LOTF and MSND quotes
Title of the Book
specific examples from the novel The "Lord of the Flies" represents devil/beelzebub/evil in the form of a pig head that Jack put on a stick as a sacrifice to the "beastie." However, the "lord of the flies" aka evil is really in all of the boys. The only evil on the island is the evil inside the boys.
AAM "Where's the man with the trumpet?"
Speaker - Jack Context - In beginning of book when Jack + choir walked up after hearing the conch Significance - Wants to establish rules and call meetings
LQ - "After all we're not savages"
Speaker - Jack Context - Ralph is just starting to establish rules for the Island and Jack says that we need rules Significance - This is also an example of Irony because Jack is the boy who later turns the entire population of the Island into a bunch of savages. (CCA)
APM"fancy thinking the beast something you could hunt and kill"
Speaker - Lord of the Flies Context - when Simon is having the premonition of the beast in the sanctuary Significance - Simon was correct all along/the beast is only in their head
AAM "It ceases to exist"
Speaker - Narrator Context - When the boulder hits the conch and shatters it Significance - It symbolises how all of civilization is destroyed
AAM "Who's boss here"
Speaker - Naval Officer Context - After Ralph being chased and Naval officer comes onto the sand Significance - The minute that the officer shows up, the boys stop what they are doing, the boys become "civilized"/children, Savagery has been muted
CV "What's your name?" "Percival Wemys Madison. The Vicarage, Harcourt St. Anthony, Hants, telephone, telephone, tele-"/"I'm, I'm- "
Speaker - Percival Context - Ralph asks his name at a meeting about the beast/Percival comes up to officer and forgets his title Significance - Deterioration from civilization to savagery
BD - "I don't care what they call me, as long as it's not what they used to call me at school"
Speaker - Piggy Context - First Chapter, on the beach with Ralph and Piggy Significance - Piggy's insecurity/ (CV) Piggy wrongly trusting Ralph with his secret
(CCB) - "He wants to know what you're going to do about the snake thing"
Speaker - Piggy Context - Piggy says what the mulberry boy was thinking at the meeting Significance - introduces the idea of fear and the beast
(CCB) - "We might stay here until we die"
Speaker - Piggy Context - Ralph and Piggy talking about the situation on the island Significance - (BD). verbal irony- piggy does end up dying there, foreshadowing the fate of the boys
DG "If Jack was chief, he'd have all hunting and no fire. We'd be here until we died."
Speaker - Piggy Context - Ralph wants to give up his place as chief Significance - Piggy tells Ralph he is a better leader than Jack would be.
DG "Boys armed with sticks."
Speaker - Ralph Context - SamnEric thought they saw the beast and the boys are trying to come to a consensus on how to deal with it. Jack suggests that him and his hunters will hunt the beast. Significance - Ralph is saying that Jack and his hunters aren't as brave/heroic as they say they are. Rather, they are only boys wielding sticks. Ralph demeans Jack's hunters and Jack gets angry.
AAM "Why don't you help with the huts"
Speaker - Ralph Context - When Jack wants to go hunting Significance - Community is dividing
(NAB) "You let the bloody fire out!"
Speaker - Ralph Context - When the ship goes by and there is no signal fire Significance - Lose an opportunity to get saved. It shows how the rules aren't being upheld
People (LOTF)
- Beast The beast also follows a path. All the boys are not able to see that they are the beast, except simon. In society, most people cannot see the truth because they are clouded by delusion and fear (boys), and the minority are able to see the real truth (simon). But often this minority is discredited or unrecognized (simon is killed) because the majority (boys) are so paralyzed by fear they cannot accept the truth right in front of them (they are the beast). It is only when he is rescued that Ralph realizes the sad truth. The book quotes it as, "He wept for the end of innocence" The sad truth is that we all have the capacity to do evil, and we cannot stop the human tendency/nature to be evil.
Goldings View on Human Nature : Specific examples from the novel:
- Even the kindest person with the most innocence could be capable of causing evil. An example of this is Roger. He has been brainwashed by Jack by the end and allows himself to push a rock over to kill Piggy People are not inherently evil but under the right conditions (fear) civilization can crumble Ex. Percival bringing up the beast in the meeting disrupts Ralph's goals of keeping the fire going and building huts - The beast represents the evil within all humans Human nature isn't evil, it only forces us to act as if we were. It takes away the sense of civilization and creates a more savage being. Human nature only contains the savagery and makes us appear to be sophisticated.
Political power/governance
- Jack and Ralph share power but Jack is able to take away Ralph's power by bringing out the inner savage in the boys, and making them have fun rather than to do work. Although Ralph was the chief, he and Jack often argued about necessities and plans, such as hunting, the fire, finding the beast, etc - Ralph ruled with a system of democracy, Jack ruled as a dictator. - One of the first ways that Ralph gained political power was by telling everybody about piggy name is school "piggy" he made everybody laugh and naturally after that most of the boys started to respect Ralph. - Being able to charismatically lead or guide people is an important part of any politician's career, in order to effectively lead something, you need to have a certain amount of strength or political power
Symbolysm
- Piggy's Specs = power/ technology, Nuclear Weapons They can represent good or evil They can be used to create fire to keep the kids warm, give them heat, and cook their food They can be used to also kill others by burning them or harming them ASM depending on who has this power the result will be different (used for good or evil) - Technology can either create fire for a signal to get them rescued or can be used to destroy the island - Nuclear power can be used to create energy for people or can be used a nuclear missiles to bomb land - Beast represents the evil in all humans You could say that the "Beast" controls over some of the boys but the others can fight it such as Ralph and Piggy Jack uses it to control his tribe You can see it take over him and the boys when they kill - Conch represents civilization When it breaks you can be sure that all order has been terminated - Island represents the world Island = microcosm At the beginning it was calm, and at the end it was destroyed by humans Scar from the plane Boulder down the hill Fire from jack
IRONY
- Ralph was convinced that a signal fire would save them. Jack was focused on hunting. While hunting Ralph, Jack lights the forest on fire and saves the boys, using Ralph's original idea - At the beginning of the story, Jack says, "After all we're not savages," when they decide to make some rules to govern themselves. In the end of the book, Jack becomes the leader of the ruthless group of boys who become overly violent and attempt at murdering Ralph - In the end when Jack was chasing down Ralph he set the whole Island on fire. The Irony is the fire signaled a ship passing by of the boy's presence and the fire that was supposed to kill Ralph actually saved him - In the beginning Ralph and everyone were happy about there being no adults, but toward the end of the book he asks for the help/a sign from the parents which he/they wanted no part of in the beginning but now need all the help he/they can get. - Piggy is also an example of Irony when he says we might be here until we die and eventually he ends up being there until he dies. - In the beginning of the book Ralph calls the island "Paradise" and at the end it's his own personal hell - When the boys are pretending to kill the beast. They end up killing Simon. The boys turned into the very thing they are afraid of - Ralph cries at the end of the book He is realizing that there is evil out there, He realizes that he is not a kid anymore, He realizes his friends are dead, He is finally saved
(CCB) "Didn't you see me?! I hit him! And the spear stuck in a bit"
Speaker - Ralph Context - when ralph went hunting Significance - he feels like he fits in
MP "Maybe...there is a beast....What I mean is... maybe it's only us."
Speaker - Simon Context - Before Simon leaves to travel to the top of the mountain to see what the beast really is. Significance - Simon is correct. We all have the beast inside of us. The beast at the mountain was just a dead pilot. Simon can not tell everyone this because he walks down at an inopportune time, and that results in his death.
The Role of Women in a Midsummer Nights Dream
- Supposed to be humble, and loyal to fathers - Helena: Desperate for Demetrius. Chases after men, which is not what women should be doing. Father should be choosing men for her, and she should respect that. Also betrays Hermia which is definitley not what the Athenian rules say that women should be doing. - Hermia: Reckless, and goes against the rule to be loyal to father, Egeus. Even goes so far as to run away with Lsander, because she is such a rebel. She is also supposed to look pure, but since she was in the woods all that time, she becomes dirty. Another thing she does is speak back to the King. - Hippolyta: Pretends to love Theseus, and lies throughout the play, but is forced to marry him when he attacks her kingdom. Women should always answer with honesty to their men.
Things (LOTF)
-Things - The conch symbolizes union and rules in society. At the beginning, nobody dares to speak when another has the conch. At the end, Piggy cries out, "Listen to me I've got the conch." His plea for a politeful audience is met with a rebuke from Jack. Then Piggy gets smashed by a boulder. The conch is representative of the state of society. As the significance of the conch fades, the rules of society fade too. When the rules of society or order are destroyed, people become savages. - Piggy's glasses Technology (Nuclear power) In the right hands (Ralph's) it will create good (smoke signal) In the wrong hands (Jack's) it will destroy things (burning the island) - The fire The fire gives them warmth Allows them to cook "Protects" them Acts as a signal for passing ships/their chance of survival depends on it.
Why is The Lord of the Flies a fable?
At first, Jack didn't want to kill the pig. Jack had been taught that killing is wrong so that is what his morals were. However, upon realizing that there were no rules, he thought "If there's no punishments for killing, why i'll just do it." This is basically a representation that without rules or morals society crumbles. Other examples are Simon's mob mentality murder, along with Piggy's. Jack just wanted to have fun Ended in absolute chaos B. explanations or examples from your own thinking (not from this novel) TH Lesson is that all humans have the capacity to be evil We all have a beast within us MCL - please consider book to book, book to self, and book to world connections in this question and the many others in this study guide; REMEMBER: be as thorough as possible with your support
Speaker - Ralph
Context - At the end of the meeting when he tries to get everyone straight (talking to Ralph/Simon) Significance - In the beginning he is glad that there are no parents. Then the pilot lands on the island (the war). Ralph is now asking for help.
The role that fear plays in our lives
Fear plays a big role in the LOF because the boys were always on the lookout when actually, the beast was inside of them all. - Fear makes people not think straight Ex. If Samneric had been thinking clearly and had not been ruled by fear, they would have seen that the "beast" was a dead pilot. - Ex. When Ralph is panicked while being hunted, he cannot think - Fear is something everyone experiences and can shape a character's personality Ex. All the kids were afraid of the beast and because of this misguided notion they go insane with paranoia and resort to our base natures, our survival instincts - The Beast This gives the littluns, in the beginning of the book, a fear that something is going to "get them" The Beast represents fear to the boys because it gives them the thought that they aren't the only ones on this island The Beast says that their community giving the boys that it is not a safe place anymore - Jack uses the Beast to strike fear into the boys They will join him for protection
Peer pressure/mob mentality How are people influenced by those around them? Discuss how peer pressure might influence the action of young people. Why do you think a group presence makes people do things that might otherwise seem immoral or incorrect.
Mob Mentality - When the boys are all singing and dancing around the fire... Start to get crazy and out of hand, once this happens, they end up killing simon. Happens because people most often people don't think for themselves and just follow the popular opinion. This ties into peer pressure with kids wanting to fit in and really effects the boys view just because they want to be with the cool one on the island aka jack. - First Fire When they first got the idea of the fire, without even thinking they ran up to the top of the mountain Things then got out of hand and they burned down one side of the mountain (this also supposedly killed the mulberry boy) - What lesson can be learned in this issue of mob mentality? A lesson that can be learned would be not to just go out and do whatever it is you want to do, and think it through first. ex. If the boys would have thought about what the fire might do then they probably wouldn't have burned down half of the mountain. - It got so out of hand that they ended up losing a boy They weren't paying attention at all they were just feeding and feeding the fire which took the life of the boy - The boys went crazy while dancing around the fire - They murdered Simon thinking he was the beast - Normally, the kids wouldn't do this, but because they were all together, they thought as one - It's human nature to want to fit in - Jack and piggy said they were going over to jack's tribe for another reason but at the same time they really just wanted to be apart of the group
TH - "Who cares what you think fatty"
Speaker - jack Context - when there discussing what they think about the beast in the beginning (LB) Significance - Jack is putting down Piggy, then Ralph betrays his trust and tells Jack his name is Piggy
(CCB) "Daddy Says we haven't found all the animals in the sea yet"
Speaker - little one Context - when they first introduce the idea of the beast (LB) Significance - Introduces fear into boys
LQ - "He must've had a nightmare stumbling among all those creeps
Speaker - piggy Context - piggy talking to percival about the beast Significance - introducing fear
TH "Coming?"
Speaker- Jack says to Ralph Context- Jack wants people to come see if there is a beast on the mountain Significance- Challenging Ralph's courage/leadership
Why is there discord? What are the roots of conflict? Why is proper conflict resolution necessary? Why do groups break apart?
The main reason why the group splits apart because both leaders want different things for their tribes. This causes the two to argue. Jack mostly wants to hunt, Ralph is all about survival and how the boys are going to get rescued. Discord is caused by power struggles and a lack of just rules Roots of conflict are separate opinions and an ardent belief in them The root of all conflicts can come from many things There could be disagreement on what they should do Arguments on what is best for for them Or if one person thinks that they are right and the other(s) are/is wrong Ex. when they disagree on who should be leader. Ex. when they choose whether they should build a fire or hunt When resolving this, you would want to be more calm because if you aren't it could come off strong and cause even more problems