ASSIGNMENT TWO: Read and annotate Lord of the Flies by William Golding. This particular novel addresses what happens when a group of young British boys find themselves stranded on an island and are left to fend for themselves. Lord of the Flies focuses on the inherent evil of man, psychological struggles, religion, human nature, and the author’s feelings about war (he was in the Navy during WWII).I recommend that you read the novel closely..

As you read the novel, annotate for themes and symbols while you develop an understanding of the deeper meanings within the text.

You must read and annotate the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding and utilize the following terms as you study: Allegory – a narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one. A story, fiction or nonfiction, in

which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, or events is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth.

Conflict – a clash of opposing forces; man vs. man; man vs. nature; man vs. himself; man vs. society Figurative Language – Foreshadowing: providing vague advance indications; representing beforehand

Imagery: employing vivid figurative language to create a strong unified sensory impression Irony: exploiting an expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning

Metaphor: comparing unlike things without using “like” or “as”; an implied comparison Personification: giving human qualities to something that is not human

Simile: a direct comparison of unlike things using “like,” or “as” Theme – a statement of the meaning or message of a piece of literature Symbolism – when a particular color, object, person, place, or thing represents a universal concept or idea.

***Be aware that students who annotate throughout the ENTIRE book will receive higher grades than students who only annotate the first portion of the novel.

1. Dionysus Allusion : Highlight these allusions and label them. You need to understand the myth of Dionysus to do so.

2. Biblical Allusions : Highlight and label allusions to the Garden of Eden and Beelzebub.3. New Characters : Place a box around each character’s name as he appears and highlight descriptions relating to

him.4. Character Traits : Annotate the main characters in terms of the following character traits – 1.physical (how they

look), 2. mental (what they think), 3. emotional (what they feel), 4. behavioral (how they behave, act, or react), 5. relational (how they relate to others), and 6. spiritual (what they believe in; core values).

5. Vocabulary in Context: Circle vocabulary words you do not know.6. Figurative Language : foreshadowing, imagery, irony, metaphor, personification, simile7. Civilization/State of Nature : Consider the behavior of man within civilized society and in the uncivilized natural

world. 8. Themes : Highlight and label examples of the themes listed on page 4 of this packet. 9. Symbols : Highlight the passages which include the symbols and label what they represent.

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Themes: Breakdown of socialized behavior - One of the big questions is whether the boys, in their primitive actions, revert

to a somehow inferior state of life, or whether their natural and rightful states drive them. Primitive nature means hunting, the desire for food, the desire for power, bloodlust, violence, sadism, and a general inability to distinguish between man and beast.

Fear of the Unknown - The boys struggle with fear of the unknown. They fear what they cannot see, the parts of the island they haven’t explored, the mysterious beast, and of course, though they may not realize it at first, they fear the damage they may do to one another.

Loss of Identity - As the boys grow more violent, they begin painting their faces with clay, supposedly so the pigs won’t see them. As the boys grow more savage and less like their normal selves, this change manifests itself physically in their appearances.

Loss of Innocence - The boys find themselves stranded on the island at just the age (between six and twelve, roughly) to leave the idealism of youth and face the actuality of the real world. Because of their circumstance, the boys leave behind not only youth, but civilization, and the reality they face is not one of adults, but one of untamed human nature.

Need for social order - The ethical nature of any society depends ultimately on the morality of its individual members, and humans prove basically corrupt and inherently evil. It seems that rules and order are the only boundaries keeping people from their true, violent natures. Man needs the structure provided by civilization.

Power leads to violence - Power often serves as a source of violence. The desire for power breaks down the boundaries set by rules and order, causes strife and competition, and governs the actions of many of the boys on the island. Once achieved, power has the ability to either improve or corrupt its holder.

Religion - Lord of the Flies can be read, at least in part, as a religious allegory. The island can serve as the Garden of Eden before its corruption by mankind and his evil activities (as represented by the beast) (the “snake-thing”).

True vision leads to knowledge - Knowledge is more about awareness and wisdom than anything else. Some characters gain insight into certain important truths while others do not.

Symbols

Novel – an allegory for the Garden of Edenhead of the pig – evilconch –democratic power, law and orderbeastie – all that the boys fearfire – a universal symbol of warmth and comfort, salvation, hopePiggy’s glasses – clear sightedness, vision and truth being manipulated and twisted until it no longer represents the truth; good used for evil purposesthe meaning of the Lord of the Flies – Satanthe mountain – menace; hope

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snake - like shapes in the sky – their first “sin” of irresponsibilitythe beast (human) – the capacity for evil that is present in all human beingsRalph – democratic power Jack – totalitarian powerPiggy – intelligent and rational thinkingSimon – goodness, a Christ figure, religion; reasonDarkness – the barbarism in the boysThe boys – representative of different ways of lifeThe jungle – the darkness of the human spiritThe sea – the destructiveness of manThe platform – reason

Annotation Notes

Before Reading: Examine the front and back covers (books). Read the title and any subtitles. Examine the illustrations. Examine the print (bold, italics, etc.) Examine the way the text is set up (book, short story, dialogue, article, etc.)

During Reading:

Highlighting and Annotating Tips

Make brief notes at the top of the page to mark important plot events.

Circle or highlight words that are unfamiliar or unusual. Try to figure out what the words mean through the way they are used; supplement your guesses by discussing the words with a teacher or by consulting a dictionary.

When new characters are introduced, highlight phrases that describe them and mark their names at the top of the page on which they are introduced.

Highlight words, images, and details that seem to form a pattern throughout the text. (For example, if a large clock appears in the first chapter, and then you notice the author uses the words “timely” or “ticking” in the text, and then an incident occurs in which a character breaks a watch or is late for an appointment, you may have uncovered a pattern of imagery which will lead the close reader to discover a thematic idea.) Highlight these related strands and observe the rest of the text closely to see if the author uses other linked words, images, or details.

Highlight passages you think might be symbolic.

When you get an idea while reading the text, note it in a brief form in the margin. You may never think of this idea again unless you write it down. (For example: summarize; make predictions; formulate opinions; make connections to something else (or from a previous section, analyze the author’s use of literary device (How/Why used?); write reflections, reactions, or comments; look for patterns or repetitions.)

If you have a question about something in the book, write it on the page when it first occurred to you.

While listening to a lecture or participating in a discussion about the book, write down insights you hear or discover. Writing these notes directly in the text assures you that you will be able to reference the exact passage that triggered the ideas. Also, is less likely that you will lose track of the notes.

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Important!

What ???

Don’t mark too much. If you mark everything, nothing will stand out.

Use [brackets], checks, stars, bullets, or *** asterisks to mark very important items or things you want to come back to later.

Connect related ideas with lines.

After Reading: Reread annotations – draw conclusions. Examine patterns/repetitions – determine possible meanings. Determine what the title might mean.

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