Lord of the Flies

PART I THE DILEMMA

Europe became a “free for all” killing field as bombs destroyed whole towns and cities. Both young and old lived in fear of death. London, England 1941-1945

PERSPECTIVE: WHAT WOULD YOU DO AS A PARENT knowing that your child was in emminit danger living in a high target area? Consider your priorities at this moment. What are you willing to do to keep your children safe?

PERSPECTIVE: HOW DO YOU THINK THESE CHILDREN FEEL given their immediate environment?

Jews being sent to the Ghettos in Germany. 1939-1941

PERSPECTIVE: WHAT WOULD YOU DO (IF ANYTHING) IF YOU WERE A PARENT IN THIS SITUATION?

Jewish children hiding in a latrine in the ghettos. PERSPECTIVE: IF YOU WERE A CHILD IN THIS SITUATION, how do you think you would feel?

In the essay “Ignoring the Lessons of Anne Frank” the author, Bruno Bettleheim, suggests that: Children when faced with a particularly stressful situation will regress or retreat to a “place” they feel safe. In this particular case, he is talking about the power of a child’s imagination and the ability to block out the bad around him. People tend to deny – even when confronted with evidence- that acts of torture and other horrible acts on a large scale are possible. People tend to believe that any atrocities that are committed are committed by a few not the many.

Those with money were able to build bomb shelters for protection Those with money were able to build bomb shelters for protection. Others sent their children to stay outside of the cities.

Take a moment to think about the images and the situation. THINK, PAIR, SHARE Take a moment to think about the images and the situation. Discuss your thoughts with the person sitting next to you. Consider what you would do in a similar situation as a parent? How you would feel as a child? Share your thoughts with the class.

about recognizing real evil? How does one go about recognizing real evil?

PART II GOOD V. EVIL

Is the ability to do evil within all of us? Is “evil” inherited or learned?

"For the laws of nature (as justice, equity, modesty, mercy, and, in sum, doing to others as we woud be done to) of themselves, without the terror of some power, to cause them to be observed, are contrary to our natural passions, that carry us to partiality, pride, revenge and the like. Thomas Hobbes from Leviathan, 1651

HOBBES believed that men were BY NATURE inherently bad HOBBES believed that men were BY NATURE inherently bad. It is society that actually limits the capacity for evil in each human being. That isn’t to say that men would kill simply for the pleasure of the act – although we know there are those who do, but rather men, without the limits of the laws made by and for society, would give in to their individual needs and wants at the expense of others.

If men must be governed by law, what should be the basis of that law? If a law is believed to be immoral, does an individual have to obey it? Should “ just following orders” be justification for an immoral act?

The rule and standard for all law-making is the public good The rule and standard for all law-making is the public good. If something isn’t useful to the commonwealth then it may not be required by law, however indifferent it is. John Locke. A Letter about Toleration, 1689.

LOCKE believed in the NATURAL good of man LOCKE believed in the NATURAL good of man. Men in a society or government that is based on the support of individual rights would feel no obligation to go against the laws created by and for such a society. For Locke there was no reason to believe that man was inherently evil or driven by his own “wants”. It is natural for man to uphold justice and individual freedom because it is best for society and for man’s own survival.

Lord of the Flies is a novel with many themes Lord of the Flies is a novel with many themes. As you read the story, consider some of the following questions: Why does Golding use children rather than adults to tell the story? Based on the actions of the boys, does Golding support the ideas of Hobbes or Locke? What is the real “beast” in the story? 4. Why does the adult rescuer not see the reality of the situation?