Chapter 8 Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

In chapter seven Beah is twelve, and on his own. If I was on my own that young, I would not be able to sustain myself. I like to believe I could survive, but I would probably end up dying after three days. Being left to my own devices would result in a variation of Lord of the Flies, a world of chaos and dismay without parental guidance. Worrying about trivial things at age twelve, I could not go off and work to support myself. Being responsible for myself before I was even a teenager, would be nearly impossible. Beah being able to fend for himself shows the maturity level he had to obtain to survive as a child.
In chapter eight, Beah reminisces on thoughts of his family. I believe him thinking about his family made him mentally stronger. Remembering the good times with his family would’ve fueled his drive to be back with his loved ones. The determination to be back with his family and society kept him alive, instead of letting it harm him he allowed his thoughts to persuade him to go on. The things his family taught him brought him assistance as he traveled. His father’s quote instilled Beah’s will to live; that if you give up on life you are already dead. When faced
with life and death Beah’s thoughts forced him to believe in a hope of a future.
In chapter twelve , when the boys are being trained to become soldiers they are repeatedly told to visualize the rebels who destroyed their lives and fight to avenge the murder of their families. This training was so compelling because the the soldiers drill the idea of loathing and bitterness into the impressionable minds of children. Everything taken away from the boys and now they have people who tell them they can have vengeance on rebels who took everything away from them. All of the pent up spite is able to be let loose with killing rebels. This is how the boys are able to cope with their grievances of being forced to live without their families. The soldiers are now their new family unit and now engrave hatred into the boys.
In chapter thirteen, the soldiers get the boys addicted to drugs to make them desensitized to their surroundings and behaviors. Since they aren’t in their right mind while on drugs, they are able to murder freely without much remorse. The drugs amplify the feeling of being feral. Drugs become a stimulant in their brains making them jittery and wanting to go out, destroying all the rebels. The control of drugs allows the army to control the boys, if they kill more they get more drugs. Without the drugs the boys are subjected to withdraw, so they proceed to take more and more to get their high. More of the high, more of the killings arise from the children.
In chapter fifteen, there are adult men available in Sierra Leone at the time Beah goes into the army. The reason for the boys being recruited to join the army is the ability to manipulate them. They have pliable and inexperienced minds, able to be molded to become ruthless killers. Children aren’t able to decipher right from wrong, the army using that to create child soldiers. Adults would want to be paid and may refuse to kill, overall they have knowledge from their life allowing them to be able to question the army’s strategies. Adults would be able to walk away and find work to make a living. The children lost almost everything, the army supplies them with food, clothes, shelter, and protection; this is more than the children could do for themselves.
In chapter eighteen, Beah writes on page 169, “I believe children have the resilience to outlive their sufferings, if given a chance.” I agree with that statement; people especially children, are able to see life with silver lining. If able to reflect on the good and bad, children strive towards the positive. They see that a whole life is ahead of them, full of potential and promise. That they are able to achieve the most incredible things because they are the future. Hope of being able to live again after tragedy shows human integrity is more powerful than any adversity.
In chapter eighteen, Beah meets his uncle. I was hopeful he would have a family again. Even after his traumatic past, he was able to recover from it. Having a family is an essential need for humans especially for orphans and war victims. Beah opened back up to people and in return he should have someone who would open up to him. He confronted his past life, allowing for forgiveness of himself. There had to be someone who would accept that life happens, that the past is forever gone; all that can be controlled is the present, which decides the future. The idea of rebirth is a major entity in the adoption process; giving Beah another chance at being able to live.
In chapter nineteen, Beah doesn’t have any long term relationships with girls. This is because they ask about his past, something very personal to Beah. He is unable to convey the horrors of his childhood without fear of being shunned. Beah rather allow girlfriends be at arm's distance, in order to protect himself from telling them the truth. Majority of people would be terrified if they found out they were dating a former child soldier. Beah did not want to tell them his past, and they left as a result. He expresses that times like those, he liked being alone. The actions of his past allowed him to accept that life will be a test of who would be willing to wait to hear his story.
In chapter twenty-one, the civil war reaches Freetown in this chapter. After the death of Beah’s uncle, he writes on page 209, “I have to try to get out, I thought, and if that doesn’t work, then it is back to the army.” This statement is not shocking, Beah is revealing the truth. The war has reached his home once again, it is either get out of Freetown or go back to combat. Throughout his life he has survived, and now there is no escaping the war. If the opinion of getting out is ceased then he will be either killed or a child soldier forever. The situation is not new to him, and the possibilities of his existence is limited. Beah reveals the truth of the matter, which is something not surprising for his character. The criteria of living is a fragile choice, and Beah blantly expresses it.
At the ending Beah goes on to tell a story of the monkey and the hunter.
The significance of ending with the monkey story is that killing of evil so that no one else had to suffer with the same situation. It relates to the novel because Beah spoke at the U.N. about child soldiers to raise awareness, to prevent other children from being placed in similar situations as him. Allowing the truth to come to light, ultimately helped some child from being used as a soldier, because Beah used his voice to speak out. I felt that the ending of the novel reflects the good and bad we experience as humans. If we allow our dark times to consume us, we let those situations win. On the flip side if we grow stronger and speak out against injustice we faced, we save another person from going through the same
offense.