Lord of the Flies
The physical object Ralph uses to call the boys together and that symbolizes order and civilization.
The conch
The fictional island town where Truman Burbank lives.
Seahaven
A shot that focuses on a character's face to show their emotion, often cutting off the top of the head and chin.
Close-up shot
The term for a group of lines that form the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem, often compared to a paragraph in prose.
Stanza
A figure of speech that uses exaggeration for emphasis or effect, such as "I've told you a million times!"
Hyperbole
The specific historical context that provides a major theme for the novel, having recently ended before the book was written in 1954, deeply influencing Golding's view of human nature.
World War II
Truman Burbank's catchphrase, seen at the beginning and end of the film.
"In case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night."
A camera angle where the camera is positioned high above the subject, making the subject appear small and vulnerable.
High angle (bird's-eye-view also acceptable)
A question posed for dramatic effect or to make a point rather than one that expects a direct answer.
Rhetorical question
A form of Japanese verse that traditionally adheres to a 5-7-5 syllable structure across three unrhymed lines.
Haiku
The major theme represented by the characters of Jack and Ralph, which is a central conflict in the novel.
Civilization versus savagery
What is Truman Burbank's profession?
Life insurance salesman
The French term for everything that appears in the frame, including props, set, costumes, and actors.
mise-en-scene
The repetition of vowel sounds within a sentence or phrase, such as "The old man roamed alone."
Assonance
The name of the character in Shakespeare's play who delivers the famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy.
Hamlet
The pig's head on a stick, the "lord of the flies" itself, is a direct, symbolic representation of this internal, primal force within all humans.
Inherent evil
Meryl constantly and awkwardly talks directly to the camera, advertising products to highlight commercialism and consumerism. Which product does she advertise in her and Truman's kitchen during their confrontation?
Mococoa
A technique where one shot is gradually replaced by the next, often to signify the passing of time or a change of location.
Dissolve
The use of words to evoke one of the five senses in the reader, such as "The crackle of the fire and the smell of pine."
Imagery
The literary term, originally Greek, for an overreaching pride or arrogance that ultimately leads to a character's downfall.
Hubris
What is the significance of Piggy's name never being known to the reader, beyond his nickname, in the context of Golding's critique of society?
The boys (and by extension, humanity) discard and ignore the value of intellect and reasoned authority when it is presented in an unattractive or non-dominant form.
The film's entire narrative structure is an extended reference to this ancient philosophical thought experiment, which questions whether reality as we perceive it is truly real.
Plato's Allegory of the Cave
The editing technique that cuts back and forth between two or more lines of action happening simultaneously in different locations.
Cross-cutting or parallel editing
The poetic technique where a line of verse continues onto the next line without any punctuation mark, often used to create a sense of momentum or surprise.
Enjambment
The name of the ancient Greek poet credited with writing The Iliad and The Odyssey.
Homer