Historical Biographical Aspect:

Richard David Bach

- an American writer
- he was born in the year 1936 in Oak Park, Illinois
- son of Roland Robert and Ruth Helen
- he entitles himself to be a successor of Johann Sebastian
Bach
Historical Biographical Aspect:
Richard David Bach
- an American writer
- he was born in the
year 1936 in Oak Park,
Illinois
- son of Roland Robert
and Ruth Helen
- he entitles himself to
be a successor of
Johann Sebastian Bach
- he attended Long Beach State Collage
(California State University, Long Beach) in 1955
- he has numerous works of fiction and non-
fiction
*Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1970)
*Illusions (1977)
*Out of My Mind (1999)
- he is well-known for his love of flying
- Bach married Bette Franks and had six
children, they divorced in 1970
- he became an airplane pilot and got married
with his second wife, Leslie Parrish, and
divorced in the year 1977
- Bach married in his third wife, Sabryna Nelson-
Alexopoulos in April 1999
- his philosophy is...
"...our apparent physical limits and mortality are
merely appearance."
UNLOCKING DIFICULTIES
 FLOCK - a number of birds of one kind feeding, resting, or
traveling together.
 FLANKED - be on each or on one side of.
 GLEAMIND - (of a smooth surface) reflecting light, typically
because very clean or polished.
 ASCEND - go up or climb.
 INSTANTANEOUS - occurring or done in an instant or
instantly.
 SHUNS - persistently avoid, ignore, or reject (someone or
something) through antipathy or caution.
 MUSINGS - a period of reflection or thought.
 LAMENTS - a passionate expression of grief or sorrow.
 DISTRAUGHT - deeply upset and agitated.
 HAGIOGRAPHY - the writing of the lives of saints
SUMMARY
Jonathan Livingston Seagull is different from the other
birds in his Flock. Most gulls only know the “simplest
facts of flight,” and use flight as a utilitarian mode of
transportation and as a way to get food. Jonathan,
however, loves practicing airborne acrobatics and
testing the limits of his speed and form. He struggles
with being different—he is sad to disappoint his
parents, and he briefly considers trying hard to be just
another member of the Flock. After he experiences a
breakthrough in flight, though, and successfully
executes a complicated dive from a height of five
thousand feet, he is more determined than ever to
devote his life to studying flight.
That night, when Jonathan rejoins his Flock up on the
beach, he is called into the center of a Council meeting and
singled out for Shame by the Elder Gull before being
Outcast and banished to the distant Far Cliffs. Jonathan had
hoped to share his new flight methods with the Flock, and
show them how different methods of flight would make it
even easier to find fruitful food sources in the ocean, but
resignedly accepts that he will be a loner for the rest of his
life. After many years pass, Jonathan has lived a long but
solitary life. He is flanked in flight one evening by two
gleaming gulls who invite him to ascend with them to a
higher plane of existence.
Up in what he believes to be heaven, Jonathan finds that
his body gleams in the moonlight, too—his new body flies
more surely than his old body ever did, and with half the
effort, though it still does have some limits. In this new
world, there are a handful of gulls who believe the same
things Jonathan does, and long to perfect their innovative
methods of flight. Jonathan trains with an instructor
named Sullivan, who admires Jonathan’s skill, speed,
and self-possession, and tells Jonathan he is the best
pupil he’s ever had.
In his conversations with the Elder Gull of this new Flock,
Chiang, Jonathan learns that there are ways to transcend
even the physical limits of his body, if only he comes to
realize that perfection comes from being present in the
understanding that his true nature lives “everywhere at
once across space and time.” Eventually, Jonathan
masters instantaneous teleportation, impressing even
Chiang and becoming Chiang’s special pupil. As Jonathan
learns more and more, he cannot stop thinking about the
world he left behind on earth—he longs to return and teach
the gulls the truths he has learned in this new realm.
Jonathan returns to earth and approaches a recently Outcast
gull from his own Flock named Fletcher Lynd Seagull—
admiring Fletcher’s flight, Jonathan offers to take Fletcher on
as a pupil on the condition that one day they will return to
their Flock and spread the things they have learned together.
Fletcher agrees, and the two begin lessons. After three
months, Jonathan has amassed a small group of six special
pupils, whom he trains in flight techniques and mental
exercises to help them break the chains of their bodies. One
day, Jonathan tells his students that the time has come to
return to their Flock and share their knowledge. His students
are doubtful, but agree nonetheless to follow him back to
their old shore. The Flock shuns Jonathan and his pupils as
they demonstrate their feats of flight over the water just
beyond the shore, but slowly, some curious gulls from the
Flock begin approaching Jonathan and his group and asking
to learn to fly.
Even the nervous Terrence Lowell Gull and the lame Kirk
Maynard Gull exhibit bravery in joining Jonathan’s group,
and soon hundreds and hundreds of gulls gather every
day to listen to Jonathan’s musings on the glory of
freedom and the rituals, superstitions, and limitations that
stand in the way of true freedom. Jonathan is soon
rumored to be a Divine bird—perhaps even the Son of the
Great Gull himself, though Jonathan laments the fact that
the others cannot simply see him as one of them.
After Fletcher crashes into a cliff and has a near-death
experience, which he returns to life from, the others
begin to hail Fletcher, too, as a Divine gull. Jonathan
tells Fletcher that it is time for him to ascend, and leave
Fletcher behind to continue his legacy. Though Fletcher
begs Jonathan to stay, Jonathan begins to shimmer, and
then ascends into the sky. Fletcher, distraught but
determined to carry on Jonathan’s teachings, assumes
his new role as instructor of Jonathan’s old pupils.
In the years following Jonathan’s departure from earth,
Fletcher and his new Flock of pupils travel up and down
the coastline, spreading their messages to new Flocks,
and as more and more gulls take up Jonathan’s
message, a golden age of flight and innovation
commences.
Fletcher becomes an icon in his own right, though Jonathan,
in his absence, has become downright holy. As Jonathan’s
adherents grow in numbers, they begin ignoring his original
teachings and focusing on the hagiography of Jonathan and
his original pupils. As Jonathan’s original students begin to
die, their graves become shrines where devotees drop
pebbles in order to seem more holy.
Groups gather weekly to obsessively recount the miracles of
Jonathan’s making, but after two centuries, hardly any flying is
done any more, and Jonathan’s teachings are only discussed
in the abstract. Many gulls begin to resist these rituals and
sermons, and in trying something “new” by practicing flying,
actually end up circling back to Jonathan’s original desire for
his Flock, and for all others—expanding the self through
pushing one’s physical limitations in flight.
 A young gull called Anthony Seagull feels he is surrounded
by hypocrisy and empty ritual, and seeks to end his life by
dive-bombing out of the sky. On the way down to the water,
though, he is approached by a gleaming gull who
compliments him on his style and form. When Anthony asks
the gull his name, the gull introduces himself as “Jon.”
SETTING
Sky
- Jonathan Livingston Seagull was practicing. A
hundred feet in the sky he lowered his webbed feet
and lifted his beak. He practiced his flying in the sky.
Also, there is where he met the two gulls who made
him realized that he could fly higher. The sky
symbolizes one's freedom to fly to wherever one
wants to go or the freedom to do as one pleases.
Sea shore
- The sea shore is the place where Jonathan was
declared as an outcast. The sea shore symbolizes his
home. The council and other gulls believe that
seagulls have the ability to fly to get food no more, no
less. The sea shore shows the ignorance of the gulls
about flying.
Boat
- the boat is part of the routine everyday - go there and
find food. The boat shows the simplicity of the seagulls'
life. It also represents the laziness of the flock. They
rather get the scraps of food in the boat than finding their
fish for themselves. They are satisfied with the little
pieces of food they get in the boats.
Far cliffs
- Jonathan Seagulls spent the rest of his days alone. The
cliffs represent the individuality. Since he was an outcast,
he stayed in far cliffs. Moreover, the far cliffs show the
courage of jonathan to rebel from what is traditional just
to be different.
CHARACTERS
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
- protagonist; he is a seagull who is passionate about
flying ang striving for perfection. He became aware of
his purpose for living. On the other hand, there's a time
he failed and vowed that he would be a normal seagull.
But then he broke his vows and went back to flying
again. There's a sudden change of Seagull's
perception but in the end he pursued doing what he
loves the most.
Sullivan
- Jonathan's instructor; he is the one who helped
Jonathan to develop his potentials. Sullivan one of the
gulls, realizes that there's more for living than flying for
survival.
Chiang
- the wisest elder, he taught Jonathan about knowledge
of perfecting his flying and to trust himself that he can do
the things he wants to do.
Fletcher Lynd Seagull
- the first student of Jonathan Livingston Seagull; he is
also an outcast because he believes that there's much
more for flying than flapping around from the place to
place.
Council Flock
- antagonist; they are the gulls whom the seagulls look
up too because they are considered as the wise
elders.
Mother and Father
- parents of Jonathan; they are static characters; they
didn't the potential of their son even though Jonathan
convincing them.
Martin Gull and Charles Roland Gull
- two of the students of Jonathan Livingston Seagull;
they were also an outcast because they also believe
that there's more for flying
Terrence Lowell Gull and Kirk Maynard Gull
- students of Jonathan later Fletcher's, they became
outcast because they talked to Jonathan. They were
dynamic because before all they know is to fly for
survival but because Jonathan and his students
showing their flying skills, they were curious and asked
Jonathan to teach them then realize that there's really
more to life than ordinary flying.
PLOT
Exposition
The flock seagulls are pecking and fighting for bits of
food that were left by the boats. But Jonathan, one of
the seagulls, rather practice his flying skills. "Most gulls
don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of
flight- how to get from sea shore to get food and back
again. For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but
eating." He was a free thinker and he was not
contented with the ways of the seagulls. He knows that
the seagulls are born for greatness.
Rising action
- the council flock made him an outcast for being different from the
flock, because he found the higher purpose for life and flock were
not pleased with his perception about life. For them he violated the
tradition of gull family.

Climax
- Jonathan met two new gulls who were also an outcast. The gulls
brought him to a place where he called heaven. He also met the
wisest gull, Chiang, and though him more than what he previously
knows about flying. Afterwards, he realized that heaven doesn't exit
and heaven is a state of perfection. He learned that the reason for
living is finding your own perfection. He practiced and practiced.
After three months, he gained six students then he wanted to go
back to the flock to show what they have discovered then they went
to the Flock's Council Beach.
Falling action
- although they were ignored by some gulls because they
will be an outcast if they will talk to them, some of the gulls
can't resist not learning how to fly after seeing them flying.
Eventually, those who talked to Jonathan became outcasts
but they gained freedom.
Resolution
- Jonathan left his students to find some gulls who want to
learn about freedom of flying. He left his first student,
Fletcher Gull, to be the new teacher of the flock then they
began with first flying session.
CONFLICT
Man vs. Society
Jonathan wants to learn the techniques of flying but the
seagulls, especially the council Flock, think it's a waste
of time and became an outcast because of "violating
the dignity and tradition of the Gull family.
Fletcher also experienced the same. Resolution:
Actually, in the Council flock they are still not open for
changes. However, some of the gulls was enlightened
and asked Jonathan to teach them how to fly like how
Jonathan flies.
Man vs Nature
- he failed in flying. There's a time when he snapped into a
terrible uncontrolled disaster for changing the angles of
his wings. He was deprived of having falcon's short wings.
So it's hard for him to change angles
Resolution: he brought his forewings tightly to his body to
have short wings then he actually did the loops. It shows
that when we want something, we should find a way from
getting it. Having short wings didn't hinder him to do what
he wants because he was determined.
POV
First person

THEME
Self-discovery
- people should learn to discover their own potentials
by going beyond barriers and have self-
determination.
SYMBOLISMS
* Flying- symbolizes the dream or the thing
we want to do.
* Eating- symbolizes the fixation. It is said
that their main goal is to eat for them to
survive.
* Heaven- symbolizes perfection in
whatever one chooses to do.
* the Flock- symbolizes the society
CONCLUSION
Jonathan Livingston Seagull is the people
who wish to discover themselves. It is said to
the book, "to the real Jonathan Seagull, who
lives within us all." The author directly stated
that all of us are a Jonathan Seagull. It is
interconnected with the central theme sinced
Jonathan hungers for the exploration of his
potentials and knowledge.