Transcription
Lord of the FliesEnglish 10Class Notes on Plot& William Golding
Lord of the Flies, waspublished in Englandin 1954. The idea came from achildren’s story aboutan island coupledwith Golding’s warexperiences.
Golding was born in Cornwall,Great Britain. He went to college at Oxfordand started out as a naturalscience major before changingto English literature. He worked as a actor, writer,producer, and school teacher.1911-1993
Golding joined the British RoyalNavy and was involved in WWII. His experiences in WWII gave himthe idea to write a book abouthuman nature and evil. He won the Nobel Prize in 19831911-1993
Astory, poem, or picture that can beinterpreted to reveal a hidden meaning,typically a moral or political one Asymbol. Whatmight this story be an allegory for?
British schoolboys arestranded on anuninhabited island after aplane crash. Island whereaboutsunknown. During a fictional nuclearwar (not WWII).
2 boys serve as maincharacters in thebeginning. Elementary – middleschool aged boys.
If you over think this story. Don’t think about all adults dyingand all children alive. Don’t think about where they wereflying. Don’t think about the islandlocation.
Realizing there are noadults, the boys try tofollow the rules of society. The division of labor isagreed upon. A mini society is formed.
What types of emotionsmight play out? A “beast” is on the island.Where might the best comefrom? Words of a famous president“We have nothing to fear ”
Laced with fears, a strugglefor power begins. The boys become moreand more fascinated withtheir savage side.
Discussion: Evil Born with it.Or Evil Raised with it.Is Society evil?
Humanity needs civilization. Contrary to the belief that man is innocent andsociety evil, the story shows that laws/rules/structure/society are necessary to keep the darkerside of human nature in line. When these concepts slip away or are ignored,human beings revert to a more primitive part oftheir nature.
Evil (the beast in the novel) is within manhimself. Golding implies that evil is not created but isingrained within us all. Loss of innocence is needed in order to see realityand for humanity to survive. Age is not directly related to innocence youngcan be corrupt/structure can save.
Civilization
Thisquote directly portrays themessage that Golding is trying toexpress; that the heart of man isnot good and kind, it is selfish andcorrupt.
Inthe novel, it refers to a pig headon a stick, an offering to the“beast.” It becomes the beast sortof. “Lord Bible:of the Flies”Jesus refers to Satan as“Beelzebub”; Hebrew for LOTF
BE ON THE LOOKOUT! THERE ARE LOTS OF SYMBOLS IN THIS BOOK!IT’S LIKE A GAME OF WHERE’S WALDO!!!!Conch shell Must have in order to speak Make predictions. What might physically happen to the shell andwhat might that mean?Glasses (specs) Used to start a fire Make predictions. How might this symbol play into the book? Howmight it change over time?
Golding uses symbols to represent differentmeanings within the book. Examples: The title Lord of the Flies Evil A seashell used to call the boys and designatea speaking order might represent? Keep an eye out for anything that could besymbolic (There are lots of them!).
In addition to objects, people/characters can besymbolic too. What are various character traits that can be usedto describe humans? Golding attempts to emphasize this point bygiving certain characters stronger attributes (onecharacter embodies wisdom, one evil, etc.)
Theisland is a perfect microcosm.It is like an ant-farm. Amicrocosm is a . Populationof leaders/followers.
Differentareas of the island areassociated with different ideas. Beach Dreams/hope of rescue Mountain ? Bush/Forest ? Rocky-outcrop ?
Beach
“The heart of the humancondition is thecondition of the humanheart.” Thisis relevantbecause
Lord of the Flies, was published in England in 1954. The idea came from a children’s story about an island coupled with
