Transcript Novel Background Info: LORD OF THE FLIES

Novel Background Info:
LORD OF THE FLIES
Yes, you should take notes on
this. Put it in your notes section.
Essential Questions:
• Why do people revolt?
• Are people inherently good or
inherently evil?
• What is the human capacity for
violence?
• What is a society?
• Do we need rules to live?
• Is conflict or struggle necessary for
personal growth?
William Golding
• Born in England in 1911
• His parents wanted him to be a
scientist
• But he revolted (or rebelled) against
that mindset at Oxford and became an
English major instead (woo-hoo!) 
After college…
• Golding joined the navy
• Worked his way up to lieutenant
• Very involved in WWII
– Sunk a German battleship
– Was involved with D-Day
• War taught him about the evil that
humans were capable of; this became
a theme in much of his writing.
After the war
• Golding wrote Lord of the Flies (LOTF)
in 1954.
• It was originally called Strangers
Within
• Won the Nobel Prize in 1983
• Died in 1993
About Lord of the Flies
• LOTF was written as a contradiction to a
book called The Coral Island, which was an
idyllic (peaceful, perfect) tale about
shipwrecked boys
• Not just a simple adventure story
• Creates “test” societies where humans are
out of the ‘norms’ to show characters ethical
qualities (how good of a person/ how bad of
a person)
• Analyzes human nature
• Should look familiar: Essential Question—are humans
innately good or evil?
• Loaded with symbolism—virtually
everything in LOTF is a symbol
– As you read, ask yourself “What could
this represent?
– Don’t worry, we’ll have much more
discussion about this
• Golding explores ‘primal atavism’.
– A reappearance of characteristics of
some remote ancestor that have been
absent in intervening generations
Overview
• Because of devastating war in
England, children are being exported
so that there are some British
survivors.
• While on the plane, it crashes and the
young boys end up on a tropical island
with no adults surviving.
As the boys on the island surround and react
to their new freedom, Golding explores the
ways humans respond to stress, change,
and tension
• Paints a picture of basic human struggle
• Civilizing instinct: impulse to obey rules, behave
morally, and act lawfully VS.
• Savage instinct: impulse to seek brute power over
others, act selfishly, scorn moral rules, and indulge in
violence
Agree or Disagree?
• “Lord of the Flies is a thought-provoking
novel authored by William Golding in 1954.
The book describes in detail the horrific
exploits of a band of young children who
make a striking transition from civilized to
barbaric. Lord of the Flies commands a
pessimistic outlook that seems to show that
man is inherently tied to society, and without
it, we would likely return to savagery.”
Psychology Time
• The book deals with repressed issues
in all of our minds
• Freud: a famous philosopher who
taught that the human mind was a
battlefield for our instincts.
• The Id: instinctual needs and desires
• The Ego: the conscious, rational mind
• The Superego: the sense of conscience and
morality
Try our new terms
• Match the part of the mind (id, ego,
superego) that would act in each
scenario listed below:
– Sticking up for someone
– Eating
– Going to church
– Doing math
– Staying awake in class
– Deciding whether or not to cheat on a test
Literary Terms
• Theme:
– In LOTF, the defects of society are a
result of defects in human nature
• Moral:
– In LOTF, the moral is that the quality of
the society depends on the ethical nature
of the individuals
Pop Culture Trivia
• Like “Macbeth” and TKAM, there are TONS of pop culture
references in this book that you will understand once we read
it.
• Mentioned on:
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LOST
CSI
Simpsons
Spongebob
Seinfeld
Hook
Lizzie McGuire
Different songs by the following artists: Iron Maiden, Nine Inch
Nails, Bad Religion, and more.
• “I’ve got the conch”
• “Sucks to”
• Conch shell
• Specs or spectacles (glasses)