WHY IS THIS BLOG TITLED, THE CONCH?

One of my favorite novels is William Golding’s classic, Lord of the Flies. Multiple concepts (i.e., state of nature, conscience, dictatorship, civic virtue, human reason, rights and responsibilities of citizens, democracy, etc.) provide relevant material for understanding our world today.

Piggy and Simon’s wisdom, Ralph’s leadership, Jack’s dictatorial power, and Roger’s lack of conscience…These lessons set the stage for further study of history and current events.

Piggy is one of my favorite characters and he is in one of the most important scenes. In the scene, the conch passes from boy to boy to elicit discussion. However, Jack breaks one of the most important rules and snatches the conch from Piggy. Ralph defends the rules and shouts, “Piggy’s got the conch!” This turning point sets the stage for the study of government, rules, rights, and the responsibilities of citizens.