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Post by Mr. Malloy on Apr 6, 2020 21:10:03 GMT
Read Ch. 9 in Lord of the Flies. After, please take a look at The Gospel of Matthew. The bible summary is here. The brief video summary is below. In 1-2 paragraphs, respond to the following questions: *In what ways is Simon the Christ figure of the novel? How do you know? *Specifically, what evidence from the text foreshadowed this? *And what is William Golding saying about good, evil, and humanity through the character of Simon? Explain. HW: Read Chapter 9!!!
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Post by Rhylee J on Apr 8, 2020 14:26:34 GMT
Simon is the Christ figure in many ways, some being his actions and death. Simon is sensitive to other characters emotions and feelings like Christ. Simon is there to comfort Ralph when he is uncertain about things; "'You'll get back to where you came from... You'll get back alright. I think so anyway.'" (Golding 111). Simon speaks the truth. When he first came out about the beast, it seemed like he only said it to scare the other kids, however, Simon was only trying to speak the truth and get that issue out into the open. Up until Simon's death, he was the one boy trying to speak the truth. When the idea of the beast first comes around, every little boy is afraid. As the idea has slowly started to adapt, Simon predicted that the only evil on the island lies in the hearts of the boys, and decides to reject the idea of the beast. As I said before, Simon can also see the good in other people by understanding their feelings and being there to comfort them.
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Post by Zoe Newman on Apr 8, 2020 15:06:59 GMT
Simon is similar to Christ in the way that he is always comforting the other boys. He is one of the gentlest characters and he has the biggest heart of all the boys. He also dies in a similar way that Christ does, crucified by his own people. The other children kill Simon in the way that they would a pig hunt and Christ is killed by his own comrades as well. Evidence that foreshadowed it was when he said "You'll get back alright." (Golding 111.) This implied that he knew he wouldn't make it back alive. As though he had some inkling of knowledge that said he wouldn't survive the island. Golding is saying that people aren't inherently bad nor good. He's saying they have the choice of becoming one or the other. Simon chose to be good but was ultimately killed for it. He is saying the pack leads in the way that herd mentality leads. But people have the option of breaking away from it. In the way Simon or Christ did it.
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Post by Luke Brunner on Apr 8, 2020 15:14:13 GMT
Simon is the Christ figure in the book because he helps the other boys and makes them feel better, and is not all about himself, like some of the other boys. It is also foreshadowed that Simon will be killed by the other boys, similar to how Christ was killed by his own people. In the text, it states, "You'll get back alright." (Golding 111). This shows that Simon knew he wouldn't make it back alive off the island. The author made it so Simon would be morally good, and rightful, but he will be killed for it, which is how Christ died as well in the video. Simon say the true evil was within the kids, and not in the form of a beast, but he was the only one who understood.
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Post by Emily Wingard on Apr 8, 2020 15:18:28 GMT
Simon represents that Christ figure by his actions and beliefs. By certain things that happens in the book like when in Chapter 3 no one could grab that fruit but Simon got them all fruit. Just like Christ did. But Simon has a lot of the same qualities Christ does like misunderstood. Simon was misunderstood a lot and no one really listened to him. And then they both are sensitive. Simon would get his feelings hurt easily. And Simon is a really wise character. He was really smart and tried to bring a lot to the group but of course no one listen to him. Simon's death really brought out how he resembles Christ. When the beast started to become an idea Simon didn't rejected the idea of it, and he started to realized that the beast isn't a living creature, the real beast was in them all. Showing how no one is really trying to get off the island instead they are fighting and arguing over leadership and other things. William Golding is saying about good, evil and humanity through the character of Simon is that everything that Simon has done for the boys or at least tried to do, he still try and provided the best for the boys. And did that through the evil and good. He's representing how good of a person Simon is.
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Post by Ava Morton on Apr 8, 2020 15:19:36 GMT
Simon is the image of everything good and natural in Lord of the Flies, just as Jesus is in the Bible. He also has a strong "mystical" attraction to nature and is extremely selfless, which are two of Jesus' strongest traits, like when Simon was the only one to help the little'uns or when he comforts Ralph. He is also similar to Jesus, simply because he dies. While we haven´t read to this part yet, the quote, "'You'll get back to where you came from... You'll get back alright. I think so anyway.'" foreshadows this. Finally, he's similar to Jesus because he sees the ”Lord of the Flies”, which represents Satan. The quote, “What are you doing out here all alone? Aren’t you afraid of me?” Simon shook. “There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast.” is an allusion to Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness where he believes he has an interaction with Satan. Both Simon and Jesus are horrified because they never thought of themselves as having an inner instinct to chaos, and are worried that Satan and The Lord of The Flies may force it to come out.
William Golding is saying that, while everyone has the capacity to do so many good things, it may be transformed into bad and evil (through Satan and the Lord of the Flies). Simon is the literal image of everything good, but after his ”interaction” with the Lord of the Flies, even he questions this.
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Post by Audra Snyder on Apr 8, 2020 15:36:11 GMT
Simon is the Christ figure in Lord of Flies because he listens and comforts people and also always tells the truth. For example, early in the book, Simon begins to realize what the beast truly is. He sees that the beast is not some animal, but rather the evil inside all that is the real danger. Simon is like Christ because both knew they were going to die and be betrayed by their peers. Christ knew one of his disciples would betray him, because each person has some evil inside them, acting for self righteous reasons. An event that foreshadowed Simon's death is when he was talking to Ralph. He says "... I just think you'll get back alright"(Golding 111). Simon is not only comforting Ralph, reassuring him that everything will work out in the end, but is also acknowledging his own death. Simon has seen the viciousness these boys have within them, and knows because he himself is not vicious, he is good, that the boys will turn on him eventually. Both Simon and Christ knew their deaths would mean something. Christ died to save and forgive everyone from the evil inside, and Simon died as a reminder of what the evil does.
William Golding says that humanity as a whole has the ability to be good or evil. Through Simon's character, Golding shows that in the most questionable and dire of circumstances, people can still be good, even if they will die because of it. Golding also acknowledges that people can be evil and that the evil can take over to create an entirely different person.
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Post by Phillip Truong on Apr 8, 2020 15:42:16 GMT
To put it simply Simon is just like Christ because he, like Christ, is largely empathetic towards others. Also because his own people betrayed and killed him in the end. But Simon is known to be as some of the boys´ emotional support pillar, making sure to comfort them when it is needed. Jesus is also known as the embodiment of ¨good¨, curing and being people´s support pillar when needed. As for Simon´s death, it was foreshadowed in a previous chapter when Golding wrote, ¨´You'll get back to where you came from... You'll get back alright. I think so anyway.'"
In this quote, Simon is saying that he knows that he won´t make it back alive, hence foreshadowing his death in chapter 9.
With Simon´s character, Golding seems to be saying that the concept of good is powered by the humanity of people- when the boys lose their humanity, they lose their capacity to do good things.
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Post by Peyton Jenkins on Apr 8, 2020 15:44:41 GMT
Similarly to Christ, Simon is misunderstood but caring and wise. He is soft spoken but sensitive and empathetic. He shows compassion towards Ralph and, despite the vast ocean that separates them from safety, has hope. Simon is the only character in the novel who is able to understand the difficult truth that the beast is living withing all of the boys. He feels obligated to share this truth with others but is met with ridicule and skepticism and brought forward as an object of mockery. This is similar to Jesus Christ who had an obligation to share the Gospel of The Lord, but was met with the same criticism. Both of the characters share ideas that are simply too deep and complex for the general public. Both experience a sacrificial death. Simon's death was foreshadowed when the Lord of the Flies promised to "have fun" on the island at the end of chapter eight. Golding entails in Lord of the Flies that evil lies in everybody's hearts. The real challenge lies not in eliminating evil, as it is permanent and inevitable, but in staying in control of evil impulses. The real danger lies in the potential that this danger takes over.
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Post by Asher Gettings on Apr 8, 2020 15:59:04 GMT
Simon represents the figure of Christ in many ways. For one, he sees the Lord of the Flies much like Christ was visited by the devil. Also, in both the story of The Lord of the Flies and that of Christ, both Simon and Christ are killed by the people who they were bringing good news to. Christ is bringing the good news of the messiah and Simon is bringing the good news that what they thought was the beast was actually a dead parachutist. Simon's death is foreshadowed earlier in chapters 7 and 8. In chapter 7, Simon foreshadows his own death when he says, "You'll get back where you came from." He doesn't say we will get back, he says you will get back. In chapter 8, the beast foreshadows Simon's death when he says, "We are going to have fun on this island! So don't try it on, my poor misguided boy, or else . . . we shall do you? See? Jack and Roger and Maurice and Robert and Bill and Piggy and Ralph. Do you. See? His death is foreshadowed here by the beast who says that if Simon tries to interfere the other boys will do him in (kill him). Then what does he do? He goes out and interferes and tries to tell them that they are wrong and gets killed because of it.
Through the character of Simon, William Golding is saying that humanity is afraid of what it doesn't understand. And when humanity is afraid we can become violent and evil and destroy what we can't understand simply out of fear. Out of fear of the unknown and fear of what the unknown might do to us. We destroy what we don't understand out of fear, even when what we fear may be trying to help us. Even when what we fear may be good.
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Post by Sienna Johnson on Apr 8, 2020 16:04:41 GMT
In the novel, Simon represents the Christ figure in multiple ways. He has the ability to read and process the emotions of others extremely well. He is very sensitive about this, taking it upon himself to always comfort the boys and display his support. Within these moments, Golding is able to prove that Simon is caring, empathetic, wise, and brave. He is compassionate and understanding, especially towards Ralph, who he ceaselessly consoles and reassures, as if they were family. Simon is consistently aware of his surroundings and situation. The text states, ¨You´ll get back to where you came from... you´ll get back alright.¨ (Golding 111). This is somewhat foreshadowing Simon´s death and partially implying that he was predicting that he would not make it back alive. Christ and Simon are similar because they both separated themselves from the group´s mentality. They chose to be kind, ethical souls and both paid for that in the end by death. They were both killed brutally by their own kind. Simon is murdered as if it was a pig hunt, by the other children of the island. A sacrificial ending, in these two cases.
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Post by Maddie Park on Apr 8, 2020 16:27:55 GMT
Simon represents the Christ of the Lord of the Flies Simon was the calm and hopeful character of the book. He is the person to aid and comfort others. Golding made Simon almost unhumanly positive in such hard and stressful times. They also both die in similar fashions, being killed by their own people. Simon said "You'll get back to where you came from... You'll get back alright"(Golding 111) which foreshadowed his own death since he said "you'll" and not something like we or us. Simon found out that the monster was not some mythical beast but merely the dead pilot's parachute waving in the wind. The monster actually is just the harsh reality of the island and is just the fear of the boys. Simon had the intuition to find that out instead the truth of jumping to conclusions that it is just a gnarly beast. Simon had much a deeper complex than any other of the boys. Similarly to Christ being so much more evolved than his peers. Golding is saying that good is sometimes overpowered by evil and that good and evil can come in different forms. Evil can even be your closest associate and turn on you just like the other boys when they violently murdered Simon, one of their own. The other boys did not want to believe what Simon's truth about what the monster truly is. So instead of listening to Simon, they silenced him, the same concept with the crucifixion of Christ.
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Post by Dreu Charles on Apr 8, 2020 16:49:36 GMT
Simon parallels the Christ figure in Lord of the Flies because Simon exhibits the same characteristics and role as Christ. Simon is the person that is a solid pillar of aid and comfort within the group of boys. In even the toughest and hardest times, Simon remained calm and positive, allowing the other boys to reveal their concerns to him. This willingness shows major emotional sacrifice that foreshadowed the later sacrifice of Simon's life. Simon's death was also foreshadowed by a distinct quote in chapter eight which read; "You´ll get back to where you came from... you´ll get back alright." (Golding 111). The authors choice of word by using "You'll" instead of "We will" indicates the author knew the type of sacrifice he would need to have Simon make in order to develop the story. The author made sure to portray Simon as nothing but moral, and so much so it becomes a fault resulting in his death. Through this the author is saying that pure morality can be seen as a fault and it is not a characteristic of humanity. This drives one to the conclusion that humans are inherently mediocre but evil is way more humanistic that pure good.
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Post by Jake Haas on Apr 8, 2020 16:49:41 GMT
In the Lord Of The Flies, Simon represents the holy, or Christ figure by being able to detect emotions, he is understanding, and he is kind. We can see Simon being able to detect emotions very well in all of the boys, and then supporting them with any emotional connection he can give to them. He is very understanding of all the boys and can tell they all miss home and are very scared of the island. He reassures them that they will be saved soon and to not worry. And finally, we see Simon is kind and chooses to be good, this end up getting him killed almost as if he was not apart of a gang, so they killed him. This brutality is the same kind of brutality we see when Jesus is killed on the cross. For no reason except they were not apart of something.
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Post by Leigh Schmidt on Apr 8, 2020 16:57:09 GMT
Simon is the Christ figure in the novel. He was always a voice of reason, and he comforted Ralph when Ralph was afraid that they would never be rescued. He was also the only one who cared enough to find out what the beast actually was, and once he did, he cared enough to crawl to the rest of the boys to tell them not to be afraid of the beast. His death was also a parallel to Christ because Simon died trying to help others and his identity and intent were misunderstood.
Simon can comfort Ralph better than anyone else. In this quote, he assures Ralph that he will be rescued, and his death is foreshadowed. “‘You’ll get back to where you came from.’ Simon nodded as he spoke. He was kneeling on one knee, looking down from a higher rock which he held with both hands; his other leg stretched down to Ralph’s level. Ralph was puzzled and searched Simon’s face for a clue. ‘It’s so big, I mean--’ Simon nodded. ‘All the same. You’ll get back all right. I think so, anyway.’” Simon says this so confidently that Ralph believes him. He also says that Ralph would be rescued, but says nothing about himself. He seems to know what is going to happen in the coming chapters.
Golding uses all of the boys to represent the conflict between good and evil that all humans have. In Jack and his hunters, the evil has won, and they just care about killing and being savages. In Ralph and Piggy, the good and evil are still fighting. They go over to Jack’s group and accept meat, but they don’t actually join it. In Simon, the good has won. When the pig head is “talking” to Simon, it represents the evil in him and in everyone. “‘There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast.’ … ‘Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!’ … ‘You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?’” (Golding 164). The pig head tells him to go back to the other boys, but instead he goes to the mountain and finds out that the beast isn’t to be feared. He chooses not to listen to the evil in him and instead use the last of his strength and energy to try to stop the rest of the boys from being afraid of a beast.
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