Lord of the Flies

By Elon Li

A plane goes down, the boys are stranded,

On an island, rules abandoned.

Ralph takes charge, the conch in hand,

While Jack wants power, to rule the land.

Beasts and fear begin to grow,

Civilization starts to go.

Piggy’s wisdom, mocked and shattered,

On this wild island, it hardly mattered.

Hunted Simon, Piggy’s fall,

Savage instincts ruled them all.

Fire, chaos, the people gone mad,

Rescue comes, but it’s all too late.

A broken conch, the boys now cry,

The pain won’t cease, even when they leave.

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Biography

Hi! My name is Elon Li, and I’m a sophomore at American Heritage. When I’m not in school, I spend most of my time playing tennis, diving into a good book, or hanging out with my friends. Tennis keeps me active and competitive, while reading allows me to explore new ideas and perspectives. I also love spending time with my friends, whether we’re trying out new places, playing games, or just relaxing. In school, you’ll often find me in the computer science classroom or the robotics lab, where I enjoy working on coding projects, problem-solving, and building cool things with my team. I’m passionate about technology and innovation, and I love the challenge of bringing ideas to life through programming and engineering.

What is your main source of inspiration?

My main source of inspiration was William Golding’s Lord of the Flies itself. The novel’s exploration of human nature, civilization versus savagery, and the consequences of fear and power struggles really stood out to me. I wanted to capture those themes concisely while maintaining the intensity of the story.

What motivated you to write this piece?

I was motivated by the challenge of condensing such a complex novel into a short, impactful poem. Shrinklits require sizing a story down to its essence while keeping the emotions and major events intact. I found Lord of the Flies particularly compelling because of its dark, thought-provoking message, and I wanted to highlight its key moments in a way that would resonate with readers.