What Were They Before They Were Savages?

Look! Ralph, Simon, and Jack during happier times!
Taken from Google Images

For this journal prompt, I want you to think about each of the boys' lives before the plane crashed on the island.  We know that they went to a British prep school, but we know little about the characters pre-pig killing, pre-keeping the fire going, pre-survival mode.  Do you think Jack was overly privileged, so that is why he acts in the power hungry manner that he does?  Or do you think that he wasn't privileged enough, which is why he is acting out now?  What about Simon?  What did his parents do for a living? What has made his character so good, so wise beyond his years?  Choose one of the characters, and create a history for them that explains why they act the way they do.  Keep in mind that they are merely little boys, so what did they do for fun during a more simple time?

Illustrate a day-in-the-life of one of the boys prior to this tragedy that brought them to the island.

Campaign Speech!

Who will it be?! Jack or Ralph?  Cast your vote!
Taken from Google Images

Now that tensions are really rising between Jack and Ralph, it's time to consider this: which one is more apt to run a successful government on the island and why?  Both of the boys have strengths, but both of them have major weaknesses as well.  Your task for this journal prompt is to imagine if the boys were running and campaigning for "Chief of the Island" and had to present a campaign speech to the rest of the boys.  What would they say in their speeches in order to sway the other boys and nab their votes?  Remember that politicians are oftentimes slimy - they lie and paint idealistic pictures of what life would be like in order to get votes.  What would Ralph have to say in his campaign speech to get votes?  What would Jack have to say? 

If you don't wish to have Ralph or Jack as your leader, focus on a more minor character: Simon, Piggy, Roger, Maurice, or maybe even a little 'un!

What's Your Beastie?

Taken from Google Images



When the little 'uns are fretting the beastie from sea, the beastie from air, the beastie from the forest - the all-encompassing beastie - Simon suggests something simple: "...maybe it's only us."  Perhaps the beastie is only a figment of their imaginations - the boys' internal fear of the unknown.  Fear is a tricky thing; it has the capability of swallowing its victims whole, much like it is doing to the boys on the island.

For this journal prompt, I want you to look inside of yourself - what is it that you fear?  What is your beastie?  Keep in mind that the beastie does not have to be typical things that people fear: spiders, the dark, flying.  Go a little deeper - what scares you?  And how do you plan to overcome this fear? How are you going to kick your beastie's butt before it swallows you whole?

Gender Bender - Mean Girls

Taken from Google Images

We have witnessed the boys on the island being rather mean to one another.  Name-calling.  Throwing rocks.  Breaking the little 'uns sand castles on the beach.  Leaving Piggy out.  Boys can be cruel - but so can girls (in a very different way)!  For this journal entry, I want you to imagine that a plane full of girls had crashed on the island, not boys.  Rewrite a scene in the novel and consider:  how would the fighting and malicious behavior towards one another be different?  Or would there be fighting at all?  How would the little 'uns be treated differently if our characters represented the XX chromosome - not XY?  Where would the girls' priorities lay compared to the boys'?

Have fun with this journal entry! :)