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Lord of the Flies William Golding. An Introduction. Good vs. Evil.
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Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding An Introduction
Good vs. Evil As a child and adolescent, William Golding, like others in the innocent years before the War, had a fundamentally simple conception of the world. In a generic mode of thinking, during the years before the massive cruelty, devastation, and destruction wrought by World War II, the prevailing concept of man and society included two basic viewpoints: man was essentially good and society was inherently evil.
Meet:William Golding • William Gerald Golding was born September 19, 1911. • He was born in St. Columb Minor . • He had an interest in writing by age seven. • At twelve years, he had already written a multi-volume novel. • He received a B.A. degree in English from Oxford University.
Meet:William Golding • He was employed as a social worker and then later as a teacher. • He served in the Royal Navy during World War II. • He became a lieutenant • Witnessed action against: battleships, submarines, and aircraft • His aircraft was present for the D-Day invasion • Because of his new insight into evil and violence, he wrote the novel, Lord of the Flies (1954). • His novels examine the “darkness of man’s heart.”
Meet:William Golding • Some of Golding’s published: • The Inheritors (1956) • Pincher Martin (1956) • The Spire (1964) • The Pyramid (1967) • In addition, he served as a playwright, poet, and essayist.
Meet:William Golding After winning the Nobel Prize for Literature Golding stated: In all the books, I have suggested a shape in the universe that may, as it were, account for things. The greatest pleasure is … just understanding. And if you can get people to understand their own humanity—well, that’s the job of the writer (Moritz 1964).
At that Time: What Influenced Golding Historical Events of 1954 • Cold War Era (after WWII) The Cold War brought about fears of atomic destruction this is what ends up as the cause for the boys’ escape from England. • English Society Society was based around: class structure, military order, gendering, and social beliefs. • Other Historical Links LOTF is an indirect response to the 1857 novel, The Coral Island.
Timeline of The ActionThe Novel Begins Mid-20th Century: During the reign of Elizabeth II, a plane-load of schoolboys is evacuated from England during an atomic bomb attack. The plane crashes over an uninhabited island somewhere in the Indian or Pacific Ocean.
SETTING • The Island and the real world • Examine the microcosm… The island is a representation of what is happening in the outside world. Destruction and chaos are imitated within the “society” set up by the boys. • Paradox : without realizing it, the boys have created the same society from which they were being protected.
Elements of Focus While reading the novel, notice: • Imagery / Figurative language • Characterization (Indirect/Direct) • Theme • Symbolism • Conflict/Complications • Character Motivation/Description • Character Roles (Protagonist, Antagonist, and Supporting characters).