LORD OF THE FLIES

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LORD OF THE FLIES

Biographical Information on William Golding:

• Born in England 1911 to an average middle-class family• Went to school at Oxford University• Started teaching English at an all boys prep school in 1939• Joined the British Navy and entered WWII in 1940• After war, went back to teaching until 1963 and wrote LOTF

in 1954, winning Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983• Died in 1993.

Which events may have had the largest impact on his life? Which may have influenced LOTF the most?

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The two major influences were:

• teaching at a boys prep school and serving in World War II.

So, how did they influence him?

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LORD OF THE FLIES

While serving in WWI:He saw the atrocities of war first hand, including torture, death, bloodshed, etc.He was shocked by the horrors of Hitler’s Holocaust, torturing of people’s by the Japanese, and by the U.S. dropping the atom bomb.

While teaching at an all boys school:He observed how boys and young men acted toward each other and learned some of the psychological tendencies of boys:

Boys have a need for competitionBoys have a desire for games and play as opposed to work

Boys have a tendency to “act up” when adults are not around

Boys tend to be cruel and physically aggressive toward others

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Allegory

• A narrative in which the characters and their actions, and sometimes the setting, are put together by the author to make literal meaning, but also to have a second, often symbolic, meaning.

• Two types of allegories: • fable- a short narrative

that explains human behavior or morals

• parable- a narrative about human beings used by the author to teach his or her audience a lesson

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Symbols:

– Anything that stands for or represents something else.

Symbols point to meaning beyond what they are.

- Writers often use

conventional symbols for meanings. Others create their own symbols by emphasis or repetition. Each method intends to make a point, create a mood, or reinforce a theme.

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LORD OF THE FLIESSome things to think about while reading Lord of the Flies. The 3 “P’s” Parable: Point of View:-Prophetic: teaching a rule or a lesson -Omniscient (all knowing)-Symbolism -Focus on Ralph’s point of view-Usually enigmatic or dark in nature -Shifting point of view

 Political/Philosophical :

-D…..: a government for the people by the people

-C…..: Social system in which property and goods are owned in common and ruling is by a single authority

-F…..: Italian government ruled by Mussolini 1922-1943 that believed that nationalism and racial superiority; dictatorship -I…..: Spreading of one’s authority

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In addition to the 3 P’s, Golding’s views were heavily influenced by Sigmund Freud’s theory of human psychodynamics, developed in the late 1800’s and widely accepted by the 1920’s. The basic premise is that all human behavior is driven by instinctual inner forces and that actions are created by a need to resolve conflicts between them and societal restrictions placed upon them.

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Conscious

E SUPEREGO

G

O

Unconscious ID

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ID- Inborn, unconscious aspect- Made of basic instincts for food, water, aggression, self, etc.- Acts on impulse and wants to be expressed no matter what is realistic, possible, or socially/morally acceptable- Often expressed in dreams, hypnosis, free association (say whatever comes to mind), and Freudian slips

SUPEREGO- Storehouse of a person’s values learned from society- Everything that is socially desirable- Taught by adults to younger children- The inner voice of “ought’s and should not’s”- Simply a person’s conscience

EGO-THE NEGOTIATOR –takes into account the demands of the Id and the restrictions of the Superego- Puts reasonable choices before pleasurable demands, called reality principle as the aspect of self between the Id and Superego- Mostly conscious but partially unconscious

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- ………. and needs the structure of civilization (laws and order) to control him.

LORD OF THE FLIESThemes:

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- Evil (……….) is within man himself.

- Golding implies that the ………. has little to do with age but is related to a person's understanding of human nature. It can happen at any age or not at all. Painful though it may be, this loss of innocence by coming to terms with reality is necessary if humanity is to survive.

LORD OF THE FLIESThemes:

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- ………. on the island revolves around the boys' terror of the beast. The recognition that no real beast exists, that there is only the ………., is one of the deepest meanings of the story.

LORD OF THE FLIESThemes:

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- 1: common sense, and responsibility

- 2: immediate gratification and irresponsible authority

- 3: ineffective intellectualism

LORD OF THE FLIESCharacters as symbols

- 5: mystic, Religious side of man. Understands good and evil but no communication.

-6: incapable of acting independently. They represent loss of identity through fear of the beast.

-4: the “sign,” evil developing on the island

- Each of the characters represents a part of man.

- We all have good, evil, common sense, intelligence, a sense of nature within us.

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LORD OF THE FLIESObjects as symbols

1represents the desire to preserve civilization; when Jack gains power they move into them like the animals they have become.

2its use divides civilization from savagery. Ralph uses it for hope; Jack for cooking. It is Jack’s group that allows it (hope) to go out

3They signify man’s ability to perceive, to think. That thought can be misused for destructive purpose.

4symbol of evil, “the powers of darkness.” The boys would have recognized the parachutist in the daylight, as would they have Simon. The beast is more real at night

5It helps the boys hide from their own consciences, turning them into anonymous savages who are freed from the restraints of “civilized” behavior.

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Discussion Questions:

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Which character do you believe reacted the best to the situation? Simon for sticking to his morals? Jack for doing what he pleased? Or Samneric who did what was necessary to survive?

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How would the plot be different if Golding had decided to drop a group of young girls on the island for his experiment?—same backgrounds, same training, same personalities, just different gender.

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Summarize ‘Lord of the Flies’ with 3 words

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‘Everyone is capable of evil, as human beings are innately uncivil and naturally destructive.’What is your initial reaction to this statement?

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Which character can you most identify with yourself?

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