Junior English Spring 2013

Imagine that you have just crash-landed on an island that is (as far as you know) uninhabited. You have only the clothes on your back. What is your first priority– food, shelter, or fire? Explain your answer with at least four complete sentences.

The basics: You may earn points for your tribe by Doing your homework Being on time to class Participating in group activities You may lose points for your tribe by Doing the opposite of those things. Your tribe may also earn points in class by Winning immunity challenges Being generally awesome (I haven’t exactly planned all the point- winning activities yet…) You may not vote anyone off the island.

They’re mostly for fun. …but the winning team doesn’t have to take a test over the book.

The #1 goal of this unit is that you will read and appreciate the novel. You will strengthen your close-reading skills You will become more adept at identifying and making sense of these literary elements: Symbols (& symbolic elements) Characters (& modes of characterization) Historical context/influence You will make connections between the novel and other modern texts (songs, poems, art, etc.) that deal with similar themes & issues. If the tribal contest gets in the way of these objectives, I’ll ditch the contest.

Name your tribe Design your tribe’s flag (logo & motto) Write a few sentences describing how leaders are chosen in your tribe. What does your tribe look for in a leader? Are there any special rituals (voting, cage fighting, pulling swords out of rocks, etc.) that determine who the leader will be?

Assets Liabilities Based on the assets and liabilities you listed, what should your survival strategy be?

After reading the first three chapters, which character do you identify with the most? (Ralph, Piggy, Jack, or Simon? Or the little guy with the mulberry birthmark?) What do you have in common with this character? What do you like and dislike about him? Write at least 4 sentences about your connection to this character.

Reflect on the activity, and how it contributed to your understanding of the novel’s characters and themes. What was the author trying to accomplish in this chapter? How did he accomplish it?

Have you ever put on a costume, uniform, or mask, and suddenly felt (as Foster repeatedly put it) “like a new man”? Describe the experience. Then, discuss the significance of Jack’s mask in the novel. What does Golding want us to understand? *reference pp

What are Americans afraid of? Make a list, and then write a couple of sentences tying your ideas together.

“Simon, walking in front of Ralph, felt a flicker on incredulity– a beast with claws that scratched, that sat on a mountaintop, that left no tracks and yet was not fast enough to catch Samneric. However Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick.” (103) Respond to this quotation. What does it tell us about Simon? What does it suggest about the nature of the beast? How can Simon’s interpretation of the beast help us understand the themes of the novel as a whole?

Skim the passage on pages , where the boys are re-enacting their pig hunt. What insight do we gain into Ralph’s character in this scene? Write down a quotation that supports your claim. How might this scene help us understand the boys’ current state of mind? Write down a quotation that supports your claim.

Re-read the scene on p. 185 where Ralph encounters the pig’s head on a stick. Discuss the possible symbolic significance of this scene.