theme of the novel is learning how to grow up. By not having any adults around, the boys must grow up (or try to grow up) very quickly. They learn the importance of rules.  All of a sudden grown ups always telling them what to do doesn't seem so bad.  They turn from good boys into savages in only a matter of a few days because they don't know how to grow up that quickly.




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


     The authors tone is vey pessimistic.  Everything that happens in the story always seems to lead to something bad. The author doesn't really give us much hope while reading this book.

 "There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast. . . . Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! . . . You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are the  way they are?”  

"Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy."

“What I mean is . . . maybe it’s only us” 

 

4. Describe five literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the theme and/or your sense of the tone.  Include three excerpts that will help your reader understand each one.


Tone: All throughout the book Golding makes you think that there is no hope for these boys and so the ending comes as a complete shock. 
"What I mean is... Maybe it's only us."


Diction: Golding makes some characters mess up words so a s to remind you how young they really are.
"Sucks to your ass-mar!"


Imagery: Golding makes the beast really come alive and makes you feel as if the beast is haunting not only the characters in the story but you as well.
“There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast. . . . "