LORD of the FLIES Humanity is defined as the quality of being humane, showing goodwill, sympathy, kindness, and concern for others

LORD OF THE FLIES Everyone is capable of evil, as human beings are innately uncivil and naturally destructive. What is your initial reaction to this statement? Please respond in a short paragraph on a piece of paper.

LORD of the FLIES…Before we read 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?

As a child, Golding had witnessed WWI, which was referred to as “the war to end all wars” HOWEVER, 22 years later Britain was again involved in ANOTHER WAR to end all wars, which caused more devastation than was imaginable

LORD of the FLIES…Before we read The two major influences were… Teaching at a boys prep school and serving in WWII. So, how did they influence him?

LORD of the FLIES…Before we read 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 competition Boys 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

LORD of the FLIES…Before we read While serving in WWII… 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 P.O.W.’s by the Japanese, and by the U.S. dropping the atom bomb.

Major WWII Events Death and destruction abound!!! 1939- Britain joined France in war against Nazi Germany 1940- Fall of France 1940- Fascist Italy joins the Axis with Germany 1941- Japan attacks Pearl Harbor causing USA to declare war on Japan and enter the world war 1944- D-Day Normandy Landings 1945- Bombing of Dresden 1945- European victory celebrated 1945- Atomic Bomb dropped in Hiroshima immediately killing 60-80,000 people (final death toll 135,000 people) Death and destruction abound!!!

LORD of the FLIES…Before we read Golding’s conclusions: People are naturally evil, and only rules (laws) and the threat of punishment make them act civilized. Every person is capable of evil since man is innately evil and, given the chance, most carry out their evil thoughts.

Modern Day Allusions Allusion- (n.) an indirect reference to something There are many, many modern day allusions to Lord of the Flies in popular culture. For example….

Survivor MarK Burnett’s CBS island show is said to have been inspired by LOTF.

Sponge Bob Squarepants The episode Club Spongebob is a spoof of LOTF.

Popular Music Bands such as Taking Back Sunday, Nine Inch Nails, AFI, Iron Maiden, and Pink Floyd have written songs about or have alluded to LOTF in their music.

LORD of the FLIES…Before we read Almost all novels can be divided into two groups- Novels in which the plot is the most important aspect -these stories require little emotional (feeling) or intellectual (thought) involvement from the reader beyond trying to find out what happens -once the reader completes it, the book may be forgotten easily -these stories are often read for entertainment purposes Novels that teach us something about ourselves and our world, delivering messages and themes -here the reader is concerned with the characters and the way they respond to situations -the plot may appear important but more importantly it forces a reader to think about and reflect on themselves and the world -a person can read the story more than once and be affected differently each time

LORD of the FLIES…before we read LOTF fits into the second category (THEMES). While many simple readers will see it as an adventure story involving young boys on a deserted island, it is much more. We, instead, will look for clues in the text that indicate a deeper meaning. We will be aware of how characters and objects can be used to represent ideals, beliefs, and themes. This will allow us to examine our stance on humans and the world in which we live.

LORD of the FLIES…Before we read One way to explore the thematic meaning of a story is through… 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.

LORD of the FLIES…Before we read What is the meaning of these conventional symbols? The color red

Title Translation “Beelzebub” a Hebrew word for LUCIFER However, the literal translation of “Beelzebub” into English is LORD OF THE FLIES

The Conch Shell Symbolizes law and order of the adult world Piggy tries to protect it Represents the authority the boys are so used to obeying IT REPRESENTS strong, central leadership.

Piggy’s Specs They symbolize the voice of reason and logic among the boys. Notice how Piggy defends his glasses even more than the conch. Piggy uses his glasses to find solutions to the boys’ problems. What’s the most important solution the glasses find?.....

The Signal Fire The smoke of the signal fire symbolizes the best hope of the boys being rescued. To Piggy and Ralph, the fire represents the moral influence of their old life in England. The fire mirrors how connected they are to society.

So…. Are you ready? Let’s read 