1. Unit 2 – Character & Claim: Lord of the Flies by William Golding Introduction/Cornell Notes Role-Play Activity/QuickWrite

2. Introduction/Cornell Notes: Themes & Topics of LOTF
Loss of Innocence
Fear is All Controlling
Power
Good vs. Evil
Reason vs. Destruction
Civilization vs. Savagery
Ignorance vs. Knowledge

3. Introduction/Cornell Notes: The Meaning of the Title
Lord of the Flies = Beelzebub. [In ancient Christian texts, he is one of the seven princes of Hell. Beelzebub is described as a demonic fly who is also known as the "Lord of the Flies".]
Beelzebub is often used as another name for Satan

4. Introduction/Cornell Notes: William Golding
British novelist, wrote LOTF in 1954
Born on September 19, 1911, died 1993
Studied Science and English at Oxford
Fought in Royal Navy during WWII
Participated in invasion of Normandy on D-Day (1944), Golding was 33.
At end of war, returned to teaching and writing
Nobel Prize in Literature (1983), Golding was 72 years old.

5. Introduction/Cornell Notes: Golding’s World
WWII
The fall of France to Nazi Germany in Golding was 29 years old.
Britain feared an invasion and evacuated children to other countries
In 1940 a German U-Boat torpedoed a British ship carrying children, killing the boys, thus suspending the oversees evacuation program.

6. Introduction/Cornell Notes: Golding’s Inspiration
Golding once allowed his class of boys total freedom in a debate, but had to intervene as mayhem soon broke out
His experiences in war
His philosophical questions about human nature
social (the study of man’s natural behavior)
political (critique of corrupt governments)

7. Introduction/Cornell Notes: Story Summary/Synopsis
Set in mid 1940’s when Europe was engulfed in war.
A plane carrying British school boys ages 6-12 is mistaken for a military craft and shot down over the South Pacific.
There are no adult survivors. The boys are intelligent, well-to-do children–the sons of aristocratic families that run society and government–who had been evacuated from a battle zone.
The story follows the boys’ survival on the island.

8. Introduction/Cornell Notes: Setting
The action takes place on a tiny coral island in the South Pacific during a war in which an atomic bomb may have been used.
The weather is hot and sunny.
Although the island is uninhabited except for the boys who survived the plane crash, it offers the necessities to support life. There is fresh water, fruit, and game to hunt in the form of pigs.
The island has a forest, two small mountains, and a sandy beach.

9. Introduction/Cornell Notes: Characters
Ralph
Jack
Piggy
Simon
Roger
Sam & Eric
Choir Boys
Littluns

10. Introduction/Cornell Notes: LOTF Notes Summary
Something that is becoming clear to me about Unit 2 & Lord of the Flies is…

11. Role-Play Activity: Scenario/Directions
It is early in the morning and your airplane has just crashed on a deserted island. The pilot is dead.
You and your classmates are the only people on the island. Now, as a group, you all must decide what to do to survive.

12. Role-Play Activity: Scenario/Directions
As a class, decide who will be responsible for completing certain tasks that are necessary for survival, comfort and safety. A maximum of three people may be accountable for each task.
After all responsibilities have been agreed upon,
each grouping will discuss the importance of the specific duty and the character traits needed of those who are willing to take on these responsibilities.

13. Why did William Golding write Lord of the Flies?
“It was simply what seemed sensible for me to write after the war when everyone was thanking God they weren’t Nazis. I’d seen enough to realize that every single one of us could be Nazis.” -William Golding
QuickWrite – [30 points]
What are some things that can cause the dark side to take control over a person’s reason and proper moral conduct?
What causes this dark side to take control of our good reason and right thinking?
How is it possible for this to happen?