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Unit: Lord of the Flies

2

WRITE DOWN THE DEFINITIONS OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS

to clamber ................................................................................

to scatter ................................................................................

reluctantly ...........................................................................

to loll .................................................................................

sapling ...............................................................................

to muddle .......................................................................

choir ............................................................................

Chapter 1

1. What happened to the plane the boys were on?2. Why is the chapter entitled “The Sound of the Shell”?3. What does Ralph’s dad do? 4. What is Ralph’s attitude towards Piggy in the first chapter?5. The island was roughly _______ - shaped. 6. What is the “scar” that is repeatedly mentioned? 7. Why is Ralph elected chief?8. For whom did Piggy vote as chief? 9. Why is Jack unable to kill the pig?10. Who went to make sure the island was really an island? 11. Who is your favorite character so far? 12. How is Piggy revealed as most closely tied to the world of adults?

Chapter 2


to convey ....................................................................................

to cradle ....................................................................................

assurance .................................................................................

ungraspable .............................................................................

to smirk ..................................................................................

to tugg ..................................................................................

to wilt .................................................................................

to assent .............................................................................

William Golding; Lord of the Flies

3

1. What question does the littlun with the birthmark raise?2. How do Ralph and Jack answer the question about the beast?3. What is the significance of the chapter’s title, “Fire on the

Mountain”?4. How do the kids start the fire?5. Who is the only one who may interrupt the speaker holding

the conch? 6. On page 29, Ralph makes a two-fold “mission statement.”

What are the two parts? 7. Who is the first boy to die?

Chapter 3


to festoon ............................................................................................

pendant ..........................................................................................

tattered .........................................................................................

to trott, trodden .............................................................................

contrite .......................................................................................

batty .........................................................................................

1. What is the significance of the title “Huts on the Beach”?2. What is Jack doing as the chapter opens (be specific)? 3. Why can’t Jack get the pig to stay on his spear? 4. Ralph and _________ are building huts. 5. Why does Ralph reproach Jack?6. What two groups with different goals are emerging?7. Where does Simon go and why?8. All the hunters but Jack have gone where?


4

Chapter 4

1. What is the significance of the title “Painted Faces and Long Hair”?2. Why does Roger, throwing stones at the littluns, aim just to miss?3. What definite stand does Ralph make?4. Why does Jack refuse to give Piggy meat?5. Who “still felt the unease of wrongdoing?” 6. Who was affected by the “taboo of the old life?” 7. How was Jack “liberated from the shame of self-consciousness?” 8. Why did the “littluns” always obey the summons of the conch? 9. Why did Jack want Samneric to get him a coconut? 10. Why weren’t the boys rescued? 11. Why were the littluns used to “Stomach aches and a sort or chronic diar-

rhea?”


blatant .......................................................................................

mirage .....................................................................................

aimless ....................................................................................

belligerence .............................................................................

impalpable ..............................................................................

lukewarm .............................................................................

irked ....................................................................................

to clench .............................................................................

irrelevance .........................................................................

dismal ...............................................................................

Chapter 5WRITE DOWN THE DEFINITIONS OF

THE FOLLOWING WORDS

wearisomeness ............................................................................

apex ........................................................................................

intent ....................................................................................

tottery ................................................................................

to override ..........................................................................

recollection ......................................................................

sternly ...........................................................................

mimicry .......................................................................

discursive .....................................................................


5

1. What is significance of the title “Beast from Water”?2. What is the paradox of the boys’ attitude toward the beast?3. Why does Ralph call a meeting?4. Why does Piggy dissuade Ralph from giving up his position as chief?5. What does Ralph think they ought to do before they let the fire go out? 6. Who scared the littlun by walking around in the jungle at night? 7. Who are the two littluns who hold the conch and speak about the beast at

the assembly?

Chapter 6

1. What is the irony of the dead parachutist landing on the mountain?2. Why is Simon the only one to doubt the existence of a beast?3. Why do Ralph and Jack both insist on going after the beast?4. Why does Jack say that they don’t need the conch any longer?5. What do the boys find on the other side of the mountain?6. What did the boys want to do instead of going to the other side of the

island to check the fire?


sliver .............................................................................................

fitful ........................................................................................

wary ........................................................................................

to yearn .................................................................................

to snigger .............................................................................


6

Chapter 7WRITE DOWN THE DEFINITIONS

OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS

dun .....................................................................................

to indulge ...............................................................................

to bulge ............................................................................

to loiter ...........................................................................

to nudge ........................................................................

to snivel .........................................................................

crestfallen ....................................................................

impervious ...................................................................

1. Why does Simon tell Ralph that “you will get back all right”?2. What happens when Ralph wounds the boar?3. What does Ralph ask Jack?4. Why do the boy s run from the dead chutist? 5. Who hit the boar with his spear? 6. Who got hurt playing the role of the pig? 7. Who went through the forest alone to tell Piggy that the group hunting

the beast wouldn’t be back until after dark? 8. Who climbed the mountain to look for the beast?

Chapter 8


contemptously .............................................................................

good riddance ............................................................................

to clutch ..................................................................................

menace ...................................................................................

indignant ...............................................................................

gnawed ..................................................................................

fervor ..................................................................................

covert ..................................................................................

to be vexed ..........................................................................


7

1. Why do the boys refuse to vote for Jack as chief but slip off to join him later?

2. What does Jack tell his new tribe?3. Why is the killing of the sow discussed in such detail?4. What does the Lord of the Flies tell Simon?5. Who called the first assembly? 6. During the assembly, how many voted that Ralph shouldn’t be chief? 7. On the hunters get a new name. What is it? 8. The group of boys looked at it with affectionate respect. What was it?



to stagger ..............................................................................

corpulent ..........................................................................

looming ............................................................................

to convey ..........................................................................

dimple .............................................................................

1. What reason does Raplh give for the boys’ defection to Jack?2. What kind of leader is Jack?3. How does Jack propose to rule withouth the conch?4. Why do Ralph and Piggy join the dance?5. What was the “cannon” that “continued to play” throughout chapter 9? 6. Who sat, like an idol, painted and garlanded, in the center of the lawn? 7. At the party, who acted like the pig? 8. What happened to the parachutist? 9. Who was killed because the boys thought he was the beast? 10. What happened to the body on the beach?


8



scab ......................................................................................

impaired .............................................................................

to and fro .........................................................................

stifled ..............................................................................

convulsively ....................................................................

assimilating ....................................................................

to squirm ......................................................................

ungainly .......................................................................

1. What is the significance of the title “The Shell and the Glasses”?2. Why do Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric lie about their part in Simon’s

death, or use the darkness as an excuse?3. How is Wilfred punished?4. How does Jack account for the death of Simon?5. What were Samneric doing in the beginning of the chapter? 6. On page 140, what is Ralph frightened of? 7. Who went with Jack to take fire from the others? 8. Before they were attacked, what did Ralph “desperately pray?” 9. Who was Ralph fighting in the dark? 10. What did Jack take from the others?



to snivel ........................................................................................

to scowl ......................................................................................

detaining ...................................................................................

propitiatingly .............................................................................

to quench ..................................................................................

pinnacles .................................................................................

delirious..................................................................................

to wield ..................................................................................


9

Chapter 12

1. Why do Ralph and piggy decide to visit Jack’s camp?2. What is the reaction of Jack’s tribe to Ralph’s talk of rescue?3. What happens when Piggy holds up the conch and tries to talk?4. Why does Roger shove his way past Jack, only just managing not to edge

him aside?

1. How does Ralph learn of Jack’s plans for him?2. What does Ralph say to the twins when they refuse to help him?3. Does Ralph understand why he must be killed?4. What is the irony of Samneric’s behaviour?5. How does the author describe Ralph’s flight across the island?6. What is the irony of the fire?7. Why is Percival unable to remember his name and address?8. Why is Piggy’s fall emphasized?9. Why does Ralph say that he is in charge on the island?10. What comparison is implied at the end of the novel.11. Who sharpened a stick on both ends intending to use it on Ralph? 12. How did they try to get Ralph out of the thicket? 13. Ralph had 3 different strategies for ‘escaping’ the hunters. What were they?


leaden ...................................................................................

loathing .............................................................................

antiphonal ........................................................................

ululation ........................................................................

to yearn ...........................................................................

heave .............................................................................

cordon ..........................................................................


10

1. Lord of the Flies has been called “a fable in which the characters are symbols for abstract ideas.” Explain this statement by analyzing each of the major characters (Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Simon, and Roger) in terms of his distinctive character traits and the human quality he might symbol-ize.

2. Defend and/or criticize Ralph’s actions as leader. What were his mo-tivations? Did he contribute to the tragedy in any way? Could he have acted to prevent any of the deaths? What would you have done differ-ently in his situation?

3. Describe the religious imagery in Lord of the Flies: the forces of good and evil, a fall from grace, a savior, and eventual redemption. How does Golding’s depiction of the island compare to the Garden of Eden?

4. Analyze the student population in your school and the various groups or cliques that exist. Discuss whether there are certain mannerisms, clothing preferences, behavior codes, or other qualities that char-acterize each group. Have you ever known a group member outside the context of his or her group? Did that person behave differently when not under the direct influence of the group?

5. Some readers of Lord of the Flies have argued that each and every one of the boys’ actions is noth-ing more than an attempt to survive in difficult conditions. Think about the mounting of the sow’s head, Simon’s ascent up the mountain, and the murder of Piggy in particular, as well as any other key scenes that stand out for you. Is it fair to say that the boys’ actions were merely the result of the human survival instinct? Why or why not? If so, can you use these examples to draw some general conclusions about the human instinct to survive?

6. Suppose the plot of Lord of the Flies involved a planeload of marooned girls, or a mixed group of girls and boys, instead of all boys. Do you think the same violent and cruel tendencies would have emerged on the island? Explain your answer in detail. If you think the outcome would have been different, explain how and why.


11

1. Make a short list of the qualities a good leader should possess.

2.

3.Read pages 7-18 of Lord of the Flies. Write brief notes in each box as appropriate.

Piggy Ralph

Personality

Appearance

Attitude towardsbeing on the island

Attitude towardsthe other boy

Information aboutparents

athletic

wealthy

courageous

prudent

intelligent

orphaned

wise

asthmatic

reckless

short-sighted

pessimistic

tall

realistic

con�dentreserved

friendly

fair

fat

Read pages 7-18 of Lord of the Flies, then decide which of the characteristicsin the box belongs to which boy. List each one below the appropriate name.

Piggy Ralph

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................

..................


12

Skim through the �rst chapter and extract words or phrases that refer to your element. 1. Water, sea, the lagoon.2. Sand, beach, sea-shore.3. Jungle and its vegetation.4. Mountains, rocks and cli�s.Arrange the words and phrases according to the �ve points of the star.

Similes and Metaphores

What you can taste

What you can smellWhat you can feel

What you can see

What you can hear

On pages 24 to 30 a lot of rules are being made. Below make list of all the rules you find in order of importance.

You have the conch.At the end of chapter two you have the opportunity to say whatever you want about the present situa-tion on the island, and the best course of action to adopt. Write a min. 200 word speech.

Directions: find passages in chapter three that make it clear to the reader that the author intends for us to think of Jack as an animal. Look for and identify similes, personification, metaphors, and other literary devices that Golding uses. Also, look at Golding’s diction (word choice).

Quotes & page number Explanation“He was down like a sprinter” (48). Golding uses a simile to compare Jack to a sprinter. This emphasizes his ath letic ability. And it creates the image of Jack being crouched on the ground like an animal waiting to attack.


13

Look at the creatures listed below. If you think you could kill any of them, put a tick in the �rst clumn. In the second column, explain circumstancesin which you would do so, for example ‘if starving’, ‘in self-defence’, etc.

antfroghencatsnakepighorsehuman

Creature Yes? Circumstances?

1. childish

2. mature, thoughtful

3. frightened

4. violent, agressive

5. caring, reassuring like a parent

6. good leadership

7.

8.

Type of behaviour Piggy Ralph Jack

in chapter 2 we �nd out a lot more about three of the main characters. Pick out short quotes with page refenreces which seem to you to illustrate the type of behaviourlisted. Add other types of behaviour if you can.


14

Imagine that you are stranded with a group of boys on the island of Lord of the �ies. For each broken rule in the left-hand column, choose one of the punishments listed in the right-hand column or suggest your own.

Broken rule Suggested punishment (tick one)

1. Not attending meetings a) No punishment b) Extra work c) Less food d) Other (name your preferred punishment .....................................

2. Letting �re go out a) No punishment b) Extra work c) Looking after �re for a month d) Other .....................................

3. Attacking another boy a) No punishment with intention to harm b) Extra work c) Imprisonment d) Other .....................................

4. Hiding food a) No punishment b) Extra work c) Extra work d) Other .....................................

5. Not using proper lavatory spot a) No punishment b) Extra work c) Spanking d) Other .....................................

6. Interrupting at a) No punishment meetings or speaking b) Extra work when you haven’t got c) Extra work the conch. d) Other .....................................

7. Not doing proper share a) No punishment of work - building b) Extra work shelters, etc. c) Public reprimand d) Other .....................................

The Language of persuasion. Ralph has carefully thought out aht he wants to say in the assembly he calls, and how he intends to say it. Which means does he use to persuade his audience? Find as may examples as you can for each of the following three techniques.

Using short simple sentences.

Repeating key words

Rhetorical questions


15

If you had to write a report to one of the boys on the island, what categories you use to replace the “subject” categories of “reading and comprehension”, etc? Put your categories the blank from below, then write a progress report on: ................... (Simon/Jack/Ralph, etc).

PROGRESS REPORT

General comments

Class Teacher ......................................................................

Headmaster ...................................................................... Date ........................

Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Attendance and punctuality(Comment only if unusual) No. in group: ......... Age: ..........

Have you ever done anything (either individually or with others) that was daring or wrong to prove yourself part of a group of friends?.................... YES ....................... NO

If ‘yes’, what was it? Tick the following list if appropiate:

Stolen something from a shop, house, school, garden, car

Gone up to someone and asked a question or told them something

Eaten or drunk something unusual or daring

Hurt someone or something

Played a practical joke or trick on someone

Thrown something

Ridden or driven something in a daring way

Something else, name it:

How did you feel afterwards?

How do you feel about it now?

If you have never done anything of this kind, can you explain why not?

In a previous chapter Piggy has asked the boys: ‘What are we? Humans? Animals? Or savages?’ In chapter 8, find at least 6 sentences that decribe an event that is characteristic of each of these behaviours.


16

Write a suitable memorial for Simon on the stone below

Here LiesSIMON


17

Newspaper AThe Daily Mercury is a newspaper which sensationalises its news reports and tends to exaggerate. It emphasises violence and likes to use lots of adjectives. It is generally anti-youth and welcomes oppor-tunities to attack young people’s crimes.

Tasks: 1. As a group, decide on a headline for an article about Simon’s death. 2. Brainstorm for adjectives and phrases to use to describe the events surrounding the death, remember- ing the ‘house style’. 3. Individually, write an article of 120 words about what happened on the island that evening.

Newspaper BThe Western News is a newspaper which concentrates on the personalangle and gives a lot of detail about any individuals involved in an event. It plays down a sensational approach and seldom examines issues surrounding issues.


Newspaper CThe Morning Globe is essentially a serious newspaper; it detests sen-sationalism and too much interest in personalities and tries to exam-ine the underlying issues.



18

1. If someone cannot “pull her weight,” she is expendable. 2. The younger we are, the more selfish we are. 3. All wars are preventable. 4. Homo sapiens were meant to be herbivores. 5. The darkness is scary because of the unknown factor. 6. Adult supervision is necessary in every context. 7. Every child has some form of the “Boogie Man.” 8. There should be a “pecking order” among siblings; it is healthy, productive,

and proper for the older and bigger to dominate (“survival of the fittest”). 9. There will always be polarity, or clashing ideological opposition,.10. Our society needs as many laws as possible—or as necessary. 11. To be truly happy and properly guided, one must have a true/traditional

mother figure and a true/traditional father figure. 12. Isolation is the worst place for a prisoner. 13. There is a “beast” within each and every one of us. 14. Most people are followers, because it is much easier to follow. 15. In our minds, a constant battle is waged between good and evil. 16. People are motivated by their stomachs , which are their primal instincts/

urges/desires, instead of their reasoning abilities. 17. Society does not need police to keep people honest. 18. People are essentially good. 19. It is human nature to want to be like everyone else—and to not tolerate outsid-

ers. 20. The force of good is stronger than that of evil.

Come up with at least 6 arguments pro and contra the motion: “Law and Order must be the first priority in any civilised society.”

Imagine that on the way home, the Chief Officer decided to investigate what really happened on the island. What questions would he need to ask? What answers would be given by Jack? Ralph? Roger? Samneric?

Write down 10 appropriate questions wth their answers.


19

1. Write the script of a trial in which Jack defends himself on charges of treason against an elected official (Ralph).

2. Suppose that Jack somehow mad it back to his old world (after all, Simon promised he would). After his experiences on the island, what kind of adult would he have become? Write a biographical sketch including his politics, his profession, his religion, and his attitude toward his fellow man.

3. Percival Wemys Madison was a littlun whose ties to civilazation were broken by his experiences on the island. Role-play or script-write his explanation to his father (a minister) of what happened and why.

4. Rewrite the ending of the book, omitting the appearance of the naval officer or any other outside intervention. Be specific and continue the book beyond the immediate fate of Ralph. What other events are bound to follow? What changes in character will occur?

5. Write a dialogue between yourself and the rescuing naval officer who, having learned from the boys in details of what actually happened on the island, is horrified by their behavior.

6. Write a newspaper account of what happened on the island. Assume that the reporter had ob-tained his facts from one of the following and specify the source in the interview itself:a. Ralph b. Samneric c. Roger

7. Write a letter to William Golding in which you support or attack his thesis.

Lord of the Flies Brief summary

Chapter 1We meet British school boys stranded on a tropical island, after their plane was attacked. To the boys the island seems to promise an enchanted adult-free life. Gradually, as more boys emerge, they hold a meeting and elect Ralph as chief. Jack the leader of a group of choirboys and the other candidate for leadership, takes to hunting; but the first time he chases a piglet, he cannot bring himself to kill it.

Chapter 2There begins to appear a crack in the boys’ capacity to organize themselves for survival an to co-exist amicably amidst underlying fear of their new environment. The safety of their ‘old’ life is receding fast.

Chapter 3Jack begins to hunt for meat, as yet unsuccessfully; while Ralph despairs of ever getting the other boys organized enough to build shelters. Simon is helpful but in an enigmatic way. He wanders off into the forest to be by himself in a quiet clearing.

Chapter 4Within the natural tempo of island life, the boys’ fortunes continue to fluctuate. The small boys are largely absorbed in play, but with underlying fear of their plight. Jack paints hi face for more effective hunting. Ralph sees smoke on the horizon but Jack and his hunters have let their own smoke signal die out. Ralph is incensed and, as Jack returns triumphantly with his first pig, a row breaks out in which Jack picks on Piggy and breaks his glasses. A new bond is forged between Piggy and Ralph.


20

Chapter 5Almost this whole chapter is taken up with the assembly called by Ralph after the killing and eating of the pig. His purpose is two-fold: first, he wants to reassert the rules of the island and their importance; then, he wants the boys to talk about their fears and thus bring them out into the open and defuse them. But the assembly ends chaotically and Ralph, Simon and Piggy are left lamenting the orderly adult-dominated lives they had before coming to the island.

Chapter 6During the night there is an aerial battle above the island and a parachute floats down to the mountain top. When the twins awaken, they are horrified by he sight of the billowing material, which they take for the long dreaded ‘beast’. They run down the mountain to tell the others. After some deliberation, Ralph leads a party of the bigger boys in search of the beast. Having explored Castle Rock in vain, with Jack, Ralph decides hey must continue their search on the mountain.

Chapter 7The boys’ search or the beast is first delayed while they try unsuccessfully to hunt, then by a hunting dance with one of them acting the part of the pig. Finally as darkness sets in, Jack taunts and dares Ralph to go up the mountain, and the two climb up with Roger. There, they catch a dim glimpse of the tangled, flapping parachute and when the wind stirs it, the flee in panic, convinced that the beast is in pursuit.

Chapter 8The rivalry between Jack and Ralph comes to a head as Jack tries to replace Ralph as a leader. When the boys do not vote for him, he stalk off by himself, but is soon joined once again by his choir. Together they hunt and kill a pig and leave its head stuck on a stick as a sacrifice to the ‘beast’. Unknown to them, the scene ha been watched by Simon, who has a vision in which the “Lord of the Flies” speaks to him. The hunters later raid the other camp to get fire, and they invite everyone to their feast.

Chapter 9This chapter marks the break-up of the fragile community into two distinct camps led by Ralph and Piggy on the one hand, and Jack and Roger on the other hand. The constitution, such as it was, shatters. At the same time, a storm signals the return of fear and the power of ritual to keep fear at bay and cement the group momentarily. The ritual, however, summons the darker recesses of the boys’ personalities, and they collectively harness their individual aggression in a semi-conscious orgy of death. The unwitting Simon, returning to dispel fears about the beast, becomes the victim. Civilization snaps, violence stamps its au-thority on the island.

Chapter 10After Simon’s death, Piggy and Ralph have difficulty coping with the implications of what they’ve done. Most of the other boys have joined Jack’s group of hunters. After a violent raid, Jack and some of his group run off with Piggy’s glasses.

Chapter 11Ralph and Piggy try to retrieve Piggy’s glasses but Jack and his group are in no mood for compromise. Piggy is killed by a large falling boulder, the conch is shattered, the twins are captured and Ralph runs off in terror.

Chapter 12The violence of the band of ‘savages’ reaches its climax as they hunt the wounded and terrified Ralph through the island, setting fire to the forest in which he is hiding to force him out into the open. Finally Ralph bursts out onto the beach, where he and his pursuers are confronted by a rescue party that has just landed – attracted, ironically, by the smoke from the fire.


21

ESSAYMany readers of Lord of the Flies interpret that Golding sees no hope for mankind. Many believe that Golding sees evil as an in-born trait of mankind. Write a paper that supports this argument.

First, make the argument that Golding sees no hope and sees evil as an inborn trait. Second, support that argument with examples from the novel. Follow the format below.

Introduction: follow ANT for the introduction.• Attention-getter. The attention-getter should be general and interesting. It should draw the reader in.It should also connect thematically to the thesis.• Necessary information:o Author’s name (William Golding)o Title of work (Lord of the Flies) Titles of books should be underlined.o Very Brief plot summary that builds up to your thesis. (Do not summarize entire story. Summarize only information that will be needed for the rest of the paper. This might take four to six sentences)• Thesis:o Your thesis is the argument of the paper that needs to be supported by everything that follows.o Thesis: Golding’s major argument throughout the novel is that evil is an inborn trait of mankind.

Body Paragraph – (Follow TIQA):You should have 3 body paragraphs. • T Make sure each body paragraph has a topic sentence. It is in the topic sentence that you shouldmention what literary device or passage the paragraph is focusing on.• I Make sure that you introduce your quoteso Make sure that you provide some context. Who says the words? Where are they said? When are they said? Are they in response to someone? Are they describing something? Pretend that your reader hasn’t read the book in a very long time.• Q Provide quotes that support your topic sentence.• A Provide an analysis of how this quote supports your argument or your topic sentence.

Conclusion: (4Rs)• Restate your thesis. RESTATE, not rewrite. Say your thesis again, but say it in a creatively differentway.• Briefly summarize, or Review, your main points. This should be done in 1-2 sentences.• State the importance of your argument. Try to Relate the argument to the broader world.o Use an example from today that proves William Golding correct. Think about war, crime, and other evil doings. (This should take 3 – 5 sentences.)• Clincher—Round off—your last impression to the reader should relate back to the attention-getter or the title.

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