NataliaNybida

Contributing writer for The Artifice.

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    The real message behind Lord of the Flies

    Lord of the Flies is a classic book which I am sure most of us were forced to read in school at some point in our lives. Rather then discuss the possible meanings of the book, I want us to discuss why it is such a common book to be a mandatory read in classrooms, even today. My thought is that the government wants kids to take away from the book the message that society=good and necessary and that if we were to live without a government, without laws and structure, we would all revert back to animals and begin killing each other essentially. Let me know what your thoughts are!

    • You have the basis for what could be a fascinating article. However, it would be worth expanding this to look at other stories that have addressed the same or a similar theme. How do they compare? Can we find examples of stories in which survivors or a group of humans separated from 'society' do not descend into barbarism? The one that immediately leaps to mind is Eric Frank Russell's short story 'And Then There Were None,' published in the June 1951 edition of 'Astounding Science Fiction' (later developed into the novel 'The Great Explosion', published in 1962). Re 'The Lord of the Flies' in particular - it would be worth taking some time to research the author and understand why he decided his characters should all be male and not female, or a mixture of male and female. This begs the question whether an all female or a mixed male and female group would develop a more mutually beneficial society? Also bear in mind that Golding held religious (Christian) views about morality that would have undoubtedly influenced his writing, although it's interesting to note that Golding personally considered women superior to men! Purely as a piece of trivia - William Golding was my father's English master at Bishop Wordsworth' School (Salisbury, Wiltshire) and my father has memories of his class proof reading early drafts of 'The Lord of the Flies.' – Amyus 5 years ago
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    • It can be a worthwhile speculative endeavor. I was expected to read and submit commentary on it during high school. It wasn't a pleasant experience in spite of the mostly youthful characters and the eden-esque setting. One of the teacher's observations still haunts me to this day. Suffice to say, given the obligation to write this article I would venture into a discourse on the ambiguous, round-robin aspect of the title. Humans can and do reign supreme over most of the creatures on Earth. But, when the tables are turned, the outcome can be disturbing to say the least; becoming fodder for lesser creatures. I can elaborate further if so warranted. – L:Freire 5 years ago
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    • Piggy-backing on what you and the other note authors said, I think what one can deduce from Lord of the Flies is the fact that the relationship between humankind and the unknown, even thousands of years later, remains testy, with the Covid-19 pandemic highlighting the oftentimes raw desire for a return to normalcy (i.e. a chance to conquer the unknown and that which we don't understand instead of embracing the other). All of humankind's fears, hatreds, and phobias can be traced back to the fear of the unknown. – Michel Sabbagh 4 years ago
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    Latest Comments

    I definitely believe that there is a correlation between comedy and mental health. This is something I have witnessed in people around me as well as in media and society as a whole. Although I do believe that comedy can be used as a tool by people who are struggling to help themselves feel better, I think it is important to recognize the other facet connected to this theme which is when media/people try to make light out of their struggles. Depending on how you approach this, it could be appropriate, but many times I see people, especially in the media, movies, influencers, etc. using real mental health issues that people are dealing with, when they often do not have a full understanding of these issues themselves, in order to gain attention/followers by being “relatable.” To me, it is really disgusting to capitalize off of mental health issues, especially when this is being done by people who do not deal with these issues themselves.

    Crying Clowns: Comedy's Relationship with Mental Health

    Thank you for this article. Very informative and well written. I think that controversial books, whether you are morally opposed to the controversialities that they contain or not, are never something that should be taken off the shelves. I think that material which has the possibility to be offensive also has the possibility to bring awareness and enlightenment to readers, which is something that we need more of in our society.

    Why Books Shouldn't Be Banned

    It is pretty clear that a lot of research and time went into this article. You made many interesting points, and I especially liked how you included the health benefits of a good scare. I for one love scary stories and I did when I was much younger as well. Luckily, there seemed to be no stigma surrounding them at my small elementary school so I had so problem getting my hands on spooky material as a young child. However, I have noticed that for many children nowadays, even ones in my own family, this is not the case. I think there is nothing wrong with parents looking out for their kids and protecting them from content which could negatively impact their mental state (ex. young children watching R rated movies), but I think that there is definitely an issue today with parents taking protection too far. I believe over-sheltering children can be just as detrimental to their growth as not sheltering them enough.

    Scary Stories: In Defense of Horror for Children