Lord of the Flies & Macbeth

There were many similarities between Macbeth and Lord of the Flies. The themes in both the literature pieces were the same; survival, leadership, power, and etc. But both obviously didn't follow the same plot lines.

 

Power/leadership

• Macbeth learns about a prophecy which declares that he can be king
• Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill Duncan in his sleep
• Macbeth commits the murder and is soon crowned King
• Macbeth makes all the rules in the kingdom now

• Ralph declares in front of the group that they should have a leader
• They have a vote, and to Jack's dismay Ralph is chosen
• Ralph tells the boys what to do, and is in total power
• Later on in the book, Jack starts to disobey his commands
• Jack leaves the group to start his own group and be becomes the leader with power

Survival

• Macbeth kills Banquo and tries to kill Banquo's son 
• Banquo's son escapes and fleds the scene
• Macbeth kills Macduffs family because Macduff has fled to England and he is worried that Malcolm and Macduff might try to bring an end to his reign

• The boys start a signal fire in hopes of being rescued
• They hunt for pig so they can have some food to eat
• They build shelters to protect themselves
• When Jack tries to kill Ralph, he runs into the woods in hopes of trying to survive 

These are some of the similarities between the two pieces but they are obviously very different in ways also. Lord of the Flies is centered around the theme survival because the boys are stuck on an island with no adults, no ways of communicating with the outside world. All they can do is work together and try to survive this journey. Macbeth is mostly about being in power and leadership. The whole play is about how Macbeth kills Duncan so that he can be king but then is killed himself by Macduff because Macduff realizes that Macbeth is not fit to be king and puts an end to the tyrant. 

I enjoyed reading Macbeth more because even though it was Shakespearean language, once I got it translated so I could understand, it was actually interesting. Macbeth longed to be king and that is all Lady Macbeth wanted too but their life went on a downward spiral the minute the crown was put on his head. Lord of the Flies was not something that I enjoyed as much because the chapters were too long. Some of the words that they used, I had no idea what they even meant. Mostly the chapters were spent on describing the environment around them and the appearances, rather then actually talking about the situation that was occurring. But all in all, it wasn't so bad. Both literature pieces were interesting in their own way.

 

Macbeth character monologue

Lady Macbeth

As I sit here, with my tormenting thoughts swarming in my head, all I can think about is killing myself and finally being released from all this pain. The way my life has gone downhill in these past few weeks is beyond me. I lived such a good life with my husband, Macbeth. Arguments here and there are no surprise in relationships but we were the definition of happily married.I was so content with my life and the way that it was going. Until.. my greed got in the way of my better judgment. Knowing that Macbeth could be king filled me with fantasizing ideas that didn't let me sleep at night. I knew that he would not have the courage to kill Duncan unless I questioned his manhood. "When you durst do it, then you were a man; And, to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man." By saying these lines, I persuaded him to do the unforgivable for my selfish needs. I knew that I would not be at peace if Duncan was murdered but at that time, I ignored that fact and continued to push Macbeth until he caved in. When Macbeth went to kill Duncan, I was terrified inside. If anybody saw him, we would both be executed without anyone giving it a second thought. But I had to put up a brave face for my husband or else he would back out of the plan. When I saw him walk back with the murder weapons, I did not want to even touch them. I had to convince myself to go put them back because I knew if I didn't, we would be caught in a matter of seconds. I would have made Macbeth do it but I knew that he would find a way to mess that up also. After the murder, I started to see things, like blood on my hands, and I instantly knew this was the guilt creeping up on me. As days passed up, my guilty conscience was eating me alive and my mental state got worse with every passing day. I slowly deflated like a balloon under pressure. Now here I am, looking at my past mistakes, and I know if I could go back and change one thing, it would be my decision to kill Duncan. As I leave this world with remorse, I wish to gain some peace in heaven but I think the doors of hell are what I will be walking through. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS_Z4zBDItw

Lord of the Flies

1. "Individuals are basically evil and must constantly fight against their violent nature." I do not agree with this because some people grow up in harsh conditions/environments that affect their mentality. Therefore they might become more  violent/evil due to the things that they have gone through/seen in their life. Those events affect who they are and what they do. Others, are born with very soothing personalities and tend to deal with issues/problems by being patient and calm. Instead of becoming violent and mean in certain situations, they try to keep a positive mind because they know that violence does not solve anything. For example, someone that has grown up being abused/hit/yelled at constantly, will grow up to be more violent/evil because that's all that they have seen. They have never seen or felt love.
 
2. "Individuals will go along with any type of activity, no matter how violent, when pressured by their peers." I agree and disagree with this because some kids will listen to their conscience and no matter how hard you push them, they will not cave in. They know right from wrong. While others, with the pressure of fitting in,  will do it because they want the people to like them. They don't evaluate the consequences that come with their actions because all they care about is fitting in with their so called friends. Some might do it because their scared that they will become a victim of bullying by not going along and agreeing with their peers. For example, in high school if you are part of a group, and some of they people are planning to go and egg somebodies house or go steal something, all the members will agree because they know that if they don't, their life will become a living hell in school.


3. "The human race is destined to destroy itself." I agree because people kill other people, physically and mentally. Individuals judge, criticize, and make fun of others till the point where they don't even want to live anymore. On the other hand, we have people who commit murders, and take the life of an individual within seconds. If this continues, one day the human race will not exist anymore. For example, wars that happen between countries kill millions of people, and people are the ones that ignite it. In high schools, many kids commit suicide due to bullying. They are usually bullied for being "different."



4. "Rules and punishments are absolutely necessary if we are to maintain a civilized society." I agree with this because the only reason some people even think about their actions is because they know there is going to be a consequence. If we didn't have certain punishments, people would do whatever they wanted, without giving it a second thought. People would be committing various types of crimes, like stealing if their in need of the money, violently hurting someone because they are mad, because they know that they won't be in trouble afterwards. For example, in school we know that we can not cheat because if we do, we will be awarded a zero and fail the test.

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090424143936AAHCh2I

5. "WE are our own worst enemy." I agree because we are our best criticizers. We look at others and compare our selves, and think of ways to change so that we can meet the standards of society. We are too hard on ourselves, always picking out things that are wrong, or things that we could improve on. We sit and dwell on the same problem/issue until it gets us very sad or depressed. For example many girls are starving themselves these days because magazines exploit the image  of a women.

Macbeth Themes & Motifs

1. Ambition

• Athletes go to desperate measures to improve their performance during a game or event. Many athletes take steroids so that they can give it their all.
• Just like how Macbeth went to desperate measures and killed Duncan so that he could be king
• http://www.totalprosports.com/2012/05/30/11-female-athletes-caught-using-performance-enhancing-drugs/#2
• Students stay up long hours and deprive themselves of sleep so that they can complete an assignment or be "prepared" for a test. 
• 

2. Fate and Free Will

• By fate, you could be born into a wealthy family and inherit the money. However, by your free will, you can work hard and do well in school. So that you can get a good job and earn your own money. 
• By fate, you can inherit your parents genes and be tall, short, skinny etc. But by your free will, someone may go to a plastic surgeon to achieve the same results through surgery. 
• 

3. Appearance and Reality

• A happily married couple seems to be doing really well in the eyes of others. But, ends up getting a divorce due to personal affairs. 
• 
• A magazine displays a model with perfect body. However, it is photo shopped and in reality she is not as slim as portrayed on the cover.
• http://www.stylelist.com/watch/this-36-second-video-shows-the-shocking-effects-of-photoshop/#

Personality Quizzes

After doing the multiple intelligence's quiz, my results were not that different from what I was expecting. My top 3 were: Social(interpersonal), Self (intrapersonal), and Body movement (kinesthetic). Social intelligence is when one likes to develop ideas and learn from other people. They have very good socials skills and like to take part in group discussions. I was not surprised that social was my top intelligence. From the very beginning, I have been someone that likes to share her opinions with others and also hear of what they have to say. I love to talk and participate in discussions where I can say what I truly feel, but also be corrected if someone disagrees. This confirms that I am a very social individual that enjoys to be surrounded by others. It is very easy for me to talk to someone who I have never previously met. Self intelligence is when an individual likes to spend time by themselves and likes to think things over. They like to work individually and prefer to use the time and error method. This surprises me because I like to work in groups than be by myself. I like knowing exactly what to do and how to do it rather than making a mistake and learning from it. Something that was not news to me was that I like to spend time alone and think things over. Before going to bed, I like to sometimes reflect on my day and ponder on my decisions. Body movement is when an individual likes to keep moving; they are usually good at sports and enjoy taking things apart and putting them back together. I was not surprised with the results because I have played soccer all my life. I have always someone who enjoys to go for walks and hikes in the summer. I enjoy being outdoors as much as I can.


From the Myers and Briggs personality quiz, the results concluded that I was 11% Extrovert, 12% Intuitive, 38% Feeling, and 44% Judging. I have a slight preference of extroversion over introversion. Extroversion is when an individual likes to get their energy from active involvement from events and sports. They tend to understand a problem better if it is spoken aloud and discussed with others. Introversion is when a person likes to get their energy from pictures, memories and reactions inside of their head. They prefer to do things alone or with someone they are comfortable with. I am not surprised by the results because since I was a soccer player, I always got my energy from playing the sport. When I do have a problem, I always like to discuss it with a friend and get their input on it so that I can come up with a proper solution. The quiz also stated that I have a slight preference of Intuition over Sensing. Intuition is when an individual rather learn by thinking a problem through than by hands on experience. They like to think more about the future and spend less time reflecting on the past. Sensing means to be concerned with what is actual, present, current, and real. Those people notice facts and remember details that are most important to them. I do agree with the results because if I am going through a hard time or have a problem, I need to talk to someone about it. I like talking to others and getting their opinion so that I have a clearer vision of what I can do. The third result stated that I have moderate preference of Feeling over Thinking. Feeling means that the individual makes their best decisions by weighing what people care about and the point of views of persons invovled in a situation. They are concerned about what is best for the people involved, and often come off as caring, warm, and tactful in relationships. Thinking means that the person makes their decisions based on pure facts, They like to anaylze the pros and cons and be more logical. I did not agree with these results because I see myself as someone that likes to go over all the facts before declaring a decision. I see what will benefit me and base it on that. My last results were that I have a moderate preference over judging and perceiving. Judging means that a person is more flexible and open to new information. Perceiving is when one appears to be spontaneous and adapt to the world rather than organize it. I do not agree with these results either because I change myself according to the situation/environment I am in. I will not try to change the things around me; I rather just go with the flow.

Superstitions and Supernatural

Superstition is the belief in supernatural causality; something happening if you do a certain thing. Some superstitions that still exist in today’s society are
• When a dog cries/howls, death is near
• To break a mirror will bring you 7 years of bad luck
• If a black cat crosses your path you will have bad luck
• Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day
• If you walk under a leaning ladder, you will have bad luck
• A rabbit's foot brings good luck
• To open an umbrella in the house is to bring bad luck

1. The superstition about the umbrella first started back in eighteenth century when metal-spoked waterproof umbrellas first began to come into use. Their stiff, clumsy spring mechanism made them veritable hazards to open indoors. If a rigidly spoked umbrella opened up suddenly in a room full of people, it could end up breaking an object or even worse, hurting/poking someone that was too close to it. Even a minor accident could ignite a war of unpleasant words or a falling out, thus conceiving it as bad luck.
2. Walking under a leaning ladder is a superstition that has been going since the early years. This superstition originated in ancient Egypt. When a ladder leaned up against a wall, it formed a triangle, and Egyptians viewed this shape as sacred. To them, triangles represented the trinity of the gods, and to pass through a triangle was to dishonor them.
3. It was typical for people to go consult with "mirror seers," who would tell them their fortunes by just analyzing their reflections in Ancient Greece. The mirror was dipped into the water and usually someone who was ill was asked to look into the glass. If the person’s image appeared distorted, they were more likely to die, but if it was clear, the person was said to have a healthy life and be able to live.
4. In every movie we see with witches in them, their companions are always black cats. In the middle ages, people viewed black cats as evil demons because they worked with the witches. So many people believed that if you were walking and a black cat crossed your path, they had blocked your connection with god so you would not be able to enter the gates of heaven.



Many of the superstitions that still exist today were started way back in the early days. If someone back then saw a black cat cross its path and something bad happened to them afterwards, they blamed it on the cat and then would tell everyone what happened. Word traveled fast back then, so once everybody started hearing about it and maybe something bad coincidentally happened to them when a black cat crossed their path, they all started to believe it was real. People would tell their kids about the superstition, and then the kids would tell their kids; that’s how the chain started. Our parents grew up listening to all these supernatural things and they passed it down to us. It has become a part of us and we are all forced to believe in it. I have been hearing about the mirror breaking superstition since I was a little kid, and even though scientifically it’s not possible that it can bring bad luck, I still believe in it because it has been engraved into my head. We all have been hearing about these superstitions for so long that we all think they are real. Also, we all prefer to take the safer route rather than taking the risk and putting ourselves in harm’s way. This is why most superstitions are associated with a fear of some harm that may befall the person if he or she does or fails to do a particular thing.

http://www.2knowmyself.com/why_do_people_believe_in_superstitions

I Am ...

Hey,
I am not rebellious
or dangerous
I don't go parting
or do drugs
or drink alcohol
or stay on my phone all day
And I don't know
Harman, Aman, or Ravneet from Surrey
Although I'm sure they're all really great people
I study, not fail
And I pronounce it "going to" not "gunna"
I do my chores, not lay around
And I am not impudent or perilous
I believe in acceptance, not discrimination
being kind, not cruel
And that helping others is a genuinely good thing
I do make mistakes, but we are still learning

My name is Sam and I am a teenager