Lord of the Flies by William Golding

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Lord of the Flies by William Golding

• English 10H, Mr. Rodriguez

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William Golding
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About the Author

• William Golding was born on September 19, 1911 in
  England.
• Attended Oxford University, where he received a
  degree in English Literature
• He joined the Royal Navy in 1940 and fought
  during WWII.

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Lord of the Flies
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LOTF Facts

• Most of the characters, actions and objects in
  the novel symbolize larger ideas
• Goldings novel deals with the conflict between
  the rational mind and natural instinct
• Golding believed that people were instinctively
  evil and society was needed to protect humans
  from each other.

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Three Levels

• The story operates on three levels
• As an action/adventure story
• A psychological novel about people under stress
• A symbolic novel about the nature of humankind
  and the role of civilization

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Premise of the novel

• The novel takes place during a fictional nuclear
  war in the late 1940s, early 1950s.
• A group of British schoolboys, aged 6-12, are
  flown out of their country to protect them from
  the horrors of war.
• However, their plane crashes, killing all the
  adults on board.
• The boys remain stranded on the tropical island
  to fend for themselves

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The Island

• A microcosm of society
• Greek meaning mikros kosmos or little world
• There is plenty of water and fresh fruit
• a boring diet, but sufficient enough for survival
  
• No threats from man or nature on this island
• A coral reef beyond the beach either keeps the
  boys in or protects them from the outside world.

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Themes

• The need for civilization
• Loss of innocence
• Good v. Evil
• Coming of Age (Metamorphosis / Maturation)
• Philosophical debate of man's inherent nature

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Characters

• Jack
• Ralph
• Piggy
• Simon
• Roger
• Sam and Eric (SamnEric)
• The littluns

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Symbols

• The conch shell
• Piggys glasses (specs)
• The island itself
• The scar
• The Beast
• Lord of the Flies
• The signal fire

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Focal Points

• Symbolism character/object (2)
• Def a character or object that has a deeper,
  more abstract meaning
• Imagery juxtaposition of unlike elements (2)
• Allegory (1)
• Def a story that has a deeper, more abstract
  meaning
• Characterization Christ-figure / antagonist /
  protagonist / foil / intellectual / leader (2)
• Allusion religious / historical (2)
• Def connection to another work or literature,
  religion, or history
• Motivation(1) Why a push for change of
  consistency?

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Lotfigone

• Attention, Attention. This is a message from
  your captain. If you are reading this, you must
  now know that I have perished. I leave you this
  letter so that you may hopefully survive. My
  crew has been working day and night trying to
  gain communication with Earth. We failed. At this
  point, the crew has run out of food and water. I
  am afraid you are next. We will all die unless
  you fight for our lives. This planet we have
  landed on is called Lotfigone. It is amazingly
  similar to Earth. You should have no problem
  settling here and starting a new life. Perhaps
  one day, you will be able to gain communication
  with Earth. Considering that the whole crew is
  gone at this point, your time is running short.
  After three days, you will run out of food,
  water, and fuel. You must spend today figuring
  out how to survive with these limited resources
  and planning a new society. You will be
  responsible for the success of this society and
  its survival. Each of you will choose a group of
  no more than five to work with and complete the
  task assigned. Obviously, it is in the best
  interests of the group for you to work in a group
  that best uses your unique talents, even if it
  does not mean working with your friends. Feel
  free to use any resources you find lying around
  this planet. Goodnight and good luck. Over and
  out.

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In case of flight emergency, follow these
guidelines to create a new society. Each task
should be completed in order to create a
functioning, civilized society. 

• Educational System - On Lotfigone, we can correct
  the errors made in the American educational
  system. Decide at what age children should begin
  school, what subjects should be taught, what our
  educational goals should be, and how we should
  train our teachers. You should also consider our
  need for a library and how we might recover the
  literature we have lost by leaving earth.
• Constitution and Government - You must write a
  basic Constitution setting up the basis for our
  government and law. Organize a system of
  community government and write the basic laws by
  which we may live together in harmony. You should
  consider the Bill of Rights, the court system,
  and the police department. How will we deal with
  complex moral/social/legal issues?
• Map and Transportation - This new land must be
  explored and charted. You should design a plan
  for construction of our community and a system of
  public and private transportation. Design our
  homes, schools, stores, and whatever other
  dwellings we will need.
• Occupations and Currency - Many new kinds of jobs
  will be necessary on our new planet. Remember, we
  have no machines except what is aboard ship.
  Develop a system of currency and credit so people
  will be able to buy what they need.
• You will be presenting your society to your
  peers next class. Be ready to defend your
  society and the choices you have made.