Lord of the Flies William Golding.

Lord of the Flies William Golding

Have you ever seen Lost? Did you like it? Why or why not?
In the article, LF is described as a “critique on human nature.” What does this mean? What do you think Golding’s intention was? According to the article, how are this TV show and the novel similar? How are they dissimilar?

“It was what simply seemed for me to write after the war when everyone was thanking God they weren’t Nazis. I’d seen enough to realize that every single one of us could be Nazis…”

Key Terms Allegory- a literary or visual work that uses symbolic figures, actions, or objects to make a larger point about life In LF, the characters and events all take on a larger meaning. Dystopian literature- genre used to explore social and political structures in dark, nightmarish worlds Dystopia- a highly imperfect world where everything becomes rather nightmarish and dark

Omniscient narrator- the voice in which a story is written that is outside the story but that knows everything about all the characters and events in the story

Ch.1- The Sound of the Shell
Group of British boys (5-12) suffer a plane crash, arriving on a ‘jungle island.’ Ralph- first character introduced, then Piggy

World War II (and even the Cold War) are alluded to (mentioned) in the novel.
Golding served in the British Navy during WWII. His experiences motivated him to write this dark novel.

Exposition (Setting) Mid 1940s/50s, entire outside world is at war
Piggy: “Didn’t you hear what the pilot said about the atom bomb? They’re all dead…”…. World outside island- CHAOS

How/why did they get here?
A plane mistaken for military aircraft has been shot down….. (The British actually did fear an invasion and did evacuate children to other countries during the war).

Ralph “Fair boy” (light-haired) Athletic- good swimmer
Somewhat of a kind face “mildness about his mouth and eyes” (10) (His physical appearance has much to do with how the boys respond to him)….

Piggy “very fat” wears glasses (“specs”) short
suffers from asthma “ass-mar”

Piggy as a Target….. Notice how Ralph immediately responds to Piggy- not nice to him Piggy suggests they hold a meeting, take an inventory of survivors, etc Ralph (and everyone else) never gives Piggy the credit he deserves….. Why does he laugh at Piggy?...

Ralph can be Naïve…. Piggy: “We may stay here til we die…”
Ralph- not as sophisticated a thinker as Piggy- thinks his dad, a Navy Commander, will rescue them…. Piggy recognizes usefulness of the “creamy…pink” conch: it can be used to call meetings. Ralph ‘steals’ his idea….

Cast of Characters Jack Merridew- redhead, hostile, threatening, leader of choir, symbolically leads band of boys dressed in black- constantly mean to Piggy Roger, a “dark boy” Simon- innocent, sweet, peaceful, loves nature Rest of boys- ‘littuns’: Sam and Eric (twins), Johnny, random others….

The Plot Thickens… Who will be chief? (first conflict)
Jack and Ralph compete, but Ralph wins, mostly because of his appearance and commanding personality and because he has the conch! Jack- leader of hunters (compromise) “So we’ve got to decide if this is an island…” Jack, Ralph, and Simon lead an expedition. Piggy not invited to join

Jack and the Pig His inability to kill the pig foreshadows his later ruthlessness and dark nature. “They knew very well why he hadn’t….because of the unbearable blood…” (31)

Allusion & Genre Titles of island adventure books (Ralph: Treasure Island) Title itself is an allusion (reference to the devil) Genre: Allegory-story loaded with symbolism. Characters and events all take on a larger meaning.

Symbolism in LF “Pink” : innocence as seen in the conch, Piggy himself, nature, the hunted pig littuns sucking their “pink” thumbs, “pink” rocks on island, Piggy’s face, scared pig they hunt. Scar (site of plane crash): entrance of evil onto the island Conch: order, democracy, rationality, civilized authority

Conch- firmly established as a symbol of order. Ralph: Only those who hold the conch can speak. Island still has order; boys are not yet savage. Freshwater is present as well as pigs, which will be their main food source. Piggy continues to be the voice of reason and rationality. “Nobody knows where we are.”

Boy with the mulberry colored birthmark tries to tell the group that there is a “beastie” on the island. Ralph dismisses him. Piggy is only sympathetic one. Responses among the boys: concern, confusion, some fear Ralph: “We must make a fire.”

Boys are thrilled at idea of fire- first indication of their potential savagery. Piggy tries to make sure boy w/ mulberry colored birthmark is heard. Piggy is kind and sympathetic, can relate to the idea of being ignored.  Jack suggests using Piggy’s glasses to start fire. Piggy is surrounded aggressively. Jack’s responsibilities: hunting, fire, keeping lookout for ships

Fire erupts, goes out of control (44) First signs of outright disorder. “The crowd was as silent as death.” Why? boy with the mulberry colored birthmark- Presumably killed by fire- no one hears from him again…

Inciting Incident (also called exciting force)
Early event in a literary work that drives all the action that follows The inciting incident/exciting force in LF: Boy w/ mulberry birthmark is presumably killed in the fire that rages out of control (end of Ch. 2)

A. The sentence “Life became a race” from line one is an example of a metaphor. A metaphor is an example of figurative language, the comparison of one thing or idea to another without the use of like or as. “Life became a race” is an example of a metaphor since life is being compared to a race in a figurative or highly poetic way. Life is not literally an actual “race.” B. A kenning is a poetic two-word renaming of something. The phrase “light wind” in line four is an example of a kenning since “air” is renamed or relabelled as “light wind.”

Personification is a literary device in which human characteristics or human traits are assigned to something that is nonhuman or inanimate. The sentence “the fire thrust out a savage arm of heat” drawn from line six contains an example of personification since the fire is described as thrusting and as having an “arm.” A simile is a type of comparison that utilizes the words “like” or “as.” In the last line of the passage, a simile is contained in the phrase “panting like dogs.” The boys are described as “panting like dogs” since they are hot, disoriented, and “exhausted.”

Strong examples of imagery are all throughout the passage
Strong examples of imagery are all throughout the passage. The imagery is especially strong, though, in the penultimate sentence of the passage, or in lines nine through eleven. These lines contain numerous literary devices and sharp adjectives. A kenning, for example, is found in the phrase “beard of flame,” alliteration is found in the phrase “soft, cindery sound,” and the fire and its “sparks” are described in slow and careful detail to help the reader form a keen mental image. The syntax and the actual structure of these lines, too, are quite notable. Syntax- the arrangement and use of words and phrases to form well-ordered sentences

Compound sentence- a sentence that contains two sentences (independent clauses) joined by a conjunction, which is a connecting word such as for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. The two sentences can also be joined just by a semicolon ; Example#1 : Ralph is elected chief, but he does not appear to be as wise and rational as Piggy. What are the two independent clauses? Example #2: The beard of flame diminished quickly; then the pile fell inwards with a soft, cindery sound, and sent a great tree of sparks upwards that leaned away and drifted downward. How is example #2 punctuated differently than #1?

Compound sentences from the passage:
1. Life became a race with the fire and the boys scattered through the upper forest. 2. To keep a clean flag of flame flying on the mountain was the immediate end and no one looked further. 3. On one side the air was cool, but on the other the fire thrust a savage arm of heat that crinkled hair on the instant. 4. The beard of flame diminished quickly; then the pile fell inwards with a soft, cindery sound, and sent a great tree of sparks upwards that leaned away and drifted downward.

Do Now: Before you annotate the following passage, keep the following in mind:
Based on your reading through Chapter Three, what can you recall about Simon? What have you noticed about pink in this allegory? How can we pinpoint examples of compound sentences?

Ch.3 Huts on the Beach Jack- increasingly obsessed with the idea of hunting. Recall his humiliation at failing to kill the pig at the end of Ch. 1. “The madness came into his eyes again…” Ralph complains that Jack is not doing his duty; he and Simon are only ones really committed to building shelters for everyone. They argue about this and Jack’s obsession with finding meat, and the antagonism (tension/conflict) between them is sharp. (50)

Ch.3 Huts on the Beach Littluns are becoming unstable and fearful, mostly b/c of the talk of the “beastie.” Ralph & Jack agree on this, but notice how they butt heads. A power struggle develops between them. Significance of Simon: symbolic of pure goodness, innocence, spirituality, quiet authority Always peaceful, relates to Piggy, frequently found in nature…

Ch.4 Painted Faces & Long Hair
Events are getting increasingly stranger on the island: strange optical illusions that are occurring. “Sometimes land loomed where there was no land and flicked out like a bubble as the children watched….Piggy discounted all this…” (58) Littuns spend their day playing, running around, suffer from diarrhea, “untold terrors.” (59)

Percival Wemys Madison- 1st littun to go nutty. Henry: “distant relative of boy with mulberry colored birthmark” Johnny: yet another littun’ Maurice & Roger reappears (“dark boy”)- Ch.1- both Jack’s sidekick

Roger is jerky and a bully like Jack. “Roger led the way straight through the castles, kicking them over, burying the flowers, scattering the chosen stones.” (60)- mean to littuns Throws stones at Henry, aiming to miss….

“Here invisible yet strong was the taboo of the old life.” (60) Roger knows his actions toward littuns are wrong; he (and Maurice) still have some innocence left, some influence of past lives upon them. Jack’s presence causes Roger to think about his actions. Jack’s face painting- declining into savagery

Jack’s obsession with hunting has cost the group greatly (missed a chance at being rescued). Ralph: “They let the bloody fire go out.” Jack let fire go out as ship passed by. Jack does not seem to realize what he has done because he is delighted with himself. Why?.... Piggy to Jack: “You didn’t ought to have let that fire go out…” Jack becomes enraged, punching Piggy in the gut, breaking his glasses. (71)

Maurice pretends to be a pig as the boys chant: “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in.” (75) – repeated throughout- also “Spill his blood!”

Ch.5 Beast From Water Colloquialism: word, phrase used in everyday speaking, similar to slang Notice British colloquialisms in boys’ speech- esp Piggy’s and Jack’s. (lower class) Ellipsis: use of punctuation (…) to show words/text that have been left out. Associated w/ Ralph’s speech and narration describing him: he is frustrated

Ch.5 Beast From Water Ralph:“I can’t think…like Piggy” (78)
Recognizes Piggy is sharp, perceptive, has good ideas Leaders have to be “wise”, able to make good decisions, think quickly, critically and with an eye on strategy… Ralph increasingly disgusted: Boys are not keeping lavatories clean, peeing anywhere, water supplies decreasing, not keeping fire going (79, 80)

Ch.5 Beast From Water “Taken short” (colloquialism) 80
Boys’ willingness to relieve themselves anywhere shows the extent to which disorder, chaos, and savagery have become theme of life on the island. Ralph: “We nearly set the whole island on fire.” 81 New rule: no fire except on mountain Phil and Percival both come forward: what message do they have for the group?

He echoes what Phil says.
Ch.5 Beast From Water Phil: littun who says he saw something “big” and “horrid” moving in the trees Percival comes forward- seems to be going crazy- recites his full name (Percival Wemys Madison), address, but cannot remember his telephone number He echoes what Phil says.

Ch.5 Beast From Water Jack- dismissive, defensive about the beast (There are only pigs on the island). Remember how he had told Ralph, though, that he felt ‘hunted’ in the jungle…. Ralph- rules are important: without them, assemblies are dead. Ralph: “Because rules are the only things we got!” (91) Jack: “Bollocks to the rules!” (colloquialism)

Ch.5 Beast From Water Ralph: “If I blow the conch and they don’t come back, then we’ve had it…we’ll be like animals.” (92) He can’t bear the thought of this defeat, senses the group is reaching point of no return. (“breaking up of sanity” 88) Ralph about the outside, adult world: “If only they could get a message to us.” What is happening to Percival? (94)- seems very nutty by now….

Ch.6 Beast from Air Introduces dead parachutist floating in from outside world- situational irony: (more examples to follow) Contrast between what happens and what was expected (or would seem appropriate). How is Ralph’s wish an example? The sign he gets is certainly not what one would expect….

Ch.6 Beast from Air “But a sign came down from the world of grownups, though at the time there was no child awake to read it.” (95) Dead parachutist who lands on island is presumably a casualty of war. He eventually lands on the mountain-top…. Samneric: “We’ve seen the beast with our own eyes….It was awful…it kind of sat up.” (100) They believe dead parachutist is the “beast”; the hysteria continues…

Ch.6 Beast from Air Notice how the conch and the authority the boys attach to it has changed: Jack: “We don’t need the conch anymore.”- foreshadows its later physical destruction Broken conch symbolizes CHAOS

Ch.6 Beast from Water Simon’s reaction to the beast: Maybe it’s only us (89) & I don’t believe in the beast. (105) Jack leads the way into the jungle as they search for the beast (103). Ralph: ‘A strange thing happened in his head. Something flittered there in his mind like a bat’s wing, obscuring his idea.” (107, 8) He is woken up, reminded that fire signal needs to be maintained if they hope to be rescued.

Ch.7 Shadows and Tall Trees
Ralph: “These were the conditions he took as normal now…” (110) Boys are always disheveled, messy. One side of island- mirage & lagoon helps one think of being rescued. Other side of island facing ocean- makes one feel almost in despair

Simon- character of innocence & purity- tells Ralph, “You’ll get back to where you came from….I just think you’ll get back all right.” He is a positive force on the island. Notice how mood changes once they start hunting- Ralph even starts to act savage. Weird, savage war chant is in effect again Robert is hurt during the boys’ reenactment of the pig hunt- foreshadowing of later violence enacted on anther character….

Ralph, Jack, and Roger go looking for the beast. The dead parachutist is the “beast” they see at the end of the chapter (123).

Ch. 8 A Gift for the Darkness
“Beelzebub” is the Greek form of the name “Baal-zebub,” a pagan Philistine god worshiped in the ancient Philistine city of Ekron during the Old Testament times. It is a term signifying “the lord of flies” (2 Kings 1:2). Even archaeological excavations at ancient Philistine sites have uncovered golden images of flies.

It was later on that the Jews changed the name from “Beelzebub” to “Beelzeboul,” as used in the Greek New Testament, meaning “the lord of dung.” Beelzeboul referenced the god of the fly which was worshiped to obtain deliverance from the injuries of that insect. Some biblical scholars believe it was also known as "the god of filth" which later became a name of bitter scorn in the mouth of the Pharisees. As a result, he [Beelzeboul] was a particularly contemptible deity and was used by the Jews as an epithet for Satan.

The phrase Lord of the Flies comes from a Hebrew and a Greek term Beelzebub, a Satanic figure seen in various books of the Bible, namely Kings and Matthew. The term Beelzebub is essentially a name used for Satan and is seen in various forms of medieval literature.

Work with your assigned partner on the following:
Be sure your Ch.8 reading questions are developed as follows: All questions are answered in multiple, complete sentences showing analytical thought not just plot summary. Textual evidence, that is, Golding’s words, must be referenced specifically. Add the following questions: ? about Piggy- 3 examples of separate and distinct ways he changes as seen in Ch. 8 only Explain how and why the leadership structure on the island has collapsed, as seen on p. 133 onwards Finally, compare the pig hunt in this chapter to two previous hunting episodes.

Power structure on island is under great strain: Jack and Ralph continue to fight over key issues: effectiveness of conch, who should be leader, when to hunt, the beast… Jack tries to have Ralph removed from his position as leader. He is humiliated when the boys don’t really respond so well to this idea.

Simon: “I think we ought to climb the mountain.” (128) Black and red are associated w/ Jack and his hunters- symbolic of violence and darkness Simon experiences a strange hallucination, optical illusion, when he experiences the pig’s head from the boy’s hunt in the forest. The pig’s head ‘speaks’ to him- or does it?

How is Lord of the Flies an allusion to the devil? The phrase Lord of the Flies comes from a Hebrew and a Greek term Beelzebub, a Satanic figure seen in the Bible (Matthew 12) and in medieval literature. Notice how Simon is the one the ‘devil’ speaks to. (137,8 & 143,4) Simon’s death is foreshadowed as devil speaks to him.

Simon’s episode with the talking pig’s head, or Lord of the Flies, is an allusion, a metaphor, a symbol, and even irony. Black and red continue to be symbolic, repeated colors- associated with Jack, violence, the pig’s head, savagery. Simon regains consciousness, finds dead parachutist.

Ch. 9 A View to a Death He wants to tell the boys that they have nothing to fear: there is not a true beast, just as he suspected! “The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible.” 147 Jack and others have been hosting a feast. Thunderstorm brews overhead- a foreshadowing of violence soon to be enacted on Simon.

Ch. 9 A View to a Death Boys tear Simon apart with their bare hands as they scream and chat. (situational irony) Do they realize what they are doing, or are they completely insane and savage at this point? 2 bodies float into ocean: Simon & parachutist….

Ch. 10 The Shell and the Glasses
Ralph to Piggy: “That was murder.” (156) Ralph truly realizes what they did to Simon; Piggy SEEMS to also, but he does not want to admit it- at least out loud…. Samneric enter the conversation; they, too, are in denial (at least verbally). All sorts of excuses are tossed around to explain their behavior. Jack and his tribe plan on beating Wilfred- completely crazy now.

Ch. 10 The Shell and the Glasses
Jack’s tribe also refuse to admit aloud that they slaughtered Simon. (160) Jack- uses fear and manipulation to control the boys, feeds their fear of the beast. He wants to stay in power. End of chapter: “From his left hand dangled Piggy’s glasses.” Jack (now ‘Chief’) and his boys have stolen Piggy’s glasses to build a fire.

Symbolism in LF Scar (site of plane crash): entrance of evil onto island Island- before boys’ arrival- Garden of Eden-after boys’ arrival- corrupted world of humankind Conch: order, democracy, rationality, civilized authority Piggy’s glasses/Piggy himself- insight, wisdom, rationality, knowledge, intelligence Death of Piggy/Destruction of Conch: descent into savagery, loss of order & reason, anarchy, end of innocence, goodness, democracy

Symbols Continued…. Death of Piggy/Destruction of Conch: descent into savagery, loss of order and reason, anarchy, end of innocence, goodness, democracy pig’s head- pure evil, Signal fire- hope, salvation  Golding: The capacity for evil is inside all of us; it comes out under the ‘right,’ or ideal conditions. Imagined Beast- fear, loss of reason Dead Parachutist: link to the adult world, the boys’ old world, modern civilization (war) Chanting/Dancing of Hunters: blind emotion, mob mentality, also loss of reason, decline into savagery

Ch. 11 Castle Rock Cove where Jack (“chief”) and his followers “savages” hide out Ralph, Piggy, twins decide to go to try to reason w/ Jack- get Piggy’s glasses back and restore order on the island. Boys bring spears. Conch proves useless at Castle Rock. ‘Chief’ and savages don’t listen. It is now white- has lost its pinkness. (171) “Red” continues to be repeated. Roger- as “dark” as he was in Chap 1 & 4- foreshadowing of more violence (p. 62, 175)

Ch. 11 Castle Rock Jack & Ralph become violent towards each other. Roger continues to throw stones. (“Zup”- onomatopoeia- word imitates an actual sound) Roger kills Piggy by shoving a “red” boulder onto him. (180) Piggy AND conch are destroyed by red boulder. Jack and his crew feel no sadness over Piggy’s death, feel victorious. “See…That’s what you’ll get!” 181

Ch. 11 Castle Rock “Then the sea breathed again in a long, slow sigh, the water boiled white and pink…” (181) What 2 literary techniques are present in above quote?.... Samneric are taken prisoner.

Ch. 11 Castle Rock Internal conflict- struggle within a character
External conflict- struggle between 2 characters or opposing forces.

Ch. 11 Castle Rock Ralph- internal conflict
“Think…What was the sensible thing to do? There was no Piggy” (196) External conflict- all throughout novel as power struggle heightens between Jack and Ralph.

Ch. 12 The Cry of the Hunters
Ralph is on the run from Jack (Chief) and his savages He thinks of himself as “outlaw” (184) “Samneric were part of the tribe now.” Remember they had been tied up in previous chapter

Ralph stumbles upon the twins: “They hate you, Ralph. They’re going to do you….Roger sharpened a stick at both ends.” (188,90) They plan to hunt him down like a pig…

Resolution is achieved in the last section of this chapter: the boys are rescued by the naval officer. Notice the irony that occurs when the officer appears: Dramatic & Situational

Dramatic irony: reader knows more about the situation than the characters- Naval officer: “Jolly good show. Like the Coral Island.” (We know these savages are nothing like those ‘good’ boys in that novel).

Situational irony: (Recall end of Ch.5 into Ch. 6)- Contrast between what happens and what was expected (or would seem appropriate). Examples: 1. Smoke from Jack’s fire is rescue signal after they’ve given up keeping the fire going… 2. Simon’s murder as he’s trying to deliver news of real beast 3. Naval officer: saying “fun and games”- not what we would expect him to say….

Why do all (or at least most) the boys sob at the end? Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.” 

Character Types in LF Round: complicated personality, fully developed
Dynamic : grow, change, or learns a lesson Flat: simple, not much depth Static: never change or grow

Character Types in LF Round & dynamic- Ralph especially (protagonist)
Flat and static: Roger (described as “dark boy” even in Chapter 1)- darkness continues as seen in his murder of Piggy

Literary Terms- LF Allusion Ellipsis Illusion Colloquialism
Simile Allegory/Symbols Personification Foreshadowing Irony- 3 types Character types Internal/External Conflict

LF- Plot Structure Climax – moment of great tension that determines how conflict will be resolved. Example: brutal killing of sow; conversation between Simon and the Lord of the Flies Rising Action/Complication – struggle between opposing forces is established and intensified Ralph (order) vs. Jack (chaos) Falling Action/Denouement- any event after climax, nearing resolution Examples: Piggy’s glasses, Castle Rock wildness Lord of the Flies by William Golding Exposition – elements of setting, intro to characters Examples: we meet the boys; plane attacked and crashed on island Resolution-loose end tied up Examples: Ralph is chased; boys are rescued by naval officer.

Lord of the Flies William Golding.

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