Lord of the Flies – In a Conch Shell

1. Lord of the Flies – In a Conch Shell

2. The Island

3. Chapter 1http://www.bookstove.com/Book-Talk/Lord-of-the-Flies-A-Quick-Summary.335347 • Middle of a war, transport plane with English boys from Britain shot down over Pacific Ocean (crashed in thick jungle on a deserted island) • Story starts with Ralph meeting a chubby boy named Piggy • Ralph and Piggy look around the beach for other boys (find a large cream coloured conch shell) • Piggy convinces Ralph to blow through the shell to find the other boys (other boys hear it and walk to the beach) • Oldest around 12 and youngest around 6 • A choir led by Jack shows up, the boys decide to elect a leader • Ralph is elected chief but Jack opposes it • Ralph makes Jack and his choirboys hunters (to make Jack happy) • He then takes Simon and Jack to explore the island • They find a mountain and explore the land and they return to the beach

4. Chapter 2 • Ralph returns tells everyone that the island has no adults, they have to learn to live together • Agreed on meetings whenever the conch is blown • Boy holding the conch shell will speak others will listen silently until they receive the shell in their turn • Jack agrees with this idea • Little kid says he saw a "beastie" on the island (creates fear and scares everyone) • Ralph tells group to build large signal fire on top of the mountain (any passing ships might see fire and know that someone is on the island) • Jack and his hunters are in charge of the signal fire • Piggy tries to reason with group about survival but all ignore him

5. Chapter 3 • Jack follows/tries to kill a pig but fails • He returns and finds Ralph busy building huts with Simon • Ralph is annoyed that boys are unwilling to work on huts • Jack promises Ralph that they will have better luck with the pig next time • Ralph implies Jack and hunters are using their hunting duties as an excuse to avoid real work • Jack responds to Ralph's complains by saying the boys want meat • Jack and Ralph continue to bicker and grow increasingly hostile toward each other • Simon goes off by himself and finds a place where he can peacefully stay (in jungle)

6. Chapter 4 • Little kids now called "Littluns" • They play all day long, at night have frightful experiences • Ralph is worried about this • Large amounts of fruit eaten causes them to be sick • Roger and Maurice torture little kids by destroying their sand castles • Jack is obsessed with killing pigs goes off with hunters to find pig • While gone, Piggy and Ralph spot a ship passing by • They find that while the boys were out hunting the fire on the mountain went out • Ship passes by without their rescue • Ralph is angry but the boys brought the pig back from the hunt and roasted it and gave it to everyone • Jack is now resenting Ralph and his leadership

7. Chapter 5 • Ralph goes to the beach and calls meeting in order to bring the boys into line (go over rules) • Ralph tells them about their failure in duty and that they should do their duty • Ralph tries to tell the young boys that there is no beast • They should not be afraid but it failed • Beast hides at day and at night come out of the ocean to haunt the kids and that they are in danger • Jack says that if there is a beast then he and his hunters will hunt it down and kill it • Ralph tells Piggy and Simon that he might stop being leader but they tell Ralph that he needs to be leader or Jack might go on a rampage (only hunt) • Piggy tells Ralph that Jack hates him

8. Chapter 6 • At night military planes fight in the air above the island • Boys were sleeping so they miss it and miss when a parachute lands with a dead person on the island • Samneric wake up, in the flickering firelight, they see the twisted form of the dead parachutist • Mistake the shadowy image for the figure of the dreaded beast • Rush back to the camp, wake Ralph, tell him what they have seen • Ralph calls for a meeting, at which the twins claims that a monster assaulted them • Look for the monster they go to the place where they have not explore before (tail-end of island) – Castle Rock • Boys start to play around, pushing rocks in the water • Ralph gets angry with them • Go and light signal fire

9. Chapter 7 • Boys eat, Ralph looks at the sea without hope, Simon reassures him they will get home safe • Boys go pig hunting • Ralph gets excited when he gets a shot at the boar's snout with his spear • Group frenzied with the hunt re-enacts the hunt with a boy named Robert as the pig • He is almost killed before the boys realize what they are doing • Ralph sends Simon back to Piggy to tell him that the group will be back after dark • Group climbs to the mountain and Jack goes to the summit while Ralph and Roger wait at the mountain • Jack tells Ralph that he saw the beast and Ralph also checks it out and sees a beast too, they go warn the group

10. Chapter 8 • Next morning, they call a meeting • Jack tells everyone that there is really a beast • Jack tells everyone Ralph is a coward and a scared loser • Jack tries to vote Ralph out of power and be the new chief but no one cares to remove Ralph • Jack goes off with his own followers • Boys want the fire back so Piggy suggests building a fire on the beach and they build one • At night, many boys go off to join Jack • Piggy tells Ralph that it is good that the deserters left • Jack declares himself chief of his tribe and hunt a pig and impale its head on a stick • Jack invites Ralph and Piggy to his tribe for a feast (so that they can raid their camp for fire) • Simon sees the pig head on the stick and feels as if it is talking to him (he faints)

11. Chapter 9 • Simon sees the dead body of the parachutist and he sees how the boys where mistaken about the beast • He takes the parachute to the feast by Jack • At the feast boys eat and have fun and Jack invites Ralph's followers to join his tribe • Many do even though Ralph tries to stop them • Ralph also tells them that in the storm, where will his tribe stay and Jack ignores him • As the boys are dancing and re-enacting the pig hunt, Simon comes to the party with the parachute • Boys did not see him but sees his shadow and thinks he is the beast and kills him • Wind blows the parachutist's body unto the beach and they run off scared

12. Chapter 10 • Next day, Ralph is feeling guilty over the death of Simon while Piggy claims it as a small accident • Many of Ralph's followers join Jack's tribe and now Ralph and Piggy are almost alone • Jack made his base at Castle Rock and acts as the true ruler • He commands his tribe to be on the guard against the beast since it can assume anyone's shape (they believe Simon is the Beast) and it is not truly dead • He also tells Roger and Maurice to go to Ralph's camp and steal the fire • Jack's hunters steal the fire and Piggy's glasses and beats Ralph and his tribe

13. Chapter 11 • Ralph's tribe tries to light the fire but fails • They go to Jack's tribe where they encounter Jack coming back from the hunt with a pig • Jack tells Ralph to leave but Ralph tries to reason with him but ends in failure • They fight • Jack orders the twins Sam and Eric to be tied up, leading Ralph into rage causing another fight • Piggy tried to reason with them but they continued fighting • Roger pushed a boulder at them and Ralph doges it but it breaks the couch and knocks Piggy off the mountain side into the rocks (he dies) • Ralph runs into the jungle as Jack and others in the tribe attack him • Sam and Eric are forced to join Jack and his tribe

14. Chapter 12 • Ralph hides in the jungle and then goes back to Jack's camp • The twins, who were the guards, see Ralph and give him food • They tell him that Jack is going to send the whole tribe after him tomorrow • Ralph hides in a jungle thicket • Boys try to get through but the thicket was too dense, Jack sets it on fire • Ralph come out and fights his way past Jack and his hunters • He runs and at last collapses on the beach after frantically trying to find a hiding place • Ralph looks up and sees a Navy officer standing there • The officer tells him that he saw the smoke and came to check the island out • Jack and his boys arrive on the beach and Ralph tells the officer everything that has happened • Officer was amazed how civilized boys turned into nothing more than barbaric savages • They get saved

15. Ralph • Fair hair • Largest most physically powerful boy on island • About twelve years old Character type: Model boy Motivation: To be rescued Actions: Forms democracy; lights the signal fire Attributes: Dreamer; easygoing, but very responsible Beginning: Happy; excited by adventure End: Hunted like an animal Symbolizes law, government, and civil society.

16. Jack Merridew • Probably the same age as Ralph, maybe older • Thin and boney • Jack has red hair Character type: Ruthless leader Motivation: To hunt Actions: Splits boys into two groups; hunts down Ralph Attributes: Hatred; a natural leader Beginning: In charge of a boys' choir End: The chief of a band of savages Symbolizes human love of dominance and power.

17. Piggy • Probably close in age to Jack and Ralph • Physique is quite different (shorter than Ralph, very fat, wears glasses, and has asthma which does not allow him to do any work) Character type: Thinker Motivation: To be rescued Actions: "Feeds" ideas to Ralph Attributes: Serious; thoughtful Beginning: Apprehensive; frightened End: Murdered Symbolizes science and rationality.

18. Simon • Small, skinny, pointed chin, low broad forehead • Coarse mop of black hair long and swung down • Darkish in color Character type: Mystic Motivation: To know the truth Actions: Talks to Lord of the Flies; solves mystery of the beast Attributes: Visionary; brave Beginning: Fainting, choirboy End: Murdered Symbolizes a Christ like figure (he knows the truth). Also with his fits and spiritual insights, he stands for the mystics, prophets, and priests of all religions who confront and reveal the darkest aspects of human nature.

19. Roger • Black hair, gloomy face • Quiet, brooding member of Jack's hunters • Quiet, intense boy who seems to hide himself from the other boys • Is cruel (throws rocks at Littluns, kicks down sand castles, kills a pig more viciously than necessary, kills piggy, tortures Samneric, and sharpens a stick with plans to stake Ralph's head) • Roger loves to cause pain Symbolizes mankind's sadistic instincts – the suppressed desire to hunt others

20. Sam and Eric • Identical twins – do everything together • Resemble each other so closely that the other boys call them Samneric • Twins prove to be less influenced by fear of the beast or Jack than any other boys (except Ralph and Piggy) • Perhaps, because they are twins they are less lone than any of the other boys Symbolize the idea of individualism.

21. Symbols • THE ISLAND Tropical island, with its bountiful food and untouched beauty symbolizes paradise (Garden of Eden from which the boys can try to create the perfect society from scratch). However, the boys were not successful as evil was allowed to enter ‘the garden’. • CONCH SHELL Rule of law, order and civilization. The high hand of authority. Used to call meetings, it is magical to the boys, who for the most part respect it. In the end, when it is destroyed, authority on the island is gone and Ralph is left to fend for himself. • PIGGY`S GLASSES Allows the boys to create fire (necessity of survival). Represents science and mankind's power to transform and remake their environments to best suit its needs (intelligence). Also, shows a slow and inescapable descent into anarchy and evil (Piggy possess them, then broken, finally stolen by Jack).

22. Symbols Continued • LORD OF THE FLIES The “Lord of the Flies,” or the beast, inhabits the severed head of a pig staked into the ground. It symbolizes the evil that lies within every person. “Lord of the Flies” is a translation from the Hebrew word “Beelzebub”. In the bible, Beelzebub is the price of the devils. In the story the panic and decay that takes place is symbolized by this pigs head. • THE SCAR A rip in the forest caused by the crash landing of the boys’ plane on the island. The scar symbolizes that man, and his savage nature, destroys paradise merely by entering it. • SIGNAL FIRE The Signal Fire is a representation of commonsense and rescue from immorality. When the signal fire can no longer be lit, because Jack stole Piggy’s specs that light it, its beacon of hope and knowledge is no longer present to guide Ralph who must then be constantly reminded by Piggy about what is right. • THE BEAST Represents the evil and fear that resides within man. The children were all aware that such a beast exists, but none of them realized (except Simon) that it lies within them. The Beast constantly plagues the Littluns who are the least conditioned by society.

23. Themes • Civilization vs. Savagery • Man vs. Nature (individual basis) • Individualism vs. Community • Loss of Innocence • The Nature of Evil • Human Nature

24. What makes us "civilized"? There is a fine line between civilized and uncivilized! (according to Golding)

25. Time to test what you know!!! http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/literature/golding/lof.html

26. TEST OUTLINE Section A (1 mark each) • 6 fill in the blanks (word bank) Section B (3 marks each) • 4 definitions (important ideas) Section C (4 marks each) • Short answers • 5 questions – answer 3 Section D (24 marks) • Short essay • Outline – 4 marks • 10 marks – organization, spelling, grammar, and clarity • 10 marks – ideas and examples from novel • 5 questions – answer 1 Section E (4 marks) • Quotation identification