Characters
Why did the Lord of the Flies talk to Simon and not any other boy?
Simon was the only one who didn't fear the beast. He was the only one who knew that the beast was a part of them.
Which area of the island is Ralph's domain and which area is Jack's domain?
Ralph's area is on the beach because that's where the shelters have been built; also the platform is where he calls assemblies. Jack relocates the boys to Castle Rock because it looks like a castle and fortress.
What would have happened if the officer didn't show up on the island when he did? What do you think would have happened long-term? Give two reasons for your opinion.
The boys would have surrounded Ralph and killed him. I think they would have stabbed him to death with their spears and then beheaded them because Jack told the boys to sharpen a stick at both ends. Long-term I think the boys would have...
What does the idiom to have a chip on your shoulder mean?
To feel as though everyone is against you; to be angry all the time and pessimistic
What is poetry?
Using language in a beautiful and creative way to express feelings and emotions.
Give three adjectives that BEST describe the characters' personalities: Ralph, Piggy, and Jack.
Ralph: confident, understanding, helpful, strong, popular, charismatic
Piggy: intelligent, whiny, lazy, sensitive, misunderstood, helpless, reasonable, logical
Jack: aggressive, selfish, demanding, jealous, mean, adventurous, overbearing
What does Piggy's death represent?
His death and the destruction of the conch symbolizes the end of civilization and order. It signifies that the boys have descended into utter chaos, destruction, and evilness.
Explain the quote by Piggy: “What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What's grownups going to think?”
As the boys become wilder and more out of control, Piggy begins to realize that the instinct to act violently and savagely may be stronger than the instinct to act civilized and orderly.
Give three adjectives to describe someone who is always in your hair.
annoying, clingy, bothersome, frustrating, obnoxious
Where was haiku invented? What are the rules of haiku?
Created in Japan by Matsuo Basho in the 17th century.
1) 3 lines long (5 syllables - 7 syllables - 5 syllables)
2) About nature
3) No rhyme
Explain the irony of Simon's death?
Simon was coming to tell the boys that the beast did not exist (he saw the parachutist on the mountain). Ironically, the boys mistook Simon for the beast coming out of the trees and attacked him due to their fear and frenzy and killed him.
Name four symbols in the novel and explain what they represent.
The conch shell/Ralph: civilization, order, leadership
Piggy's glasses/Piggy: intelligence, reason, logic
Jack/the hunters: violence, savagery, the desire for power
the beast: the dark, violent part of the human soul that causes people to turn against each other
the Lord of the Flies: the devil and the power of evil
Simon: goodness, saintliness, purity, innocence
What does "mob mentality" mean and what are the dangers? How does it relate to the story?
A mob is a crowd of disorderly people focused on violence or destruction. The dangers of mob mentality: when people are in a large, wild crowd of people, they often behave differently than they would on their own. When Jack tells the boys to chant "Kill the pig! Cut her throat! Spill her blood!" the boys become frenzied and crazy. When he tells them to paint their faces, dance, and chant they become even wilder and more aggressive.
Use the idioms "to get cold feet" and "to give someone the cold shoulder" in 1-2 that are related.
I knew the only reason Julia was giving me the cold shoulder was because she was nervous and getting cold feet before her performance.
Name three types of figurative language and give an example for each.
Simile: She ran like a cheetah.
Metaphor: She is a cheetah.
Personification: The trees danced in the wind.
Alliteration: Diamonds from the deepest ocean.
Onomatopoeia: Boom! Crash! Bang!
Hyperbole: I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
Chapter 8 is called "Gift for the Darkness." Why is it called this and why is this the climax of the novel?
Jack and his hunters leave a "gift" for the beast: a sow's head on a stick as an offering so the beast won't bother them. The pig's head, or Lord of the Flies, then "talks" to Simon and tells him they are going to have fun on the island. The beast warns Simon that if he interferes then the boys will "do" him (meaning kill him). This chapter is where we realize that true evil and darkness is inside of us.
How does the boys' gender, age, and nationality affect the story?
The boys on the island were based on the boys Wiliam Golding taught and observed at boarding schools in England. He believes the story would be completely different if there were only girls or both boys and girls on the island. The girls would have helped keep the boys in check and stabilized the madness. If the boys had been older, they would have had society's norms and rules more ingrained in them and most likely would not have lost complete control like the young boys in the story. The fact that the boys were British and Britain was known for being especially civilized, proper, and cultured shows us that once rules and society are no longer factors, one's background or culture does not really matter at all.
Explain the most important theme in the novel and give three examples why you think this.
Civilization vs. Savagery
Order vs. Chaos
Good vs. Evil
Loss of Innocence
The Effects of Fear
Use the idioms "to knock someone's socks off" and "to steal someone's thunder" in 1-2 sentences that are related.
When Alexis sang her solo at the talent show she knocked everyone's socks off. Molly was upset because she felt like Alexis stole her thunder since it was her birthday.
What is a free verse poem? What is a structured poem? What is a ballad?
Free verse: a poem without structure, rhyme scheme, or pattern
Structured: a poem with lines arranged in a regular, repeated pattern; each stanza follows the same pattern
Ballad: a poem or song that narrates a story, usually about love
Why does Jack turn out to be a more powerful and successful leader than Ralph? (Why do the boys leave Ralph's group and follow Jack?)
Jack rules the boys by fear; he knows they are afraid of the beast and he plays on these emotions. He manipulates and controls them by telling them he will protect them and kill the beast. He also offers them meet and tells them they are going to hunt and have fun, whereas Ralph wants them to work building shelters and keeping the fire going.
In the beginning of the novel, Jack hesitates to kill the pig when he has the perfect chance. Why? Contrast Jack in the beginning of the novel to Jack at the end.
Jack is clearly excited by the thought of killing the pig, but he has never killed a living thing before and the thought of doing so intimidates him and makes him nervous. At the end of the novel, however, Jack has become wild lost all of control. He cuts the head of the sow off and leaves it for the beast. Then he tells the boys to sharpen a stick at both ends when they are hunting Ralph.
How do the boys react when they see the officer and realize they have been rescued? Why do they react this way? Explain how this connects to the theme "loss of innocence."
The boys begin crying when they are face-to-face with an adult after so long. They are ashamed of what they have done. The boys have changed from well-behaved children longing for rescue to cruel, bloodthirsty hunters who have no desire to return to civilization; the boys have lost the sense of innocence they possessed at the beginning of the novel.
Give three synonyms for someone who is tickled pink, three synonyms for someone who has two left feet, and three synonyms for someone who is cheesy.
tickled pink: delighted, happy, joyful, excited
two left feet: clumsy, uncoordinated, awkward, uncomfortable
cheesy: romantic, sentimental, emotional, sweet, affectionate
What is the rhyme scheme in "Nothing Gold Can Stay"? Recite the title, author, and poem.
Rhyme scheme: AABBCCDD
"Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.