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Masks and Rituals
Definition and history
Masks and rituals have shaped
the world as we know through
centuries of traditions and sacred
ceremonies
Behind a mask lies.....
Responsibility
But a mask can soon become
your identity, quickly becoming
the only way you know how to live
And savagery is all that is left...
But then a ritual changes a
mindset, forcing people to
take part in boaderline
barbaric actions
Rituals define mentalitiy
and how the social system
will function
Fear leads to savage behaviour
Yet the thruth must settle in, they cannot kill
the beast, they are too afraid
Masks hide the truth of fear,
now savagry can be free to control
“Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong- we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat - !”
Death is so easy, so simple
Group mentalities can
take control
He knows what's right
Hunting is what we need
His opinion is just like me!
That was my idea too!
It's now my opinion
I think that too
Me too!
Jack leads the way
“And about the beast. When we’ll kill we’ll leave some of the kill for it. Then it won’t bother us, maybe.”
"See? See? That’s what you’ll get!
I meant that! There isn’t a tribe for
you anymore! The conch is gone-"
Behind a mask, Roger can destroy
the last sign of civility
As Roger and Jack use the masks to
make themselves authority figures
not realizing the mask controls them
It's their symbol of authority and dominance
now takes
dark twisted turns
as masks and rituals, turn
them into....
savages,
incapable of empathy
Rituals can be addicting, causing a
constant longing for power
“Robert squealed in mock terror, then in real terror. ‘Ow! Stop it! You’re hurting!’”
Masks overshadow and destroy their last shreds of humanity as they can be all powerful if they hide
“I don’t know. He didn’t say. He got angry
and made us tie Wilfred up”
Rituals gives them the embodiment of superiority
It's now a race for power with killing being so frequent that murder is simply a ritual
“Roger edged past the Chief, only avoiding pushing him with his shoulder.”
Humans are capable of horrendous things, but who they are determines everything....
The boys abrutly change and take
on identities of their own creation
as they become the creature they
have been supressing their entire
lives
To become a warrior Jack wears a mask for hunting, and like in war he explains, but this is also done for distinction. From a passive Ralph to a power hungry leader
"They don’t smell me. They see me, I
think. Something pink under the trees.”
His identity has changed, he is no longer Jack but a hunter as everything he does is for the thrill of the kill now that violent fantasies surface
Kill the Pig! Cut her throat!
Spill her blood!
We see where their heads are at, as dangerous group mentalities form as achieving power and authority can be done through hunting rituals, demonstrating to the others that he is leader. This gives confidence......something Jack never lacked.
When death becomes a default answer to escape problems, and is now a regual part of the island, no remorse is shown for Piggy or Simon's murders. Already be desenistized from murder, and with a mask to take responsibilty, the boys become killers.
“High overhead, Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever.”
Simon's murdered was the death of reason,
now we have come to the death of innocence
And the end of order
As the boy's rituals become more evident and elaborate,
they begin to parallel the behaviours and traditions of
culture throughout history
Arctic Coastal Native Groups of North America
Native Group
The boys
Honour the spirits of hunted animals
for successful future hunts
Honour a 'beast' for survival
purposes
Constant hunting rituals with sacred ceremonies
of chanting and dancing to honour the hunt
A group mentality of constant hunting with chanting afterwards to celebrate the successful hunt and dominance
Abstract masks of drift wood to connect
to the spirit world
Masks of the earth to hide from responsibility, take on a new identity and to detach form the watchful eye of society
Mayan/ Aztec people of South America
Mayan/ Aztec people
The boys
Masks made of jade, are used for both entertainment and in battle and often resemble the faces of the dead as they are worn at births and deaths
Worn at deaths, not for respect, but as
a way to detach from the empathy, remorse
and responsibility society forces on them
Live in fear of the Gods' wrath and must honour them with gifts and sacrifices
Live in fear of the 'beast' and offer gifts to it in order to protect themselves
Humans are sacrificed for the
God of rain, Chacc
Piggy and Simon are sacrificed in the name of savagry not neccessarily for the beast, but for a way to deflect the fear the beast brings
The Masai and Zulu tribes of east Africa
Though these tribes share a homeland, they differ in nearly every aspect of their lives. Much like how not only the two tribes of boys differ. But the boys we meet at the beginning to the savages we say goodbye to at the end.
The African tribes
The boys
The Masai tribe is considered as passive, peaceful people who consist of mainly farmers
The Zulu tribe is fixated on war and the lifestlye of hunters and warriors
The boys begin with democracy and general interest for hunting with having much of their efforts dedicated to plans of being rescued
Hunting is their obsession as they become powerful
through the killing and dominance of others who are weak
Starting as as Masai, before being a Zulu
The start peacful,
with hopes of rescue
but then the hunt begins
But then hunting gets obsessive,
its the hunter's way or no way,
now that dominance is needed
The Masai's celebrate a boy's transition
into manhood
The Zulu's paint themselves with blood for the
battlefield and celebrate the welcoming of a warrior
Once the hunting starts, the boys feel more as if they are becoming stronger like the men they want to be
Once hunting is their mindset, they paint thier faces and feel as if they need to resemble a mighty hunter
Hunting starts with excitment,
and the ability to be a man
But it becomes to much,
death becomes to frequent
The Masai tribe offers small gifts to their Gods, often one of small amounts of blood
The Zulu tribe offers cows as sacrifices to honour their Gods
They begin with offering spare parts of their hunted pigs to the beast
They then inadvertantly offer Piggy and Simon to uphold the image of the beast
Starting with gifts
But then becoming sacrifices
Now that we have seen how masks and rituals have changed the world, changed the boys, and could easily change you. Now just ask yourself, what is behind the mask society gives
YOU?