Lord of the Flies
Who are the first 2 characters introduced?
Ralph and Piggy
How did the boys end up on the island?
Their plane crashes & lands on an uninhabited island
Who is elected chief? Who wants to be chief?
Ralph is elected chief.
Jack wants to be chief.
What do Piggy's glasses symbolize?
Logic, intelligence, survival, rescue.
Which philosopher believed that mankind was inherently corrupt, base, and sinful?
Thomas Hobbes
What does Ralph's father do for a living?
He's in the navy
Why does Piggy feel betrayed by Ralph in Chapter 1?
Ralph tells Jack what Piggy's nickname is.
Who/what is the Lord of the Flies in the novel?
The severed pig head
What does the conch shell symbolize?
Order, rationality, civilization.
The opposite of chaos & savagery.
Which philosopher believed that mankind was inherently kind, altruistic, and moral?
Jean Jacques Rousseau!
What happened to the littlun' with the red birthmark?
He probably died in the first forest fire. This island consumes him!
What are the littluns afraid of?
The beastie
Simon travels through the forest. Why does he return to the beach where Jack & his new tribe are?
He wants to tell the boys about the "beast" -- it is just a dead pilot.
Why did Jack light the forest on fire toward the end of the novel?
To flush Ralph out of the forest so that they can hunt him.
Which philosopher believed that humans were born as blank slates, so neither inherently good nor bad?
John Locke!
What is the scar and what does it symbolize?
The trench made by the airplane crashing; it symbolizes mankind's negative influence on nature / how mankind destroys nature.
"The darkness seemed to flow round them like a tide." What literary element is used here?
Simile
How do the boys react to being rescued? Why is their reaction significant?
They cry; this is significant because it shows how the boys are still just children, despite all the evil they commit on the island.
Why is the fire at the end of the book ironic?
Each philosopher established an argument about the "state of nature." Pick ONE philosopher & explain their viewpoint on this.
Hobbes = mankind is at its most base, sinful, and evil
Rousseau = mankind is kind & good-natured
Locke = state of nature is unstable and invites chaos/immorality
What mean thing does Roger do to a littlun' who was sitting on the sand? Why is this moment significant?
Roger throws rocks at him; it shows that Roger (and all of the boys) are becoming more savage, but that society/civilization still has a hold on them.
Early on in the book, what was Ralph trying to do while Jack hunted? Why does Jack's choice to hunt bother Ralph?
Ralph tries to build shelters; he is frustrated with Jack because he thinks that Jack does not care about getting rescued.
What does Jack do to his face, and why is this significant?
Jack paints his face; this is significant because it shows how he becomes increasingly savage & less civilized.
What is stolen from Piggy at the end of the novel, and why is this theft significant?
His glasses; this is significant because it not only severely impacts Ralph's plans for rescue, but it also demonstrates the mounting savagery of Jack & his crew.
Which character do we associate most with Thomas Hobbes' view of mankind as sinful, base, and corrupt?
Which character do we associate most with Rousseau's view of mankind as inherently kind, altruistic, and moral?
Hobbes = Jack, or Roger
Rousseau = Simon (Piggy/Ralph as well)