Blog 13 - Revision of "Blog 8 - Simon"

Ralph and the others had just come back from their search for the beast. Ralph, Roger, and Jack were talking about how they saw the beast on top of the mountain. The littluns were tremulous at the thought of the beast actually existing. There is no way this could be true; a beast known for evil and savagery just cannot exist on such a beautiful island. It's not logical. Then Ralph started talking about how we needed to light the signal fire again. Jack, for the first time ever, decided to call a meeting. First he started to talk about how the beast, and then he started insulting Ralph's leadership. It was ridiculous, he was just doing that because he wanted to be the leader. He was jealous of Ralph's power. He asked everyone if they thought Ralph shouldn't be chief; only Jack raised his hand. He should have known that everyone respected Ralph more than him. At this, Jack started to tear up and placed a steadfast gaze on Ralph. He said he was going to go off on his own and didn't want to play this game anymore. Then he ran off along the beach and into the forest.
We continued our meeting and I got up the courage to talk. I said we should go up the mountain so I could prove there wasn't a beast. Then Piggy took charge and said the most important thing to do right now was to start a fire. He suggested we move the fire down here and everyone agreed that was a good idea. Then we built and lit the fire. Some people started leaving to go join Jack, Ralph started to worry. I left to go relax and think things out in my sanctuary among the trees, creepers, and animals. I crawled inside the woven open space and sat quietly. Eventually I got thirsty, but I just kept sitting.
After a while, I started to hear a squealing pig. Soon after I could hear the voices of Jack and some of the others. I looked around and spotted a pig collapsed on the ground, the boys were surrounding it. They were brutally killing it and were making a mockery of its life. They're such blood thirsty nits.
Jack cleaned out the guts and said they were going to have a feast. Then he cut off the pig's head and sharpened a stick at two ends. He put the head on the stick, and then stuck the stick in the ground. He said they were going to leave it as a sacrifice to the beast. They left to go start a fire.
The head stared at me with a grin. I tried to look away and close my eyes, but the image was imprinted in my mind. Run away, go back child, the head said silently. I tried to close my eyes and tell myself this wasn't happening. All I could think about were the flies sucking the sweat off my face and the pig head staring at me. I gazed into the pigs emotionless eyes. I could hear the pig's voice in my head. It called me batty and silly. It knew all these things about me, like it had been watching all of us the whole time we were on the island. As if it had been watching us slowly start to go insane and die one by one. The head asked me if I was scared of it, and told me it was the beast and would never go away. Something that could not be killed, but lurking deep inside me. Something that couldn't be escaped. It cackled menacingly. My chest got tight and I couldn't breath. I started to get dizzy. It said that we were going to have fun or the others would kill me. I began to black out and lost consciousness.
I woke up the next morning confused as ever. I asked the head what I should do, but there was no reply. I knew I had to go find out for myself if there really was a beast. I walked through the forest and up the mountain. By the time I got close to the top my legs were weak and my tongue throbbed with pain. I could see a humped thing looking down on me. When I finally got to the top, I found that there was no beast. There was only a dead man stuck in a parachute. I felt bad for the poor body that should be rotting away on the ground. It was stuck on a rock so I untangled the parachute so the body could corrupt into dirt in peace. I could not believe that all are fears and troubles on the island were just a figment of our imagination. The "beast" turned out to be a dead body. I went back down the mountain to tell everyone the good news.
By the time I got back it was dark out. I ran out of the forest to a party of chanting boys acting crazing, they have gotten so savage. The littluns screamed as I came out and I couldn't understand why. I stumbled into the middle of the circle, I yelled out the news about the dead man on the hill. I wanted to tell them that there was nothing to be scared of, their was no beast. No one seemed to be listening or care, they seemed to caught up in their game. Their spears were pointed at me. Oh, no! They think I am the beast! There is no way I can escape this cruel murder they are about to commit on me! I tried to tell the about the dead man on the hill while there was still time. It was too late. I was on my knees and then I tried to walk forward. I fell over a rock and onto the sand by the water. Everything felt like it was in slow motion. The crowd moved toward me and struck me with their spears. The gnawed at my skin and ripped me apart with their teeth and claws. Tears trickled down my cheeks as I died painfully slow, a feeling I would never be able to forget. I could see myself getting torn apart, with each rip I was getting a little closer to death. I thought about all the things I would never be able to do, the people I would never get to see again. I just wanted to go home, but the hope of being able to do that was long gone.
My blood stained the sand and got washed away in the rain that poured down on me, each drop stung my skin. The crowd ran away as the parachutist flew off the mountain and out towards sea. My lifeless body also moved out into the sea, back into nature, where I always belonged.

Blog 14 - Revision of "Blog 10 - Piggy's Death"

We couldn't believe what the savages had done. They basically made Piggy blind and helpless, all they think about is themselves. Piggy had a worried look on his face, we hoped everything would turn out alright. If the savages did a cruel thing like this, who knows what other kind of things they might do. Chills ran down our backs, we hope we can get off this island soon. For the rest of the night we couldn't sleep out of fear of the savages and the beast. We also wanted to comfort Piggy.
Our next new problem was how we were going to keep a signal fire going. There were only really three people who could have tended to the fire, Ralph and us. There was no way we could keep it going, we might not ever be rescued. Before we can even tend the fire again, we have to start a new fire, but we can't without Piggy's glasses. What are we going to do? I guess we are going to have to try to get Piggy's specs back, it's our only chance of being rescued and getting Piggy's sight back. We all talked and agreed we were going to go try and get Piggy's glasses back. Ralph, Piggy, and us cleaned up and set off along the beach. We brought our spears along just in case we needed them for defense. We dragged our spears along the ground so Piggy could follow them with his blurred vision. We were pretty frightened, we didn't know how Jack would react, he's completely lost his mind.
We passed where we had dance yesterday night, trying not to remember the horrible crime we committed. We said we would never speak of that incident again. We passed Simon's death area in silence.
Jack and his tribe were not there so went to Castle Rock to search for them. As we walked to Castle Rock we started to see smoke, and knew it must be the savages. We walked behind Ralph and Piggy as we got closer. Piggy was getting worried because he couldn't see what was happening. Ralph asked for the conch from Piggy and then was going to go ahead when Roger showed up. He was acting silly, as if he was a guard who didn't know any of us. Ralph was annoyed at this and blew into the conch to call another meeting. Savages appeared and blocked the way to the entrance. Ralph said he was calling a meeting, after all, he was still chief. Then out of nowhere, Roger started throwing rocks at us, he missed, thank goodness. Then Ralph asked where Jack was, the savages said he was out hunting. Ralph said he came to get the specs. Jack came back in a mask from his hunt from behind us, and we bolted behind Ralph, scared of getting hurt by Jack.
Jack and Ralph started getting in a fight about the specs. Ralph called Jack a thief for taking Piggy's glasses, this angered Jack and he stabbed Ralph in the chest. We were scared for him, we didn't know if he would be okay. Ralph took out his spear and swung it at Jack's ear. They kept fighting, using their spears as sabers. Then Piggy reminded Ralph that they came for his specs and to talk about the signal fire. He stopped fighting with Jack and told everyone that they need to help keep the signal fire going. They have no other way of being rescued. Jack told us to move back, we were puzzled over if we should listen . Then Jack said, "grab them!" We were so scared and confused we couldn't even talk, no words would come out of our mouths. The brutal savages took our spears and tied us up. We were helpless just like Piggy. Jack seemed to enjoy our pain, and gave and evil cackle. We were worried about if he might try to kill us. We didn't know what to do. "Someone save us!!!" we screamed. "We don't want to die like this!"Ralph screamed at Jack, "You bloody bloody thief! You're a beast!" They both charged at each other. They started fighting again, but Piggy interrupted them. He said things we all needed to hear, about being rescued to keep their civilization running well. Roger didn't care what Piggy had to say, he was trying to throw rocks at him. Piggy still held the conch with pride as he talked. Then we looked over at Roger and he had all of his weight on the lever. A great boulder tumbled down the hill and struck Piggy from chin to knee. The conch shattered into a thousand pieces. Piggy flew forty feet and landed on a flat red rock in the sea. It was one of the most gruesome things we had ever seen. Piggy's head cracked open and his brain poured out with unknown liquids mixed with blood, his legs and arms twitched a bit. Then the water washed over him. He was gone.
Then Jack threatened all of us saying that that was what was going to happen to us. Then he attacked Ralph, the boys swarmed around him. He ran before they got to him. Ralph left us alone with the savages. Jack said we had to join his tribe, but we refused. Jack left us to be punished by Roger. Tears started trickling down our face, we were terrified. We looked out where Piggy had landed and thought to ourselves, "We're next."

Blog 12 - Trial of Jack Merridew: Defense Preparation

Evidence:
The lever - The object that was used to push the boulder down the hill and killed Piggy. The most recent fingerprints on the lever show that Roger was the last one to touch the lever since Piggy's death.

Witnesses' testimonies:
Jack: Jack was the leader of his tribe. He stated he never planned to kill Piggy or Simon. The boys thought Simon was the beast, everyone was confused and contributed to killing him, it was not preplanned. The boulder on the hill was only there as protection against the beast, it was never meant to be used to kill any of the boys.
Roger: He was one of Jack's most loyal followers. He admits that he killed Piggy and was never instructed to kill him by Jack. It was Roger's choice to kill Piggy. Jack never mentioned anything about killing Piggy or Simon.
Naval Officer: He gets to know Jack and others on the boat. He thinks Jack is a nice boy who was scared and confused. He thinks Jack never had any intentions of killing anyone.
Jack's Family: They testify that Jack is a nice boy and a born leader. He has some temper problems, but would never go as far as killing someone.
Maurice: He testifies that Jack was a great leader and provider, he would always do what was best for the boys. He also says Jack never instructed Roger to kill Piggy. He said Simon's death was not planned.
Percival: He says they all attacked Simon out of self defense, they really thought he was the beast. He also says Jack never made plans to kill Simon or Piggy.

Witness Questions:
Jack: What was the boulder on the top of the hill for?
What were you doing at the time of Piggy's death?
When Simon first came out of the forest what did you think it was?
Roger: Did Jack instruct you to pull the lever to let the boulder hit Piggy?
Did you know you were going to hit Piggy?
Did Jack ever talk about killing Simon or Piggy?
Naval Officer: What was your first impression of Jack?
Did Jack seem like he had anger issues?
Does Jack seem like someone who would kill other boys?
Jack's Family: Does Jack usually get along with other boys?
Does Jack have a history of having severe anger issues?
If he does have anger issues can you give an example of when he has had temper problems?
Do you think Jack would ever kill someone?
Maurice: Did Jack ever instruct Roger to pull the lever?
Was everyone involved with Simon's murder?
Did Jack ever plan to kill Simon or Piggy?
Percival: What was Jack doing at the time of Piggy's murder?
Did Jack ever tell the boys to kill Simon?
Did you really think Simon was the beast?
Ralph: Did you hear Jack say to kill Simon?
What were you and Jack doing at the time of piggy's death?
Did you see Jack give a signal to Roger to pull the lever while you were fighting?
Samneric: Were you at the party?
Did you participate in killing Simon?
When Simon ran out of the forest did you think he was the beast?
Did it seem like Roger was following Jack's order to kill Piggy?
Robert: Did you join the tribe willingly?
Did you participate in the theft of the glasses?
So was Jack planning anything else?
Did you ever hear jack mention killing Piggy or Simon?
Do you know why Jack put the rock on the hill?
Piggy's Aunt: Did Piggy get along with other children? Can you give examples?
Do you think he would be able to survive in the wilderness?
What do think he would do?
How bad was his eyesight and asthma? Can you give examples of times he has had trouble with his asthma and eyesight?

Opening Statement

The night of Simon's death, the boys were having a party for Jack's new tribe and their successful hunt. They were in the middle of a ceremonial dance when a dark figure stumbled out of the forest. It was screaming something and the boys thought it was a beast. They recently went up the top of the mountain and encountered the beast. They were frightened, and as self defense they attacked the shape. It ran and screamed and everyone became chaotic and chased it to the shore of the beach and killed it.
Jack had only had his tribe for a few days, so he wouldn't have been able to have time to plan the murder of Simon. Jack had no reason to kill Simon, he wasn't a threat like Ralph. He didn't mention harming anyone, it was an innocent party. It was night, so they couldn't distinguish what had crawled out of the forest. They were confused and it couldn't have been a preplanned murder.
When Piggy was killed he had been giving a speech to Jack's tribe to give his glasses back. Roger had been throwing stones at Piggy. Then Roger pulled a lever that let a boulder roll down and hit Piggy. Ralph and Jack had been fighting, so Jack couldn't have instructed Roger to pull the lever. Roger aimed to hit Piggy even though Jack had told them to only use the rock against the beast. Roger knew it was not the beast, he saw Piggy giving his speech before he pulled the lever. Piggy fell into the ocean and died. The fingerprints on the lever show it was definitely Roger who pulled it.

Closing Statement

The witnesses have given their testimonies, and none of them have any evidence that Jack was plotting a murder. He was not responsible for Piggy or Simon's death. Roger admits freely that he pulled the lever on his own. Percival, a member of Jack's tribe states that he never saw or heard Jack talk about murdering Simon or Piggy.
When Roger killed Piggy, Jack was fighting Ralph. No one had seen him talking with Roger much. While he was fighting, a lot of boys were watching and none of the boys saw him give a signal to Roger.
When the boys' killed Simon, it was dark and a storm was beginning. There was lighting flashing and a dark shape ran out of the forest yelling something none of the boys could hear. The boys truly believed that there was a beast inhabiting the island, so they obviously were concerned with their safety. This was clearly self defense.
Witnesses say that Jack never instructed them, when the beast ran out of the forest they were scared so they protected themselves. Percival states that when he saw the "thing", he truly thought it was the beast. He didn't discover it was Simon until it was too late. All of the witnesses state that Jack did not call out to the boys to kill Simon, so there isn't any real proof that Jack committed any crime.
There is a large amount of evidence which shows that Jack is innocent. Witnesses state that Jack never mentioned anything about killing Simon or Piggy. There is the lever which shows that Roger killed Piggy, and the fact the no one else in his tribe who helped to kill Simon knew of any plan to kill him. There is not much evidence showing that Jack committed these crimes, he stole glasses but that was for fire, he needed that for survive. He never killed anyone for them. I'm sure the jury will find our client innocent, and acquit him of all charges.

Blog 11 - Lost Boys

I was out at sea when I saw the huge fire and smoke drifting everywhere. I told my crew to go and anchor at the shore of the island. I wonder what kind of people could have caused this kind of chaos. Then I could hear many ululations from the distance and a boy ran onto the sand. He was rolling in the sand and looked as if he was about to killed. I walked up to him and he cowered at my feet. He cried for mercy and stood up ready to face death.He looked confused but relieved when he saw me standing in front of him. I couldn't tell if he was a native to this island or if he had gotten stranded on this island.
"Hullo," I said.
"Hullo," he answered back.
Aha, so he was British. Other boys started arriving onto the shore of the island. There faces were painted and they had been carrying spears. I could visualize all the boys trying to start this fire, heaving logs and rocks together to try to make it. It probably went crazy and they didn't know what to do. Or maybe they were in a war and trying to kill each other with the fire, I shuddered at this thought.
I told the boy we had seen the smoke, and tried to comfort him with a smile. I asked him if they had been having a war, he nodded yes. "Nobody killed, I hope? Any dead bodies?" I asked jokingly.
"Only two," he said with a completely serious face.
"Two? Killed?" I asked in shock. He nodded again. I couldn't grasp the thought of these once innocent boys killing each other. I wanted him to elaborate, but didn't know if I could handle the gruesome details. I whistled nervously.
Then a littles boy came up to me and tried to tell me his name. Sadly, he couldn't remember it. I turned back to the boy I first met and told him we would take him and all the others back home. I asked how many there were, but none of them knew. I asked who the leader was and the boy I first talked to answered again "I am," he said loudly. I was disappointed that the boys had turned savage so easily. The boy tried to tell me they used to all be together, but that everything had changed. Then he started to cry, long sobs of sorrow and relief jumbled together. The others joined in and soon all the boys were crying. I turned away, and tried to give them some time to pull themselves together. I looked back at my cruiser, wondering if we would all make it through this war and wondered if wars in general would ever end.