Second Entry(Flowers For Algernon)

Charlie is having flashbacks of his past as his I.Q. eventually becomes very high. However, although he is very intelligent, he is still like a little boy when it comes to emotions, because his emotional growth could not follow his intelligence growth. And as he realizes what has been happening to him in the past, he becomes very distressed. He has flashbacks of people who were being mean to him and had him around to make themselves feel superior(he didn't know it back then, but he knows now). He also has flashbacks of his family-how his sister hated him and was always being mean to him. As he is having all these distresses, Charlie doesn't realize that he is shunning and making other people feel excluded and inferior to him.

People in this world always hurt each other in some ways whether it is hurting each other physically or hurting each other emotionally. I know that I've hurt people in the past, and I also have been hurt by other people. However, it is impossible for people to avoid conflict. And personally, I think those bad memories and experiences actually helped me grow emotionally. I know how to handle touchy situations better, and I know how to be strong. Charlie, although he is having a hard time right now, will learn from his flashbacks and become a strong, determined person and keep on moving forward in his life. At least, that's what I'm hoping will happen later on in the novel.

First Entry(Flowers For Algernon)

Charlie Gordon is a "retarded" adult of 32 years of age. His IQ is only 68, but he has a lot of motivation to learn something new and become smart. He wanted to become smart and have a normal life, have fun with friends, and talk about politics and religion with other people. When he learned that he could become smart, he decides to take a risk and go under surgery to raise his IQ. Through his "progress reports" which are really, more like a journal entry of his shows his improvement in thinking, writing, reading, etc.

It's really amazing that although Charlie is a fictional character, he has such strong motivations. His strong willed personality made me reflect on my own lifestlye. Charlie has almost nothing. He didn't have a loving family, he was made fun of(he never realized it though), and he was always criticized for being retarded. Yet, he never lost that will to learn. Although I have better conditions, such as normal brain, loving family and friends, etc. I think I lack motivation in my life sometimes. Through a fictional character like Charlie, I realize that I should be happy and content with what I have(I tend to forget about it, and take things for granted sometimes), and try hard in whatever I do. I realize that I should have a stronger will or passion, and strive for the best, just like this character does, because I know that if a person with an IQ of 68 can do it, I know that I can.

Blogs I commented on

1. https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23566804&postID=2111519142125287990&page=1

2.https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3193408149298159015&postID=4664755497450824012

3.https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3193408149298159015&postID=3912625351687257689

4.https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4059673527617359277&postID=67721909998732143&page=1

5.https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5786026328753596993&postID=7646440353968592051

6.https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7281165193867459622&postID=3101855896635323608&page=1

Entry of my choice

Do you agree with the message/theme the author tried to portray in the novel?

The author says that there is evil in every human mind.Golding also implies that the reason why humans act moral is because civilization is imposed upon them. Without civilization, human beings would succumb to their savage instincts(becoming violent,cruel,etc.).

I agree on how Golding said that there is evilness in every human mind. But I strongly disagree on his statement about the reason why humans act moral is because civilization is imposed upon them. Yes, humans tend to succumb more easily to evil. But still, God created us to have compassion and love in our hearts. And I believe that having those compassion and love in our hearts is the very basic fundamental thing that makes us humans. You can hear lot of people say that the world today is full of evil and sins. I can't deny the truth, but isn't there love and kindness in this world too? Humans tend to emphasize negative aspects much more than positive aspects.

Having love and kindness towards other people is considered a very moral act. But we don't always act kind and show love towards different people because civilization is imposed upon us. We do it, because that's just part of being human. I don't like somone just because civilization taught me to like someone. I just do! I don't even have a lot of control over my emotions, much less does civilization has control over my emotions.

God always has and always will lead us to paths of righteousness and morality. Even though we are sinners, we can always repent, and stay on the good side. Those are the reasons why I strongly disagree with Golding's opinions.

Setting

Are there any settings in this novel which you have found to be beautiful? Or disturbing? Or memorable? Describe these settings and comment on why they were meaninful to you.

The setting takes place in a tropical, deserted island. The island provides the boys with plentiful food such as fruits and even meat, because the boys hunted wild pigs. I thought the setting was very contrasting and ironic, because of the terrible things that happned in the island during the novel. At first, the mood of the novel was very peaceful and orderly. The author showed boys swimming near the lagoon, and it gave me a sense calmness within me. Ralph, as a chief had most of the boys controlled under his leadership, and the group of boys had rules imposed upon them. However, under Jack's influence, the boys began to ignore Ralph and his rules that were actually beneficial to everyone. And as the boys began to turn away from Ralph and his rules, terrible things began to happen. The boys turned away from civilization and just followed their savage instincts. Jack and his group constantly hunted just for the excitement and they were creating chaos everywhere. The boys even commited murder in that island, and that was very disturbing and contrasting to the setting that was first mentioned in the beginning of the novel. That made me realize that everything is not what it seems to be like. Even in reality, I think that happens very often. We always meet new people and a lot of times we hear that first impressions are very important. Well, first impressions are important, but it doesn't always stick with you. A first impression of a certain person may be great, but as you get to know them, they may be different on the inside. Or you might think a person is very cold and serious, but as you get to know them, you may realize their personality is actually 180 degress different. I think, in that sense, the island represents humanity: Always different from what they seem to be like, and always changing.

Climax

What is the climax of this novel? What happens? How do the events of this novel make you feel?

I think the climax of the novel is when Simon encounters the Lord of the Flies in the forest and realize the beast is actually the evil mindedness of each and every boy on the island. When Simon is enlightened with that discovery, he tries to tell that to the other boys, but they mistake him for a beast and kills him.

I think that was the turning point of the novel, because that was the definite fall of civilization in the island. After Simon's killing, Jack's tribe became more violent and cruel, and kills off Piggy, and even tries to kill Ralph too. All their moral goodness they had before had totally disappeared when the boys killed Simon. People like Ralph and Piggy realized their mistakes and tried not to give in to savage instincts again, but the rest of the boys didn't care whether they were being savage or not.

The climax, and the whole novel in general, made me feel so frustrated! To be honest, Jack was getting on my last nerves. I mean, he went to a school, he was educated, why was he so cruel and violent from the beginning of the novel? I suppose the author was trying to show how civilization can fall so easily, but I wished it wasn't so, because I had a hard time controlling my thoughts about the events. The instant Jack showed up in the story, I knew he was going to have major conflicts with Ralph in leading the group of boys, because unlike Ralph, Jack threw around a knife to get everybody quiet, and he became so angry and resentful when Ralph was voted the chief instead of him. Golding did a very good job in portraying Jack as ambitious and violent from the beginning of the novel. I wish that Jack wasn't like that in the novel, because it made me realize that all human beings can be just like him. It was sad when I realized that truth. Because, think about it. We all try to pretend that we're always good, but we all use violence some time to get our own ways.