Lord ‘ of the Flies’ William Golding

What do we think the title means? That there is a leader of flies on the island. Flies are small. There is nothing there to be in charge of, meaningless leadership. An election for the presidential campaign, swatting off others. One master fly – super fly!

The Situation… You have been stranded on an island after your plane crashes during the night. You are only with three others. They are… Sit in your groups of four. You are only able to save 6 of the following items from the plane:

You are only able to save 6 of the following items from the plane: Tarpaulin Rope (4 metres) 3 litre bottle of water 6 plastic buckets Box of 50 Matches Axe Pack of cards First aid kit Safety flare Box of 1000 Bullets Mountain bike 6 Dinner Plates Pen and paper

Your team comes down with strange sores oozing with yellow fluid. If you do not have a First Aid kit then your team dies screaming of this horrible plague. There is a terrible storm with hailstones the size of volleyballs. Without a tarpaulin to protect you, your team members have their brains compacted.

It rains for two days solid, but then goes dry for two weeks. Groups with the buckets do well, as they sit around drinking water as other groups get heat stroke and in their feverish state walk off cliffs to their death. Things get boring. Nothing really happens. Groups with the cards get some 500 cranking, while the other groups start a fight club. It turns ugly, accidents happen, until one guy is left. He beats himself to death with own foot.

Some of your team catches a chicken and kill some potatoes Some of your team catches a chicken and kill some potatoes. They serve a fantastic roast meal. Yum yum! Groups without plates burn their hands severely. When climbing a tree they lose their grip and fall, eventually bleeding to death. There is a peculiar electrical storm. Groups with bullets get massacred as the bullets spontaneously combust. There is also a strange accident with the flare, leaving everyone on that team writhing with fatal internal injuries.

Setting There are several key ideas in Lord of the Flies that are revealed by setting. Lord of the Flies

The island is a perfect microcosm. It is like an ant-farm. A microcosm is a mini-society. Limited resources. Population of leaders/followers. Lord of the Flies

Sketch of the Island

The Symbolism of the Island Different areas of the island are associated with different ideas. Beach = Dreams/hope of rescue Mountain = ? Bush = ? Rocky-outcrop = ? Lord of the Flies

The Island Personified Personification is used throughout the text to make the natural world seem sinister. Find 3 examples of personification used to describe a feature of the island. Why might Golding have used personification to this effect? What is his purpose? Lord of the Flies

Themes - What is it all about? Democracy Chaos vs. Law and Order The nature of “man” Human instincts A fictional social experiment A warning to wayward children? Lord of the Flies

The Significance of the Title “Lord of the Flies” Jesus refers to Satan as “Beelzebub”; Hebrew for Lord of the Flies therefore The Beast equals? Lord of the Flies

…Maybe there is a beast…maybe it’s only us… - Simon The significance of this quote is that it is directly portraying the message that Golding was trying to express; that the heart of man is not good and kind, it is selfish and corrupt. Lord of the Flies

The heart of the matter… “The heart of the human condition is the condition of the human heart.” This is relevant because… Lord of the Flies

Is our civilisation really civil? Lord of the Flies