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Post by Megan Jaco on Apr 19, 2020 15:39:01 GMT
The end of the novel came as a shock to me but only because it happened so abruptly. I expected the remainder of the boys to be rescued eventually by a passing ship, but it happened so last minute that if the naval officer had come later, Ralph would have been killed. I feel as if a better ending to the book may have been Ralph coming up with a way to bring all of the boys back together and to work on being rescued. Golding probably wanted to make the ending abrupt because he wanted to bring a jolt to the reader as they realized along with the boys in the story that this island was not the world, and that there was a society other than the one that they had so immaturely built. As the boys and the reader were brought back to reality, the parallels between the island and the world are brought into even greater prominence than before. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry is saved from certain death by a phoenix with magical healing tears bringing him a sword hidden in a hat. Harry about to die when the sword of Gryffindor presented it to himself and then was in the process of dying when Fawks saved his life at the very last minute.
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Post by Katarina Garcia on Apr 20, 2020 0:39:26 GMT
I do feel as if the end was a fitful ending to the novel. The end serves as irony that proves the ultimate point Golding was trying to make. Throughout the whole book, the signal fire was a symbol of hope to be rescued.However, as order and civilization fell away and the signal fire ceased to exist, all hope was lost. I believe it is fitting that they finally get rescued by the means of fire. The irony occurs because it is a haphazard fire made of the uttermost desire to kill and the complete opposite of the signal fire. Yes it is a little sudden and random that they are suddenly rescued, but I think that is the point. After all of Ralph's hard work with the signal fire, the boys are finally rescued when they are not trying to be. This ending is a Deus ex Machina because the naval officer is a new outside character that suddenly appears and fixes everything. He brings the boys to the world of order, civilization, and society. William Golding uses this irony to blur the lines of civilization and savagery and has the ending symbolize that maybe civilization and savagery are more similar than the story implies. In the end, it is the savagery that brings forth the rescue that their civilization was unable to achieve. Although they are made out to be on different ends of a spectrum, they ultimately achieve the same thing. He is also trying to say that everyone can be saved. The appearance of the naval officer not only saves Ralph's life, but he also saves all the other boys' minds. No matter how evil or savage someone has gone, they always have good in them. This also goes for evil, no matter how good someone is they will always have the temptation of evil inside of them. Another example of deus ex machina is in Ocean's Twelve. In this movie, all of Ocean's Twelve end up arrested and in jail with their fate supposedly sealed. However, out of nowhere Linus Caldwell's (Matt Damon) mom is an FBI agent who just suddenly frees them.
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Post by emeli rubel on Apr 20, 2020 1:56:06 GMT
I do not think the ending of the book was very exciting. It was kind of the boring and lazy way to end the book. It was very predictable because obviously the author wouldn't make their book with the ending of them being lost forever and eventually dying. I think the boys were saved to show the satisfaction that the book ended good and they were saved. If they were stuck on the island forever, it would say that Golding is trying to tell people that all though they did bad things while they were there, they could eventually go back to their normal lifes again. A example of Deus ex machina is in the Harry Potter movie Half Blood Prince. It is used when dumbledore kills off all the inferi at the perfect time right before they killed harry. Another example in the series is in Dealthly Hallows when ron came out of no where and saved harry right before he was drowned to death.
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Post by Lucas LaBruzzo on Apr 20, 2020 2:43:14 GMT
The end of Lord of the Flies was fitting to the story; if by fitting one means anticlimactic and dull. Most of the book is similar in this fashion; with even sudden twists being bland. In Lord of the Flies it seems, sudden events occur just to occur or for extreme plot convenience. If you could not tell from this response, I was unaffected by the ending because there is no depth to it; just some British guy appearing out of nowhere as salvation. There is simply nothing to it. If anything, given the premise of the novel, I was disappointed the ending was so bad. One statement William Golding was making through the ending is that once a symbol of authority returns, people will respect said authority and largely revert to their previous behavior. Hence why all of the boys cease their ruthless manhunt when in the presence of an authority figure. An example of deus ex machina can be found in the early minutes of the game Skyrim. The player is being executed after being caught alongside civil dissidents; although not related to them at all. Just as the player’s head is about to be cut off via halberd; a dragon, the first one in centuries, comes out of nowhere and wreaks havoc. The ensuing chaos allows the player to escape alive.
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Post by Vanessa Antolakis on Apr 20, 2020 14:34:12 GMT
I partially liked that the boys got saved at the end of the book, because I feel like after everything that they had been through, they deserve a better life than complete savagery and danger. However, I do not think that the ending was most fitful and it definitely could have ended better.The ending felt rushed and made it seem like Golding wanted to just finish the book. After all of the action and adventure that the book had throughout, the ending made it seem like it was a "fairy tale" and that they would all live "happily ever after". I personally expected a more interesting ending that was not so sudden and abrupt and that made more sense because the boys had been trying to create signals for the entire time that they were on the island, so it didn't make very much sense that the fire was the first one that the officers saw. I think that what Golding was trying to say at the end of this novel is that adults are necessary in order to have a civilized society. He portrayed this message through the character of the naval officer when he is confused and disgusted by how the boys have resorted to violence and become inhumane. This goes to show that savagery and brutality can be part of human nature, and sometimes it is up to luck to fix it. Another example of a Deus Ex Machina moment is The Wizard Of Oz. In the end of Dorothy's adventure, she is magically able to go back home by means of magic. The way that she does this is by clicking her heels three times and making a wish.
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Post by Quinn Wilson on Apr 20, 2020 16:49:43 GMT
In the book, "Lord of the Flies," I do not think that the ending really fits with the rest of the book. Throughout the whole book the boys were alone and surviving by themselves. They tried many times to get rescued yet that never really worked. Then out of no where a naval officer appears just before Ralph is killed and before the whole island burns up in flames. It wasn't really fitting and didn't follow with the whole story line. I would have expected Ralph and Jack to come face to face at the end of the book to fight it out.
I think through Golding's ending he was trying to show that kids left on their own can become violent and needy, yet when any adult comes they are almost saved and they return back to their old habits. These boys were on an island with no adults and that turned them into different people then they were before. They started hunting and creating their own tribes and shelters, things the would never to with adult super vision. Then once the naval officer came, the snapped back into reality and realized all they have done. Ralph was saved by the naval officer from getting killed while Jack and his savages were saved from making a big mistake and killing Ralph. Another Deus ex Machina example I can think of is in the latest Star Wars movie, Rise of Sky-walker, where out of no where a fleet of ships come to help the resistance and they end up winning the battle.
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Post by Devon Garls on Apr 20, 2020 17:01:49 GMT
The end to Lord of the Flies is fitting to the book and it makes sense in the context of the story. Ralph was always worried about fire, keeping the fire alive and keeping the smoke in the air so that someone could see them. Ralph got his wish in the form of the entire island being put on fire as a result of the major conflict between the warriors and the civilized. The fire had saved them, as Ralph knew would happen. This slightly dampens the use of the Deus Ex Machina because, in this case, it makes sense that the man would come back because of the fire. However much it may seem like a fairy tale ending, it was a fitting ending to the story of the boys, which is why Golding chose to end it this way. Ralph, the main character had one mission: to keep the fire going so that they could get rescued. They kept the fire, after the struggle between Piggy and Samneric, whether it was damaging to their environment or not. Golding also used the sudden appearance of an adult figure to represent the restoration of authority for the boys, something that they hadn't seen since the plane crash. After the officer was introduced, the boys began to return to their normal selves, however civilized and "normal" that may be. Golding uses this to say that society needs authority, we need higher-ups to bring order to those below, we need presidents and leaders to bring discipline to societies. An example of a Deus Ex Machina is in Left 4 Dead 2, when the players are fighting against a wave of seemingly endless zombies on a concert stage ( ) when suddenly a helicopter comes and saves the players to fight again.
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Post by Ella Todd on Apr 20, 2020 17:05:04 GMT
I do not believe the ending fits the rest of the book. It seems too abrupt and the naval officer does not fit in with the rest of the characters. It seems very unrealistic based on the events throughout the novel. The likely ending would have been that they killed each other off, and this rescue does not quite fit in with the rest of the evil themes and violence throughout the novel. Yet, I like that he tied in the fire and smoke signal as being the thing that saved them as it was such a dominant point of conflict throughout the book.
I think Golding chose this ending to give one final message about mankind. In the end, the British officer is unable to comprehend the boy's savagery, instead, he insists on calling it games. This shows how humankind is too easy to forgive or ignore our moments of evil or pass it off as something that happened in the past. It also demonstrates that until we witness it first hand, we do not fully understand the capabilities of ourselves to hurt other people, and choose to block it out because we do not want to view mankind as capable of these acts. One book I can think of having Deus ex Machina was called, ¨The cheerleaders¨. Right when she is about to get murdered, her long lost brother who she hasn't seen since she was an infant suddenly shows up and saves the day.
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Post by Kat Davis on Apr 20, 2020 21:43:27 GMT
I feel like the ending is fitting. Despite the supposed impossibility of the sailor finding them after all this time, it's not that impossible. Jack was smoking Ralph out, meaning the entire island was a signal fire, which would draw the attention of the boat that happened to be passing. I feel that William Golding purposely meant to write such a coincidental ending. The captain is a physical representation of societal standards. Even when the boys had lost their humanity, the human need to fit in and have social order, came in to "save the day". If it weren't for this, the boys would have completely lost their humanity. A good example of a Deus ex Machina is Athena's divine intervention at the end of the Odyessy when Odysseus and Telemachus finish slaughtering the suitors, and their families come to take revenge. In this case, it's a literal god that has come to save the day, but once again, the Deus ex Machina prevented bloodshed, just like the captain did.
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Post by Kylie Fish on Apr 20, 2020 22:42:06 GMT
In chapter 12 of the book LOTF, the novel came to a very abrupt ending. I personally was not very amused with this ending seeing as though it was very anticlimactic. Though the ending of this book was a good one, I expected more action to take place (just like in the rest of the book). All of the events that occured in the novel prior to this one were leading up to this one, and as a reader I wanted to see who would finally gain leadership; either Ralph or Jack. It is because of these reasons why I think that the ending of this novel was very fitful. I think that William Golding chose to end the novel this way so that he could leave the readers wondering what might have happened to the rest of the boys if an adult did not intervene in the situation. One Deus ex Machina moment that occured in a popular movie that I have seen is hunger games. This moment occurs right before the two main characters are about to die, but are then saved when it is suddenly announced that they can both be winners. *Are there any o
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Post by Cora Meenan on Apr 21, 2020 14:19:10 GMT
I found the abrupt end to Lord of the Flies somewhat disappointing. In my opinion, it made the events that transpired throughout the book, like the death of Simon and Piggy or the boys' gradual descent into savageness lose a lot of their meaning. The entire story being resolved by an easy way out without giving a satisfying explanation to the deeply rooted savagery that most of the kids succumbed to, felt too abrupt and out of the context of the themes I felt were being presented as the book progressed. The naval officer playing off the violence as just a game does say something on Golding’s perception of society but, from my view, makes the events that transpired on the island feel much less real and more fabricated compared to the genuine horror I felt as some of the more violent scenes played out. I think that ending the book with the boys truly following their savage impulses to their death would have said more about the potential for violence that we as humans possess. What I think Golding was trying to communicate was that civilization and structure are what prevent a descent into savagery, however, I feel this would have had more of an impact on me if we saw where this violence would lead us as a society if left to our own devices. I never really found Deus ex Machina endings all that satisfying. While I do appreciate a happy ending and tend to find myself rooting for one in even the direst of situations, one that comes from nowhere or is completely outside of the realm the story has created makes the entire story feel less authentic or real. One example of this is in The Wizard of Oz where the main villain is defeated by a mere accidental spill of water, resolving the main conflict in just seconds. It feels like everything the story has built up much less impactful than it would have been with a thought out ending that makes sense within the context we have been given.
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Post by Joey Allen on Apr 21, 2020 15:16:29 GMT
I was a little disappointed the novel ended in this way, with such high drama between all the boys and even having an end to one of the most prominent characters in the book; I felt that Ralph, after being fueled by anger would get Jack for what he had done. But in the mists of battle and the forest fire, the thought of being saved by an outside source had crossed my mind. By the end of the book, I had mixed feeling about how things were left. On one hand, I was happy to see no more bloodshed between the boys; but on the other, it lead to life-altering trauma for all the boys and even some deaths. And with how Jack treated the boys under his rule, I dought no one would have not held a grudge on him.
My idea of what Golding was trying to imply was how even far gone the boys were, there was still hope; but also that it doesn't take long for the mind to wander and to commit actions that are unethical in the eyes of the world. With the swift introduction of the navy, they could see how first-hand man can be without guidance from power, with little mercy, and how they seek pleasure in unethical ways. Not only that but how fast and how gruesome the mind of man can turn when unsupervised. With the introduction of the navy, I see it as eyes from those guided by society, and how disarray can unfold without the help from said society.
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Magdalena McCormick
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Post by Magdalena McCormick on Apr 21, 2020 15:55:20 GMT
I think as the book went on, we all hoped for the boys that they would be saved and rescued. Contradicting that, it felt like it didn't fit the story and the setting of the book, they had a lot of hardships and the idea that they would be rescued became highly unlikely in a lot of our minds. I think if there were more events or subtle hints that they would be rescued would've been a good idea, but I also believe that the way the book was ending had a little bit of surprise, and they ended up not killing each other. The ending of the book was saved by adults and I think there was a statement in that. The ending of the book for me was a little disappointing, they came all that way just to be magically all the sudden saved by random officers.
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Post by Rhylee Jensen on Apr 21, 2020 16:10:06 GMT
No, I did not like the ending of this book. I feel like it was too fast of an ending. Ralph was being hunted down by Jack and his "warriors", the jungle was even lit on fire, and then all of the sudden a navy officer is just standing on the beach. I also don't think it was very fitting because the boys at the beginning of the book had lit a signal fire and no one saw it, yet now that the jungle was on fire, someone finally sees is. I also think it is weird that the officers only reaction was that he thought the jungle lit on fire because it was all fun in games. Honestly, I do not understand why Golding ended the book like this. It may be because he wanted it to end, or because he was trying to say, that even if everything is going bad, and you are in trouble something good will come from it.
Another example of Deus ex Machina is in Cinderella. She had just gotten her dress torn to shreds, and missed her chance to go to the ball, and then all of the sudden, out of thin air, comes this fairy godmother to help her get ready for the ball and meet her prince. Another example is in Harry Potter, when Harry needs the Sword of Gryffindor to destroy the Horcruxes, and it sudden appears at the bottom of a lake in the middle of the forest.
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Post by Shea Cranston on Apr 21, 2020 19:43:26 GMT
I did not specifically like the ending of the novel. It's not that I hoped it would have gone more into detail about the repercussions of the death of Simon, it's just that I wish it would have gone longer to show the repercussions of Simon's death. Also, the fact that right as Ralph is going to be killed, a navy ship shows up? That is so conveniently placed and timed it's ridiculous. The ending of the novel left tons of loose ends and seemed very planned/scripted. It was overall a mediocre ending and felt more like the ending to a cruddy movie than to a good book. I think that Golding wanted to show that in the end the boys were only saved by the forceful reintroduction of society to their lives. He shows just how quickly man can go from civilization to savagery. An example of Deus ex Machina that I could think of was in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - ex 1) Dumbledore saving Harry right in the nick of time before he gets killed by the Inferi ex 2) Ron saving Harry right before he was drowned and strangled to death Another example is in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer- ex 1) Faith is about to get killed by a demon but in the nick of time, Xander drives by with his car and saves her ex 2) Buffy is about to be killed by a vampire but just in time, Giles and the gang show up to save her.
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