1. Lord of the Flies
Symbolism Essay

2. Pre-writing Do you have your three symbols picked out?
Conch, Piggy’s glasses, fire, hunting, Lord of the Flies (pig’s head), rocks, spears, hunters’ dance, parachutist, etc.
Do you have your theme?
There is evil in all of us; Without rule, there is anarchy and chaos; Evil is a stronger force than good; Innocence and intelligence are no match for evil; etc.
Do your symbols show your theme?
Yes– move on to your thesis statement
No– choose another symbol(s) and/or another theme
Thesis statement should combine your symbols and theme:
Example: In Lord of the Flies, the rocks, the hunters’ dance, and the pig’s head all show that there is evil in all of us.

3. Introduction– Attention Grabber
Pick something that will get the reader’s attention
Outside quotation (find an outside quote)
Example: “Blessed is he who has it in his power to do evil, yet does not” (Margaret of Navarre Quotationary). from Damien
*If you do this option, you must explain the quote, where it came from, who said it, etc. (Outside Information)
Quote from the novel (find a quote from Lord of the Flies)
Example: “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart” (202).
Some other type of attention grabber
Example: The conch shatters into pieces. Savages chase Ralph to the beach. from Kadeem
Example: How would a place be without a ruler? from Stephanie

4. Introduction
After your attention grabber, you need to continue your introduction
Have a few sentences that briefly explain what happens in the book and give the title and author of the book
These should lead in to your thesis statement
Example introduction:
What would a society without rules look like? Probably, it would be chaotic and dangerous, and this is just what happened in the novel The Lord of the Flies by William Golding. A group of school boys is stranded on an island, and despite their efforts to stay organized, they descend into savagery. In Lord of the Flies, the conch, Piggy’s glasses, and the fire illustrate that without rule, there is chaos and anarchy.

5. Body Paragraph
Topic sentence: this should tell what the paragraph will be about
Example: The conch, Piggy’s glasses, and the fire are all symbols that show how the boys transition from ordinary children into savages.
Lead in and set up for symbol: for each symbol, you need a lead in and set up
Example: When their plane crashes on the island, the mark from the plane is described as a scar on the island itself. from Jamias
Quote for symbol: Golding describes the violence of the scar when he states “The long scar smashed into the jungle” (7). This shows that there is already a violent and dangerous atmosphere on the island.
Clincher: Wrap up how all three symbols show your point (what you’re proving in your thesis)
Example: These three symbols show how there is evil in all of the boys.

6. Conclusion Paragraph Restated thesis: re-word your thesis
Example:
Original thesis: Evil is a stronger force than good.
Restated thesis: Good cannot overcome evil.
Inside info: information from the book
Example: In Lord of the Flies, the good characters like Simon, Piggy, and Ralph, are all killed or about to be killed by the other boys who have become evil.
Transition to outside: how the book relates to life
Example: Sadly, this happens all the time in real life too. Good people are hurt or killed by evil people.
Judgement/Clincher: tell why it all matters
Example: We must learn the lessons from Lord of the Flies and not allow evil to triumph over good.

7. Conclusion Paragraph- all tied together
Restated thesis
Inside info
Transition to outside
Judgment/clincher
Good cannot overcome evil. In Lord of the Flies, the good characters like Simon, Piggy, and Ralph, are all killed or about to be killed by the other boys who have become evil. Sadly, this happens all the time in real life too. Good people are hurt or killed by evil people. We must learn the lessons from Lord of the Flies and not allow evil to triumph over good.

8. MLA Citation
Last name, first name. Title of the book. City where it was published: Publisher’s name, year. Print.
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: A Perigree Book, Print.