Transcript Lord of the Flies Intro Notes

Lord of the Flies
Notes: Survival Simulation, Elements of
Society, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs,
Leadership Styles, Author’s Philosophical
Attitudes, and LOTF Themes.
English I Honors
Survival Simulation Evaluation
Assess the following topics individually based on the Survival Simulation in your
group yesterday:
LEADERSHIP
1. Who did you choose to be your leader and WHY? How did the choice of
leadership happen – was it through a voting process, did they volunteer as
tribute, did everyone else refuse to lead? Etc.
2. Were there any problems in selecting the leader? If so, what were they?
3. Did your leader lead your group, or was it more indicative of a democracy?
How forthright was your leader in dictating the decisions and rules of the
group?
4. Were there any conflicts in regards to the decisions being made? Did
anyone disagree over trading a resource, a rule or priority, or a
consequence, etc? How was it handled and how did YOU feel about that?
5. Did you feel that your voice was heard in your group? Were your needs
met? Why/why not? Would you continue to follow your chosen leader if
you had the choice?
Elements of Society
BASIC NEEDS
• Common, agreed upon goals
• Effective leadership
• Common set of expectations, guidelines, and consequences that are
designed to maintain safety and order
• Resources available to meet the needs of society members – labor,
food, shelter, etc
• Members accept roles in the society to contribute to the success of the
society, in return for protection and/or personal reward from the society
• Set of shared customs or rituals that emulate the values in the society
Elements of Society
WHAT CAN CAUSE THE DESTRUCTION OF SOCIETY?
• Goals are no longer common – dispute over society’s purpose
• Members no longer wish to follow the common set of expectations,
guidelines, and consequences – likely causing disorder
• Dispute over how resources should be used – shortages or unequal
distribution of resources
• Members become dissatisfied with the roles they’re expected to fulfill
• Oppressive leadership OR one group seeks to oppress another group
• Desecration of customs or rituals
• Loss or order and/or safety for the members of the society
Leadership Styles
AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP: when a leader exerts high levels of power
over his/her followers. People within the group are given few
opportunities for making suggestions, even if these would be in the
group’s or organization’s interests.
Often associated with Fascism, characteristics include:
• Most people tend to resent being treated like this. Also, the group’s
output does not benefit from the creativity and experience of all team
members.
• Worship of leader hero
• Blaming problems on outside forces
• Cult of violence
• Male values as central
• Rule by terror and army
Leadership Styles
DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP:
• Although a democratic leader will make the final decision, he/she
invites other members of the group to contribute to the decision-making
process.
• Increases group member satisfaction by involving members in what’s
going on
• Helps to develop people’s skills
• Group members feel in control of their own destiny, and so are
motivated to work hard by more than just a physical reward
• As participation takes time, this style can lead to things happening
more slowly than an autocratic approach, but often the end result is
better
• It can be more suitable when team-working is essential, and quality is
more important than speed
Psychology in Literature
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY
OF NEEDS
Psychology in Literature
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
• Derived from his 1943 paper entitled "A Theory of Human
Motivation“
• According to Maslow, all humans have a hierarchy of needs. The
most basic of needs must be met before humans may progress
to the upper levels of psychological development and growth.
• Consider this in context of survival and the creation of your
“governments.”
Author’s Philosophical Attitudes
William Golding
Believed each individual must acknowledge his/her
connection to all people.
• Humanity’s problems stem from a lack of awareness
of this truth. People remain trapped inside
themselves, too self-absorbed to look at the world
around them.
• Only if people are able to see themselves as part of
a whole, not as islands, will they find salvation.
Author’s Philosophical Attitudes
Golding believes that humans’ intelligence will help them to
make this necessary connection: one cannot change basic
human nature, but can recognize and understand it.
In doing so, individuals can willfully choose to suppress the
savagery beneath their humanity.
Author’s Philosophical Attitudes
Golding received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983 (Lord
of the Flies was published in 1954).
“In all the books, I have suggested a shape in the
universe that may, as it were, account for things. The
greatest pleasure is… just understanding. And if you can
get people to understand their own humanity—well, that’s
the job of the writer.”
Author’s Philosophical Attitudes
Golding’s active participation in WWII as an officer in the
Royal Navy influenced Lord of the Flies.
Witnessed “man’s inhumanity to man” in the war and he
became aware of the harm people were capable of doing
to each other.
Golding’s characters in LOTF are allegorical symbols of the
various facets of humankind, and his story is a symbolic
depiction of our continuing, and often fruitless, efforts to
achieve civilization.
LOTF Overview
Setting:
During WWII, while leaving Britain for safety from atomic
warfare, the plane filled with 24 boys crashes on an island.
Important for 2 reasons:
• Since it’s warfare, finding the boys is not top priority
• The island, since it’s removed from the rest of society,
accelerates the boys’ descent into savagery. The “gloss” of
civilization is not present to keep them from giving in to the
darker side of their natures.
Theme of Lord of the Flies –
Civilization vs. Savagery
• Civilization – are humans really civilized?
• Message – a society’s defects stem from the defects that
are inherent in human nature.
• “The beast within”
• “The shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature
of the individual and not on any political system, however
apparently logical or respectable.”
• The boys try to model a “logical” and “respectable”
system, but it malfunctions. Replaced by a system
built upon personal gratification, intimidation, and
terror.
Theme of Lord of the Flies –
Civilization vs. Savagery
• We are taught to live by the rules, follow commands, and
value the goodness of others.
• This is a struggle as our darker side would prefer to live in
an environment where we can satisfy our immediate
desires, act cruelly towards others, and acquire power
regardless of who might be hurt along the way.
Need for civilization + Loss of innocence =
Civilization vs. savagery