Over the past few days, I have spent some time observing
conversation and digital citizenship in a number of different forum areas.
During third quarter of this school year, I am going to be focusing on
symbolism and Biblical allusions with my English 10 class as we read Lord of the Flies. I came across some
really fascinating ideas about the Biblical allusions used in Lord of the Flies. I read through a long
threaded discussion that was initiated by this simple question: “What do you
consider the most significant Biblical allusion found in Golding’s novel?” I
thought this was a bit of a strange question given the allegorical nature of
the novel. There are many Biblical allusions and the story is deep rooted in
symbolism. I don’t believe one Biblical allusion is necessarily more
significant than another, but the question is posed in way that welcomes
opinion. This was obvious as I read through the thread of responses. Members
were voicing their opinions, but in a way that was respectful of the comments
of others. I decided to respond to this initial question in hope that I would
have a better experience than the last time I responded to a post. My response
was this: “I am not sure that one Biblical allusion can be more significant
than another because each one is so intricately woven into the story and serves
a specific purpose. If I had to choose one Biblical allusion that seems to
focus my attention on above the rest, I think I would choose the beast, which
alludes to Satan in the book of Revelation. It seems significant that the
beast, which is found within the boys themselves, alludes to Satan.” I decided
to focus on the beast because the few members that commented before me seemed
to be in agreement that “the lord of the flies” was the most significant
Biblical allusion. I thought I would see if my post would draw attention since
it was different than the others. I posted my response on Monday and no one has
responded to it so far. I am interested to see if I receive any feedback and if
that feedback will be positive or negative.
I am so glad to hear you had a more positive experience this week in the forum and that you are seeing more positive digital citizenship in the post. I haven't read the novel in years so I don't have a strong opinion either way but I feel like what you posted on the thread was very sophisticated. I will be looking forward to see if anyone responds to your post.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis of Lord of the Flies. It will be interesting to see if you receive any responses since you proposed a new idea about this topic. It seems that in these forums it is important to stand out to draw feedback.
ReplyDeleteThat is a pretty interesting take on Lord of the Flies. Similar to many stories there are allusions to the Bible but when I remember reading the book in high school I don't think I even picked up on that, and the school definitely didn't teach it that way.
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