Customer Reviews

Golding's Lord of the Flies (Cliffs Notes)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I recently read this book in my 9th grade english class and at first it was extremely dull. But once we got in depth with the book it started to become very interesting. When we started to learn about all the hidden insites and what the book was really about it started to become real. The theme "everyone has a darkside" and "you are your own beast" came to life so much. When we found out the theme everyne immediately said it was true to this day and age. So overall I give this book anywhere between 4stars - 5stars. Good job Mr. Golding.!

ok i loved the story. at first i thought well its just gonna be one of those boring stories about boys getting trapped on an island. but as the story progressed, i really just could not put the book down. i loved the way golding uses the boys in the story in comparison with the real world. all of the boys' characteristics each symbolized characteristics of a human being. the book was amazing i recommend that if you get the chance to read it then you should. the island at the beginning of the story is in a state of perfection symbolizing "Eden" and by the end of the book it is an image of hell. this shows the transition of good to evil without civilization.

This book changed the way I view life in general; I think it is more important to read than The Odyssey, even. It is a book that every person should read, no sooner than 14 years of age, and no later than the age at which one might already be dependent on the way they view life. This book is the only one I know of that dares to challenge the theory of the Natural Goodness of Man: beliving every man is naturally good at heart. You can see what happens to Jack and his tribe totally disproves the theory, and even Ralph would have given in to his primordial instincts had the sailor not showed up. Golding shows that perhaps man is not good at heart; he has many levels ... , while it seems like Coral Island, exibits the exact opposite of what the earlier classic does.

I reccomend this book without hesitation. It was a well-written piece of literature that makes one question the essence of human nature. It was fascinating. As a student close the age of many of these other student reviewers, I am embarassed for their teachers and/or parents. I would reccomend this book for the young and old. It may be slightly grim, but it tells a truth that many are scared perhaps, to address.

I don't know if the creators of Cliffs Notes (and now the more popular Spark Notes) intended for their little books to be used as a subsitution for actually reading a piece of literature, but in high schools and colleges all across America, students forego the actual reading of a text and choose to skim it with the help of Uncle Cliff instead. The truth is that even reading Cliffs Notes from cover the cover will not actual bring a reader into context with the text. Instead, they fill them with words and phrases that the typical high school student or college underclassmen has no idea what they mean.

With that said, Cliffsnotes can be a very useful tool in teaching a novel or as a reference in attempting to understand a confusing piece of literature. I recently learned this when teaching LORD OF THE FLIES to my high school sophomore students. I've read LORD OF THE FLIES several times, but did not have the time to read the entire thing again with my students. So, instead I used Cliffsnotes as a tool to remind me of exactly where certain things occurred in the story. I also gained some background information that proved useful during the first days of class while teaching the book. Cliffsnotes is a great tool. However, as those who failed the unit because they just read Cliffsnotes and not the LORD OF THE FLIES itself can attest, it isn't a good substitute for the novel itself.

This book changed the way I view life in general; I think it is more important to read than The Odyssey, even. It is a book that every person should read, no sooner than 14 years of age, and no later than the age at which one might already be dependent on the way they view life. This book is the only one I know of that dares to challenge the theory of the Natural Goodness of Man: beliving every man is naturally good at heart. You can see what happens to Jack and his tribe totally disproves the theory, and even Ralph would have given in to his primordial instincts had the sailor not showed up. Golding shows that perhaps man is not good at heart; he has many levels (characters in this book are easily related to Freud's analogy of the Id, Ego and Super Ego, jack=id, ralph=ego, piggy=super ego, ... while it seems like Coral Island, exibits the exact opposite of what the earlier classic does.

I thought this was a wonderful book and I think that anyone who has ever wondered what it was like to be trapped on an island should read this book. I think that this was one of the great classics that will never die out.

THIS BOOKS NEEDS SERIOUS HELP...IT BLOW

This book was sooooo black! Anyone who thinks otherwise can contest it with me.

My sophmore english teacher made us read this book and it was horrible. I am an open minded person that is fairly intelligent but it truly was the worst book I have ever read. Too much symbolism too little story