The Bittersw

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ny of Life

Delaney Caballero

My Themes

All individuals have a natural capacity for brutality

In times of crisis, people show very clearly the true nature of their character

Summary of Lord of the Flies and Alas, Babylon

In Lord of the Flies, a plane filled with small British school boys is shot down and stranded on a deserted island. The boys are forced to decide if they want to only have fun and play or if they want to be rescued and returned home. The innocent boys result to violence and some kill for pleasure, while other are being leaders and trying for the good of everyone to get rescued.

In Alas, Babylon, the United States is attacked by bombs and a small town in Florida is one of the few societies to survive. It is up to Randy Bragg and the rest of the residents on River Road to continue a normal way of life after theirs was destroyed.

Relation of Lord of the Flies to my Themes

Roger seemed to be a normal little boy, but once things on the island started turning savage, he sadistic and violently threw rocks at a littlun and killed piggy.

Ralph steps up and becomes the leader of the boys, while Jack only wants to play and have fun. Jack only had his own survival in mind when Ralph only wanted what was best for the group.

Relation of Alas, Babylon to my Themes

After the bombs hit, vital recourses become scarce and people will do anything they can to obtain them. The highwaymen brutally attack Dan Gunn for his car and doctors supplies. Their true motives for attacking him was for the pure pleasure of violence.

Before the bombs, Randy Bragg was at the brink of being a bum. After the bombs hit, he took control and created a functional society living off of what the people had. He became the law and chief citizen. River Road and Fort Repose could not have survived without him.

Man’s Brutality - Glenn Collins

In June, two students at Chester University in Manchester, England were celebrating the end of exams when they went to their friend’s room and set him on fire while he was sleeping.

Glenn Collins before being lit on fire

Rohan Foley and Jack Brown were celebrating the end of exams at the university when they went up to Collins’ flat, doused him in rum, and threw a match on him.

They did this as a prank, but Collins was rushed to the hospital and suffered from third degree burns covering 20% of his body.

Foley, an American gap-year student was sentenced to 14 months in jail and Brown, an Australian student, was sentenced to 14 months at a Young Offenders' Institute.

Man’s True Character – The Recession

In December of 2007 the housing market in America crashed and many real estate companies went into jeopardy. After a few of the major real estate companies went out of business, there were bank collapses. This caused a widespread public panic. It became known as the Late 2000s Recession.

According to statistics, the crime rate in America has increased drastically. Instead of people trying to save money they are robbing people.

To help the end the Recession, President Obama extended unemployment funds.

Works Cited Frank, Pat. Alas, Babylon. New York: HarperCollins

Publisher, Inc, 1959. Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Berkley

Publishing Group, 1954. Osuh, Chris. "Students Set Fire to Their Friend in a

Drunken 'Prank' to Celebrate End of Exams." Manchester Evening News 15 August 2010: n. pag. Web. 20 Oct 2010. <http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/ crime/s/1313971_students_set_fire_to_their_friend_in_a_drunken_prank_to_celebrate_end_of_exams >.

"Recession.org: United States Economy and Global Economic Recession." Recession.org.2010. Web. 20 Oct 2010. <http://recession.org/>.