Lord of the Flies William Golding 1911-1993

William Golding (1911-1993)

Born in Cornwall England, 1911 Father was overbearing & forced William to study science at Oxford College Defied father and switched to literature in third year Father was a firm believer in human rationalism Graduated in 1935 with a Bachelor of Arts & a diploma in Education Worked as a writer, actor, producer of small theatre company, teacher and; Joined the Royal Navy during the Second World War (1939-1945) Retired as an educator

(1940-1945) Five years in the Royal Navy exposed William to cruelty and barbarity of which human kind is capable Later wrote after the war “man produces evil, as a bee produces honey” A major theme in William’s works was the problem of evil, the conflict between reason’s civilizing influence and mankind’s innate destruction for domination For example, the Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the second world war in 1945

Lord of the Flies published in 1954, examines the two worlds of savagery and civilization in humanity The setting is a pristine tropical island in which a group of marooned British schoolboys act out their worst impulses Boys loyal to the ways of “civilization” are persuaded by the boys indulging in their innate aggression Novel illustrated the failure of rationalism that William’s father advocated

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l5jI4iO4-g

“I’m Going to the Party & I’m going to bring”

How did it feel to be in charge? How did it feel to be able to come to the party? How did it feel to be left out of the party? What happened when certain people could or could not get into the party/group? Was leadership challenged? If so, how? What were the results? In this game, who had power and control? In what ways were power and control used?