Lord of the Slopes
Snowmaggedon has hit Vancouver. The schools are closed and the toboggan hill is full. Likely by this time tomorrow, we will be looking at a soggy mess; and so after I did some online teaching, Minime and I put on the layers and headed out with a couple thick slips of plastic to catch a slope before, it all turns to mud. And boy, can we slide down a snowy slope. So much fun, especially in Vancouver. We get people from all over the world and some are seeing snow for the first time and experience the thrill of going fast and tasting the spray in your mouth. Feeling Canadian. (In a good way)
One of the advantage of homeschooling, is the scheduling flexibility. Right now, Minime finishing up a snowman. Then we begin our studies. Biology, European History, Fractions, and some Web Design Coding is on the agenda. We continue also to work our way through Lord of the Flies. A few posts back, we explores the characters of Ralph, Jack, and Piggy. Today we are going to look at why the boys on the island chose, or chose not, to put authority into these boys hands and why this may have or may not have been a good choice.
Lord of the Flies
From our studies ...
How do we describe the Choir leader?
With the appearance of Merridew and the Choir, Golding shows us not just the contrast between the Choir leader and Ralph, but also between Merridew and Piggy. Physically, Merridew is unlike either boy. He is tall, thin, and bony, with red hair and freckles. Unlike Ralph’s likeable and trustworthy face, Golding describes Merridew as ‘ugly’ and stern-looking. Both Merridew and Piggy are not good-looking, but in opposite ways. With ‘no silliness’ on Merridew’s face, no one would make fun of him like they do with Piggy.
Golding describes Merridew’s light blue eyes and how easily they turn to anger. We learn he has a temper. Merridew treats his choir boys like soldiers and orders them around without empathy. Even when one of the boys faints from the heat, he doesn’t let them take the cloaks off. He is controlling, lacks empathy, and is demanding. Despite his harsh and intimidating personalty, Merridew thinks he is a natural leader, whereas Ralph, with his easy confidence, leads naturally; but no-one would naturally follow the insecure Piggy, despite his intelligence.
Why do the boys choose Ralph as chief of the island?
To become chief on this island, a boy had to be good- looking, likeable, and control the means of mass communication. Piggy told Ralph how to use the conch shell to call in the other boys; and Piggy took the names of the boys. Piggy gave credit to Ralph for calling them together, but it was Piggy’s idea. Ralph was just holding the conch when everyone arrived and so everyone thought he was in-charge and Piggy let them. Merridew thought he should be chief and was already the leader of the choir, but Ralph was likeable, tall, and much better looking than Merridew and had what Golding describes as a ‘stillness … that marked him out’. They chose Ralph for his appearance, presence, and most of all because he had the conch.
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The way Merridew treats his choir boys like soldiers makes me remember when I read about the life of Michael Jackson and how his dad used to train him harshly on music
That approach is tough on kids.
Sadly we even got a few flakes ☹️
Sp pretty
Your pictures is always amazing and this never disappoint
This flower is really looking so beautiful I must confess