Hi. Please respond to the following prompt. Your responses should be a couple of paragraphs long, respond to an idea that another student poses, and cite directly from one or more of the texts. You must post by 8 AM on Wednesday, November 30. You may post multiple times if you wish. Include your first name and your period, please.
Prompt: How are Speak and Lord of the Flies essentially the same story?
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19 comments:
The novels Speak and Lord of the Flies are both about children in situations they are ill-equipped to deal with. In Speak, Melinda is faced with assault. She is ill-equipped to deal with this because her parents never taught her crucial life lessons such as what rape is. In Lord of the Flies, boys are stranded on an island without the help of adults. The main theme that links the otherwise un-alike novels is that in both situations the main characters are in way over their heads.
Elyse Jones, Period 3
Speak and Lord of the Flies are essentially the same story. Both books encounter trouble with communication. In Speak, the protagonist Melinda does not talk or communicate with others because she does not want to be heard. Melinda wants to be hidden. She wants to disappear from the world as if she never existed. When Melinda is spoken to by others, she often responds with pure silence. Her family notices this, but Melinda’s goal is to not be noticed at all. “She won’t say anything! I can’t get a word out of her. She’s mute,” says Melinda’s mom (pg. 114).
Lord of the Flies also has a communication conflict. Since there are no adults on the island, the boys have to choose a chief. Ralph is chosen as chief, but he is not making his power clear. Because of this, other people, such as Jack, doubt his ability to be chief. This slowly leads to separation and mutiny of the group. An example showing lack of communication between the chief and his followers is when Jack leads a hunting mission when Ralph instructed him to tend to the fire. When Ralph yells at Jack for letting the fire go out, Jack responds, “We can light the fire again. You should have been with us Ralph. We had a smashing time.” (pg.69) Obviously Jack was testing Ralph’s power.
I also agree with Elyse’s opinion. Both books tell a story in which the characters were not ready for or expecting a situation.
Lindsay R. Period 6
I believe that Lord of the Flies and speak have a few similarities but not the same story. I agree with Elyse's statement that they are stories about children/adolescents that are unable to deal with the problems the are faced with. In the Lord of the Flies a group of English schoolboys are stranded on an island and must find a way to survive and be rescued. They are not able to keep order and govern themselves. In Speak Melinda cannot find the nerve or reason to speak out about the rape.
I find that aside from this idea the books are otherwise unrelated. Not only are the conflicts different but they go in opposite directions. The Lord of the Flies starts with a somewhat well ordered society that is set up by the stranded boys. Then order slowly decays as rescue loses priority to enjoyment while Piggy, the voice of reason, and Ralph, the leader are removed from power. This loss of order is clearly stated in the book. "In a moment the platform was full of arguing, Gesticulating shadows. To Ralph this seemed the breaking up of sanity" (pg 88). Here the author clearly states that the original order was collapsing. In Speak Melinda starts in total chaos, but as time goes on she gains control of her life and speaks out.
Aside from the way the plots progress the books also have totally different settings as well as characters. Aside from the basic idea of a villain and a hero/victim the characters are totally different. The Villains Jack, Robert, and Andy Evans have little in common besides being selfish and self centered just as Ralph, Piggy, and Melinda have little in common. So While Speak and Lord of the Flies have a few similarities, the conflict runs in opposite directions.
Joseph S. Period 6
While I agree with Joe that the books Speak and Lord of the Flies do have different plots, I believe that they have similar themes. Like Joe said, Lord of the Flies is primarily about the loss of order in society, but another theme centers around the idea of what a society would be like without parental influences, much like the theme in Speak.
For example, in Speak, Melinda struggles with her rape because she can't trust her parents to help her.
"'Oh my God, I'm so sorry,' [Rachel] writes. 'Why didn't you tell me?'
'I couldn't tell anybody.'
'Does your mom know?'
I shake my head." (Anderson, pg. 184-5)
In my opinion, Melinda couldn't tell her parents because she didn't believe that they would help her.
A somewhat similar theme occurs in Lord of the Flies. In the book, some English schoolboys are trapped on an island without any parent or adult supervision. As it was best said in the book by two kids:
"'Aren't there any grownups at all?'
'I don't think so.'"(Golding, pg. 8)
In Lord of the Flies, there are no adults. In Speak, there aren't any trustworthy adults. So, while the two books have different plots and conflicts, they still share the common theme of children on their own and what we would do without parental guidances.
Connor M., Period 6
The books Lord of the Flies and Speak, while they are about two different topics, they share a common theme. While I agree with Linday when she says that there is a communication issue in both of these stories, and Connor says that in both stories, the characters lack adults. I see, though, that both of these stories contain characters that have faced and are going through challenges, and don't (or can't) tell anybody about them.
In Speak, Melinda was raped at a party and called the police, not knowing what to do. The party-goers thought that she was trying to "bust" them, they didn't know what was really going on. Melinda, ashamed and afraid of what happens, doesn't tell anybody what actually happened, so everybody keeps thinking that she was the one who "ruined" their lives that summer night. Melinda can tell people, but she doesn't, and it is tearing her apart. She is lost, and doesn't know where to go next.
In the story Lord of the Flies, the characters are stranded on an island after their airplane crashes. They can't tell anybody they are there; they are lost. In the first chapter, you can already see the tension between the "leaders" Ralph and Jack for power. With no real system of "government", authority, and can't ask or talk to anybody for help, the boys turn into beasts, and "tear each other apart," as-well.
The boys and Melinda, like Elyse said, were "ill-equipped to deal with these kinds of situations." So when they tried to, everything fell apart.
Mikaela Schmiett, per.4
I agree with Conner that although Speak and Lord of the Flies have different plots, they share a very similar theme. That theme is that children and teenagers need adults to work through their problems and sustain life in an orderly and happy fashion. In Speak Melinda is miserable because she can't trust any adults to help her. She needs to talk to someone but she is so emotionally damaged by being raped she can't trust any one. Later though an art teacher named Mr. Freeman helps Melinda. He trusts her and communicates with her in a way that Melinda could really understand and trust. So when she finally starts to trust an adult she starts making better decisions and starts becoming happier. In Lord of the flies the books theme is how societies without parents and a chief/leader are chaotic. Without parents they can't seem to gain control and work together. "'Aren't there any grownups?' 'No.' Merridew sat down on a trunk and looked round the circle. 'Then we'll have to look after ourselves.' (Golding, page 14)
Thomas Ashton, period 6
The books Speak and Lord of The Flies are alike from the very begining. In both books kids find themselves it difficult situations. In Speaks it's when Malinda is raped and in Lord of The Flies it's when a group of boys crash onto an island.
From the very begining of the book i noticed a resemblance. In Lord of The Flies on page 14 Piggy said, "We got to do something." Piggy said this shortly after Ralph and him relised that no one know where they were and that they were in serious trouble.When that scene happend I thought of when Malinda relises that she needs help on page 136 of speak when it says, "I stood in the middle of a drunken crpwd and I called 911 because I needed help." In both Speak and The Lord of THe Flies both characters relise that something really bad has happend and they can't handle it on their own.
What we talked about in class strongly relates to both senarioes. We talked about how in every good story the main characters go into the unknown. Both books have a very clear "unknown". Weather it's rape for Melinda of being stranded on an island for the boys.
Elizabeth G. period 3
The books "Speak" and "Lord of the Flies" have similar themes. Like Elyse said, they are both about children who are not prepared to deal with the situation they find themselves in. In "Speak" Melinda doesn' think there is anyone she can tell about being raped or ask for help. In "Lord of the Flies" the children are stranded on an island and literally have no one to turn to except themselves. Both books deal with overcoming those problems, and neither has a perfect happy ending.
However, the similarities end there in my opinion. While the themes of the book are similar, the actual context in which it takes place are very different. Melinda lives in Syracuse and is dealing being raped and finding the courage to tell people. Ralph, Piggy and a group of school boys are trapped on an island and struggling to survive and retain order amongst themselves.
Erin M. Period 4
The novels Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, are both stories about adolescents. I disagree with Lindsay, because I don't think they are essentially the same story. However, I do believe that they both revolve around similar themes. I also agree with Elyse in that I do think both of these stories showcase young people being put in situations which they may not have the means to handle.
Both of these stories are about a struggle for power. In Lord of the Flies, this idea is introduced early on. The struggle is almost immediate for power by the boys marooned on the island, as one can see in the following passage. "'Shut up,' said Ralph absently. He lifted the conch. 'Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things.'" (pg. 22). The discussion continues a little later on when the boys decide to vote. "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..." (pg. 22). This struggle continues throughout the rest of the book.
In Speak, there is a different kind of struggle for power. The protagonist of Speak, Melinda, has a different kind of power reigning over her, and she also deals with it much differently. While attending an end-of-the-summer party, Melinda is raped. This experience as well as her offender hold power over her. It weighs her down with guilt, even though it was not her fault. All the same, she feels powerless, especially when she sees the boy who raped her. Instead of fighting back for control, however, Melinda retreats into silence, using it as a shield from everyone who wants to hurt her.
Also, both situations involve young people being thrown into situations they, for the most part, can't handle, as Elyse said. Whether it's being raped or being stranded, these both show children trying to deal with incredibly tough situations. They also both involve the protagonists, but they cannot, whether it is because of guilt or because of it not actually being possible.
Caroline H, Period 6
Still Jay, because I can't change the name.
Speak and LotF are about children who suddenly have responsibility and adulthood thrust upon them. In Speak, it was a girl who got raped at age 13. In LotF, the children suddenly have to establish a government, a way to live, and to prepare for the long term, all in a short few days. Also, Melinda feels cut off from the world, unable to speak to anyone about her predicament. Similarly, Ralph and Piggy can't talk because everyone else is a savage enemy. Also, Piggy dies, so he can't talk at all. Being dropped on a deserted island, away from civilization, is very similar to Melinda's experience: forcibly being separated from the world because they can't possibly understand. In both cases, you had to be there, in the situation, to truly understand the mania, the insanity of it all. It's not the same plot, but the same story; communication and support are crucial to prevent death, be it by suicide or by homicide.
Jay Cawthon, Period 6
Both novels "Speak' and "Lord of the Flies" have a lot of similarities. I agree with Elyse when I say that both Melinda(Speak), and Jack, Ralph(Lord of the Flies) are ill-equipped and don't have communication. In Speak Melinda doesn't have a very good home life and after the party cannot find a way to speak out to tell everyone what really happened and why she called the cops. In Lord of the Flies the boys are stranded and have no communication with the outside world. They are also finding it more and more difficult to communicate with each other. In ways the two novels are very different.
Speak and Lord of the Flies have many similiarities. In Speak, Melinda doesn't have parents to speak to because they're not there for her mentally. However, in Lord of the Flies, the children's parents aren't there either but in a different way: physically. In both stories, both Melinda, and the kids on the island, have a struggle to survive. One a high school, and the other an island. Melinda is dealing with rape while the kids on the island are dealing with their own kind of assault. Savagely, two children are killed in the book because no adults are there to tell them different. In Speak, when Melinda is raped, no adults are at the party to save her from Andy.
However, like Joseph said, the two stories are very different as well. The boys begin to lose control of their situation because they become wild and have no order. Melinda is the opposite because she does start out with no control over her life. As the story keeps going, she eventually finds her voice and begins to control her life and the chaos surrounding it.
I find that Piggy relates to Melinda. At the party, Melinda calls the cops after she got raped because she wanted to do the right thing. Piggy is like this because he tries to control the island boys, and he is usually the most responsible one. He is disliked however, just like Melinda, but yet he is the voice of reason in the group.
As my fellow classmates have said, the novels Speak and Lord of the Flies, though having different plots, share themes and ideas. One is the story of a broken girl who just wants to hide from everyone, and one is the story of a group of kids who are already hidden from everyone. These seemingly opposite stories parallel each other in many ways.
Both stories are about kids who are lacking in some way or another, as Lindsay and Connor mentioned. For Melinda, she lacks the courage and self-esteem to stand up and Speak. She had everything taken from her and she doesn't have the guts to talk about it. In Lord of the Flies, the group of kids has been dropped on an island, lacking any knowledge of where they are or how to survive. One could imagine that Melinda and the boys on the island shared some of the same emotions during their time.
You can fathom how weak Melinda must have felt (pg 135-136) when everything happened. A feeling of helplessness and she couldn't tell anyone, not even her parents.
I can imagine the boys on the island felt helpless and worried when some of them realized there were no adults. There was no one to help them or guide them, and they couldn't do anything about it.
I agree with my peers that these two novels, although different in story-line, contain similar characters and themes. Both are about young people put in situations that they should never have to deal with and figuring out how they are going to get through it.
Allison Witte PD 6
I agree with Nikki. I had never thought of that before but Piggy and Melinda are very alike. They are both not the most social and popular people. They also both try to do the right thing it just doesn't always go the way they had planned.
Elyse Jones P3
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