Question 3

"The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away." - Lord of the Flies
The story of Lord of the Flies opens up with a group of tweenish English boys stranded on a deserted island. They try to form an upstanding society because "...We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything.'" However, the longer they spend on the island, they more they degenerate into savagery and start losing what made them human. This is most evident on Jack and Roger, two kids who become so enamored with power and blood-lust they become a shell of who they used to be. This all plays into the hands of William Golding, who used this novel as an allegory of what falls when society breaks down and all hell breaks loose.

Within Lord of the Flies, there are many kids, each who represent a different part of society. Ralph represents morality and the social compass. Piggy represents science. Simon represents religion. Jack represents anarchy. Roger represents chaos and blood-lust. And the conch represents democracy. At first, all seems well. The kids are working together, and there is an organized form of government. However, things start to degenerate right from the start. With no form of supervision, kids start doing less and less work due to boredom and knowing they can get away with it. Jack, in his jealousy over Ralph's popularity, keeps trying to usurp Ralph but failing. The kids start developing paranoia about the island, thinking there's a beast that is tracking them. Jack and his hunting group become more and more brutal in their way of hunting, culminating in their brutish killing of Simon and Roger dropping a boulder on Piggy. Eventually, Jack tortures the rest to go on a manhunt for Ralph, effectively setting fire to the entire island in the process. This all culminates into the kids running into the ship captain, with each kid realizing how much innocence they had lost in the process.

This all naturally plays into the hands of William Golding, who wanted to create an allegory about the fall of society. The conch, a symbol of democracy, becomes nothing when others refuse to give it meaning. Religion, like Simon, is quick to follow suit of the conch. Knowledge, much like Piggy, will be accepted when it is useful, denied when not in use, and then eliminated when it goes against the status quo. Morality, much like Ralph, will hold out as long as it can, but eventually it will be so minuscule compared to the savagery and brutality of everyone else. Eventually, the savagery will try to eliminate the morality once and for all, leaving a destructive path in its wake. If society is left to its own supervision, then paranoia and mistrust will set in, creating a dog-eat-dog world where nobody wins and everybody loses.

With Lord of the Flies, William Golding is able to create an effective allegory about the fall of society, while also making it accessible to younger audiences. By using an abandoned island as his setting, he is able provide another allegory to also fit his message, one that makes sense entirely. All of which allows him to create an effective story about he fall of man.

1999 English Literature Question 3

Sometimes the hardest choices in life are not the ones with definite outcomes, but ones of grey morality with the outcome undefined. Sometimes there won't be a right  or an easy decision, only ones underlined by gray morality. This concept, of having to choose between outcomes that are not so defined and black-and-white, is one fully explored in Fallout: New Vegas. This in turn helps illuminate the central message of the story, that society isn't as black-and-white as many stories portray them to be, but rather one of fifty shades of gray. That, as compared to stories like Macbeth or Lord of the Rings, there isn't a clear "good-and-evil" side, there isn't a clear dichotonomy between what is right and what is wrong. Rather, it is us who interpret whether things are good or bad, even if they are inherently gray.

The story opens up with the main character, referred to only as "The Courier", being shot by a mysterious man who introduces himself as Benny. After waking up and healing from his wounds, the Courier then, after receiving information about the whereabouts of Benny, travels to New Vegas to confront him and re-take the chip he was carrying. While at New Vegas, the Courier quickly becomes the centerpiece of a power struggle over the city of New Vegas and Hoover Dam, the main supplier of power in the entire Mojave region. That power struggle is represented by four main groups with many sub-groups. The NCR is a democratic government filled with great intentions and promising leaders, while also suffering from corruption, "big bully syndrome" and growing too fast too quickly. Caesar's Legion is a group of formed by one dictator that, while degenerative towards woman and technology, also has a reputation of keeping its people safe along with zero corruption. The House is the current owner of New Vegas and advocates somewhat of a two-faced approach: while he advocates for freedom of choice, and as such apposes both the NCR and Caesar, he also rules with an iron fist over Vegas. and controls the money and electric supply. Then there's the Wild Card option, where the Courier can take over Vegas and rule it as he sees fit, completely screwing the other groups in the process. This leads to the Courier having to play tug-of-war with three other factions all the while having to decide if what he wants is truly what is best for New Vegas. All the while there are mini-groups, like the Boomers (xenophobic hoarders of technology), Brotherhood of Steel (xenophobic hoarders who have a superiority complex), Great Khans (a raiding warrior group) and Kings (freedom fighters) who are fighting for a small piece of the pie.

This all naturally plays into the hands of the writer, Chris Avellone, who wanted to explore the grayness of society, and not some fanciful version where it's black-and-white. Society, as he views it, is one filled of factionalism. And there isn't a clear distinction between "good-and-evil". While we like to create this version of things either being saintly good or kill-the-baby-bad, in reality things are much more gray, which is what is thoroughly explored in Fallout: New Vegas. There is no real right or wrong choice, it's all dependent on perspective.  There are always two sides to every coin, something that many works of literature tend to forget/gloss over. This is what really pulls at the Courier, that he has four options, all of them equally valid. And each decision has major ramifications for the fate of the parties involved. People aren't going to like his decision regardless, but that's life. Sometimes you have take a stand for what you believe for, and not what others want you to believe.

All these themes are masterfully crafted and woven all into the narrative by Chris Avellone. Throughout Fallout: New Vegas, he constantly brings about different ideologies that reflect on the different natures of society, all the while emphasizing that society is not black-and-white. Rather, it is conglomerate of varying beliefs and viewpoints, with none of them inherently wrong. While we like to simplify things as either right or wrong, in reality, that isn't true. It's all a matter of what you personally believe, which is what Chris Avellone was trying to emphasize the entire time.

Saying/Quote of the Day XVII

"I hate to lose more than they love to win, that's the difference between me and them." - Wale

Joke of the Day XXVII

A small lizard was walking through the forest one day when he saw a monkey in a tree smoking a joint. The little lizard looked up and said "Hey monkey, what are you doing?" And the monkey replied "I'm getting high, do you want to joing me?"
The little lizard crawled up the tree and got high with the monkey, about fifteen minutes or so later the little lizard all chink eyed said "I'm thirsty, I'm going to the river to get some water." So the little lizard takes off for the river, as he's approaching the river a crocodile see's him and says "Whats wrong with you little lizard?" and the lizard replies "I just got high with a monkey in a tree back there." Not believing him the croc takes off to see this for himself. The croc finally finds the monkey in the tree and looks up and says "Hey monkey, what are you doing?" The monkey looks down and says "FUC* dude! How much water did you drink!"

Saying/Quote of the Day XVI

"The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame." - Oscar Wilde

Joke of the Day XXVI

THINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:
1. Innovative
2. Preliminary
3. Proliferation
4. Cinnamon

THINGS THAT ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:
1. Specificity
2. Anti- constitutionalistically
3. Passive- aggressive disorder
4. Transubstantiate

THINGS THAT ARE DOWNRIGHT IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:
1. No thanks, I'm married.
2. Nope, no more booze for me!
3. Sorry, but you're not really my type.
4. Taco Bell ? No thanks, I'm not hungry.
5. Good evening, officer. Isn't it lovely out tonight?
6. Oh, I couldn't! No one wants to hear me sing karaoke.
7. I'm not interested in fighting you.
8. Thank you, but I won't make any attempt to dance, I have no
coordination. I'd hate to look like a fool!
9. Where is the nearest bathroom? I refuse to pee in this parking
lot or on the side of the road.
10. I must be going now. I have to work tomorrow.

Seventh Reading

First poem.
When I first read this, I thought this was just a general poem about your dreams and how you occasionally forget them (much like Carl and Ellie in Up forgetting about their trip to South America until it was already too late for Ellie), only to be reminded of them, but with the wall of old age acting as a barrier, but how you can persevere and take that dream for yourself. However, after reading it seven times, I have come to the realization, I hope, that this is about oppression and "I have a dream". He is talking about equality, and how he occasionally forgets it, and how the wall of oppression tries to knock him down, but he refuses to lose. He will not back down.

Second poem.
With this poem, I had a pretty good idea what it was about, with subsequent readings only proving what I had in place. This poem is an allegory. The caged bird is the African-American, caged up by oppression and trying to sing, but everyone refuses to listen. The other bird is free, and he is enjoying his freedom. But the caged bird, all it longs for is freedom. And that is all it will cry for, so long as it shall live.

Third poem.
We had read and recited this poem last year, but I liked it so much I decided to give it another read. And I'm still getting the same impression I did when I read it sophomore year. This poem is all about originality and maintaining a fine line between honor and conceit. It's about the many qualities that define what being a "man" truly is.

Saying/Quote of the Day XVI

"All right Mister, let me tell you what winning means: you're willing to go longer, work harder, give more than anyone else." - Vince Lombardi

Joke of the Day XXV

A man was washed up on a beach after a shipwreck. Only a sheep and a sheepdog were washed up with him. After looking around, he realized that they were stranded on a deserted island.

After being there awhile, he got into the habit of taking his two animal companions to the beach every evening to watch the sunset.

One particular evening, the sky was a fiery red with beautiful cirrus clouds, the breeze was warm and gentle - a perfect night for romance..
As they sat there, the sheep started looking better and better to the lonely man. Soon, he leaned over to the sheep and put his arm around it.

But the sheepdog, ever protective of the sheep, growled fiercely until the man took his arm from around the sheep.

After that, the three of them continued to enjoy the sunsets together, but there was no more cuddling..

A few weeks passed by and, lo and behold, there was another shipwreck. The only survivor was Nancy Pelosi.

That evening, the man brought Nancy to the evening beach ritual. It was another beautiful evening - red sky, cirrus clouds, a warm and gentle breeze - perfect for a night of romance. Pretty soon, the man started to get 'those feelings' again..

He fought the urges as long as he could but he finally gave in and leaned over to Nancy and told her he hadn't had sex for months.

Nancy batted her eyelashes and asked if there was anything she could do for him.

He said, 'Take the dog for a walk?'

Response to Lit Circles

Multiple Choice
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Most of the multiple choice questions require that I have actually read the novel or had the entire story summarized or used, pardon my French, "Shit-notes" to get the answers.

Life of Pi
1. The idea of survival plays out by using the Bengal tiger as an allegory, one that is constantly putting Pi on his toes and forcing him to think ahead.
2. That each animal began to turn on one another and eat each other. As society regresses, the weakest are the first to die.
3. Pi was a depressed man who was "saved" by the Bengal tiger, Richard Parker. Richard Parker is probably a man Pi had to live, who Pi changed to a tiger for symbolism.
4. I'm not quite sure on how religion plays a role for Pi other than the fact he follows three religions.\

With Dani's questions, I tried to answer them, only to discover that I actually needed to have read the entire novel. As such, I was able to answer around 1/4 of them.

1. C
2. C
3. E
4. C
5. C
6. C
7. C
8. C
9. C
10. E

Saying/Quote of the Day XV

"If losing you didn't hurt so bad, then winning you wouldn't feel so good!" - Anonymous

Joke of the Day XXIV

An old man goes into a drug store to fill a Viagra prescription.

'Can I have 6 tablets, cut in quarters?' he asks the pharmacist.


'I can cut them for you', said the pharmacist,

'but a quarter tablet will not give you a full erection.'

'I am 96', said the old man. 'I don't want an erection.
I just want it sticking out far enough so I don't pee on
my slippers'.

The Picture of Dorian Gray Questions

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray is an example of which literary genre?
A. Modernism
B. Romanticism
C. Post-Modernism
D. Gothic
E. Surrealism

2. The portrait of Dorian Gray represents what literary element?
A. Similie
B. Apostrophe
C. Doppelganger
D. Anachronism
E. Epitaph

3. Preface
The artist is the creator of beautiful things. To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim. The critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things.
The highest as the lowest form of criticism is a mode of autobiography. Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.

Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only beauty.

There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.

The nineteenth century dislike of realism is the rage of Caliban seeing his own face in a glass.

The nineteenth century dislike of romanticism is the rage of Caliban not seeing his own face in a glass. The moral life of man forms part of the subject-matter of the artist, but the morality of art consists in the perfect use of an imperfect medium. No artist desires to prove anything. Even things that are true can be proved. No artist has ethical sympathies. An ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpardonable mannerism of style. No artist is ever morbid. The artist can express everything. Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art. Vice and virtue are to the artist materials for an art. From the point of view of form, the type of all the arts is the art of the musician. From the point of view of feeling, the actor's craft is the type. All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their peril. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors. Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex, and vital. When critics disagree, the artist is in accord with himself. We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely.

All art is quite useless.

OSCAR WILDE

What is the author trying to communicate in this preface?
A. That art is above the moral standards of society
B. That art is democratic
C. That society places unfair standards on literature
D. That artists need to respect the society they are in
E. That art is a form of criticisms on society
F. That the author knows how to write something

4. Why did the author become compelled to write this preface?
A. He was accused of writing shallow stories that emphasize flash over substance
B. He was accused of inducing massive orgies whenever someone read his novel
C. He felt his novel wasn't critical of society enough
D. He was accused of heresay and corrupting the youth
E. Critics felt he couldn't write

5. Lord Henry can best be described as a ______?
A. Hedonist
B. Witch-doctor
C. A witch!
D. Protagonist
E. Narrator

5. The theme of The Picture of Dorian Gray can best be described as_______?
A. Never kill the king
B. Treat others the way you want to be treated
C. An attack on aestheticism
D. Art is the greatest form of entertainment
E. Beauty is all that matters

Saying/Quote of the Day XIV

"Ever notice that people never say It's only a game when they're winning?" - Ivern Ball

Joke of the Day XXIII

The Washington Post runs a weekly contest in its Style section called
the 'Style Invitational'.

The requirements this week were to use the two words 'Lewinsky' (the Intern) and 'Kaczynski' (the Unibomber) in the same limerick.

Now, remember, the following winning entries were actually printed verbatim in the newspaper, no bleeps or xxxs:

Third Place:

There once was a girl named Lewinsky
Who played on a flute like Stravinsky
'Twas 'Hail to the Chief'
On this flute made of beef
That stole the front page from Kaczynski.

Second Place:

Said Clinton to young Ms. Lewinsky,
We don't want to leave clues like Kaczynski,
Since you made such a mess,
Use the hem of your dress
And please wipe that stuff off your chinsky.

And the winning entry:

Lewinsky and Clinton have shown
What Kaczynski must surely have known,
That an intern is better
Than a bomb in a letter,
When deciding how best to be blown.

Saying/Quote of the Day XIII

“What does it mean to be the best? It means you have to be better than the number two guy. But what gratification is there in that? He's a loser—that’s why he's number two.” - Jarod Kintz

Joke of the Day XXII

After winning a big case, two lawyers decide to celebrate by taking an ocean cruise. All goes well for the first few days but, as luck would have it, the boiler explodes and the boat sinks in the middle of nowhere.

The two lawyers cling onto a life preserver and wind up drifting towards a small island with one coconut palm tree on it. The coconuts and fish provide their food but wanting to be rescued, they decide to take turns climbing up to the top of the tree to look for passing boats.

This goes on for weeks. Finally, one day the guy up top yells down “Hey! I think I see something out there.”

The other guy says “What is it?” The guy up top says “I can’t tell. It’s too far away but it seems to be drifting in our direction.”

The next day, the other guy up top says “I see it too. It’s definitely drifting towards us!”

So, over the next few days they track its progress. The guy up top says, “I see clearer now. It looks like it’s small raft with someone in it.”

The next day it’s even closer. The guy up top says “It’s definitely coming our way and, believe it or not, I think there’s a naked lady in it!”

Finally, it washes up on their island. In it is a beautiful but unconscious blonde.

The one lawyer says to the other “Ya know, it’s been a long time for both of us. Do ya think we could? we could… uh… you know.”

The other lawyer says “Do WHAT??? Spit it out already!”

The first lawyer said. “It’s been a long time. I’m going crazy. Do you think we could, uh… you know, …screw her?”

The second lawyer says “Outta what? This lousy rubber raft”?

Joke of the Day XXI

A little boy walks into his parents' room to see his mom on top of his dad bouncing up and down. the mom sees her son and quickly dismounts, worried about what her son has seen. She dresses quickly and goes to find him.

The son sees his mom and asks, 'What were you and Dad doing?'
The mother replies, 'Well, you know your dad has a big tummy and sometimes I have to get on top of it and help flatten it.'
'Your wasting your time,' said the boy.
'Why is that?' the mom asked puzzled.
'Well when you go shopping the lady next door comes
over and gets on her knees and blows it right back up.'

Saying/Quote of the Day XII

"Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser." - Vince Lombardi

Joke of the Day XX

A drunk staggers into a Catholic Church,
enters a confessional booth, sits down, but says nothing.
The Priest coughs a few times to get his
attention but the drunk continues to sit there.
Finally, the Priest pounds three times on the wall.
The drunk mumbles, "Ain't no use knockin,
There's no paper on this side either!"

Joke of the Day XIX

The old farmer had a large pond in the back, fixed up nicely with picnic tables, a barbecue pit, horseshoe courts, and some apple and peach trees. The pond was properly shaped and fixed up for swimming when it was built. One evening, the old guy decided to go down to the pond and look it over. He hadn't been there for a while. He grabbed a five gallon bucket to bring back some fruit.

As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee. As he came closer, he saw it was a bunch of young women skinny dipping in his pond. As he approached, he made the women aware of his presence. At once, they all went to the deep end.

One of the women shouted to him, "We're not coming out until you leave." The old man frowned, "I did not come down here to watch you young ladies swim naked, or to make you get out of the pond naked." Holding up the bucket, he said, "I'm here to feed the alligator."

Saying/Quote of the Day XI

"Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose." - Lydon B. Johnson

Joke of the Day XVIII

A Scotsman Englishman and a Irishman Were drinking in a NY City bar.

"As good as this is," said the Scotsman, "I still prefer the pubs back home. In Glasgow, there's a wee place called McTavish's. The landlord goes out of his way for the locals. When you buy four drinks, he'll buy the fifth.

"Well, Angus," said the Englishman, "at my local pub in London, the Red Lion, the barman will buy you your third drink after you buy the first two."

"Ahhh, dat's nothin'," said the Irishman, "back home in my favorite pub, the moment you set foot in the place, they'll buy you a drink, then another, all the drinks you like, actually. Then, when you've had enough drinks, they'll take you upstairs and see dat you gets laid, all on the house!"

The Englishman and Scotsman were suspicious of the claims.

The Irishman swore every word was true.

"Did this actually happen to you?" they asked.

"No not me self, personally, no," admitted the Irishman,
"but it did happen to me sister quite a few times."

Macbeth Active Reading Notes

•  First, I must say that Macbeth gave the most pitiful excuse I have ever heard on why he killed the chambermaids. "I was mad" is only asking for suspicion. Hasn't he seen any Law and Order or CSI?
• How is it that one character, Macduff, is the only one suspicious?
• I must say, the sons did everything they could to make themselves look guilty. Might as well carry a sign that says "I did it".
• "A little water washes it away." how cruel and cynical of Lady Macbeth.
• Finally, why is the porter taking so long answering the door? He's just asking to get fired.

Saying/Quote of the Day X

“If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything.” - Malcom X

Joke of the Day XVII

“If toast always lands butter-side down and cats always land on their feet, what happens if you strap toast to the back of a cat and drop it?”

Saying/Quote of the Day IX

“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”  - Dumbledore

Joke of the Day XVI

Little Johnny watched, fascinated, as his mother smoothed cold cream on her face. 'Why do you do that, mommy?' he asked. 'To make myself beautiful,' said his mother, who then began removing the cream with a tissue. 'What's the matter?' asked Little Johnny. 'Giving up?'

Joke of the Day XV

While walking down the street one day a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies.

His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the man.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the senator.
"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.

They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St Peter is waiting for him.

"Now it's time to visit heaven."

So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns. "Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."

The senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.

He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder.

"I don't understand," stammers the senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

The devil looks at him, smiles and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning......Today you voted."

Saying/Quote of the Day VII

"Winning isn't everything, but it beats anything in second place." - William C. Bryant