E1 U5 "Inmigración Conectar a Mi."

Chloe Simmons.

Eso es me.

Padres, tíos y tías, primos, hermanos.

No clandestinos. No en mi época.

Nosotros volamos alto

Como un ave.


Veo temer de gente incolor.

Oigo estereotipos implícito a me.

Huelo la innecesaria químicas en mi aire.

Saboreo el sangre esa haber mudar

Toco el piel de un de negro chica.


Necesito obtener mi vida junto.

Hablo feliz mentiras.

Pienso de el hiriente verdad.

Juego mi baraja de cartas con cuidado.


Somos nacer en el USA.

Somos descendientes de perdido hijos de África.

Hablamos ingles,

La lengua de maíz.

No somos completamente Americanos.

No somos completamente Africanos.

Solo pieza de su comparido historia…

De alguna manera, somos completos.

Advanced Essay #4 Problems on the Internet

You ever wonder what cyberbullying was like before it became a high profile case of violence? The cyberbullying we know today does not have the same effect it did in the past. In the 90s cyber bullying was not seen as a form of non physical violence. Believe it or not, being a jerk on the internet used to be considered. Insults were simpler, more benign, and a learning experience. The name was even different in the 90s cyber bullying was called “flaming”.

Flaming was based on having group chats online and when a newbie were to join in the conversation saying “Hey I’m new here, can you tell me what goes on here?” There were stages of flaming and this is the beginning of “flame”. One the first step is done it allowed the other members of the group chat to make a sarcastic joke to the newbie, which in today's terms is trolling. Although some people may considered trolling a bad thing, because of them making offensive remarks. Flaming was not supposed to be what it is seen now, in some cases cyberbullying.

As technology advances, the rate of crime online increases. Specifically speaking hacking has become an even more problem, and cyberattacks. The definition of cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature. Now this can relate to hacking. The definition of hacking is use a computer to gain unauthorized access to data in a system. Now that you know the definitions, let’s go into examples. An example of cyberbullying is from the profound video of Amanda Todd cyberbullying experience. Throughout the video it mentions several events that occurred to her, however this quote “If you don’t put on a show for me I will send ur boobs. He knew my address, school, relatives, friends, family names.” Amanda Todd was paranoid and did not want to get anybody hurt so she went with the idea and gave the guy a show.

Now flaming is nowhere near the same as cyberbullying. Cyberbullying has lead to physical damages to the person getting bully while flaming did not lead to anything. It was more of a funny group chat as we call it today. Hacking is also one of the reasons why cyberbullying is happening due to people getting into information that is meant to be hidden. Heck even our government can get hacked and let out information that is supposed to be hidden from the american people. There have been multiple movies/school presentations on bullying or cyberbullying. Most of the options at the end they either ask you to take an anonymous survey asking if you are being bullied or if someone is. Another option is saying do not stay silent speak out, and get help. These things do not help because their are still cases of major bullies scenarios. Now I would to propose a bill to make those who are bullying people to pay a fine. Now that may take a while, but it is about time someone takes the extra step.

Now that you know the difference between how the idea of cyberbullying was in the 90s compared to now it is a major contrast. Suicide rates have been increasing due to stress, school, bullying, cyberbullying or for even more reasons. Flaming did not lead to any problems besides the fact of getting you can say pranked. Flaming was designed for people to have a fun group chat and mess with the newbies, however cyberbullying may lead to hackers finding info and blackmail the person into doing things they may not want to do like Amanda Todd. You can sort of consider flaming the start of cyberbullying. There were problems but legislations were not made until the nearing of 2008-2010.


The Beast in Modern Religion

Paxton Wentzell

Ms. Pahomov

English 10

4/03/17

The Beast in Modern Religion

During a nuclear war, an evacuation plane filled with English schoolboys crash-lands on an uninhabited island. The boys attempt to govern themselves as their humanity quickly escapes them. A central theme present throughout William Golding’s 1954 Nobel Prize-Winning novel Lord of The Flies is the temperament of the Christian god. The exploration of this theme in Golding’s work spawned from The Coral Island, a 19th Century children’s book by R. M. Ballantyne that focuses on Christian ideals. Golding flipped these ideals on their heads in Lord of The Flies and introduces a mysterious, existential ‘beast’ that was manifested by a group of boys desperate for spiritual leadership. Lord of the Flies juxtaposes civilization and salvation against savagery and fear. The boys’ ready conformity to the beast shows that humans can be just as, if not more successful, when given something to fear rather than something to strive for. In the real world, religions often rely on a fearsome, vengeful god to motivate a particular set of behavior.

The uninhabited island that the boys are stranded on is a microcosm of life on Earth. On the island, as in real life, humans are left to seek their own meaning and spiritual guidance. Some guidance rests on a benevolent god while others rely on a vengeful one to shape human behavior. While on an expedition to learn more about the island, Ralph, Jack, and Simon realize that they had landed on paradise. “‘But this is a good island. We-Jack, Simon, and me-we climbed the mountain. It’s wizard. There’s food and drink, and-’ ‘Rocks-’ ‘Blue flowers-’... ‘While we’re waiting we can have a good time on this island’” (p. 34) Mother nature, repleted with all the resources needed for survival and enjoyment, represents the loving, giving god. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that “God created everything for man, but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to him” (Part 1; Section 2; Chapter 1; Article 1; Paragraph 6; Line 358) Thus, in the Catholic religion, god is a loving provider as long as humanity also demonstrates love. Yet, the boys in the novel do not follow the path of the loving, giving god. Instead, they follow the way of the Beast.

The beast is modeled after the Christian devil as evidenced by the fact that his name, The Lord of the Flies refers to Beelzebub, the devil. The chapter titles related to the Beast in Golding’s book (e.g., Beast from Water) also have parallels in The Book of Revelation (e.g., Beast from Sea). It is by this fearsome, vengeful beast that the boys are motivated to collaborate. Prior to the discovery of the beast, most of the boys merely bask in the beauty of the island. “They’re hopeless, The older ones aren’t much better. D’you see? All day I’ve been working with Simon. No one else. They’re off bathing, or eating, or playing” (p. 50) It isn’t until their fear and devotion towards the beast develop that the boys begin to create and achieve goals. For one, they manage to hunt successfully and engage in a religious sacrificial ceremony. “Jack held up the head and jammed the soft throat down on the pointed end of the stick which pierced through into the mouth...‘This head is for the beast. It’s a gift’” (p. 136-7) The beast requires sacrifices and easily manipulates the boys’ behavior by instilling fear. The Christian god has similar requirements. “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His loving kindness, To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine” (Psalm 33:18-19) It is common find the fear of god being considered a positive trait in Abrahamic religions. A god-fearing man is trustworthy because he fears God’s wrath, whereas the Pharaoh, for example, who did not fear God was visited by calamity and ended up with his nation destroyed.

Outside of religious text, psychological studies generally agree on the power of fear to incite actions. The article, “God’s Punishment and Public Goods, shows that fear of God does in fact lead to stronger cooperation. “Cooperation towards public goods relies on credible threats of punishment to deter cheats. However, punishing is costly, so it remains unclear who incurred the costs of enforcement in our evolutionary past. Theoretical work suggests that human cooperation may be promoted if people believe in supernatural punishment for moral transgressions.” Other studies also support the superiority of fear over other motivators. According to “Psychology Today,” “There are many things that motivate us. But the most powerful motivator of all is fear. Fear is a primal instinct that served us as cave dwellers and today. It keeps us alive.” Moreover, a meta-analysis on fear published on Sage Journals “suggests that strong fear appeals produce high levels of perceived severity and susceptibility, and are more persuasive than low or weak fear appeals.” In other words, not only is fear an effective motivator, more fear is even more effective. In terms of the Lord of the Flies, being eaten by the Beast certainly qualifies as high severity and in terms of Abrahamic religions, there is no higher stake than eternal damnation!

Another indication that Golding intends to suggest fear as the main driver for human actions is that Beast, like all emotions, is not external to the boys. Beast is actually an emotional expression of the boys. In the novel, The Lord of The Flies speaks with Simon, teaching him about the true origin and nature of the beast. “‘You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you?” (p. 143) “Simon found he was looking into a vast mouth. There was blackness within, a blackness that spread... ‘We shall do you? See? Jack and Roger and Maurice and Robert and Bill and Piggy and Ralph. Do you. See?’” (p. 144) Jack, Roger, Maurice, Robert, Bill, Piggy, Ralph and finally Simon are incorporated into the belly of the beast. Thus, the Beast, which represents fear, is manifested by the boys. The notion that the manifestation of a destructive god can be a powerful determinant of human behavior is found in Hinduism. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion with 33 deities representing various aspects of humans. The three principle deities are Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer. Shiva is the agent for change. Only when Shiva wrecks havoc to the status quo would humans change their behavior. Otherwise, Vishnu would continue to preserve. Hindus commonly greet each other with the word, “Namaste,” which translates to “I bow to the god inside of you.” In Hinduism, humans are in control of manifesting their own universe. Every object, incident, or emotion that exists is a creation of their minds, just like the Beast is a creation of the boys so that they can be led to actions that are meaningful for them.

By transporting life on earth into a small paradise island and shrinking humanity into a group of English schoolboys, William Golding cleverly implores his readers to take a step back in order to fully view human life for what it truly is. He showcases the power of fear as the superior motivator by imbuing the vengeful god found in various religions into Beast who scares the boys into action. Golding’s philosophical view of fear is supported by a plethora of psychological studies on the topic, ranging from fear of god, to fear of evil, to fear of death. The Lord of The Flies takes this negative fear and flips it into a more positive outlook on life. After all, the boys create Beast for their own survival. While keeping the ever-present and looming inevitability and uncertainty of death throughout the book, Golding does not ever imply that life is unimportant or inconsequential. In fact, he conveys the importance of life and actions during one’s lifetime because there is a constant fear of death. He suggests simply that the fear of pain or death in this lifetime is more motivating than the hope for eternal salvation.


Citations

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York : Penguin, 2006.


The Holy Bible: containing the Old and New Testaments translated out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently compared & revised. New York: American Bible Society, 1986. Print.ible: containing the Old and New Testaments translated out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently compared & revised. New York: American Bible Society, 1986. Print.


"Catechism of the Catholic Church."Catechism of the Catholic Church. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.


Reardon, JoHannah, Stan Guthrie, and John Ortberg with Johannah Reardon. "What does it mean to fear God?"ChristianBibleStudies.com | Transformed by the truth. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.


Jackson, Frederick.Lord of the flies: notes. Toronto: Coles Pub. Co., 1979. Print.


Wise, Jeff, Rick Hanson Ph.D., and Richard Lovett. "The Most Powerful Motivator."Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.


"Sign In: Registered Users."Health Education & Behavior. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.


Johnson, Dominic D. P. "God's Punishment and Public Goods."SpringerLink. Springer-Verlag, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.


Monastery, Kauai's Hindu. "Nine Beliefs of Hinduism." Basics of Hinduism. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2017. <https://www.himalayanacademy.com/readlearn/basics/nine-beliefs>.

Q3 Slideshow

Once again, I don't think I did very well this quarter. For the bike drawing, I couldn't draw with good detail or proportions on such a large paper. I hadn't used charcoal in several years so I did quite poorly on the optical illusions. I'm not sure if I was supposed to do anything special with the shaded forms, so those are pretty dull. The mandala was a total rush job as I was working on benchmarks at the time and didn't work on it. Honestly, the only thing I did this quarter that I'm actually proud of is the eye drawing and I only spent about half an hour on it. Overall, I had another mediocre quarter. At least I'm consistent.

Artist Statement Q3

This quarter in Advanced Art I challenged myself to apply actual effort into each of my pieces. I feel that in this quarter I accomplished my goals and my art work shows it. To start with, my bike drawing was one of my best works. I had to apply lots of my memory to this project. Next week, when tackling illusions, it was very challenging. But, I still managed to have a good product n the end. With the shading forms project there really wasn't much for me to express artistically in that project. Next for the eye drawing I was able to shade correctly and create a nice looking eye. It resembled that of an adult woman's eye. Finally, for the Mandala I decided to use as many colors as I could find and overall the final product was decent.

Violence In Social Media

This essay was a natural interest when I was first introduced to it. It was something I had seen everyday and known well. But once trying to explore it more, it became something hard to transcribe unto a paper. I had all the ideas in my mind yet none could be made through words. In this essay, I focused on how videos on social media are very harmful and hurt people involved more than ones who just sit and watch these problems. 

Violence in Social Media


It was a very crowded place. We were in this huddle when I saw multiple unknown faces in a rage. The temperature had risen, and tensions were high. I didn’t know what was going on. I had no idea where I was. All I knew was that I was the youngest there and everyone was so angry. I began thinking, how had I been involved in such a violent encounter? Did I do something? This woman was walking towards me, she didn’t seem happy. WHAT DID I DO?! I had to figure it out soon, I only had a couple seconds before a really unfriendly meeting. I began listing things I knew made no sense, yet one had to be a reason. She reached me; only one thing came to mind. I shouted, “I’m sorry!” In the process I woke up with big gasps of breaths. It had only been a dream. What was my dream for me is sadly a reality for many others; it is something that occurs daily for many. Violence is everywhere, but very commonly seen on social media. There is no way to avoid it; once you stop scrolling. Those videos you watch are actual people, with actual feelings, and are actually hurting from this. Social media videos affect the people involved more than the ones that watch.

There was a fight in school with two junior girls. The fight started over the two girls not liking each other. Who would have thought that a mutual disliking of each other could end so violent? Who would've thought that people would have the audacity to film and post these fight videos for laughs and likes on social media Our youth often react to these videos with comical remarks like, “Haha, she really got beat up” or “She shouldn’t have been running her mouth.” As if it was the girl's fault to be abused and attacked over something so miniscule. We subconsciously erase these people as humans to be able to laugh at their pain. Since we don’t know these random girls and boys on our timelines it's easy to poke fun and ridicule these strangers. We need to realize that they are human as well, we cannot erase their humanity for our entertainment.


There have been several cases where these recorded fights in school bathrooms have ended fatally for one the fighters. An article on Daily Mail, tells an event that occurred last April. A middle school girl named Amy was in a school fight with another girl in the bathroom. It was said that the fight was over a boy. Amber was jumped by a couple other girls and was severely injured. This fight was recorded, everyone took sides and rooted on. They’d comment under the video how badly they’d punched her, or stomped on her. However, a couple hours later, after she was taken to the hospital, Amber was pronounced dead.

Social media encourages and encourages this type of behavior. Now, kids can attack each other online and this can also lead to physical violence, that is later posted again online. This cycle continues on and on, with everyone laughing and ridiculing the people fighting. It’s like we live for it. Violence entertains us. We can see when there are school fights, there’s always a crowd of bystanders watching and laughing in awe. They are recording or surrounding the people fighting like it's a concert. We are able to take this to the another level when it is recorded and uploaded online. We need to wake up as a society and take another look at out morals and standards. We need to sympathize, not laugh at each other’s pain. We need to put an end to this cycle of violence.


Works Cited
Edwards, Valerie. "Pictured: The Girl, 16, Who Died at School after Being 'jumped by a Gang of Bullies' Who Slammed Her Head against a Sink in Bathroom during Fight over a Boy."Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 24 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.


The Beast in Modern Religion

Paxton Wentzell

Ms. Pahomov

English 10

4/03/17

The Beast in Modern Religion

During a nuclear war, an evacuation plane filled with English schoolboys crash-lands on an uninhabited island. The boys attempt to govern themselves as their humanity quickly escapes them. A central theme present throughout William Golding’s 1954 Nobel Prize-Winning novel Lord of The Flies is the temperament of the Christian god. The exploration of this theme in Golding’s work spawned from The Coral Island, a 19th Century children’s book by R. M. Ballantyne that focuses on Christian ideals. Golding flipped these ideals on their heads in Lord of The Flies and introduces a mysterious, existential ‘beast’ that was manifested by a group of boys desperate for spiritual leadership. Lord of the Flies juxtaposes civilization and salvation against savagery and fear. The boys’ ready conformity to the beast shows that humans can be just as, if not more successful, when given something to fear rather than something to strive for. In the real world, religions often rely on a fearsome, vengeful god to motivate a particular set of behavior.

The uninhabited island that the boys are stranded on is a microcosm of life on Earth. On the island, as in real life, humans are left to seek their own meaning and spiritual guidance. Some guidance rests on a benevolent god while others rely on a vengeful one to shape human behavior. While on an expedition to learn more about the island, Ralph, Jack, and Simon realize that they had landed on paradise. “‘But this is a good island. We-Jack, Simon, and me-we climbed the mountain. It’s wizard. There’s food and drink, and-’ ‘Rocks-’ ‘Blue flowers-’... ‘While we’re waiting we can have a good time on this island’” (p. 34) Mother nature, repleted with all the resources needed for survival and enjoyment, represents the loving, giving god. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that “God created everything for man, but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to him” (Part 1; Section 2; Chapter 1; Article 1; Paragraph 6; Line 358) Thus, in the Catholic religion, god is a loving provider as long as humanity also demonstrates love. Yet, the boys in the novel do not follow the path of the loving, giving god. Instead, they follow the way of the Beast.

The beast is modeled after the Christian devil as evidenced by the fact that his name, The Lord of the Flies refers to Beelzebub, the devil. The chapter titles related to the Beast in Golding’s book (e.g., Beast from Water) also have parallels in The Book of Revelation (e.g., Beast from Sea). It is by this fearsome, vengeful beast that the boys are motivated to collaborate. Prior to the discovery of the beast, most of the boys merely bask in the beauty of the island. “They’re hopeless, The older ones aren’t much better. D’you see? All day I’ve been working with Simon. No one else. They’re off bathing, or eating, or playing” (p. 50) It isn’t until their fear and devotion towards the beast develop that the boys begin to create and achieve goals. For one, they manage to hunt successfully and engage in a religious sacrificial ceremony. “Jack held up the head and jammed the soft throat down on the pointed end of the stick which pierced through into the mouth...‘This head is for the beast. It’s a gift’” (p. 136-7) The beast requires sacrifices and easily manipulates the boys’ behavior by instilling fear. The Christian god has similar requirements. “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His loving kindness, To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine” (Psalm 33:18-19) It is common find the fear of god being considered a positive trait in Abrahamic religions. A god-fearing man is trustworthy because he fears God’s wrath, whereas the Pharaoh, for example, who did not fear God was visited by calamity and ended up with his nation destroyed.

Outside of religious text, psychological studies generally agree on the power of fear to incite actions. The article, “God’s Punishment and Public Goods, shows that fear of God does in fact lead to stronger cooperation. “Cooperation towards public goods relies on credible threats of punishment to deter cheats. However, punishing is costly, so it remains unclear who incurred the costs of enforcement in our evolutionary past. Theoretical work suggests that human cooperation may be promoted if people believe in supernatural punishment for moral transgressions.” Other studies also support the superiority of fear over other motivators. According to “Psychology Today,” “There are many things that motivate us. But the most powerful motivator of all is fear. Fear is a primal instinct that served us as cave dwellers and today. It keeps us alive.” Moreover, a meta-analysis on fear published on Sage Journals “suggests that strong fear appeals produce high levels of perceived severity and susceptibility, and are more persuasive than low or weak fear appeals.” In other words, not only is fear an effective motivator, more fear is even more effective. In terms of the Lord of the Flies, being eaten by the Beast certainly qualifies as high severity and in terms of Abrahamic religions, there is no higher stake than eternal damnation!

Another indication that Golding intends to suggest fear as the main driver for human actions is that Beast, like all emotions, is not external to the boys. Beast is actually an emotional expression of the boys. In the novel, The Lord of The Flies speaks with Simon, teaching him about the true origin and nature of the beast. “‘You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you?” (p. 143) “Simon found he was looking into a vast mouth. There was blackness within, a blackness that spread... ‘We shall do you? See? Jack and Roger and Maurice and Robert and Bill and Piggy and Ralph. Do you. See?’” (p. 144) Jack, Roger, Maurice, Robert, Bill, Piggy, Ralph and finally Simon are incorporated into the belly of the beast. Thus, the Beast, which represents fear, is manifested by the boys. The notion that the manifestation of a destructive god can be a powerful determinant of human behavior is found in Hinduism. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion with 33 deities representing various aspects of humans. The three principle deities are Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer. Shiva is the agent for change. Only when Shiva wrecks havoc to the status quo would humans change their behavior. Otherwise, Vishnu would continue to preserve. Hindus commonly greet each other with the word, “Namaste,” which translates to “I bow to the god inside of you.” In Hinduism, humans are in control of manifesting their own universe. Every object, incident, or emotion that exists is a creation of their minds, just like the Beast is a creation of the boys so that they can be led to actions that are meaningful for them.

By transporting life on earth into a small paradise island and shrinking humanity into a group of English schoolboys, William Golding cleverly implores his readers to take a step back in order to fully view human life for what it truly is. He showcases the power of fear as the superior motivator by imbuing the vengeful god found in various religions into Beast who scares the boys into action. Golding’s philosophical view of fear is supported by a plethora of psychological studies on the topic, ranging from fear of god, to fear of evil, to fear of death. The Lord of The Flies takes this negative fear and flips it into a more positive outlook on life. After all, the boys create Beast for their own survival. While keeping the ever-present and looming inevitability and uncertainty of death throughout the book, Golding does not ever imply that life is unimportant or inconsequential. In fact, he conveys the importance of life and actions during one’s lifetime because there is a constant fear of death. He suggests simply that the fear of pain or death in this lifetime is more motivating than the hope for eternal salvation.


Citations

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York : Penguin, 2006.


The Holy Bible: containing the Old and New Testaments translated out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently compared & revised. New York: American Bible Society, 1986. Print.ible: containing the Old and New Testaments translated out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently compared & revised. New York: American Bible Society, 1986. Print.


"Catechism of the Catholic Church."Catechism of the Catholic Church. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.


Reardon, JoHannah, Stan Guthrie, and John Ortberg with Johannah Reardon. "What does it mean to fear God?"ChristianBibleStudies.com | Transformed by the truth. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.


Jackson, Frederick.Lord of the flies: notes. Toronto: Coles Pub. Co., 1979. Print.


Wise, Jeff, Rick Hanson Ph.D., and Richard Lovett. "The Most Powerful Motivator."Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.


"Sign In: Registered Users."Health Education & Behavior. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.


Johnson, Dominic D. P. "God's Punishment and Public Goods."SpringerLink. Springer-Verlag, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.


Monastery, Kauai's Hindu. "Nine Beliefs of Hinduism." Basics of Hinduism. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2017. <https://www.himalayanacademy.com/readlearn/basics/nine-beliefs>.

Power behind the throne


For decades the presences of executive assistants have been crucial to the success of their boss. Executive assistants play an active role in organizing almost every aspect of life for their manager. The reality is that many bosses would be lost without their executive assistant. In today’s modern societies executive assistants are often expected to have both managerial skills and a much greater involvement in what their boss does.

Throughout the book, Piggy helps Ralph in almost every difficult situation he gets put into because of his position as leader. For example, in chapter two of the novel Piggy helps Ralph by organizing and identifying all of the boys as he records all of their ages and names. Piggy also brings up a variety of logical ideas that could help them as a group but they were useless because no one would listen to him. Later in the novel, Piggy becomes Ralphs advisor telling Ralph everything he needs to know as a leader. Ralph then would reiterate the information to the rest of the boys in a charming manner. Another example from the novel “Smoke, he said, we want smoke.” He turned on the twins fiercely. “I said ‘smoke! We’ve got to have smoke.” There was silence, except for the multitudinous murmur of the bees. At last, Piggy spoke, kindly. “Course we have. Cos the smoke’s a signal and we can’t be rescued if we don’t have smoke.” I knew that! Shouted Ralph (p.173). In this situation, Piggy had to explain to Ralph why the smoke was pivotal to the success of their rescue off the island. Piggy’s intellect was imperative to Ralphs success as a leader.


The Function of Logic

Who exactly is Piggy? In the novel “The Lord of the Flies” by WIlliam Golding, the other characters treat him as if he does not matter to the group but ironically is more important than most characters in the book. Some may see Piggy as a symbol of Logos, a symbol for a logic in the book and a form of leadership. Others may say Piggy along with Jack, are meant to symbolize the constant battle between civilization and savagery to give the reader an obvious clue of the state of living the children are in. I think that whenever we look at the importance of a character or event, we should identify  how it affects the main character, in this case being Ralph, and his relationship with Piggy. Piggy’s presence and passing in the book not only serves as the presence and passing of logical thinking but as the most important influence on Ralph’s actions.

In this scene from Lord of The Flies, Jack stole Piggy’s glasses and the fire that Ralph’s group was keeping safe. Piggy observes Ralph who is in a broken state of mind, as Jack took away Ralph’s position as leader, stole his fire which was his only mission and had brought on the  the life of Simon. Piggy reasons with Ralph and says that his mission isn’t over and that he must face Jack. (As last Piggy spoke, kindly. “Course we have. ’Cos the smoke’s a signal and we can’t be rescued if we don’t have smoke.” “I knew that!” shouted Ralph. He pulled his arm away from Piggy. “Are you suggesting?” “I’m jus’ saying what you always say,” said Piggy hastily. “I’d thought for a moment—” “I hadn’t,” said Ralph loudly. “I knew it all the time. I hadn’t forgotten.” Piggy nodded propitiatingly. “You’re chief, Ralph. You remember everything.” “I hadn’t forgotten.” “ ’Course not.” 173)  Piggy’s serves as a loyal servant to Ralph who maintains Ralphs will to lead alive. Ralph clearly forgot that the fire was there only means of communication with the outside world, which rejuvenated his will to lead Piggy’s reminder and persuasion was enough to get Ralph back on his feet. Through Piggy’s actions I was reminded of the relationship between angels and humans in the bible.

The Archangel Uriel is a biblical figure that serves as a servant of God, carrying out his bidding and aiding humankind. Uriel is commonly thought of as the “Lord of powerful action”. The archangels has been known for his critical advice given throughout the bible as he was the angel sent to warn Noah of the great flood. Uriel seems to give advice during extremely critical times that would control the fate of the world that we live in. In correlation to Piggy’s actions, he seems to be Ralphs only source of wisdom and acts as his only source of power. Ralph is clouded by misjudgment as his desperation to contact the outside world, along with the savagery that Jack has ensued. Uriel's is said to shine light in the darkness of confusion, Piggy’s actions throughout chapter 11 show resemblance to the angel if you look at the scenario. Ralphs “darkness of confusion” is his loss will, his view as leadr is fading and can only yearn for his past life as he begins to vision riding home on busses and trains. Ralph come to the conclusion that this life of savagery that Jack has brought upon the boys is in fact their new lives and in turn subliminally losses hope of seeking rescue and forgets his mission to keep the fire burning. The advice that Piggy provides Ralph acts as that light that Ralph needs so much. Piggy has an immense  influence on Ralph, at this moment in the book Ralph could have become entirely savage without that talk. Not only do Piggy’s actions in the story share resemblance to religious writing, they also seem to share resemblance to certain roles in the government.

The role of Senior Advisor’s is one that has been around for at least 24 years, these people are high-ranking advisors tasked to advise the President's. David Axelrod was former President Barrack Obama’s Senior Advisor for two years and made Obama’s media strategies for both Presidential Campaigns. During Obama’s last prep session for his debate in Denver, Axelrod knew that Obama was not in shape for his debate with Romney during his re-election, Obama starts off with "Well, I think that went pretty well." And I said, "Well, actually there are some things we need to work on yet." He didn't receive that news well and used a word that he has never used before or since and that I won't use here, but made clear how he felt about me at that moment, and he bolted out of the room and I didn't see him until the next morning.” The role of Axelrod more or less is to instruct Obama into being a better President in the way Piggy averred Ralph. The process in which this happens has some differences but when comparing the situations of Obama and Ralph juxtaposing the two help see the similarities. During Obama's re-election, Axelrod said “I think every single one of us, including the president, knew we weren't headed into Denver in good shape-”, Ralph was in a broken state that made him weak. Both showed signs of weakness and in response, their advisors made it clear to them that they were not qualified for their respected goal. Piggy’s representation as an advisor clearly show the influence that he has on Ralph through his eagerness to help Ralph succeed.

To some, Piggy isn’t that important and can only be seen as some character who died, that he wasn’t at all capable of leading the group. Piggy’s influence on Ralph is what really helps us see his importance because Ralph tends to rely heavily on Piggy in the later chapters. Through all of this it is important to see the affects that one's words can have on their leader and in a sense, lead their leader.


Work Cited

  • Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York : Penguin, 2006.

  • Chaignot, Mary Jane. “Angel Uriel”. BibleWise 2016.

http://www.biblewise.com/bible_study/characters/angel-uriel.php

  • Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Uriel”. DLXS, University of Michigan 2001.

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/a/amverse/BAD1982.0001.001/1:5?rgn=div1;view=fulltext

  • Axelrod, David. David Axelrod Recounts His Years As Obama's Adviser And 'Believer'. Fresh Air.

http://www.npr.org/2015/02/10/385099025/david-axelrod-recounts-his-years-as-obamas-adviser-and-believer

Fear is what's to Blame

Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by a belief that someone or something is dangerous and might hurt you.  Violence may not be the best way to handle our emotions but we humans have that instinct that we either kill or get killed, and this is why our behavior changes when we get scared. Because of this instinct, fear changes behavior because people become violent towards the thing they fear.

In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, fear plays a huge role throughout the book. The story is about a group of boys who were stranded on an island and they try their best to survive. In the novel, the Lord of the Flies, after a good amount of time, the group of boys habituated to the island, giving them more comfort in which they developed a certain savagery upon one another to survive. One example from the book, William Golding gives us a scenario where one of the characters picks up the conch while chaos was already happening, when they pick up the conch it shows how there was order being restored amongst the boys.

“This toy of voting was almost as pleasing as the conch. Jack started to protest but the clamor changed from the general wish for a chief to an election by acclaim of Ralph himself. None of the boys could have found good reason for this; what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy while the most obvious leader was Jack. But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch. The being that had blown that, had sat waiting for them on the platform with the delicate thing balanced on his knees, was set apart.” (180)


Towards the end of the novel, Jack started a mission to hunt down Piggy and Ralph, because he thought that they were a threat to him, especially with the amount of power he held on the island. Just like the power that Israel has over Palestine. They are fighting over land just like Jack and Ralph are fighting over leading the young ones. Israel is a country that wants to take over the land of Palestine, even though native palestinians lived there way before the Israelis traveled from Europe to the land of the Palestinians. The war between the two lands has been going on for over a century. The Israelis bomb homes and buildings with the Palestinian people usually at unexpected times just so it would make it easier for Israelis to win the war. There were many times where Israelis were sneaking on Palestinians, and Palestinians sneaking on Israelis. The Israeli-Palestinian war is a perfect example that supports my thesis that when we humans get scared, we become violent towards the thing they fear. In this situation, the Israelis fear the Palestinians, that’s why they kill Palestinian people, not to mention, babies, and the Palestinians are killing the Israelis all because they all have that mindset that ‘If I don’t kill him, he’ll kill me’.


When it comes to power it brings fear. With the fear that comes with power it gives off to the people. Just like any leader ever put in power they always look on both sides of them for fear of people overpowering them or some force cutting them at the knees. Lord of the Flies, uses the beast as a figment of the characters imagination. Since the boys were on an island with bugs, animals, and strangers, it wouldn’t be hard to believe that the young boys were a little paranoid which might’ve caused them to believe that Simon was a scary beast. And to nearly all of us, what’s more scary than a scary figure on a deserted island? I’d say most humans are afraid of death, and humans might do anything in order to survive. So what the boys did was survive and they got rid of the obstacles in their way.


“I'm frightened. Of us. I want to go home. O God I to go home." "It's was an accident," said Piggy stubbornly,"and that's that." He touched Ralph's bare shoulder and Ralph shuddered at the human contact.”


“Which is better -- to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is?


Which is better -- to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?


Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?”


The answer to the second question of this quote is: when it comes to humans and fear, violence becomes our way of handling our emotions, it may not be the best way to handle our emotions but we have that human instinct where we either kill or get killed, just like in the Israel-Palestine War, just like how the boys killed the beast in the Lord of the Flies, behavior changes as we become violent towards the thing(s) we are afraid of, therefore the answer is hunt and kill.





Works Cited

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York Penguin, 2006.


Q3 Artworks Benchmark- Imani Williams

For the third quarter I was very challenge and taken out of my comfort zone a little bit but I have fun with creating my drawings. The one I'm most proud of would be the eye drawing. I put a lot of effort into  creating that one and it turned out way better than expected. All my drawings were pieces that I have never done before so I kept messing up and having to start over and over again. This quarter in advances art was very creative and challenging but helpful in the long run. I look forward to see what the last quarter brings. 

Senior Art Q3 Portfolio

This Quarter we were exposed to different techniques that were taught to us by our student assistant teacher Mr.Herrera. What made this quarter different however was that despite learning about different techniques, we were given a lot of freedom to create what we wanted.
When creating the Indian Ink Painting, I took a good amount of inspiration from artist Jake Wyatt's drawing of Marvel's superhero Black Bolt as I am a fan of both Mr.Wyatt's work and the character Black Bolt. I decided to go for a washed out and darker coloring with the ink because I've never done anything like that before and I wanted a challenge
For the printmaking, since I haven't done anything like that before, I decided to experiment with different colors and images. I decided to use pink and black for my prints as well as an original image and the sun from Adult Swim's Rick and Morty.
Finally for my sculpture, I wanted to talk about how oil companies use cotton to clean up oil spills so I decided to make a sword out of cotton, hangers and paper mache to show how oil companies are finding different ways to fight pollution. I enjoyed creating the sculpture the most.

quarter 3 Artist statement

During the third quarter we had a handful of assignments, from Eye drawings to mandalas. We had to draw a bike as a first assignment, there was a bike put out and we drew it to the best of our ability. The second assignment we did was a optical illusion. We had did a room type of illusion. Our third assignment was shading forms, I tried to do my best with the circle but it was really hard trying to make it. The fourth assignment was the eye drawing, we drew our own eye and colored it. The fifth and last assignment was the mandalas. We had the choice to to them online or by hand. I did both, I did three online and printed them out and colored them in. My favorite assignments was doing the mandals because we were able to free draw in my opinion. I loved that we could put a whole bunch of colors into them. I also enjoys the different patterns and shapes. 

Q3 Artworks Benchmark- Cynthia To

For the Third Quarter, I made five different types of artworks. From all of the artworks, we did for this quarter, I really like the last one the most, the mandala. I feel like that I have improved a lot on my art skills from the first semester. The first artwork that I made was the bike drawing. This artwork was really difficult because we had to draw a bike from memory. I wanted to make the bike different colors for the different objects on the bike. The second artwork that I made two optical illusions. This was really fun do make. One of the optical illusions looks like a room. I picked out two colors that stood out together. The third artwork that I made shading form. I really cool shading in shapes. I think my sphere looks more realistic than the rest of the shapes. The fourth artwork that I made was an eye drawing. This drawing was really hard to draw and shading in to make it realistic. The fifth artwork that I did was a mandala. I decided to make a pineapple because I wanted people who are looking at this piece to think of happiness and paradise. I chose warm colors for this.

Lawmakers Or Power Holders?

Authoritarian ideals, systems, and people are thought by many with more democratic minds to be detrimental to society, and rightly so. After all, they are largely conflicting ideologies on opposite sides of the government spectrum. While this opinion will likely never dissipate, one may analyze why it is that there is such a great fear for those opposite each other. When there is conflict regarding governing systems, the conflict often stems from fear of those who will abuse the power they are given. To soothe these fears, people create rules and laws. However, the people who create these laws the ones who these very laws serve most. People create rules  primarily so that they can attain more power.


William Golding’s book “Lord Of The Flies” is filled with metaphors about the establishment of our modern government and social structure. One particular boy, Jack, represents the “evil” that all man has. Jack and his hunters are coming back from a failed hunt. They enter a meeting, and Jack quickly assumes authority by slamming a knife into a tree. He picks up a shell and establishes a new rule. “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak.”(33)This is followed by people objecting, but Jack overpowering them, and people soon getting riled up and agreeing with him. At first glance, this may appear to be Jack being thoughtful of the group and attempting to create order, but looking more into detail will show that Jack is looking out for himself, and giving himself more power.




Works Cited:


Golding, William. Lord Of The Flies. New York: Penguin, 2006.

Artist Statement and Slideshow- Shamble

This marking period, I tried to enhance the level of detail I put into my art. I tried my best to improve my coloring as well- so when I was supposed to color some art piece I tried to make it as vibrant and engaging as possible.I did not end up completing all of the assignments because I kept getting distracted by art that wasn't the assignment and did not fit the requirements of the assignment. (I put two such pieces in the slideshow.)
I also experimented with different mediums- I used crayons, colored pencils, scented markers, brushtip india ink markers, and pencil. Mostly this was to gage my capabilities with said mediums, and I liked my brushtip india ink markers the best out of all of them. Crayons were a close second.
What I need to improve on for next quarter is how to do my sketches so I end up with smoother, better lineart. That will probably be my biggest goal.

Hidden Age Bias


Ever notice how kids, teens, and or young adults  aren't always taken that seriously by their parents or other authority figures? It has a lot to do with the way grown up or anyone older than another perceive the words of kids just because of their age just like how when the naval officer who came to save the boys that were stuck on the island, the officer took a bit of time believing whether the kid was lying, jocking, or if the truth was apart of its imagination. But this isn't just a one way kind of thing because older people are bias based to. The ages of the characters in the book, Lord of the flies have a direct effect on the relationship of the characters.

In the book “Lord of the flies” written by William Golding, towards the end there is a scene in chapter 12 where help finally comes for the boys and as the naval officer ask about the amount of deaths. When Ralph tells him and he is a bit skeptical. “Nobody killed, I hope? Any dead bodies?” “only two. And they’ve gone. The officer leaned down and looked closely at Ralph. “Two? Killed? Ralph nodded again, behind him, the whole  island was shuddering with flame. The officer knew as a rule, when people were telling the truth. He whistled softly. Ageism is shown in this scene when the naval officer underestimated the kids and was sceptical about anyone being killed. The officer didn’t believe Ralph at first (201).

The definition of ageism is “prejudice or discrimination on the basis of a person's age”. Bias means the reason why that you would lean towards a decision and or lean away from it. In society, adults are given more power and opportunity in the world such as things like driving, drinking, and voting. Another example is when people say “respect your elders”. With this placement that adults are put into it is common for the words of kids, teens, and anyone not with the mindset of an adult to be overlooked. Sometimes kids are not believed, their concerns are put to the side, or they are thought as over reacting.  For example with the Job Market, According to the Washington Post Article Baby Boomers are finding many complications when it comes to looking for occupations and are being discriminated against while finding jobs. Interpreted as bossy and unlikely to take leadership from younger bosses and companies discouraged by health care costs for older employees. That shows ageism for both Older and younger people exposed to this type of bias.

For a second example in the book, all the main parts of the book that happen regarding the leaders, tribe, or group is mostly focused on the older kids and not the little uns (young people)  are typically written about. It is just made obvious that they are there but that's pretty much it for them. All the main characters and big parts of the story are older. An example of this in the book is when the position of chief is being decided when the conch is being passed around. Jack spoke.” We've gotta decide about being rescued.” There was a buzz. One of the small boys, Henry, said that he wanted to go home. “SHut up,” said Ralph absently. He lifted the conch. “Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things.”  “A chief! A chief!” “I ought to be chief,” said Jack with simple arrogance, “ because Im chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp.” (22)

There are many events, themes, and systems that are in the book that can relate to the real world. Ageism isn't exactly the biggest one of them all and isn't seen a lot but I like this topic that might have been looked over by most. The older people in the book are put in a higher place in everything, even with power, responsibility, and authority and that's pretty much how are society runs today with adults on top and the youth second hand. The book has a lot of connections and similarities to today's society even in the conditions that the young boys are placed in.

Behold, the Conch.

What happens when morals are completely thrown out of the window? For many, this leads to quick and rash decisions. These decisions could impact an individual or a group as a whole. “Whoever holds the conch holds the right to speak.” The conch shell is used as a political symbol. It is the boy's way of holding on to the structure that was instilled in them as children. When faced with fear and irrational behaviors, people rely on symbols as a way to hold on to their moral structures.           
The book “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding is about a group of boys who survived a plane crash and landed on an island. The book starts with Ralph and Piggy discovering the island. They are ripped from their lives, and immediately try to rebuild their civilization on the island.  While doing this they find the conch.  When they see the shell, it already to them was a grand object. “The shell was interesting and pretty and a worthy plaything…”(16)  The shell was their way of rebuilding their structure and politics. When Ralph blew the conch, the sound soared across the island and brought all of the boys together.  “ Where’s the man with the trumpet?”(20). When immediately faced with the question of being rescued, the boys choose their leader. Who happens to be the boy holding the conch, Ralph.  He is now figuratively soaking in the power of the conch. The boys blindly follow the conch to mask the fear that they each collectively have. The fear of not being rescued, fear of the unknown. The conch is more than a shell to Ralph and the boys. It brought them together, they now know they are not alone. Now that they have each other the common thought process and morals. Which is to survive together and rebuild their own civilization. Given, all of them are children so there is no way they aren’t scared, or doubtful. Having the conch gives them faith. 
“Make America Great Again.” was shown all over the country during the presidential election. A symbol of hope and politics to Trump supporters. Flashed on hats and signs across America, by the president’s supporters. To them this slogan is not just what they think politics should be, it is way more than just words to them- even the president himself.  “It actually inspired me,” Trump said, “because, to me, it meant jobs. It meant industry, and meant military strength. It meant taking care of our veterans. It meant so much.”  These are trump’s morals, so these are also his supporters morals. It in a way is a movement. When they are confronted with “hate” from the opposing side these four words become a symbol.  A symbol of hope, and power that is soon to unfold in Washington. The hat has become a major part of his supporters lives. It was their support, for the man and ideals they believed in. Through the eyes of a trump supporter, the movement is morally right.  At the University of Maryland, when students wear their hat they feel strong and bold.  One student described it as making them feel proud. It makes them feel like America is the greatest country on the planet. When faced with discrimination they wear the hats, for a common purpose that they all believe in- a greater America. When asked about the discrimination, the same student responded, “I was expecting more of a resistance from people, and the most that have ever happened here is people saying some nasty stuff to us.”  Reading this, it seems like he is scared, but because he knows there are people out there with common ethics he is calm. Just like the conch shell, the hats and the Make America Great Again movement is a symbol that gets people through fear and chaos. 
Morality is an important key in life. Without it “right and wrong,” wouldn’t exist. When people are put in situations that will challenge the ideals that they have been taught all of their lives, they hold onto things that give them a sense of their morals. Or just to help them get through rough times. Similar to trump supporters and the boys. These tokens, being the conch and the hats made in honor of a movement.  There are examples of other things as well like the American flag which holds the belief of patriotism.  In America, during times of turmoil, the first thing that is shown is the flag.  The flag provides people with happiness and that whatever happens will not prevail. This is similar to the boys in the book and Donald Trump supporters. 


Works Cited:

Jeffries, Tara. "Some Trump supporters are afraid to speak out." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.

Goulding, william. Lord of the flies. New York:Penguin,2006

Merriam-ebster.moral definition.Merriam-Webster, INC, 2017

Appearance & Charisma vs. Qualifications and Experience

Choosing leaders in almost every way is some form of a popularity contest. Whether it’s  the presidential election or a dozen boys choosing a leader while they’re trapped on an abandoned island, what someone looks like and how likable they are almost always plays a role in the final outcome of the vote. The Lord of the Flies is a novel about a group of young British boys that are left to fend for themselves after they crash on a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean. The boys in Lord of the Flies turned what was their most crucial decision in the entire book into a popularity contest without thinking too much about their decision and the consequences of it The boys did not choose the leader of their group based off of who was qualified but off of other criteria. These fictional characters are not the only ones who can fall victim to this -- it happens in real life as well. People choose leaders not based on their qualifications and experience but on their appearance and charisma.


After a short time on the island, one of the boys, Ralph, suggested that the boys vote for a chief so the group would have a leader that would be able to decide what the boys do next. The boys end up choosing Ralph but how they came to a conclusion so fast, considering everyone just met each other, is very interesting. A quote that captured this moment is “None of the boys could have found good reason for this; what intelligence had been shown was traceable back to Piggy, while the most obvious leader was Jack. But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive personality, and most obscurely; yet most powerfully, there was the conch.” (22) At this point in time, none of the boys know each other well enough to know what the others are fully capable of doing and accomplishing as the leader. From the boy’s standpoint, it's obvious very early on that Piggy is intelligent and Jack seems fit to be a leader. However, it would seem as if they chose Ralph without much thought since the narrator says “None of the boys could have found good reason for this.” However, the narrator goes on to describe some of Ralph’s characteristics. “His size and attractive personality” are among the things “that marked Ralph out.” It would make no sense for the boys to choose Ralph over Piggy and Jack unless their criteria for choosing the leader was not based on who was qualified for it but on what they looked like and who they liked the most. Ralph was also in possession of the conch, who the boys associate with power when the voting process began. It is very clear that it was Ralph’s image that won him his role as leader. Also, the boys did not take Piggy very seriously because of how he looked. Piggy was described as the “fat boy” (7) after Ralph, who was described as the “fair boy” (7) for his British good looks and attractiveness. The boys also mistake his name for “Fatty,” (21) before Ralph tells them that his name is actually Piggy. Jack is not considered attractive either. According to the narrator, he is “tall, thin, and bony.” (20) He’s redheaded, and “his face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without stillness.” (20) Considering the nature of the boys at the age they are, with most of them being twelve or younger, it is understandable to see why they chose Ralph over Piggy and Jack. In the mindset of an immature, pre-teenager, fat people are a joke and redheads are these evil, mean beings. Ralph is also a very good looking kid compared to the others who wanted to be the leader. Human nature explains why Ralph was chosen as it is normal for people, especially children, to gravitate towards who or what they consider attractive. Charisma is another one of Ralph’s traits and charisma is an important trait of a successful leader.


In the real world, attractive people, in general are more successful. Studies have proven that attractive people are hired sooner, promoted quicker, and are paid more than their co-workers than their less attractive co-workers. According to Daniel Hamermesh, professor of economics at the University of Texas, people who are considered attractive earn about 3 or 4 more percent than people who aren’t considered attractive with below average looks. A study published in Psychological Science showed that people played closer attention to people who are more attractive. One of the researchers said that this is because people are generally more motivated to pay closer attention to more attractive people because of curiosity, desire for friendship or a romantic interest, or social status. A quote from one of the researchers, Prof. Jeremy Biesanz, UBC Dept. of Psychology, is “Not only do we judge books by their covers, we read the ones with beautiful covers much closer than others.” This is similar to how the boys in Lord of the Flies chose Ralph as their leaders because it was not Ralph’s experience or intelligence that earned him the leadership role, it was his attractiveness that earned him the role.

Like attractive people, charismatic people are also very successful. Charisma is defined as “a personal magic of leadership arousing social popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure (as a political leader) and “a special magnetic charm or appeal.” Successful people are usually leaders that possess the quality of charisma. Charisma is necessary for success because, without it, it is harder for you to get the people around you to help you achieve your goals. Leaders are essential for humanity, and charisma is what drives people to those leaders. While a good leaders possess intelligence, experience, and qualifications for the task at hand, this is not necessarily the case for every charismatic leader. Donald J. Trump, the 45th and current President of the United States is very charismatic. However, prior to becoming the President, he had never run for office in any kind of capacity. Nonetheless, he was a very successful business due in part to his very charismatic, and somewhat charming personality. Donald Trump is a very controversial figure, and although he lost the popular vote against candidate Hillary Clinton, Trump still managed to persuade almost 63,000,000 people without having the slightest experience in the world of politics. A similarity can be drawn to Ralph in Lord of the Flies when Ralph was selected as the leader without much experience as being a leader. However, like Trump, Ralph’s charisma was one of the reasons why he was chosen to be the leader.

In conclusion, there are many examples of people getting ahead of others because of their attractiveness and charisma. In the real world, people tend to favor charismatic and attractive people and this is why these kinds of people are very successful. At the beginning of Lord of the Flies Ralph is successful because he looks powerful, strong, and has an attractive personality. It is not uncommon for charismatic and attractive people to have intelligence and experience, but more often than not, people who display their charisma and attractiveness are more successful. Usually, they are chosen to be leaders over people who are not.










Golding, William Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin: 2006


Stanger, Melissa. "Attractive People Are Simply More Successful." Business Insider. http://www.businessinsider.com/attractive-people-are-more-successful-2012-9


"Rice study suggests people are more trusting of attractive strangers." Rice News. http://news.rice.edu/2006/09/21/rice-study-suggests-people-are-more-trusting-of-attractive-strangers/


Staff, Elite Daily. "Why Charismatic People Are More Successful." http://elitedaily.com/money/entrepreneurship/charismatic-people-successful/


Minton, Tam Warner. "The Charismatic Appeal of Donald Trump." TheHuffingtonPost.com http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tam-warner-minton/the-charismatic-appeal-of_b_12406854.html


"Charisma." Merriam-Webster https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/charisma


English Essay - Lord of the Flies


Caroline P.

Silver

3/31/17

The Environment Makes us Stranded


In William Golding's novel, The Lord of the Flies, there is a change from preppy schoolboys, to reckless and what some could say, dangerous, individuals. The british boys experience an unexpected plane crash together and land on a mysterious island. As time starts to disappear, their good habits start to disappear along with it. The boys scavenge through the island that they landed on, in hopes of a return to a natural civilization. The boys go through ups and downs, but can't these experiences change a person? This essay is going to take an inside look at how a change of environment can change a person's natural behavior into something different. Sometimes it could be good and beneficial, but others times it could be unacceptable, and a shock.

The conch shell is an important part of this book through the boys. It gives a person a right on whether or not they are able to speak and to say their opinions on a topic. This is one of the many rules declared in this book after constant difficulties with the management of their talking time. “If I blow the conch and they don't come back; then we have had it, we shouldn't keep the fire going. Well be like animals. We'll never be rescued”(page.5). The impact is causing them to act like “animals”, as said in the quote. This makes me think about their environment and what it is doing to them.  When the boys realized their situation, they started to discuss their next step. They understood that they were on an island that was off the grid.

Piggy has been known to not be a kid with great leadership skills, but on page (15), he says, “we got to find the others. We got to do something.” This was very unusual coming from Piggy. He relies on others in often circumstances. Piggy has been described as being the person to rely on everybody else. Leadership has never really been apart of his life, nor has it been in his interest. At this time, they were only on the island for a short period of time. The quick change of his personal behavior gives curiosity to how much they all developed over the time. Piggy is already doing things way out of his comfort zone.

This is similar to when celebrities become famous. These shifts from their average lifestyle to a completely new one can do something to them that could be both mental and physical. There are constant examples of celebrities gaining a lot of weight and becoming depressed.  The change in lifestyle at times, makes someone go “crazy”. Like in the famous incident of Britney Spears back in 2007 of february 16th. Britney Spears reportedly shaved off all of her hair in a barber shop, by herself. Paparazzi was all around were able to experience it live. Nobody knows the real reason to why she decided to openly shave off her hair, but people think to believe that everything about publicity go to her head. That is what slowly is happening the all of the boys with the new adjustment to this lifestyle. Not publicity for them, but location and new adjustments.

A change in environment can change a person. It is usually never intentional, but when you have a routine and it breaks suddenly, it breaks a person's mind. This can go for many things like, school, relationships, food habits, and the list goes on. In the novel, The Lord of the Flies, there are many examples of this. I don't think that Goulding didn't want to get this message across. I think this message was very purposeful and has been shown behind corners for a reason. The author wanted you discover this on your own.


Bibliography:

10 Years Later, Britney's Head-Shaving Moment Is Still Unforgettable
By: Stephanie Marcus - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/britney-spears-shaved-her-head-ten-years-ago_us_58a5cff6e4b07602ad525d50

The Truth about the evil leader

When people think of leaders, they imagine fearless and caring people who strive to better the lives of everyone they watch over. In society, being an effective leader is solving conflicts while still doing the most for your people. William Golding shows the ideal leader in Lord Of The Flies in the form of Ralph, who embodies the characteristics of an effective leader. While he was elected leader he slowly loses how over the kids on the island and that they stopped following him and turn to someone that they felt that was better. As the book is presented in the eyes of the perfective of ralph’s side and that he we say thought the conversation with Piggie showed that he believes that jack is bad even when he went and organized the boys on the island and making everything run smoothly. Like most leader  Why are some of the most effective leader are considered evil?  

The boys went and had a meeting with each other to bring order to the group and to get people to work together. During the meeting, one of the youngest children on the island told the kids that he had seen a snake monster. Piggie, Jack, and Ralph tried to calm him down. Piggy and Ralph tried to say that it just didn't exist and yelled at him while Jack tried to settle his fear by saying that it doesn't exist and if it did they would hunt it down. "’Ralph's right of course. There use, the snake-thing. But if there was a snake we'd hunt it and kill it’”(36). The book tries to put the moral dilemma that it the book present Jack as the bad guy and as a person who doesn't care about anyone else and that Ralph and Piggy are the good people and that people will follow them, but before the quotation Piggy and Ralph were yelling at the little kid, saying that the monster does not exist "'He says he saw the beastie, the Snake thing, and will it come back tonight?' 'But there isn't a beastie!'". This reaction was not from Jack, who we are told is a bad person; it was Ralph and piggy yelling at a frightened kid who thinks he saw a creature that could kill him. On the other hand, Jack calmed down the little ones fear by agreeing with Ralph but also telling the little one that if they ever see the monster that they will kill it. This reaction cause the the little one to calm down from his fear from the monster and also it calmed down the other smaller boys who were afraid of the monster. While the boys went and and appoint Ralph as their leader because he had plan but this seen anthesis why people are willing to follow Jack, while people will call jack bad and evil as a little kid you are going to be afraid of someone that is yelling at you instead of someone that isn't yelling.

During the Cultural Revolution in China, the leader Mao Zedong started to change the structure of the Chinese government into a Communist government. Throughout his leadership he helped cause cultural change by forcing his people to get rid of things from the ancient world, because he did this taking away his country heritage to bring China into the 20th century. While he was considered to be terrible for getting rid of chinese history and the willingness to allow some of his citizen to die to allow himself to transformed China from a third world country to a manufacturing, electronic and agricultural powerhouse. Jack in the book goes thought the same situation and that thought out the book he went and use the basic need of food and salfy to take power over Ralph.  While the boys on the island killed and that the death of Simon was blamed on Jack because they were doing their ritual and Jack was leading to get the boys excited for hunting the beast and when Simon     comes out of the woods stumbling, hunched over, and looking like the dead pilot who they thought was the beast. While ralph believes that its jack felt that simon died but he forgot that all of the boys attacked and killed simion without know it was him. While this does not excused his from his punishment that he does to the other boys but Ralph never knew about the punishment later in the book and so Ralph ralfe anger and fear of Jack is from his his ability to rally the kids and make the follow order better than he can.

Thought out the book Lord of the flies there is a power struggle between Jack and Ralph witch cause the boy on the island to take side on what leader they believe in. Looking through the eyes of the character that are not named in the book you can see that Jack ability to use people fear and the ability lead over power Raph long term thinking because Jack allowed the boys to feel safe living on the island under Jack because he can calm or enhance their fear, while Ralph is trying to get off the island and trying to plan for the staying on the island he could not calm the boys fear of the beast and to take good leadership over the boys. While the leadership on the island is trembling at best in the real world leadership mirror the leadership and that thought out the world there are leader at are are put in hard situation that when they have to make the hard call. This becomes problematic when people who disagree with the action of the leader start labeling the leader as bad, evil, and  unqualified just because they did not like one or two action that the leader had to do instead instead of look at the leader as whole because people only really remember the bad what people do instead of the good.  

Work cited:

"Mao Zedong Biography." Notable Biographies. Notable Biographies, n.d. Web. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/Lo-Ma/Mao-Zedong.html>.

Golding, William. Lord of the flies. Place of publication not identified: Hodder Education, 2016. Print.