Language and Literature III Summer Reading Guide Lord of the Flies. The desert island novel has been a popular genre in English literature ever since

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1 Name Language and Literature III Summer Reading Guide Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies Introduction: The desert island novel has been a popular genre in English literature ever since Daniel DeFoe published Robinson Crusoe in Often a writer will use this premise of human beings transplanted into the simplest surroundings to make certain statements about his or her ideas regarding human nature. Thus, in Robinson Crusoe humankind is portrayed as basically good and industrious, as Crusoe recreates the comforts of Western Civilization with only the help of the native man Friday. It was while reading one such book, R. M. Ballantyne s The Coral Island (in which a group of shipwrecked British schoolboys behave like perfect little gentlemen) that William Golding was moved to write Lord of the Flies in Golding s vision of desert island life in Lord of the Flies is somewhat less optimistic than that of previous authors. Part of the reason for this must be that Golding wrote after World War II, in which the worst aspects of human nature exerted themselves to horrifying extremes and One had one s faced rubbed in the human condition, as Golding puts it. Golding s book, then, deals with the dark side of human nature and is full of ominous symbolism, even in its very title: lord of the flies is a literal translation of Ba alzevuv the Hebrew name for one of

2 Satan s chief demons (Beelzebub in Greek). As Golding himself describes it: the theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable. The whole book is symbolic in nature. Lord of the Flies begins with a group of British schoolboys who become stranded on a desert island after the plane which is carrying them away from a nuclear war crashes and the pilot is killed. Without any adults on the island, the boys are free to develop their own society. Whether or not you agree with Golding s vision of humanity, the book remains a powerful, and often shocking, work of literature. 1. When and where was William Golding born? 2. What historical events may have inspired him to write Lord of the Flies? 3. What other books may also have influenced the writing of Lord of the Flies? 4. Where does the title originate? 5. Summarize Golding s description of the book s theme. Chapter 1 1. Who are the first two boys the reader meets in Chapter 1? 2. What circumstances appear to have brought the boys to the island? How do you know? 3. Describe Piggy. 4. Describe Ralph. How old is he? 5. What is the scar to which the author continually refers? 6. What is a conch? Who recognizes it as a conch?

3 7. Who thinks of using the conch as a signaling device? How is it done? 8. Who reveals Piggy s nickname? What effect does this have on the assembly? 9. How do the boys learn that they are on an island? What is the shape of the island? 10. Summarize the action that takes place, pp Who doesn t participate? Why? Chapter 2 1. Describe the boys who are introduced to the reader. What strata of society or class do they represent? Why? 2. From the first three pages of chapter 2, what do we learn about the circumstances of the boys arrival on the island? 3. Describe the island. Is it an unpleasant place? 4. What does Piggy say about the possibility of rescue? 5. What is the beastie? 6. Summarize the attempts to build a fire. What happens? Chapter 3 1. What does the opening paragraph tell the reader about Jack s character? What is he concerned with? 2. How is Jack described on the first two pages of chapter three? What seems to be happening to him? 3. What is Ralph s main concern in this chapter? How successful is he in it? 4. Describe the conflict between Jack and Ralph. 5. What do you think the beastie 6. What does Simon do at the end of the chapter? What kind of person is he?

4 Chapter 4 1. Who are the Littluns? How do they spend their time? 2. What prevents Roger from striking Henry with a stone? 3. What comment does the author make about the outside world in reference to Roger s actions? 4. Who is/are Samneric? Where does the name originate, and what is its implications? 5. What happens to Jack when he paints his face? 6. How is Piggy s character illustrated by his suggestions, 7. What tragedy occurs in this chapter? 8. What do the hunters chant? Why? Chapter 5 1. How does this chapter open? 2. What is the twister and what is its significance? 3. Summarize the three main points of Ralph s speech. 4. What does Piggy suggest about the beast? How is suggestion received? 5. Does the assembly go as Ralph planned? How does he feel about it? 6. How does Jack break the rules? What might this foreshadow? What is anarchy? 7. Why doesn t Ralph blow the conch again when everyone is leaving? 8. Who is Percival Wemys Madison? What happens to him at the end of the chapter? Chapter 6 What sign comes down form the world of grownups at the beginning of the chapter? 2. What happens to Samneric? What do they think they saw?

5 3 Who calls an assembly? Why? 4. What does Jack decide to do? 5. Where do the boys go to look for the beast? What was there? 6. What decision is made at the end of the chapter? Who makes it? Chapter 7 1. Describe the game that the boys play. 2. Is it more than a game? How do you know? Use quotations to back up your thoughts. 3. Summarize the events that transpire from pp.l Chapter 8 I.. why does jack call an assembly? 2. What is Jack s reaction when none of the boys want Ralph to step down as chief? 3. What does Piggy suggest about the fire? 4. What is the Gift for the Darkness? 5. Who was watching Jack and the hunters as they killed the pig? 6. After the hunters kill the pig what do they do next? 7. Summarize the action that takes place between Simon and the Lord of the Flies. Do you think that they are really having a communication or is Simon hallucinating? - Chapter 9 1. How does the author use weather as a literary device (symbol, foreshadowing...) at the beginning of the chapter? 2. How does Simon get out of his trance? 3. What is Simon s reaction to the parachutist? What does he do?

6 4. Why do Ralph, Piggy, and the others go to Jack s fortress? 5. Describe the tribal dance. What happens during the dance and at the end of it? Chapter Did Piggy, Ralph, and Samneric participate in the dance the previous night? How do you know? Explain. 2. What are Jack s plans? 3. Summarize the rest of the chapter. - Be specific Chapter What happens to Piggy? 2. How are Jacks hunters affected by the paint on their faces? Chapter What is the Fata1 unreasoning knowledge that comes to Ralph? 2. What do you think the tribe will do to Ralph if they catch him? 3. Where does Ralph hide?