Rules and Laws
by Melia Beccard
1. Quote: “’ Now I say this and I make it a rule because I’m chief. We won’t have a fire anywhere but on the mountain. Ever.’” (Golding 81).-Will
1.1. fire
1.1.1. Analysis: Previously in the story, fires have been responsible for physical issues such as the burning of the forest and political issues such as Jack letting the fire go out. For this reason, Jack is eager to limit the number of fires and make the main fire necessary. If there are no other fires, the children will be more motivated to keep the central fire going. If the fire goes out, they will not be able to cook or warm up on a cold day. Less fires also means less resources devoted to creating and maintaining various sites.-Will
1.2. Fire is an important aspect to the community now and is crucial to there survival and rescue. Good analysis. -Melia
1.2.1. Towards the beginning of the book, it was a Hunter rule and law that they'd have to keep the fire going, in order for them to be saved sooner. Without the fire, no one knows that they're on the island, which is why it is very important that they fulfill their role. -Regan Gefroh
1.3. I agree with Melia that he fire is probably the most important rule of the entire story. They have to keep the fire going to get rescued and go home. Without the fire, no one would see the smoke, and the boys would have to stay on the island for a long time. -Bella Kruis.
2. “Conch! Conch!” shouted Jack… “and leave deciding things to the rest of us.” (Golding 101). -Melia Beccard
2.1. The one rule that has very much been a constant in this book, especially in this chapter is the conch. Whomever holds it gets the chance to speak. Here Jack doesn’t think it’s necessary anymore. He thinks that the people that are not of higher status don’t need the chance to be heard because it’s not as if their opinion is going to be of any importance. Very characteristic of him. A lot of people put in a higher power feel this way about people who are “less adequate” than they are.The one rule that has very much been a constant in this book, especially in this chapter is the conch. Whomever holds it gets the chance to speak. Here Jack doesn’t think it’s necessary anymore. He thinks that the people that are not of higher status don’t need the chance to be heard because it’s not as if their opinion is going to be of any importance. Very characteristic of him. A lot of people put in a higher power feel this way about people who are “less adequate” than they are. -Melia Beccard
2.2. Conch-Will
3. Ralph and the rest of his excuse of a tribe are being persecuted by jack and the other boys.-Gabe
3.1. Analysis: This makes me think of Nazi Germany. In this situation Jack would be Hitler. The boys in his tribe would be German citizens and Ralph+his group would be the Jewish people at the time
4. "Call an assembly? Ralph laughed sharply as he said the word." (Golding 156). -Regan Gefroh
4.1. This shows how Ralph's role as chief is going, and how everyone treats him now as though he is a joke, including himself. Ralph is disregarding the rules now too, and finds the boys won't listen to the assembly anyways. He (Ralph is starting to find his own laws foolish. He starts to also disobey his own rules too. "Let the fire go then, for tonight." (Golding 164). The boys were talking about how tired they were and basically unwilling to do work. Ralph breaks one of his own, and probably most important rule by not having the fire to let off a smoke signal so they could be rescued. -Regan Gefroh
5. “”I gave you food… and the conch doesn’t count on this side of the island. “ (Golding 150) -Melia Beccard
5.1. Rules are being broken and made as quickly as Jack and Ralph can come up with. The grapple for power is stronger than ever and Jack is winning. Ralph and Jack only want rules that benefit themselves and hurts their opponent. -Melia Beccard
5.1.1. I agree with you, and want to add a few of my own thoughts. I think that this also shows how Jack has officially broken away from being under Ralph's rule. To me, the conch is a symbol of rule and order, ever since the beginning of the book when Ralph blew it to call a gathering. This represents how Jack is as a ruler. He has no order or rules, or laws, besides that the other kids on the island have to obey to him. -Regan Gefroh
5.1.1.1. I agree somewhat with Melia and Regan, but I have a few thoughts of my own. The boys can't really find a happy medium between the two groups. One group is far too savage, and the other group is more concerned with humanity and keeping their government civilised, rather than surviving on the island, but also getting off of it. -Bella Kruis
6. "Vote for chief!" (Golding, 22).
6.1. The boys voted for chief so that they would have a leader-figure on the island. They did this so that they would have rules and laws, along with equality among the two group.
6.1.1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBorRZnqtMo
6.1.1.1. This ad campaign reminds me of voting for chief/president. It's a sign of democracy and order. -Melia Beccard
7. Quote: “Then he took the lines in his hands; he freed them from the rocks and the figure from the wind’s indignity,” (Golding 147).-Will
7.1. Analysis: The law here is not explicitly stated, but it is still there. It is the moral law of Simon. Simon has always been very and almost spiritually in touch with nature and has tried to do the right thing. Here he is taking the time to untie the body, even though he is very tired. He does this not because it benefits him, but because it is what he feels is right. Even with society deteriorating and Simon being bullied, he keeps his rules. At this point, Simon is probably ironically the least beastly kid on the island.-Will
7.1.1. I agree with Will, and I have a quote that will help support and explain about how Simon is essentially a symbol of peace. "Simon opened his mouth to speak, but Ralph had the conch, so he backed to his seat." (Golding 86) When I read that, i thought that Simon is definitely a peace maker: he is one of the few people who respects the rules on the island, and hence, brings order and peace into their island society. -Regan Gefroh
8. “We’ll have rules!” he cried excitedly. “Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks ‘em-“(Golding 33) –Melia Beccard
8.1. Again, those boys are already making sure everyone knows there is going to be order and regulations. They may talk about coming up with them but they get sidetracked and wind up not doing it. Maybe in a small way this is something the author wishes to enlighten us open. Even though we may have big plans, ideas and thought out actions. We never actually end up doing it or implementing them. –Melia Beccard
8.1.1. Melia, I agree and would like to add a few things. I think part of the reason why the boys plan to implement so many rules and laws is that they are relishing the power they have been given and almost taking advantage of their opportunities. They enjoy using the power and showing their dominance.-Will
9. Quote: “’ It’s time some people knew they’ve got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us’” (Golding 102).-Will
9.1. Analysis: Once again, Jack is making a power play, trying to keep himself aloft in the hierarchy of the island society. Jack shows his power by trying to silence others with ideas he doesn’t like. Whether he is afraid that they might be good ideas better than his or that they might cause fear, Jack wants only his opinion distributed. By silencing opposing viewpoints he can manipulate the island populace into doing his will. If only one side of a story is presented to the children, they will agree with that viewpoint. If another strong leader such as Ralph was not on the island, Jack would’ve already brainwashed the kids into doing his bidding. -Will
10. “We decide things but they don’t get done.” (Golding 79) -Melia Beccard
10.1. This passage talks about how the group has collectively come up with so many rules together but they never have stuck with it. In a way this really reflects their whole community. At the beginning everything was great, things were getting done and people were happy. As you get farther in the book you can observe that the rules aren’t being followed and that the society is slowly crumbling. -Melia Beccard
10.1.1. I also think that perhaps this quote reveals the inner workings of mankind as represented by Golding. He shows us the horrendous truth behind humans- their basic selfish and lazy needs. Rather than help the group out and progress the whole society, they disobey the leader and do the activities they want by themselves .-Will
10.2. I agree with Melia, about how it reflects how their community. When Ralph was speaking during the meeting, he addresses the fact that they need to have rules and laws so they can get stuff done, and things will work more properly and orderly. The choir/hunters have always been loyal to Jack, and never as loyal to Ralph. Because Jack never thought much of the rules or the conch, he reflected it on the other boys too. Jack and his group of hunters/choir members rebelled against the group as a whole. The hunters have almost always done what Jack wanted them to do. -Regan Gefroh
11. "He had not got the conch and thus spoke against the rules; but nobody minded." (Golding 87). -Regan Gefroh
11.1. This represents Jack and his 'followers' view on their leadership situation. They know that he's not following the rules, but they choose to ignore it. By doing that they disobey their own rules. The order in their island society is slowly deteriorating as people disobey the rules and decide to do their own thing and not follow their chief's rules (which they also had helped enforce). -Regan Gefroh
11.1.1. This is such an important point in the book! This is when their whole "civilised" society, government started falling apart. -Bella Kruis.
11.2. I really agree with you on this and noticed this myself while I was reading the novel! Here you can see that Jack is already gaining people's "respect" I guess because no one minds that he's breaking his own rules -Melia Beccard.
12. Quote: “’Take them meat.’ The boys with the spit gave Ralph and Piggy each a succulent chunk,” (Golding 149).-Will
12.1. Analysis: Here we see Jack’s form of ruling. Now that he is chief, there is no democracy. There is only absolute power. When Jack says something there is no argument, no discussion, no interference; the boys simply obey out of fear and respect. Nobody defies Jack, but everyone at times certainly wants to. The type of society on the island has gone back to primal times with Jack being chief and his word being absolute law to the hunters. -Will
12.2. I do agree with you on this. I think though that maybe Roger doesn't fear Jack that much. Seeing as though he is doing Jack's dirty work. Roger does the actual hurting which is what scares the boys. So since he has that job he knows nothings going to happen to him. -Melia Beccard
13. Quote: “We need an assembly. Not for fun. Not for laughing and falling off the log -Gabe
13.1. I would like to add that I think this is the part where Ralph truly begins to realize the importance and value of society and adults. He is becoming fed up with constantly dealing with children and the ignorance of mankind. He realizes that the people around him are so ignorant and careless that they actually have stopped preoccupying themselves with rescue. They are taking life like a game, like a joke, and Ralph no longer finds it funny.-Will
14. “See? See? That’s what you’ll get! I meant that! There isn’t a tribe for you anymore! The conch is gone-“ (Golding 181) -Melia Beccard
14.1. All hell is about to break loose on this island, if it hasn’t already. The rule that whoever has the conch may speak has been used for this whole entire novel. Even when the groups are split up. It was the only thing that was giving Ralph a small bit of power still. Now that the conch is destroyed (symbolizing the end of democracy) and Piggy is dead (symbolizing the end of peace), Jack is in a position to freely take over. Ralph doesn’t have the brains to the operation anymore and Jack has all the people. Things are about to become even more chaotic. -Melia Beccard
14.1.1. The conch breaking symbolized the very end of Ralph and his civilized community with rules and laws. Jack had started a man hunt for Ralph. When Ralph was ruling, they had a democracy type system in which Ralph was more or less the leader and wanted what would be the best for the group as a whole; to be rescued. Now that Jack is ruling, they have a tyranny in which Jack makes up all the rules as he goes along. The conch symbolized Ralph's rule -Regan Gefroh
14.1.1.1. I agree with Regan that the conch breaking symbolised the ending of the civilised community with rules and laws. I also believe it ended the fall of democracy and government. -Bella Kruis
15. Analysis: This is when Ralph starts to realise that they actually need to get things done. Jack let the ship sail away while hunting because he had not been tending to the fire like he was supposed to - Gabe
16. I saved some of it!!!-Will
16.1. OH MY GOD THANK YOU SO MUCH I CAN'T EVEN THANK YOU ENOUGH YOURE A FABULOUS HUMAN BEING. THANK YOU THANK YOU. -Melia Beccard
17. "Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?" (Golding 150) -Regan Gefroh
17.1. Piggy tried to make the boys realize that they NEED rules and laws in order to get off the island as unscathed as they can get (although they're already quite different than when they first arrived). He realizes that in order for them to get off the island, they need to not just hunt and sit around and do nothing all the time, but to have a fire (which was a rule beforehand that they should have a fire going all the time). This is important because after Piggy dies, Ralph has no hope of restoring order to the island because he doesn't have Piggy, who was a major symbol of peace and order on the island. -Regan Gefroh
18. "He's like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn't a proper chief." (Golding 126) -Regan Gefroh
18.1. Jack has his own idea of what a proper chief is, and shouldn't be. Because he doesn't agree with Ralph, and never has, he doesn't think of Ralph as a good chief. Later on in the book, when there are two groups of opposing sides (Ralph and Jack), and the boys are all split, someone says "He's a proper chief, isn't he?" (Golding 154) When he says that, the person is referring to Jack. The boys have different views on what a proper chief is. At first, when all the boys were first on the island and were seeking civilization, they sought out Ralph for his natural ability to lead and his logic. As the boys slowly lost their humanity and turned into savages, they see that Jack is more fit for the role as chief. I think that happened because Jack has always matched the role of being ruthless and demanding and always more rough than the other boys have been, and now that the other boys have behavior more like Jack, they side with him, versus Ralph who still has a grasp on humanity and rule. -Regan Gefroh
19. "Give me a drink.... Power lay in the brown swell of his forearms; authority sat on his shoulder and clattered in his ear like an ape." (Golding 150) -Regan Gefroh
19.1. This is an exampe of how Jack has taken over by means of force, versus just being a good leader. He has close to no rues and laws, which is why I think the kids like having Jack as a ruler. Kids don't like having rules to follow and obey. Jack has always acquired his power by means of force, and scaring people into following him. He is very demanding and power hungry. He cares more about hunting and having fun on the island, than being rescued. Kids like having fun, which is another reason why I think Jack may have ended up being chief by the end of the book. He acquires his power by putting himself in the position because he is as immature as all the littler kids. He is feared and that is the way he enforces his rules and laws, is by scaring people into following them. -Regan Gefroh
20. I agree somewhat with Melia and Regan, but I have a few thoughts of my own. The boys can't really find a happy medium between the two groups. One group is far too savage, and the other group is more concerned with humanity and keeping their government civilised, rather than surviving on the island, but also getting off of it. -Bella Kruis
21. The boys can't really find a happy medium between the two groups. One group is far too savage, and the other group is more concerned with humanity and keeping their government.
22. Quote: ”’Well we won’t be painted,’ said Ralph, ‘because we aren’t savages,”(Golding 172). -Will
22.1. Analysis: Even in the midst of absolute collapse of society, Ralph is still determined to remain civilized. Ralph recognizes that the paint is truly more than just paint. It is an excuse and something that changes who people are. He knows that hiding under the paint allows the boys to do horrible things like kill Simon without accepting blame and responsibility for them. He also knows that Jack and the other boys have used the body paint to show their savagery. It has become a sign of their brutality and poor behavior so that children with body paint are something to be feared. In Ralph’s group, Ralph is not willing to sacrifice their civilized nature for the protection of the body paint.-Will
23. “There was a ship. Out there. You said you’d keep the fire going and
24. you let it out!”
25. "We can use this (conch shell) to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come when they hear us." (Golding, 15). -Bella Kruis
25.1. This shows that every time Ralph wants to have an assembly, he'll need to blow the conch shell. I believe that this is one of the most important rules in the whole book.because it is used so often, and they make all their assemblies by blowing the conch. -Bella Kruis.
25.1.1. I agree with you and I also think it presents Ralph with an initial high position of power. By controlling the conch, he is both asserted as a leader and he can control the flow of ideas. By deciding when and where meetings are, Ralph has the power to influence the decisions and rules made from this point onward.-Will Malone