Transcript Lord of the Flies

Journal #3
What makes us civilized?
(Please write in your journal spiral.)
½ a page
Philosophers
 THOMAS HOBBES (1588-1679)
Man is evil and must submit himself to the
civilizing influences of society.
 JOHN LOCKE (1632-1704)
Man is naturally good.
No structures should be placed on him
TABULA RASA –Blank slate; man’s knowledge
comes from experience and perception
“nature” side on the nature vs nurture debate
 JEAN ROUSSEAU(1712-1778)
Society corrupted “the noble savage”
Lord of the Flies
Published in 1954
By William Golding
William Golding
1911-1993
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British novelist
Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in literature
Fought in Royal Navy during WWII
Participated in invasion of Normandy on DDay
 At war’s end, returned to teaching and writing
 Experience of the war causes a profound
change in his opinion about humanity.
The World Golding Knew
 WWII 1939- 1945
 The fall of France to Nazi Germany in1940
 Britain feared an invasion and evacuated
children to other countries
 1940- A German U-Boat torpedoed British ship
carrying children killing the boys, thus
suspending the oversees evacuation program
On writing Lord of the
Flies
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“It was simply what seemed sensible for
me to write after the war when everyone
was thanking God they weren’t Nazi’s. I’d
seen enough to realize that every single
one of us could be Nazi’s.”
About the novel
 Mid 1940’s when Europe was engulfed in a war
 a group of English schoolboys marooned on a tropical island after
their plane is shot down during a war. The plane was mistaken for
a military craft.
 its exploration of the idea of human evil is at least partly based on
Golding’s experience with the real-life violence and brutality of
World War II.
 Only the boys survive the crash, and try to form a society and
govern themselves.
 Free from the rules and structures of civilization and society, the
boys on the island in Lord of the Flies descend into savagery.
 In his portrayal of the small world of the island, Golding paints a
broader portrait of the fundamental human struggle between the
civilizing instinct—the impulse to obey rules, behave morally,
and act lawfully—and the savage instinct—the impulse to seek
brute power over others, act selfishly, scorn moral rules, and
indulge in violence.
 Island is a microcosm of society, politics, and human psychology
Themes in the book
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Civilization vs. Savagery
Loss of Innocence
Original Sin
Fear that separates one from God
Nature of Good and Evil
Goodness is rare and fleeting
Thematic Statements
 society holds everyone together, and without specific
societal conditions, our ideals, values, and the basic
concept of right and wrong are lost.
 People will abuse power when it's not earned.
 When given a chance, people often single out another
to degrade to improve their own security.
 Inner savagery can only be suppressed for so long
before it breaks out, given the right situation.
 The fear of the unknown can be a powerful force,
which can turn you to either insight or hysteria.
Interpreting Symbol and
Allegory
 Dante Alighieri “Epistle to Can Grande”
Allegories may interpreted on 4 levels:
1. Literal or historical level: what is
happening on the surface; plot
2. Political level: How human beings relate
to others in a community and the world
Interpreting Symbol and
Allegory continued…
 The moral or psychological level: The
way in which the self relates to the realm
of ethics
 The spiritual level: The universal level on
which a person relates to the cosmos
Political Level
 The world was divided into two camps,
the free world and the Soviet Union,
much like the two camps in the novel.
 In addition, the postwar Cold War Era
suffered from fears of atomic
destruction. Lord of the Flies shows the
world at the brink of atomic destruction.
 The novel serves as a warning to the
leaders of the world.
Psychological Level Freudian
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Id
 The part of the personality reflecting unorganized, instinctual
impulses. If unbridled, it seeks immediate gratification of
primitive needs.
Ego
 The part of the personality corresponding most nearly to the
perceived self, the controlling self that holds back the
impulsiveness of the id in the effort to delay gratification until it
can be found in socially approved ways.
Superego
 The part of the personality corresponding most nearly to
conscience, controlling through moral scruples rather than by
way of social expediency. The superego is said to be an
uncompromising and punishing conscience.
Unconscious
 Memories, impulses and desires that are not available to
consciousness. According to the psychoanalytic theories of
Freud, painful memories and wishes are sometimes repressed –
that is, diverted to the unconscious where they continue to
influence our actions even though we are not aware of them.
Spiritual or Religious
Allegory
 Biblical references throughout novel
(Motif)
 Garden of Eden
 Original Sin
 Cain and Able
 Christ figure
Map of the island