Arts High School
Rising 10th Graders
Honors Summer Assignment
You have two books to read in preparation for Honors English II. Please obtain a copy of the book Lord of the Flies by
William Golding and also The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. You can pick either up at Barnes and Nobles, on Amazon
(there is a kindle version as well), or at the public library. Answer the 11 questions for Lord of the Flies and the 25
questions for The Glass Castle below using complete, correct sentences and textual evidence to support your answers.
Be prepared for a quiz or essay the first week of school!
Lord of the Flies
1. Talk about the differences between the two main antagonists, Ralph and Jack. How are they different from one another,
and what broad "types" of individuals do they represent?
2. In what way can Piggy with his eye glasses be seen as representing the rational, scientific aspects of society?
3. What role does the conch play? How does it represent a civilizing force?
4. What does the beast represent? How is it used by Jack to control the others? Are there parallels for "the beast" in the real
world, the one outside of fiction?
5. What does Simon mean when he suggests that the beast is only the boys themselves?
6. Why do the littleuns choose to follow Jack and the hunters rather than Ralph? Is it because they feel safer with Jack's
group, believing that Jack can protect them? Or do they enjoy what the hunters do?
7. What do you feel Golding's vision of humanity is? Do you think he believes we born with an instinct for peace and
cooperation...or for dominance and savagery? Does his vision accord with your own?
8. What do you think about the rules of civilization? Do they free us and enable us to rise to our best selves? Or do the rules
constrain our bad nature that lies at the heart of ourselves?
9. What does hunting mean to Jack...at the beginning, and then later? What happens to his mental state after he kills his
first pig?
10. What is ironic about the naval officer who arrives to "rescue" the boys? How does Ralph feel about returning to the safety
of civilization? Why does he weep—is it relief, or something else?
11. Golding wrote his novel 10 years after the close of World War II and during the era of Communist containment. In what
way does his book reflect the particular world politics of his time? Does the book have relevance today?
The Glass Castle
Part I – A Woman on the Street
1. Compare and contrast Jeannette’s apartment with where her mother lives.
Part II – The Desert
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10.
Mary Walls is upset when nurses give Jeannette chewing gum. Why is this ironic when compared with Mary’s
other behaviors?
What is “checking out Rex Walls-style”?
What is the class castle and what does it symbolize?
How do the mother and father react to the death of Charlene? What does it suggest about each?
Why didn’t the parents believe in telling their children the Christmas/Santa Claus fantasy?
Describe the manner in which Rex teaches Jeannette to swim. What is your opinion of his teaching method?
Why does Rex insist on controlling the money even when he isn’t earning it?
What happens to Jeannette during the night?
What gift does Jeannette want for her tenth birthday?
Part III – Welch
11. Why doesn’t the principal believe Mary’s assertion that her children are gifted?
12. Why doesn’t Jeannette tell her parents about the bullying? What do you think they’d do it they did know?
13. What is illustrated by the feud between the Walls and the Goads? Why do you think the author includes this
story?
14. Why does Jeannette love the novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
15. Why does Jeannette hate the man from child welfare, even though her own parents don’t take proper care of her?
16. Why does Jeannette start working for the school newspaper?
17. What happens to “Oz”?
18. What advice does Jeannette get from the college guidance counselor regarding college? What is her reaction to
this advice?
Part IV – New York City
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24.
Why does Jeannette finally decide to go to college?
How do you think the children feel about their parents coming to NYC to bring the family together again?
How does Mary manage to blame NYC for her homelessness?
Why does Jeannette refuse to buy the family land for her mother?
Where does Maureen go? Why is this probably a good decision?
How would Rex Walls have preferred to die?
Part V - Thanksgiving
25. What does John tell Jeannette about her car?