"My father's in the Navy. He said there aren't any unknown islands left. He says the Queen has a big room full of maps and all the islands in the world are drawn there. So the Queen's got a picture of this island."
Again came the sounds of cheerfulness and better hear.
"And sooner or later a ship will be put in here. It might even be Daddy's ship. So you see, sooner of later, we shall be rescued." (Page 37)
I can relate what Ralph is saying here to the "Hero speech" we heard yesterday during the assembly. You can tell Ralph is trying to be a good leader and most of the time someone who is a leader is a hero. But Ralphs actions and aren't very heroic. He doesn't equally care for everyone, he ignores Piggy and the Littleun's. Which isn't the definition of a hero. A hero is someone who has morals and stands up for what he/she believe. They also take action. Ralph is all talk and no 'do'. He has to come up with something realistic and that isn't just a 'possibility'. Piggy is the ideal hero. He stands up for what he believes and walks the talk.
I agree with most of this post. The one point I'd like to add is about heroes as leaders. Oftentimes, it's not the leader who is the hero; instead it's the person behind the scenes or the group who rebels against evil. Being a hero can make you a leader, but just because you're a leader, it doesn't automatically make you a hero. A leader could be commanding people to kill others, taking control over choice. There are bad leaders who become villains. In these cases, it's the one who stands strong against the villain by fighting for what is right, who becomes the hero. This could be someone rejected from society, someone who's never had a chance to speak up before. I think what you had to say about Piggy is really true. Both him and Simon have been the only two people who have shown prominent heroic action thus far. Piggy especially has been rejected, and yet he still stands up for his beliefs. One other thing I think could be interesting to discuss is the perspective on what a hero really is. The villain thinks they're the hero and the "hero" usually thinks they're the hero. What is the perspective of the "villain"? Is the "hero" really the hero?
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting point, most people do think of Ralph as a good leader. I also agree with Julia, that a hero isn't always a leader. I think it is important to note, however, that even though we can try to treat everyone equally, it will never really happen. I get the sense that Ralph is trying to be a good leader, especially as the book progresses. I feel that a hero is someone who tries their best to stand up for what they believe in and help others. However, the word hero, like the words right and wrong, has very different definitions depending on who you ask. I have a feeling though, that no non-human creature would recognize any of us as a hero.
I agree with all three points noted above, but I would also like to add one more thing. When watching the Human Zoo episodes, they stated that it only takes 15 seconds for people to already make an impression after meeting someone, and only 150 milliseconds if someone is attractive or not. In the first chapter of Lord of The Flies, Golding already portrays Ralph as the hero, stating that "he might make a boxer" and that "there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil". This automatically gives the readers an impression that he is going to be the main character/hero, since he is the first character mentioned and he "proclaimed no devil".
ReplyDeleteSo does Ralph's appearance influence the boys in making him chief? Or is Ralph's power truly out of work and effort of getting to that high authority level?
This is particularly true since both Piggy and Simon, the only two who might fit the "hero" mold at this point, have terrible first impressions. Piggy is "greasy", "plump" and "fat", Simon faints and "flop[s] on his face" initially. On the other hand, Jack is "golden", "tall" and "uniformed". Does this foreshadow how Jack will eventually become chief, and the deaths of Piggy and Simon?
DeleteI agree with everything that you have listed in the blog post. Something I would like to add is that even Golding sees this point that you have made. Golding portrays Ralph as a character that people look up to and it creates an illusion for readers to think that he is a hero. However haven't we also recognize that Piggy is one of the protagonists in the story?
ReplyDeleteI think that through this point Golding is trying to portray how people in society are blinded by many things inconsideration of who is hero and who isn't.
Your blog post is really good!
I agree that Ralph does not make for a very good hero however, it's easy to see Ralph as a leader because that is how Golding portrays him but I also agree with Julia's point about how leaders are not always heroes. There have been many occasions in history where the strongest and most powerful leaders do horrible things to their people and are far from heroes.
ReplyDeleteI think that as the book progresses I believe Ralph begins to become more of a hero by standing up for piggy later in the book and for not agreeing with jack and staying with his piggy and the littluns when everyone else left. He is a hero at first but he grows into that hero nature
ReplyDeleteI think that as the book progresses I believe Ralph begins to become more of a hero by standing up for piggy later in the book and for not agreeing with jack and staying with his piggy and the littluns when everyone else left. He is a hero at first but he grows into that hero nature
ReplyDeleteI think as the book has progressed, Ralph may not be a hero but he is also only human. He doesn't listen to the littluns and Piggy because he is afraid that what they might say is true. For example, Ralph assures everyone that there is no beast because the beast is something he doesn't understand and cannot control. By accepting that there is some higher authority above him on the island scares him. In order to be the hero he wants to be, he needs to be strong and not show weakness. This may not make him our idea of a hero but he could be a hero to the other boys.
ReplyDelete