Thursday, July 25, 2019
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding was required reading when I was about the same age as the kids in the book.
At first I was excited by the book’s premise. I thought it was going to full of cool stuff about kids surviving on an island. What it turned out to be was a book about kids being terrible to each other. What a disappointment that turned out to be. Kid me felt a little betrayed by the teacher for making us read the book. It sounded like it would be a fun read but instead was sad and horrifying.
From the time I was a little kid my dad used to take me out in the woods. He taught me survival skills so I’d be safe if something bad ever happened. A lot of kids back then grew up running free in the woods. I could not help but critique everything the kids in Golding’s book did. The only thing my young mind could figure out was that maybe it was because of the way kids in Britain were raised. Maybe they didn’t have the good fortune to have a wilderness in their back yard.
Good thing I also got to read, My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George. That was more like it. The setting, upstate New York, is a lot like New Hampshire. I could really see myself doing the things the main character did. It was a pretty good piece of survivalist writing, though it would never have been called that.
I wonder what kids are required to read these days? I hope they don’t have to suffer through Lord of the Freaking Flies.
-Sixbears.
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A lot of kids my age had to read that, but I somehow escaped it. It always sounded to me like some very negative person trying to explain why evil people turn evil, without acknowledging God or Satan.
ReplyDeleteYou didn't miss much.
DeleteI didn't need to read "LotF" as, being somewhat sickly (allergies, really bad allergies) I was the recipient of far too many fly swattings. Always thought the book was just a tad sick for kids to read.
ReplyDeleteSame teacher who assigned "LotF" wouldn't accept me doing a book report on Cornelius Ryan's "The Longest Day" as "TLD" was too violent.
Makes no sense.
As to "My Side of the Mountain," excellent book, not as good a movie, but an excellent book.
Kids today are probably required to read BHO's little red book or "Lies of My Father" or some other bullscat.
Makes no sense to me either.
DeleteAlso wasn't much of a fan of Catcher in the Rye.
Good thing I a did a lot of reading on my own. The books the schools required could kill a kid's love for reading.
I consider Lord Of the Flies a cautionary tale. Doesn't a lot of society (especially politics) operate on the same basis as the tribes ? Select a side. Pick a member to be henpecked and belittled. Leader cannot be challenged.
ReplyDeleteSounds a lot like reality.
My wife teaches 7 - 8th grade Reading and English. One of her books was HATCHET by Gary Paulson. I was surprised to see it there - I thought that was awesome. The Brian series by Paulson are excellent reading.
It was more reality than a kid like me wanted back then.
DeleteI'll have to check out Gary Paulson as I really am curious about what kids are reading these days.