Only the light-hearted "flower" Phoebe Pyncheon is untouched by the family's inescapable destiny. ... She let her youth and whatever beauty she had slip away in the dark recesses of the dusty old house, all the while clinging to the notion that she was a member of the long-dead aristocracy. ... The Colonel's cold-hearted, tyrannical personality survives the ages, emerging anew to commit the sinful act again. ... In the modern era of the novel, the Colonel has reemerged once more as the cold-hearted Judge Jeffrey Pyncheon. ... The stern, granite-hearted man beneath is the d...

• Word Count: 2711
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School

It's hard to think about that day. Who knew it would be the last day I would spend with her. It still feels like a fresh nightmare that just happened last night. But it didn't. It happened over two years ago and I was still struggling with this new reality. I didn't like it. I hated it. How could th...

• Word Count: 2579
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

About the Author Quijano de Manila is the pen name of Nick Joaquin. He started writing before the war and his first story, "Three Generations," has been hailed as a masterpiece. He has been recipient of almost all the prestigious awards in literature and the arts, including the National Artist Awar...

• Word Count: 5098
• Approx Pages: 20
• Grade Level: High School

Summary Ralph hides in the jungle and thinks miserably about the chaos that has overrun the island. He thinks about the deaths of Simon and Piggy and realizes that all vestiges of civilization have been stripped from the island. He stumbles across the sow's head, the "Lord of the Flies," now merely a gleaming white skull-as white as the conch shell, he notes. Angry and disgusted, Ralph knocks the skull to the ground and takes the stake it was impaled on to use as a weapon against Jack. That night, Ralph sneaks down to the camp at the Castle Rock and finds Sam and Eric guarding the entranc...

• Word Count: 11237
• Approx Pages: 45
• Grade Level: High School