Prompt 1 - Symbols are everywhere in LotF - pick 2 that really stood out to you and discuss their importance
The first symbol I found importance in was the conch shell. This was the first symbol in the book that showed authority. When someone had the shell they had a right to speak and not only that, they could be heard. It had the power to bring the boys together and help make decisions and determine what was to happen. It kept Ralph in power and when it was destroyed things went into chaos. It wasn't just the first symbol to show authority though, it was the first thing that caught my attention when Golding wrote about Ralph fishing it out of the water. In my point of view it was the first thing that started everything in the story. Without the conch it would have taken them much longer to find each other and start a meeting to figure everything out.
The second symbol I found very important was the idea or thought of "The Beast". The Beast represented the fear in the boys of being somewhere they weren't used to with no adult protection. When the man in the parachute fell down and was mistaken out of fear for the beast people started to go insane off of fear. This is when they turned to Jack thinking he could protect them. When they get so afraid that Simon crawls out, he is brutally murdered and things have gone to extremes for fear of the beast. The beast represents fear in each one of the boys, this is brought out from the situation of being stranded on an island.
Prompt 2 - Do you agree that evil is inherent in people, regardless of age? Discuss in relation to your own experiences as well as those in the book.
I think regardless of age everyone deep down has evil in them, even little kids. Everyone does something bad in there life which proves that. It doesn't have to be evil necessarily but it isn't good. When the boys are put in a situation they don't know how to deal with they start to loose sight of where they came from and the morals they learned in civilization. When they finally start going insane and lash out on each other they loose sight of who they are. They start doing evil things because they don't remember who they are.
People in real life also do this, when something bad happens or traumatizes someone they forget who they are and will lash out on others in spite of what happened to them. When a kid is abused or hurt at home, he might use that anger on others someplace else like at school. People do that kind of stuff everyday. When they loose sight of who they are they do irrational things and can hurt others.
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