Thank you for the terrific seminar today. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot. Please post a response to this prompt by 8 AM Monday, 12/12. Read what others have to say and respond to their thoughts. Please write at least a paragraph, and if possible, cite from the text.
Prompt: How would the story Lord of the Flies be different if, instead of a plane full of boys crashing on an island, it was a plane full of girls?
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Today we brought up the thought of what the diffrence would be if rather then kids who crashed if it were adults. To this question I said adults would argue just as much and be very stuborn about their opinion. However I think that with girls it would be a diffrent story.
If all girls crashed in a plane i think that they would first do the same as the boys and choose a leader, but i also believe that girls would fall apart just as quisly if not faster then the boys. The girls would be good at working together withing their groups, but not as a whole team. The girls would to the same as the boys and the hunters and the others would begin to argue.
Towards the end of the book the boys began to relise that being rescued was really important. I think being rescued would be the girls main priority from the very begining and they would most likely think water and shelter is more important than meet.
When Piggy was killed at the end I was suprised that the hate between the boys had grown so much that they were willing to kill eachother. Im sure girls would start to hate eachother just as much, but instead of killing eachother I think that they would split up and isolate themselves from the group.
Elizabeth G. period 3
In the Lord of the Flies an unbelievable scenario is set before us. It is more or less a "what if" scenario. "What if" a small group of English boys crash landed in the middle of nowhere during World War III? So one is pretty free to replace the group of boys with just about any other group.
If one is going to replace the boys with girls than first off the group would have to be defined. Are they young or old, what types of characters do they have etc. For the sake of comparison well pretend that they are English, well educated and have several definite leaders with a large group of followers.
With a group of girls with similar characters, I only see a few ways the stories would differ. The main difference I see is that girls have less violent tendencies than boys. This means that they would probably be more orderly and have a better sense of leadership.
Although the society would be more ordered, if there were similar characters, the society would probably be destroyed eventually. Though the girls would be less violent, savage, and have possibly a better sense of duty, given long enough, the end result would be the same. In the end the desire to have fun would win out like it did with the hunters.
Aside from this desire there is the inexplicable breaking up of order described by Ralph on pg 82,"Things are breaking up. I don't understand why. We began well.."(Lord of the Flies, pg 82). This would no doubt affect the girls too; the isolation, hopelessness and fear would affect them, possibly even worse.
Although the girls have several traits that would make them do better there are several advantages the boys have as well. First off, their more violent tendencies result in less fear from the isolation than the girls would have. The girls would have less of a tendency to go up and "hunt" a beast and confront their fear, although they might be smart enough to realize the fear was imagined. In the end, though, the boys violent tendencies would be more of a help than a hindrance to survival on the island.
Despite the advantages the girls have on the island, I believe the loss of order is inevitable. Of course assuming the story runs the same, by the time the English officer got there everyone might still be alive. The girls would hold out longer than the boys against the chaos surrounding the isolation, but in the end, the girls and boys would both succumb to savagery and chaos.
I in fact believe that this would nearly always be the case with the kind of characters William Golding sets before us. As long as there is a disagreement between characters such as Ralph and Jack, or any source of chaos at all, it will not be a question of "if, but "when."
Joseph Stokes Period 6
If, instead of boys, girls were to crash on the island, there would be more fighting and more back stabbing. There would not have been those few weeks of control and calm. As soon as someone proposed selecting a leader, there would have been cat fights and anger and secrets coming out. The fights would be bloodier and nastier.
But once the leader was finally chosen, the girls would have worked together and made more rational decisions. I don't think the girls would have been very efficient and the shelters would not have been very good because girls have never been very good at outdoorsy things. As Elizabeth said, the girls would have focused mainly on being rescued because they had their priorities straight. I also like what Elizabeth said about isolation from the group. Males, sorry, tend to revert to violence much faster and irrationally than girls.
Elizabeth brought up that earlier we talked about what if adults landed on the island instead of boys in the book Lord of the Flies. I think the adults would be like the boys in that they find a leader and are trying to work things out, but in the end things go very wrong. The only difference would probably be that the adults probably would work harder to get rescued, build the huts, and kill the pigs faster, but in the end, somebody dies. Now girls on the other hand, would be a completely different story.
In eight grade, we read a play version of Lord of the Flies. My teacher felt bad that only boys could have parts, so once we finished the play, she found a spoof off of the play, where girls crash on the island instead of boys. The play had the same ideas and concepts as the original, but it was very different.
From what I can remember, the girls chose a leader, but there was always another girl trying to take her spot; trying to be the most popular. Like the original Lord of the Flies, there would be at least two "cliques" trying to gain the most people and control.
What was different, was that the girls cried more, cared what people thought of them, were more focused on getting saved, and in the end, they weren't bloodthirsty beasts. I think this is because girls, in my opinion, are less likely to kill then boys, for you think as girls as...well, gentle. Most girls, aren't really gentle, but no matter what age there always seems to be a natural "mother" instinct which make girls not want to harm and kill others.
The two situations really depend on the people who are there. The girls could be exactly like the boys, in that they want to kill, it really depends on what type of people land on the island.
Mikaela S. Per. 4
The main thing that I remember from our seminar is that we talked about what if it was a group of adults that landed on the island. We said that it would be a little more organized and I agreed with it. But a group of girls is a totally different story. We are all human but there are so many differences between boys and girls. With a group of girls I think there would actually be more violence. As a society we think that males would be the more violent ones but with some teenage girls that theory is reversed. There would be a lot more gossip and backstabbing to each other. Also there would probably be more than just two “clans”. With the guys there were two sides but with girls there would be at least 3 or more groups. Girls like to express their opinion and they takes sides with people who have the same opinion. Unlike guys, girls share more opinions than just this or this. The have this or this or this. That’s why there would be more little groups. There would be a major difference from boys, girls, and even adults and they all have their pros and cons.
oh sorry. Nathan Klebba period 4
I agree with what Elizabeth said when she said that girls would fall apart just as quickly if not faster but I also think that the girls would fall into multiple groups and and worry about shelter, water, food, and being rescued. I think that the girls would not hunt but they would still fight over power and leadership.
Girls fight with words rather than violence I think there would be fights and maybe a small amount of violence but no killing or hunting. The girls would break up into groups and argue over power and shelter. I think that the girls would all be worried about rescue and make multiple fires and make rescue the top priority instead of hunting and meat.
I think that adults would be a cross between girls and boys. I think they would choose a leader but then fight over power and argue and as Elizabeth said be very stubborn. They would be ver concious of getting rescued and the fire but I also think they would have a much more calm demeanor when it came to the "beast". I think they would recognize what was happening and try to solve the problem rather than go crazy with fear of the "beast".
Thomas Ashton period 6
In "Lord of the Flies" a plane crashes on a tropical island with a group of boys on the plane. If instead a group of girls crashed on the island, how would it be different?
I think the story would drastically change. I believe that girls would have separated into groups faster, and there could possibly be more groups of girls. This could mean there would be more leaders of the groups causing a bigger fight. I also believe that the girls would have taken a less violent approach towards the other girls. I believe they wouldn't kill each other. They would however, have more of a need to get rescued, and realize the situation they are in faster.
While reading Lord of the Flies, a reoccurring question often entered my mind. What if a plane full of girls crashed on the island instead of a plane full of boys? In my opinion, regardless of gender or age, any person or group of people stranded on an island would, at some point, resort to savagery. It is human instinct to survive. In order to survive, any group would have to hunt, choose a leader, and find shelter etc. When human necessities are stripped away from us, the only option is to survive off the land and adapt to the wilderness just like our primitive ancestors.
However, I do believe there would be a difference in the way in which girls and boys would survive. Boys and girls have many different characteristics. Boys are hardy, strong, and used to getting dirty. In my opinion, boys focus on having fun and not necessarily staying clean or tidy. Thus, boys would adapt quicker to the environment just like in Lord of the Flies. “They accepted the pleasures of morning, the bright sun, the whelming sea and hope was not necessary and therefore forgotten.” (Golding, p. 55) In this story most of the boys quickly lost their common sense and sanity.
Girls on the other hand are high maintenance and enjoy staying prim and clean. Their bodies are more delicate. Also, girls often become more attached to their parents. I agree with Mikaela that girls would grow homesick very fast. In my opinion, because of these qualities, girls would be more focused on getting rescued. The bitterness of the environment would certainly get the best of them. I feel that it would take much longer for girls to become savage than for boys.
Lastly, I believe that girls would separate right away. Everyone knows that girls have cliques and drama. Also, girls are feisty, and they all want to be the center of attention. I think that unlike the boys who only separated into two groups, the girls would separate into many groups according to personality type. The shy girls would stick together. The nature freaks would belong to one group, the “girlie-girls” to another. Though there would be many groups, I feel they would still work toward the common goal of being rescued. That would be their main priority.
Lindsay R. Period 6
As we all know, Lord of the Flies is about a group of English schoolboys, all with strong personalities, whose plane crash-lands on an island in the Pacific. Immediately, the boys elect a leader and thus begin planning how to survive their stay on the island. But what if the boys were girls?
I completely agree with Lindsay's first paragraph in that we all have a strong, primordial instinct to survive: natural instinct, human instinct, or whatever else you may call it. We all have the natural instinct to survive in whatever location and sitution we find ourselves in: in this case, on an abandoned island with no adult leadership.
So, naturally, the boys do what they believe will aid in their rescue (and therefore survival) by electing a leader, gathering food, setting up shelter, and building fires to attract attention from passing ships, all of which are instinctive things to do, no matter your gender or race. Because, like Lindsay said, when human necessities are taken from us, we resort to primordial instincts.
That, however, is where the similarity between my view and Lindsay's view end. I am of the opinion that, if the scenario of a group of boys were turned into that of a group of girls, I believe the exact result as the boys has a chance to happen. I believe that society and the success or failure of it is largely built upon the personalities of those who survive in it. Therefore, I believe if the girls scenario had two character with the personalities of Ralph and Jack, such as Ralpha and Jackie, I believe the society the girls had formed for themselves would fall apart just as quickly as that of the boys. As I said earlier, I don't believe instinct has as much to do with gender and race as it does have to do with the personalities of the individuals themselves. Therefore, I am of firm belief the girls' society would succumb to chaos at the same rate as the boy's society.
Connor Morgan, Period 6
If girls instead of boys would have crashed on the island, I think the book would have been a lot shorter. Boys are a part of boy scouts and wilderness survival groups and the things taught in these groups help significantly if you are stranded in the forest. Most girls do not find these groups very interesting and are probably not involved in them. I don't know about most girls, but I would definitely be SOL with my wilderness survival skills if I were placed in that situation.
In Lord of the Flies, the theme is how the young, innocent boys transform into wild animals. If girls were in this same situation the exact same thing would have happened. People think that just because girls are more fragile that we would all be bff's and play Marco Polo in the water while we were stranded. As much as I would like to believe that, I know it is not how I would react at all. The moment I became hungry, dirty and irritated enough I know very well that I would become a major bitch. Girls are extremely feisty and we would fight it out. Also, in any girls sport we are very competitive so I have no doubts about arguments that would take place over leadership. I am completely convinced that no matter how humane and feminine we act in society, females would have the same outcome that the boys had in Lord of the Flies.
If a plane full of girls had crashed on the island instead of a plane full of boys, I don’t think the plot of Lord of the Flies would be very different. There would be a clear leader at first, like Ralph, but then a power-hungry tomboy would probably take charge to form the savage side of the group, like Jack. The savage group of girls would have the same capacity for violence as Jack’s hunters, but I do not think they would have started out as hunters. Girls just don’t have as much desire to kill, but they would resort to it to protect their group. So while I believe the savage group of girls would kill anyone who tried to stop them, I think they would be doing it defensively (in their minds) rather than murderously like Jack’s hunters.
However, the biggest differences in the plot would probably be at the beginning. I agree with Lindsay that it would take the girls longer to adapt to the surroundings on the island. They would probably be very weepy and desperate at the beginning, until they become accustomed to the reality they are now faced with. Eventually, though, the girls would probably be more organized. Ralph struggles to keep his meetings focused on the goal at hand, whereas a group of girls would be well organized at first, until the savage side kicked in. At this point, the “society” would begin to deteriorate just as quickly as the boys’ in Lord of the Flies.
The girls would also probably be more openly mean to each other. In Lord of the Flies, even though Jack hates Ralph, he is generous and willing to help at the beginning. This is a sort of veneer that is eventually lifted when he begins killing people. The opposing girls would be hurling insults at each other right from the start; the two sides would immediately be very clear. I doubt that there would be more than two groups because it would be unlikely that there would be enough leaders charismatic enough to join their cause. Sure, there would be girls who would be closer to some than others, but I still believe there would be two main groups.
Aside from a few subtle differences, I think the plot of Lord of the Flies with girls would remain much the same. It doesn’t really matter whether it’s boys or girls or a mix, the human capacity for evil and for good is present in all of us.
In the classic story, Lord of the Flies, a group of English schoolboys are marooned on a desert island where they must fend for themselves. It would be just as plausible for it to take place with a bunch of girls instead of boys... but would the plot remain the same?
When the boys are marooned on the island, after time, the struggle for power rips the group apart. There is a wish for survival as well as bloodthirst, and this conflict results in a schism between two leaders and their followers.
I agree with Mikaela that by nature, girls seem to be more compassionate and less likely to kill, whereas boys often are trying to act like men and be tough and brave. And while I agree that there would probably not be a split over hunting, I still think that there would be some type of divide. Maybe there would be one group more concerned with making clothes, for example, rather than rescue.
A group of people can only be together so long before order starts to slip, personalities clash, and anarchy results. I think the gender would affect some of the specific scenarios, but the plot would follow the same type of path. I just there would be less literal bloodshed and more verbal battles. That doesn't mean that there would be absolutely no bloodshed, however. I still believe that eventually a live would be taken. I agree with Paul that "the human capacity for evil and good is present in all of us."
Caroline H., period 6
Had the plane that crashed in the "Lord of the Flies" been filled with girls things might have played out very differently, but I think there would have been a similar result. Like Joe said, at depends what type of characters are on the island. If there was only one definite leader there probably would have been very little conflict, so we must assume the group of girls has a similar group of personalities.
With several different people who may have wanted to be in charge, there would definitely have been a battle for power. However, girls behave differently than boys do, and there would have been more subtle attempts to gain control of the island. Girls would have spread rumors about each other and talked behind each others backs. There would have been lots of backstabbing until finally the girls who were fighting became more obvious with their dislike for each other, at which point the entire group would have split into smaller factions and probably spread across the island.
Hostilities would grow, but I don't think girls would resort to savagery and killing one another. I think in general girls are more aware of their surroundings and are more perceptive of one another. An act of murder would have horrified everyone else around her, and nothing would have been gained by it. Instead, smaller groups would have ben driven to the edges of the island until they completly isolated themselves or supported whoever had gained power. Overall a very similar outcome whould have occured, but the way in which it happened whould have been diferent.
Erin M. Period 4
Girls are much more dramatic than girls. They like power and popularity and they hate being overshadowed by others. Instead of being backstabbed (literally) like the boys were, the girls would be backstabbed by the other girls with drama and gossip.
Being a girl I have learned that living with other girls for more than a few days can cause problems. We typically tend to get oversensitive and overemotional very fast. Girls like to have power and they would be constantly fighting to see who had it. I don't believe that there would be as much bloodshed because girls are typically squeamish about that sort of things.
Eventually though, the girls would go insane with savagery such as the boys did because of their quest for power. Something would happen, although I don't believe it would death, because girls are much more prim even in their most horrid instances of savagery.
The story would be different because the girls would be concerned about other things rather than hunting for pigs or killing the beast. I doubt they would have even believed a beast existed. Two groups would probably form but I don't think the other group would kill the other girls unless they had motive.
Nikki Jam period 6
I think if girls had crashed on the island instead of boys, the outcome would only be slightly different. There would definitely be conflict, but I think it would be less violent. With girls there would be less conflict because girls tend to bottle things inside, I think girls would be more resourceful and responsible. I don't think they would have a problem with people becoming too involved with hunting, because girls are pretty squeamish in nature.
I agree with Lindsay there would be more groups because groups of girls can be cliquey. I also agree that the groups would separate faster because girls can easily get mad at each other.
Elyse Jones Period 3
If the scenario were to be reversed, with girls landing on the island instead of boys, I think it would have been a completely different experience and outcome. Girls are naturally more caddy and sensitive than boys. They aren't necessarily physically violent, but passive aggressive. They tear their enemies down little by little until they are broken. Instead of confronting them with concerns or problems, like most boys freely do, girls talk behind their backs, using hurtful words, and vengeful tactics.
I have no doubt that the girls would find a way to survive, maybe some similar to those of the boys. In any situation it is human nature to select a leader, and figure out a game plan for survival. I am sure the girls would do the same, just in a different way.
In the end I think girls would be more emotional violent, and it would be their downfall as opposed to the boys who couldn't find order and turned against eachother.
IF IT WERE. Sorry, pet peeve. Anyway, the girls would be more mature and less likely to descend into chaos. On the other hand, they would probably have a harder time doing work. Yes, I'm sexist, but there's science to back it up. It all depends on the girls' personalities- maybe everything would be the same. I agree with Liz, too: Girls wouldn't resort to violence so quickly.
Winter survival is harder than any, you have an additional enemy, the climate, it can cause hypothermia and death.
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