An Exploration of Human Nature
Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is a novel set in WWII on a deserted island. In the beginning, a group of young boys find themselves abandoned on the island with no adults. Early on, two young boys (Ralph and Piggy) find a conch. The conch quickly becomes a symbol for the structures and etiquette that guide our behavior. Ralph, a fairly mild boy, is elected leader of the boys, but as time goes on, another boy (Jack) becomes increasingly aggressive and rebellious. He takes on the role of hunter, abandoning all other tasks and responsibilities. As Jack becomes more and more bloodthirsty, he leads the older boys to abandon Ralph and form a clan of their own. The rules of society quickly fall away as the boys become increasingly wild. Jack's clan kill two other children, then hunt Ralph. Just as the boys are closing in for the kill, a naval officer shows up and rescues the children from the island.
Reflection
1. List one thing you've learned from writing this paper that you can apply to other writing assignments. What will that look like?
Writing this paper pushed me to choose my words wisely. There isn't much room to explain an entire novel in a single paragraph, so I was forced to be economical with my words and to mine the novel for the most important and relevant moments. This will help me to be more aware of my word usage in future essays, possibly by paring down on words or expanding where necessary.
2. Identify a specific revision you were asked to make and explain why (this can be at any stage of the writing process). How did you revise? What did you learn?
I chose to take out a portion of this paragraph that explained the division between the younger and older boys. I did this because I felt that it added nonessential information and length to the summary. I removed the sentences focused on that division and checked to make sure my transitions still worked in the paragraph. This taught me to choose my details carefully in summaries.
3. What are the conventions of a summary and how did you meet those in this assignment?
A summary is a concise, objective account of the facts, details, plot, or events of a text. I met these requirements by limiting my summary to a single paragraph, avoiding opinionated vocabulary, and reporting only the plot points of Golding's novel.
4. Given more time to work on this assignment, how would you improve it?
I would like to find a way to work in more information about the novel. I would rework the wording of my third sentence to avoid analysis and instead provide additional information about the text.
5. What is one thing you're proud of in this paper?
I am proud that I managed to condense the most important aspects of Golding's work in a single paragraph. I am also proud of the varied vocabulary I used (eg. bloodthirsty, rebellious, mild).
Writing this paper pushed me to choose my words wisely. There isn't much room to explain an entire novel in a single paragraph, so I was forced to be economical with my words and to mine the novel for the most important and relevant moments. This will help me to be more aware of my word usage in future essays, possibly by paring down on words or expanding where necessary.
2. Identify a specific revision you were asked to make and explain why (this can be at any stage of the writing process). How did you revise? What did you learn?
I chose to take out a portion of this paragraph that explained the division between the younger and older boys. I did this because I felt that it added nonessential information and length to the summary. I removed the sentences focused on that division and checked to make sure my transitions still worked in the paragraph. This taught me to choose my details carefully in summaries.
3. What are the conventions of a summary and how did you meet those in this assignment?
A summary is a concise, objective account of the facts, details, plot, or events of a text. I met these requirements by limiting my summary to a single paragraph, avoiding opinionated vocabulary, and reporting only the plot points of Golding's novel.
4. Given more time to work on this assignment, how would you improve it?
I would like to find a way to work in more information about the novel. I would rework the wording of my third sentence to avoid analysis and instead provide additional information about the text.
5. What is one thing you're proud of in this paper?
I am proud that I managed to condense the most important aspects of Golding's work in a single paragraph. I am also proud of the varied vocabulary I used (eg. bloodthirsty, rebellious, mild).