Rating:  Summary: not what I expected Review: The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, takes place on an island with no adult supervision. Stuck on this island is a group of boys; most of them turn to hunting and killing (This group is led by Jack Merridew), and the two others (named Piggy and Ralph) stick to rules and trying to be rescued. Essentially, this quote: "Which is better- to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?" (164) covers the theme of this book. I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, the ending and theme of this book leave the reader thinking. On the other hand, the majority of the book is not very exciting. The theme and ending of the Lord of the Flies were what kept my interest. The quote: "Which is better- to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?" is one that cannot be answered easily. It was very interesting how the boys dealt with the question, and how most of them leaned toward the hunting and killing aspect of survival. However, despite the fact that the idea of the book is interesting, it is very slow moving. There is a lot of description of events, which makes the book uninteresting. One example is when they are describing what will happen with the fire which they keep going to catch the eye of a ship that could rescue them. There is a lot of dialogue and description that could be done without. For example, when Piggy and Ralph find out that Jack let the fire go out, there are two pages of description of their reaction. Some of the characters are also underdeveloped. One character, Simon, plays an important role in the book, yet he only appears a few times. He is the one who discovers the Lord of the Flies. Still, he is barely described, and the reader does not get a good enough sense of his personality. This lack of description also makes the reader care less about these characters, so, the scenes that they're in seem less important. I even had to re-read the part about the Lord of the Flies, because since I didn't think Simon was very important, I didn't pay too much attention to that scene. Additionally, the book skips around. Simon, for example, leaves the group to search for the beast (which is the Lord of the Flies). It goes back and forth between Simon and the Lord of the Flies interacting, and the rest of the boys discussing what to do with the conch. This takes emphasis off of this important part, and it is also confusing. I had to re-read a few parts. The end of the book was sort of worth wile. It was simply a nice ending, and nice is exactly the word that explains it; it wasn't exciting, happy, sad, etc., just plain nice. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy symbolism, detail, and adventure stories. I would not recommend this to someone who is looking for some leisure reading. It is fairly complicated, and un-exciting. I chose to read this book because I heard that it was an outstanding classic. However, after reading it, I have found otherwise.
Rating:  Summary: yuck! Review: It was terrible and I like most of the books I read.
Rating:  Summary: Bourgeois tripe. Review: That filth such as this is mandatory reading in many schools across the country is a damning testament to the class-nature of the ideology peddled in America's institutions of "learning."
Rating:  Summary: truly scary Review: William Golding addresses what happens to society if the norms are broken down and anarchy takes its place. Golding uses English school boys stranded on a remote desert isle for his study of society. At first, the boys agree to work together with Ralph trying to maintain order by assigning various chores such as food gathering and keeping a signal fire for search and rescue attempts. Not long afterward, Jack challenges Ralph and lures the boys away to live like savages hunting wild pigs and running around in paint. As jack gains power among the boys, Ralph finds himself suddenly being hunted by his former friends.Lord of the Flies is an intense look at larger society if the norms are ever overturned. At first it is fun acting any way one wants when there are no adults to oversee. However, the mundane chores stop being done and order breaks down. The young children that were being looked after, just disappear without reason and nobody seems to mind or notice. The savage group reacts alomost with casual abandon when one of the group is accidentally killed by the rest. When order is tried to be reinstated, chaos reacts swiftly and harshly. Lord of the Flies is both a great read and a very important book.
Rating:  Summary: A book for every teenage boy Review: As a student in high school, this was the only "required reading" book I ever read entirely in one night. In fact, it was probably the only required book I ever read entirely. A group of boys suddenly alone on a desert island. The island becomes a micro-view of life around the planet. Without understood boundaries, democracy is quickly replaced with despotism; peaceful serenity and total freedom quickly lead to wanton violence and sadism. What is truly necessary for survival? What separates civilization and savagery? What's the use of rules and regulations? How important is it to belong to society? How long should you hold out hope when all seems hopeless? Are we designed for peace or conflict? Now, stand back and look at the world in which we live. Are we "civilized" peoples running things any better than a group of lost boys?
Rating:  Summary: lord of the fleas Review: i thought this book was [bad]. at first but then I loved it. the plot starts off slow but then get very deep. this book is great it causes you to ask yourself what would I do. a quicker beginning would of helped the book a lot
Rating:  Summary: FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES, I READ THIS BOOK Review: For educational purposes in my high school, i was forced to read this book. Well.. forced was not the exact word. It was a suggestion in my best interest to do it. When i first recieved the book, I was a bit suspicious as for it's purpose, but after reading it have found it very enlightening. The characters are briliantly described, each representing a different sector of each part of society and each having a pivotal role on the island. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about wilderness, internal conflict and has a spare rainy day.
Rating:  Summary: Lord of the flies Review: William Golding wrote a good book contrasting two types of war. Boys are stranded on an island after a plane crash. They are challenged to face a number of opsticals, including death. The time set is during WWII.
Rating:  Summary: Boring! Review: This story happens very slowly and painfully. It is the most boring story I have ever read in my entire life. Some of the characters who are meant to be important are never really developed such as Simon and Roger. The only thing that makes this book possibly worth reading is the fact that it is very short and that the symbolic meaning is important and interesting. The message of this story is that we could not survive with no rule. We would become savages. I would not reccomend reading this classic.
Rating:  Summary: A classic Review: This book appeals to a wide range of ages. Teens will appreciate the story on the superficial level while adults will be drawn by the deeper social commentary. The symbolism here is artfully constructed and each reader will interpret the book a little differently. There's a reason this book is considered a classic
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