William Golding spent much of his life (1911-1993) comtemplating on the nature of man and the presence in evil in society. Much of his writing draws from his personal experiences in the Royal British Navy and experience as a teacher of English and philosphy at Bishop Wordsworth's School.. Winner of the 1993 Noble Prize for Literature, Golding is most known for his classic novel The Lord of the Flies. First published in 1954, The Lord of the Flies focuses on the 3 themes of 1) Government and society, 2) the evil or dark side of human nature, and 3) the role of religion in society.
1/21 Ch. 1-2 Quiz
1/28 Ch. 3-4 Quiz
2/4 Ch. 5-6 Quiz
2/10 Ch. 7-9 Quiz
2/18 Ch. 10-12 Discussion
2/22 Final Test
Chapter 1-2
Chapter 3-4
Chapter 5-6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10-12
Final Test
(Don't look at the following if you don't want to spoil the ending of the book.)
Island Map Island Map
Lord of the Flies (1963) - Classic British black & white version. Fairly accurate except for little imagery or symbolism. The rising conflict does not build to a peak; it's simply there.
Lord of the Flies (1990) - American remake. American kids, mostly teenagers from a military school. Does not present their gradual loss of civilization because they had little with which to begin.
"Das Bus" - Episode of The Simpsons - Humorous yet poignant. Lots of changes, obviously, but keeps a lot of the symbolism the other films lose. Look for the reference to Nikita Khrushchev.
Look for examples of the following thorughout the test. Some ave very detailed scenes or events; others are subtle references throughout. Sometimes the characters say far more than they comprehend.
What is the Lord of the Flies? (Both literally and figuratively)
What is the Beast? (Both literally and figuratively)
Hunters vs. Gatherers
Technology, Religion, Civilization, The Desecent of Civilized Man to Animal, The Weaknesses or Failures of Mankind
Main Characters
Who or what ir represented by each of the following?
Ralph -
Jack -
Piggy -
Roger
Simon -
Samneric -
The Littluns -