1. Lord of the Flies Essay
Tips and Examples

2. Titles
BOOK TITLES SHOULD BE UNDERLINED OR ITALICIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lord of the Flies OR

3. Contractions Do not to use contractions
Don’t
Didn’t
Doesn’t
Can’t
cannot is one word
Won’t
Pulino will not enjoy these in your research paper either!

4. Introduction Try using the reverse-pyramid style…
Introduce the novel/general topic
Focus in on the topic of your thesis
Thesis statement is strong, effective and interesting
sets up your paper

5. Sample Introduction 1
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding exemplifies the inner leader in each character.  Ralph, one of the main characters and first leaders in the novel, represented a figure of hope to be rescued and a strong leader to help the group survive; however, as the novel progresses, Ralph becomes less of a figure of hope and more a figure of sanity that has so quickly escaped the boys’ society.

6. Sample Introduction 2
All humans, including children, have the natural instincts to do whatever it takes to survive. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph, who is an average juvenile, must take on the position as leader of a plethora of boys forced to become self-sufficient. By accepting this position of authority he also takes on the responsibility of trying to keep all of these children alive; however, throughout the novel, Ralph’s power and all order on the island slowly diminishes as power-hungry Jack Merridew, Ralph’s juxtapose, turns the society against him.

7. Thesis statement vs. topic sentence
Featured in introduction
Guides the main focus of your paper
Makes a strong claim (in our case, a claim about one of the character’s leadership)
Topic sentences
The first sentence of each supporting paragraph
Focuses the paragraph on a specific detail to prove your thesis statement
In our case, you may have a topic sentence for the beginning, middle and end of the book

8. Thesis: Piggy, a dynamic main character in the novel The Lord Of the Flies by William Golding, changes substantially in respect to power and leadership throughout the novel.  
At the start of the novel Piggy is not respected as a leader and is othered by the rest of the bigguns because of his physical characteristics.
When Ralph becomes a leader who is “a specialist in thought” (78), this situation changes dramatically as Ralph relies more and more upon Piggy’s advice.
Piggy becomes a true leader and a champion of the ideals of sanity and civilization when he takes up the conch, the symbol of leadership on the island, and goes to Jack to get his glasses back.
Conclusion topic sentence:
Although Piggy ultimately fails, he has made a remarkable transition in regards to leadership.

9. Intro: Lord of the Flies by William Golding exemplifies the inner leader in each character.  Ralph, one of the main characters and first leaders in the novel, is a character who represented a figure of hope to be rescued and a strong leader to help the group survive; however, as the novel progresses, Ralph becomes less of a figure of hope, rather a figure of sanity that has so quickly escaped the boy’s society.
At the beginning of the novel when Ralph is first appointed chief among the group, he attempted to make sure that the society had order and conformity.
So far, Ralph’s organization system and era of leading has proven to be successful; however, Ralph’s consistent preaching of maintaining a signal fire begins to take away from his leadership that had been so good in the beginning.
By the end of the novel, Ralph has lost all control over the people of the island, and now he represents what the group used to be.

10. Intro: Throughout his book Lord of the Flies William Golding emphasizes the novel’s primary theme of leadership.  The idea of power influences every boy directly as the young survivors attempt to construct a society on an island isolated from the outside world.  Ralph and Jack’s struggle for control initially spawns the building of a civilization but ultimately leads to chaos.  Although Ralph, a charismatic twelve-year-old, reassures the others with logic and order in the beginning, his influence gradually diminishes as the island descends into savagery, and he himself loses his grip on true humanity.
At the beginning of the novel, Ralph, a character seeking leadership, radiates a feeling of confidence and purpose.
Although the boys adhere to Ralph and his rules for a short while, gradually the island’s unity crumbles.  As Jack and his hunters lose touch with morality and sensibility, Ralph realizes that he must compete with savagery to keep his power legitimate.
Although he is never fully brainwashed by Jack’s bloodthirsty mindset, Ralph feels ashamed as he discovers the dark side of man.

11. Slang vs. Formal Language
Avoid using slang terms, clichés and over/understatements

12. Slang/Cliché Examples
His leadership starts to go downhill.
It was because of Ralph’s sensibility that got them rescued, and by him sticking to being the figure of sanity and hope, the boys are now safe.
Has his back/backed him up