DAY 5 - CYCLE 5 - SEMESTER 2

Today, we took a break from Macbeth today to discuss Lord of the Flies. We began the class with a 12 question quiz and then opened discussion on the novel with three basic prompts:

• Who GETS power? Why?
• Who WANTS power? Why?
• WHO DESERVES power? Why?

I asked you to take notes on the discussion and to substantiate claims with evidence. The three classes had quite different discussions, but ultimately arrived at some conclusions about power sharing and the perils inherent in establishing order in a group. Some classes got farther than others, connecting ideas in the book to their understanding of democracies, authoritarian regimes, oligarchies and republican (not the party) forms of government. Review your notes from today. Add to them. Jot a comment to this blog post, if so moved. Your insights are fantastic.

Each class investigated Piggy, Ralph and Jack's competencies, shortcomings, and challenges, and each class got around to talking about what the following items symbolize in a larger consideration of exercising power within a society:

• conch - rule of law, authority. Note that it has (through sound) the ability to call everyone together, but it can also be broken--it is fragile.
• fire--power. When controlled, it can be life-sustaining; when uncontrolled, it is a destructive force.
• glasses--Tekne, insight. Remember your studies of Greek history? This helpful tool is critical in establishing the infrastructure everyone relies on, and is a reflection of Piggy's intuitive understanding of what needs to be done (count the children, use the conch, recognize dangers, ask for names...).
• knife--militarism, violence, criminal element. Note that Jack is the one who carries the knife, who almost kills the pig, and who wants lots of rules so he may punish those who break them.
• little 'uns --society at large as well as its weaker members. Those in power are not only morally responsible for caring for them, they must do so effectively to maintain power.

There were a wide variety of questions that came up during the class:

• Why doesn't Jack kill the pig?
• What makes a person or a group "civilized?"
• Why are Piggy's suggestions dismissed, ignored, or criticized?
• What are deciding factors in the battle between civility and savagery? Are we predisposed toward one?
• What do our observations from today tell us about the nature of power?

After our discussion, I asked you to take a look at the three initial quotes again: in an ideal world, what would the answers to these be?

Tomorrow, we'll be heading back into Macbeth. Tomorrow and Friday, we'll be looking at a video performance of Act III.

HOMEWORK

Post FOUR important quotations and TWO literary terms on the appropriate pages on the wikispace. Be sure to study the literary terms closely. The majority of you need some review on those!

Group 2: Quotes Lit Terms

Group 4: Quotes Lit Terms

Group 6: Quotes Lit Terms