1.  Children are more likely than adults to…  Violence is the result of…  Society is responsible for…  If I were stranded on an island, I know I would…  Boys are more likely than girls to…  Girls are more likely than boys to… Think, then Write

2. Lord of the Flies William Golding 1911- 1993

3. About William Golding  British novelist  Fought in Royal Navy during WWII  Participated in invasion of Normandy on D-Day  Returned to teaching and writing at war’s end  Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature (1983)

4. Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs:

5. The 3 philosophies of Human Nature  Original Sin- Humankind has “fallen from grace” and needs civilization to remain “in check” or good. -- Biblical allusion to Adam & Eve  The Noble Savage- We are all born good and our interactions with society determine who we become.- Jean-Jacques Rosseau  The Blank Slate-- We are born neither good nor evil-the path of our life determines who we become- John Locke

6. Golding’s Fiction Golding’s Fiction  Allegorical Allegory A story in which people, things, and actions represent a generalization about life. Allegories often contain a strong moral or lesson.

7. Golding’s Fiction Golding’s FictionAllusion A literary reference to a familiar person, place, thing, or event with which a writer expects a reader to be familiar. Classic Literature Mythology Christian Symbolism

8. About the Novel  Set in mid-1940’s when Europe was engulfed in war.  A plane carrying British school boys is mistaken for a military craft and shot down.  Only the boys survive the crash, and the book reveals what happens when they attempt to form a society and govern themselves.

9. READING SCHEDULE  Friday, January 30 Chapters 1 & 2 and study guide due. Chapters 1 & 2 and study guide due.  Wednesday, February 4 Chapters 3-5 due (study guide extra credit)  Monday, February 9 Chapters 6-8 due (study guide extra credit) Chapters 6-8 due (study guide extra credit)  Friday, February 13 Chapters 9-12 due (study guide extra credit) Be prepared to celebrate your knowledge on these days, as well !!!

10. Themes in the Novel  Civilization vs. Savagery  Loss of Innocence  Original Sin  Fear  Nature of Good and Evil  Goodness that is rare and fleeting  The Darkness of Human Kind

11. 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 Nazi’s. I’d seen enough to realize that every single one of us could be Nazi’s.” William Golding on his novel Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding on his novel Lord of the Flies

12. Motifs in the Novel  Biblical parallels (book criticized for re- telling episodes in the Bible)  Pristine places corrupted by evil  Beel’zebub- Hebrew translation for Lord of the flies

13. Symbols in the Novel  The Conch-  The Beast-  Piggy’s Glasses-  Lord of the Flies-  Fire Signal-

14. Philosophical Influence  John Hobbes and the idea of Original Sin English Philosopher: 1588- 1679English Philosopher: 1588- 1679 Man has fallen from grace and needs civilization to stay “in check”Man has fallen from grace and needs civilization to stay “in check” Man is by nature selfishly individualisticMan is by nature selfishly individualistic Man constantly at war with other menMan constantly at war with other men Fear of violent death is sole motivation to create civilizationsFear of violent death is sole motivation to create civilizations Men need to be controlled by absolute sovereignty to avoid brutish behaviorMen need to be controlled by absolute sovereignty to avoid brutish behavior

15. The World Golding Knew  WWII 1939- 1945  The fall of France to Nazi Germany in1940  Britain feared an invasion and evacuated children to other countries  1940- A German U-Boat torpedoed British ship carrying children killing the boys, thus suspending the oversees evacuation program

16. Major WWII Events  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!!!

17. 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….

18. The Simpsons  The Simpson’s episode titled Das Bus is a parody of Lord of the Flies.

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

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

21. 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.