Lord of the FliesHistorical Context

Critical Analysis○ A story often gets its meaning from the

period of history in which it was written.

○ Without connecting with historical context, we often miss the “big idea” that makes a story great.

Lord of the Flies: Historical ContextSir William Golding (1911-1993)● British writer, scholar, professor● Started as a science major and switched to

major in English Literature● Married with two kids● Knighted in 1988

● Entered active duty to fight in WWII in 1941.○ Rocket gunner○ D-Day

Lord of the Flies: Historical Context

Events that had huge impact on history (and on Golding):○ Stalin’s Starvation of the Ukraine (1933)○ The Holocaust (1933-1945)○ The Rape of Nanking (1937)○ Atomic Bombs dropped in Hiroshima & Nagasaki

(1945)

Stalin’s Starvation of the Ukraine (1933)

○ Stalin’s effort to undermine Ukrainian resistance of Soviet rule

○ Joseph Stalin’s “Killing by Hunger”○ Man-made famine○ Sold 1.7 million tons of grain to

Western markets while people starved

○ During the height of the famine, people were dying at a rate of:○ 17 per minute○ 1,000 per hour○ 25,000 per day

“One death is a tragedy; One million is a statistic.” - Joseph Stalin

The Holocaust (1933-1945)○ Adolf Hitler, chancellor of

Germany○ “Final Solution” - rounding up

Jewish people and executing them or imprisoning them in death camps

○ 6,000,000 Jews massacred○ ⅓ of all Jewish people in the

world were killed.

“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.” - Adolf Hitler

The Rape of Nanking (1937)

○ Japanese invaded and conquered Nanking, the former capital of the Republic of China.

○ Period of six weeks in which Japanese troops murdered and raped civilians.

○ 300,000 Chinese citizens killed.○ Soldiers involved were later tried in an

international court and executed for their actions.

“Almost all people have this potential for evil, which would be unleashed only under certain dangerous social circumstances.” --Iris Chang

Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945)

○ United States ended WWII by dropping two nuclear bombs on Japan

○ The only use of nuclear weapons in human history

○ Killed 129,000 people○ After-effects:

○ birth defects○ leukemia○ cancer○ burn victims

“If I had forseen Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I would have torn up my formula in 1905.” --Albert Einstein

Imagine...

Put yourself in William Golding’s shoes back in 1944.

Write a telegram to someone explaining what you think about the world today (1944ish) and what you believe about

the future.

Imagine...

Lord of the Flies: Nihilism1. Total and absolute destructiveness, especially toward

the world at large and including oneself.

2. The philosophical belief that human life is meaningless and that all religions, laws, moral codes, and political systems are empty and false.3. The belief that there is no meaning or purpose in existence.

Nihilism: Lord of the FliesWill you know it when you see it?

3-2-1 Exit Ticket

Write three historical events that heavily influenced William Golding.

Write two ideas or key words you associate with nihilism.

Write one question you still have about what we discussed today.

These are due before you leave today. :)