Study Guide for Lord of the Flies
Questions to consider:
What does it mean to be civilized? If you were to start your own civilization (or society), what would be
most important?
What makes a good leader? Do human beings need leaders? Is it more natural for us to follow a leader
or to rebel against leadership? Do we need government, or any other form of organization?
How difficult is it to resist peer pressure? What if there were no adults in the picture? If your “peers”
were doing something that you absolutely knew was wrong, how hard would it be to NOT go along, even if
there was no chance you would be caught or punished?
Is human nature essentially Good or Evil?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Politics = "who gets what, when, and how" (political scientist Harold Lasswell)
"responding to conflict with dialogue," (philosopher Charles Blattberg)
Power is frequently defined by political scientists as “the ability to influence the behavior of others with or without
resistance.”
“I must study politics and war (so) that my sons may have (the) liberty to study mathematics and
philosophy.” John Adams, 2nd President of the U.S.
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THEME: According to the author, the theme of this novel is “The shape of a society must
depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system.” As we read,
consider what the events of the novel tell us about this theme.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: William Golding was born in Cornwall, England in 1911.
He went to Oxford
to study science, but later changed his major to literature. He served in the British Navy in World War Two as
a lieutenant on a British “rocket” ship and saw action against battle ships, submarines, and aircraft. He also
participated in the operations on “D-Day.” After the war, he devoted his life to teaching and writing. He
published prolifically throughout his life, including twelve novels, but Lord of the Flies, his first novel, is by far
his best known work. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1983 and died in 1993.
Lord of the Flies was published in 1954, soon after the end of the War and during the heat of the “cold war”
between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. The book has sold well over 25 million copies in English editions and been
translated into dozens of other languages.
Chapter One: “The Sound of the Shell”
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Summary
Analysis & Reactions to the Chapter
Prediction for Next Chapter
Chapter Two: “Fire on the Mountain”
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Summary
Analysis & Reactions to the Chapter
Prediction for Next Chapter
Chapter Three: “Huts on the Beach”
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Summary
Analysis & Reactions to the Chapter
Prediction for Next Chapter
Chapter Four: “Painted Faces and Long Hair”
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Summary
Analysis & Reactions to the Chapter
Prediction for Next Chapter
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Chapter Five: “Beast from Water”
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Summary
Analysis & Reactions to the Chapter
Prediction for Next Chapter
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Chapter Six: “Beast From Air”
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Summary
Analysis & Reactions to the Chapter
Prediction for Next Chapter
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Chapter Seven: “Shadows and Tall Trees”
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Summary
Analysis & Reactions to the Chapter
Prediction for Next Chapter
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Chapter 8 “Gift from the Darkness”
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Summary
Analysis & Reactions to the Chapter
Prediction for Next Chapter
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Chapter Nine: “A View to Death”
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Summary
Analysis & Reactions to the Chapter
Prediction for Next Chapter
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Chapter Ten: The Shell and the Glasses
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Summary
Analysis & Reactions to the Chapter
Prediction for Next Chapter
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Chapter Ten: _____________________________________
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Summary
Analysis & Reactions to the Chapter
Prediction for Next Chapter
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Chapter Eleven: _____________________________
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Summary
Analysis & Reactions to the Chapter
Prediction for Next Chapter
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Chapter Twelve: __________________________________
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
Summary
Analysis & Reactions to the Chapter
Prediction for Next Chapter
Important Facts, Quotes, & Info.
Questions
CHARACTERS:
Take notes on the positive and negative leadership qualities of these important characters.
Positive Leadership Traits
Negative Leadership Traits
Ralph
Piggy
Jack
Simon
Roger
Important Symbols:
the conch ____________________________________________________________
Piggy’s glasses____________________________________________________________
the fire____________________________________________________________
the ocean____________________________________________________________
the littluns____________________________________________________________
the choir boys____________________________________________________________
The Beast____________________________________________________________
The Lord of the Flies ____________________________________________________________