9th ELA
Mr. Kleyn
Lord of the Flies
October 2006
Name: ________________________
Hour: ______
Lord of the Flies Notes
PRE-READING
Before you even start reading the book, look at it. Turn it over. Write down what
you see.
1. What is the title? What do you think the title might mean?
Lord of the Flies
2. Who is the author?
William Golding
3. Describe the picture(s) on the cover. What do you think the picture(s) might mean?
The fly, the boy, the glasses, the jungle
Flip the book over and look at the back.
4. Where does the boys’ plane crash?
On an uncharted island
5. When does the plane crash? (It’s in the first sentence of the book’s description)
At the dawn of the next world war
Open the book.
6. To whom does William Golding dedicate his book?
His mother and father
7. Which chapter title(s) stands out to you the most? Why?
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8. How many pages is the book?
208
9. Read the chapter headings. Without looking any further, what do you think will
happen in the book?
Vocabulary:
1. Para-text: “Beside the text” It is the elements to a novel which are not the novel
itself
2. Parody: imitation or example – in this sense it is a case study
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Chapter One
Questions:
1. How did the boys get on the island?
Their plane was shot and crashed on the island
2. Who are the first two boys that are mentioned in the story?
Ralph and Piggy
3. Who does Ralph say will come and rescue them?
His dad who is in the Navy
4. What happened to the people “at the airport”? Look on page 14.
There was an atomic bomb attack and they are dead
5. What is a conch? Look at the picture in the dictionary.
A shell
6. What do the boys use the conch for?
As a horn to call the boys together and hold a meeting
7. What are the twins names?
Sam ‘n Eric
8. Who is the leader of the choir?
Jack Merridew
9. How is the chief chosen? Who is chosen as chief?
By a vote. Ralph
10. What does the island look like? Note description on page 29
Like a boat with a rocky outcrop on one end, a mountain kind of in the middle and
a long reef around it.
11. What do the explorers find in the woods (page 31)? What happens or, perhaps more
importantly, what does not happen?
A pig. Jack draws his knife to kill it, but loses his nerve b/c of the enormity of
killing a living thing and the resulting consequences.
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Chapter 2
Questions:
1. What do the boys decide is the rule for allowing people to speak?
Only the person holding the shell can speak and only Ralph can interrupt when people
are speaking
2. Write out Jack’s quote about rules found on page 33:
“We’ll have rules!” he cried excitedly. “Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks ‘em-”
3. What does the little boy with the birthmark say he saw in the forest?
A beastie snake thing that tried to eat him
4. How does Piggy describe the boys impulsive actions? Mentioned twice on page 38
Like a pack of kids
5. What does Piggy do before heading up the mountain? First sentence in the last
paragraph on page 38.
Bend down and tie his laces to show his preparation and thoughtfulness
6. How do the boys light the fire?
Using Piggy’s glasses to focus the sunlight
7. Who is in charge of keeping the fire going?
Jack and the choir
8. How do the boys plan on attracting a ship’s attention?
By making a fire and attracting attention with the smoke
9. What happens to the fire on page 44?
Gets out of control and burns a huge portion of the forest
10. What happens to the boy with the birthmark?
He is killed by the fire.
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Chapter 3
Questions:
1. What is Jack doing at the beginning of the chapter?
Hunting pigs alone in the forest
2. Describe Jack’s appearance. What does the description of Jack’s physically
appearance tell you about how long they’ve been on the island?
Tanned, long hair, tattered clothing.
The boys have been on the island for a while by this time
3. What are Ralph and Simon busy doing?
Building shelters by the beach
4. What are the littluns still afraid of (page 52)?
The beastie
5. What does Jack say he sometimes feels when he is hunting in the forest (page 53)?
Something hunting him
6. What is the argument between Ralph and Jack (page 54)?
Ralph wants to concentrate on shelters, the fire, and being rescued, and Jack is
obsessed with killing a pig
7. What does Simon do to help the littluns?
Gives them food that they can’t reach
8. Where does Simon go? Try to find the symbolic answer here as well.
Into a secluded garden in the forest. It resembles the Garden of Eden
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Chapter 4
Questions:
1. How young are some of the littluns? How are they described?
6 years old. Filthy dirty, not crying for their parents much. Spending their days
playing
2. What does Roger do to the sand castles? What might this mean?
Kicks them over. Stamping out civilization. Disregarding it.
3. What does Roger to do Henry? What stops Roger from hitting him?
Throws stones near him. His training from childhood.
4. What does Jack do to his face? What does it do to him?
Paints it to make it camouflaged. It makes him free from shame and selfconsciousness and slightly insane
5. What is different about Piggy’s hair compared to the other boys? (page 64)
It’s still short. He is unaffected by the island. He’s still the same guy.
6. What does Ralph see on the horizon?
A boat.
7. What happens to the fire on the mountain? Why?
It has gone out. The twins were compelled by Jack to go hunting
8. What were Jack and the choir doing?
Hunting a pig
9. What does Jack do to Piggy?
Hits him and breaks his glasses
10. How do the boys reenact the hunt at the end of the chapter? What do they chant?
Maurice pretends to be a pig and the boys dance and act out the hunt.
“Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in.”
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Chapter 5
Questions:
1. What is different about the meeting Ralph calls?
Later, darker, all business, he lays out the rules
2. What are the rules Ralph lays out at the meeting? (page 81)
Rocks are for the lavatory, keep the fire going and smoke as a signal, don't take fire
from the mountain
3. What does Piggy say might be frightening? (page 84)
Other people
4. How does Percival introduce himself? Write it out. (page 86)
Percival Wemys Madison. The Vicarage, Harcourt St. Anthony, Hants, telephone…
5. Where does Percival say the beast comes from?
Out of the sea
6. What does Simon say the beast might be?
Maybe it’s only us. What’s the dirtiest thing there is? SIN
7. What does Jack say after Ralph yells, “You’re breaking the rules!”? (page 91)
What is Ralph’s response?
Who cares?
Because the rules are the only thing we’ve got!
8. What does Piggy say would happen if Jack became chief? (page 93)
All hunting and no fire. They would be there until they died
9. Write out the last two sentences of Piggy’s quote on page 93:
He can’t hurt you: but if you stand out of the way he’d hurt the next thing. And that’s
me.
10. What does Ralph ask for at the end of the chapter?
A sign from the grownup world
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Chapter 6
Questions:
1. What was going on in the sky above the island? Page 95
A dogfight – A fight between planes
2. What lands on the top of the mountain? Page 95-96
A dead parachutist
3. What were the twins doing instead of keeping watch over the fire?
Sleeping
4. What scares the twins? Page 98
The dead parachutist sitting up
5. What does Jack say about the conch? Page 101-102
“We don’t need the conch anymore.”
6. What question does Ralph ask the assembly three times? Page 102
“Don’t you want to be rescued?”
7. Where do the boys go to look for the beast?
On the other side of the island. Castle Rock
8. What does Jack want to make on the rock?
A fort.
9. What natural defense mechanism does the rock have? Page 106, 108
Rolling rocks which land on the narrow causeway
10. What objections does Ralph give to having a fort there?
No food. No fresh water. No shelter
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Chapter 7
Questions:
1. What are some things from his old life that Ralph thinks about on page 109?
Getting his hair cut, washing his clothes, brushing his teeth, taking a bath
2. Why do the boys still wear clothes? Page 110
Out of custom, not for reasons of decency or comfort
3. What is harder to believe on the Castle Rock side of the island?
That they will be rescued
4. What does Simon tell Ralph three times on page 111?
You’ll get home all right
5. What does Ralph succeed in doing on page 113?
Spearing a boar and winning the boys’ respect for a time
6. How do the boys reenact the hunt on page 114?
Robert acts like the pig, and they all circle and attack him. Jack draws his knife to slit
its throat
7. How does Robert feel throughout the reenactment?
He is terrified and in real pain
8. Who volunteers to go back to Piggy and the littluns alone? Page 117
Simon
9. What does Ralph ask Jack on page 118?
Why do you hate me?
10. Who goes to investigate the mountain? Page 120
Jack, Ralph and Roger
11. What do the boys see on the mountain?
The dead parachutist
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Chapter 8
Questions:
1. Who calls the assembly? Page 125
Jack
2. How many boys vote against Ralph in response to Jack’s challenge?
Zero
3. What does Jack decide to do on page 127?
Leave and start his own tribe
4. What does Simon suggest the boys do? Page 128
Go to the top of the mountain together
5. Where do Bill, Roger, and Maurice go?
To follow Jack and join his tribe
6. Where does Simon go?
To his garden in the forest
7. What do Jack and his tribe decide to do about the beast? Page 133 Mentioned twice.
Forget about it
8. Where does the wounded sow run to? Page 135
Into Simon’s special garden
9. How is Jack’s tribe going to get fire? Page 136
Raid the other camp and steal it
10. What is the Lord of the Flies?
The sow’s head that was on the sharpened spear
11. What does Ralph admit on page 139?
I’m scared
12. Who/what is the cause for things “breaking up” according to Piggy?
Jack
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13. What do all the boys (except Simon) plan to do? Page 141-142
Have a feast and enjoy the pig meat
14. What does the Lord of the Flies tell Simon at the end of the chapter? Write it out:
We shall do you? See? Jack and Roger and Maurice and Robert and Bill and
Piggy and Ralph. Do you. See?
Chapter 9
Notes:
1. What is the only thing prospering on the island at the beginning of chapter nine?
The flies
2. What is the symbolic equivalent of Simon in his garden?
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
3. Where does Simon go at the beginning of chapter nine?
Up the hill mountain
4. What is the symbolism in Simon’s journey (#3)?
Jesus climbing Golgatha (or Mount of Olives)
5. What does Simon do to the parachutist?
He sets him free
6. What important news does Simon have for the boys? Note symbolism.
The beast was harmless. There is nothing to be afraid of.
7. What makes the boys feel better on page 149? How are we similar to this?
They poke fun at Piggy. Ridiculing others always make us feel better about
ourselves
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8. How is Jack described (as opposed to a democratically elected chief)?
As an idol and a king (and an ape)
9. How does Ralph get some authority back on page 150?
He asks about shelter from the rain
10. Why do Ralph and Piggy join the crowd (top of 152)?
There is a sense of security in being part of the crowd
11. How is this hunt reenactment different from others?
The middle of the circle is empty
12. What is Simon crying about as he stumbles out of the forest? Note symbolism.
Something about a dead man on a hill. Jesus on the cross.
13. What happens to the dead parachutist?
It floats over the boys and out to sea.
14. What happens to Simon’s body? Note symbolism.
It is taken out to see by glowing creatures like angels taking a body into
heaven
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Chapter 10
Notes:
1. Who are the only biguns left in Ralph’s crew?
Piggy, Sam and Eric
2. How does Ralph define what happened to Simon?
Murder
3. What are Piggy’s 4 main excuses? What Biblical character is he acting like?
1. Refuses to talk about it
2. It was an accident
3. He asked for it.
4. Deny we were there
*Peter
4. Were the boys scared during the attack on Simon?
No
5. What is the excuse that all four biguns agree on?
They all left early
6. Where is Jack’s tribe staying?
Castle Rock
7. Why is Jack going to beat up Wilfred?
No reason – maybe to punish someone for Simon’s murder
8. Why does Jack have defenders guard the camp?
He’s worried about Ralph coming in
9. What does Jack say happened to Simon?
He says the beast took the form of Simon and they killed it
He refuses to believe that Simon or the beast is dead
10. What main problem does Jack encounter with his new tribe? Page 161
No way to light the fire
11. What is Jack’s solution to this problem?
Raid Ralph’s camp and steal Piggy’s glasses
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12. What is the double purpose of the fire according to Ralph?
For rescue and for comfort
13. How does Ralph expose the fact that he was present at the dance? Symbolism
He mentions that Simon said something about a dead man
Simon’s message may be getting through
14. What main problem does Ralph encounter with his tribe? 164
They don’t have enough people to keep the fire going
15. What does Piggy say will happen if they don’t get home?
He says they will all go crazy
16. What does Ralph pray for on page 166?
That the beast would prefer the littuns
17. What happens in the end of the chapter?
Jack and his tribe steal Piggy’s glasses
Other Symbolism:
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Chapter 11
Notes:
1. What does Ralph’s tribe decide to do about Piggy’s glasses?
To go and tell Jack to give them back
2. What does Piggy admit about Simon on page 171?
That Simon was murdered
3. Why does Jack have to give Piggy back his glasses according to Piggy? 171
Because what’s right is right
4. What memory of Simon gives Ralph confidence on page 172?
That Simon said Ralph would get back
5. What does Piggy suggest the boys do with their hair? 172
Tie it back
6. What makes the twins feel like “they were seeing Ralph for the first time”?
Ralph cannot remember why they need the fire. He’s starting to forget
7. What are different elements of foreshadowing in this chapter? 174-175
Piggy asks if he’s safe. A rock gets bounced into the water. The granite
square is mentioned. Piggy asks Ralph not to leave him. Roger starts throwing
stones.
8. How do Ralph and Jack fight with their spears? 177
Like sabers, without using the lethal sharp point
9. What happens to Piggy?
Roger tips a boulder that knocks Piggy down to the granite slab where he
dies. He is taken away by the waves
10. At the end of the chapter what boy now has the most power?
Roger – he is the only one who has single-handedly committed murder
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Chapter 12
Notes:
1. Where have the littluns been during all this?
Wandering through the jungle
2. Where are Samneric now?
At Castle Rock with Jack
3. Who hurt Samneric?
Roger
4. What has Roger done to prepare for Ralph’s hunt?
Sharpened a stick at both ends
5. How does Jack’s tribe find Ralph’s hideout?
Sam and Eric tell them
6. How does Jack’s tribe attempt to find Ralph?
Burn him out
7. What are Ralph’s final options?
Hide, Run, Fight
8. What happens to the island?
It burns
9. Who does Ralph find on the beach?
A Navy Officer
10. Who attempts to introduce himself to the officer?
Percival
Lots of other things that didn’t fit in questions.
Take lots of notes on the notebook paper. You’ll need ‘em.
The End
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