Blog #5 Counselor's Jounral

For the rest of the week, you will be analyzing characters from the book from the perspective of a counselor. You can imagine that the boys have already been rescued and are slowly unfolding the plot to you while you analyze them or you can imagine that yo are there on the island with them observing their behavior. Or, if you think of some other way to be a counselor to the boys that is more inventive, please feel free to go with it.

The guidelines:

1. Must be at least two full paragraphs
2. Each paragraph must be at least 8 sentences long
3. There must be at least two quotes properly integrated into each journal entry from the text or another source of information.
4. An actual disorder needs to be diagnosed.

Read the sample below and tell me what is missing from the above stated requirements.

July 4^th 1941

Since my parachute landing on the island, I have been observing the boys, who seem to have been here for quite some time. When I ask them to articulate how long, none can quite articulate a range, so I assume months at the very least. The dynamics on the island are so interesting. There are older boys, who are collectively referred to as the “biguns” and small boy under the age of seven who are collectively called the “littluns.” The biguns frighten me to the core. They are somewhat savage, and see me as an intruder. It is as if they worry I threaten their dominion of the young boys. But, today, I spent a considerable amount of time with a small boy of about six years named Percival. He seems to clearly suffer from hysteria or post traumatic stress syndrome. If (or shall I say when) we are rescued, he will certainly be in need of years of therapy.

Today, when we spoke, he was muttering unintelligibly to himself about a “beastie”. When I prodded him further, he looked blankly at me for what seemed a long time. Then, he started to cry uncontrollably. I was able to soothe him, and as soon as I did, he wanted to know if I lived anywhere near Ashbury Lane, and wondered if I knew his mother. When I told him I came from America, he asked if there were beasties in America like here on the island. It seems he is quite obsessed with this fantasy of a beastie. I have seen him napping and crying in his sleep shrieking utterances about the beastie, and when aroused, he in inconsolable. There is a low murmur about just such a creature among most of the boys, but none seem willing to openly discuss it. When I broached the subject with one of the older boys, Jack, he scowled at me and wouldn’t even respond. This makes me very curious. I should be careful to watch out for these older boys. The danger in their faces is quite clear to me.

The diagnosis of PTSD for young Percival is clear, but I worry that much longer on this island could cause him further complications. I will definitely keep a close eye on him and record the his progression here on the island so that when he returns home, I can send the diagnosis to his regular care provider.