English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
In addition to reading Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepeyts , you will also read Lord of the Flies by William Golding ( ISBN: 0-399-50148-7 or ASIN: B0017HSKU2 ).
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As a member of Royal Navy during World War II, William Golding questioned how
Germany, a European center of literature, culture, and art, could be responsible for the
Holocaust, committing horrific atrocities in the concentration camps. In his thinking about Germany, he might well have asked himself these questions: What is the nature of evil? What causes individuals to act immorally or behave in an evil manner? Are people born that way? Or is such behavior a product of one’s environment?
In his attempt to answer these questions, he wrote Lord of the Flies , his most famous novel.
In this document , you will find: o Pre-reading #1 which contains 13 statements for you to agree or disagree with. These issues resonate in the novel.
o Pre-reading #2 discusses the origins of evil from the perspective of
Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, two prominent philosophers. o Reading log assignment.
We strongly suggest completing the pre-reading activities
you begin reading the novel to better prepare yourself for the big ideas
Golding conveys through his characters, motifs, and symbolism.
Though you may want to complete this book early in the summer, we suggest you first read Between Shades of Grey and save Lord of the
Flies for August so the novel will be fresh in your minds once the course begins in September.
If you have any questions about this or anything else regarding the course, you may email Mr. Shapiro at Ron.Shapiro@fcps.edu
during the summer.
Have a memorable and relaxing summer! We look forward to meeting you and working with you this fall!
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/

English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
Lord of the Flies : Pre-reading Activity #1
Directions: Agree or disagree with the following statements. No need to include an explanation of your choices.
__________ 1. Listening to others is the most important quality of a leader.
__________ 2. Obeying rules is better than thinking for oneself.
__________ 3. In a group setting, it is better to cooperate with others even if it means sacrificing one own opinions.
__________ 4. A group of boys usually get along better with one another than a group of girls.
__________ 5. At a party with no parental supervision, teenagers will behave themselves and act in a mature, responsible manner.
__________6. All laws and rules are designed to protect us from others who may think differently from us.
__________7. It is better to talk over disagreements rather than to fight about them.
__________ 8. School bullies act in this way because they know they are better than others.
__________ 9. A teenager’s need for peer approval can cause him/her to act against his values and morals.
__________ 10. In a group of teenagers, those who speak the loudest are listened to and followed on most occasions.
__________ 11. In many situations, most people would rather not hear the truth.
__________ 12. People tend to follow a charismatic leader.
__________ 13. People often misjudge things they don’t understand.
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/

English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
Lord of the Flies : Prereading Activity #2
Nature Vs. Nurture : What causes individuals to act immorally or behave in an evil manner? Are people born that way? Or is such behavior a product of one’s environment?
Ideas of Thomas Hobbes: (Nature of Man is Evil)

man in the state of nature seeks nothing but his own selfish pleasure, but such individualism naturally leads to a war in which every man is against his neighbor.
Everything human beings voluntarily do is for pleasure or self-preservation. Even an action such as donating to charity is done for self-pleasure, for a person who gives money to a beggar does so because it makes him feel pleased with himself. Since the world does not provide for every person’s needs, there is competition for the limited supplies of material goods which causes conflict, cheating, stealing, killing, and various vices. This competition causes people to distrust one another which, in turn, causes more conflict.
Furthermore, those who obtain material goods or wealth are hostile to others so they can preserve their powerful reputation. Hobbes wrote, “All mankind [is in] a perpetual and restless desire for power... that [stops] only in death.” The life of human beings is an unending “war against all,” in which there can be no industry, commerce, or civilization, which makes the life of human beings “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” The fear of death by attack, the desire to have an adequate living, and the hope to attain prosperity through one's labor is what drove human beings to create governments. Human beings who live in a specific territory make a social contract whereby they give a person or a group of people the authority to make and enforce laws. The best government is one that has the great power of a leviathan, or sea monster so that people are too afraid to give in to their natural desires to attack, steal, lie, cheat, murder, and oppress. When a society is governed by a strong government that instills fear in its citizens, people will live in accord with one another.
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/

English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
Leviathan , Chapter XIII (1651)
Ideas of Jean Jacques Rousseau (Nature of Man is Good)
o man is born weak and ignorant, but virtuous nonetheless; only after man develops society does he become wicked. (noble savage) o evil is a product of corrupt institutions and poor social arrangements
Human beings are naturally good, and self-preservation and compassion are their most basic traits. A human being uncorrupted by society will not hurt another human being unless his preservation is at risk. The trait of compassion is so imbibed in human beings, even violent, imprisoned criminals will feel sorry for a child if, from their cell, they see him attacked by a ferocious animal. Human beings are evil because their experiences with society have made them evil. In primeval times, human beings lived isolated and satisfied their needs from the abundance of nature; however, men and women began living together with their children, and these families began living next to other families.
Living among other people and families gave birth to jealousy and envy because neighbors invariably compared their abilities and achievements with one another. These feelings gave rise to conflicts, crime, and distrust. The introduction of property worsened the situation. Men fought to protect property or to gain more property. The powerful men with property oppressed the weak ones without property so they could maintain and increase their wealth and power. Luxury and idleness increased the corruption because it increased envy in those who lack this opulence and gave a false feeling of superiority to those with opulence. Instead of being what she truly is, a human being saw herself as others saw her. The solution is to raise children so that their natural self will be realized instead of allowing them to be molded according to the values of society.
Adapted from http://members.shaw.ca/tzeglen/SS30politicalphilosopherslecturenotes.htm
So the debate is about "Nature vs. Nurture.” In this way, nature=genes, and nurture=environment. The question becomes whether genetics or environmental factors determine human behavior.
Before reading the novel, what do you think??????
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/

English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/

English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
10th Grade Honors English Summer Assignment
Directions:
The following pages contain reading log worksheets to be completed for William
Golding’s novel,
Lord of the Flies . All work should be typed and written using complete sentences.
1.
In the box below the quotation, you will provide the context for this quote. To do this, you will briefly summarize the scene where this quote is found. (Please note: quotes on the following pages are taken from the Perigee edition.)
2.
The column to the right asks you to provide a personal response on the quote. To do this, you may reflect upon your feelings regarding the scene or connect the ideas in the scene to yourself, another book, a song, history, film, or the so-called
‘real’ world.
3.
The last column requires you to ponder the significance (importance) that this quote has to the text as a whole . We suggest completing this column after you have read the entire book so that you may have the entire text to draw upon for your answer.
For this part, ask yourself: if Golding had not included this quote, how might my understanding of the novel’s theme, setting, or characters be different?
You will find that Golding uses a good deal of foreshadowing so knowing the entire plot line can assist you in this response. Please limit your response to no more than 150 words.
4.
The box at the bottom of the page asks you to critically respond to an aspect of the chapter. Please limit your response to no more than 100-150 words.
You may type your answers in the boxes provided on this downloadable document
OR if you this does give you enough room to respond, you are welcome to structure each response in this manner:
1.
Quote (please type along with page number)
Context (plot):
Response (personal connection):
Significance (importance to the novel):
Critical Analysis (looking beneath the surface of the plot):
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/

English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
Quote:
“[Ralph] was old enough, twelve years and a few months, to have lost the prominent tummy of childhood and not yet old enough for adolescence to have made him awkward. You could see now that he might make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went, but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil”
(Golding 10).
Context
Golding is describing Ralph’s physical characteristics. Just prior to this quote, the reader learns that Ralph and Piggy have just met and Ralph is about to jump into the ocean as
Golding begins to describe him.
Response:
It seems as though Ralph is a nice boy. Golding says that although he has an athletic build, which could be intimidating to Piggy, his eyes “proclaimed no devil.” I think this means that when a person looks into Ralph’s eyes, they can see that he is genuine and nice.
I have heard that the eyes are like the window to a person’s soul, and that you can learn a lot about a person by simply looking at his/her eyes. I think this is true because the eyes have a way of showing emotion. You can tell when someone is angry, confused, or nervous just by paying attention to the eyes and facial features.
Significance:
Golding is foreshadowing
Ralph’s style of leadership when he is describing his physical attributes. His mild demeanor represents his democratic leadership…
*You would write a longer response with a maximum of
150 words .
Critical Analysis: How does Golding establish the idea of social order?
Golding establishes the idea of order through the use of the conch shell and through the voting process. When Ralph blows the shell, the sound resonates across the island, bringing the boys together. This creates social order because the boys immediately connect the conch to the megaphones that the adults had used to promote order during the evacuation. Because Ralph holds the conch, others see him as a leadership figure, even though he is not voted chief until later in the chapter. As the plot evolves, the conch will be used to preserve order by allowing one boy at a time to hold the conch and speak. This should ensure harmony among the boys during group discussions.
In addition, the election of Ralph as leader also serves as a means of establishing social order. The democratic voting style used by the boys ensures social order.
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/

English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
Journal 1
Quote:
“They knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood” (Golding 31).
Response: Significance:
Context
Critical Analysis: Explain why you think William Golding chooses to use the noun “enormity” to describe the knife.
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/

English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
Journal 2
Quote:
“Ralph’s right of course. There isn’t a snake-thing. But if there was a snake we’d hunt it and kill it” (Golding 36).
Response:
Context
Significance:
Critical Analysis: How would you contrast the views between Ralph and Jack concerning the
“snake-thing”?
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/

English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
Journal 3
Quote:
“They walked along, two continents of experience and feeling, unable to communicate”
(Golding 55).
Response:
Context
Significance:
Critical Analysis: How would you explain Golding’s use of metaphor in this sentence?
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/

English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
Journal 4
Quote:
Narrator : They scrambled down a rock slope, dropped among flowers and made their way under the trees.
Here they paused and examined the bushes round them curiously.
Simon spoke first.
Simon : Like candles. Candle bushes.
Candle buds.
Narrator : The bushes were dark evergreen and aromatic and many buds were waxen green and folded up against the light. Jack slashed at one with his knife and the scent piled over them.
Simon : Candle buds
Ralph . You couldn’t light them.
They just look like candles
Jack : Green candles. We can’t eat them. Come on.
(Golding 30)
Context
Response: Significance:
Critical Analysis: What does this brief dialogue reveal about these three characters?
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/

English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
Journal 5 Select a quote from chapters 7-9 that you think is important.
Quote: Response: Significance:
Context
Critical Analysis: Explain how the quote or passage reveals imagery, symbolism, tone, or mood.
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/

English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
Journal 6 Select a quote from chapters 10-12 that you think is important.
Quote: Response: Significance:
Context
Critical Analysis: Explain how the quote or passage reveals imagery, symbolism, tone, or mood.
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/

English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
How will the reading logs be assessed?
The teachers will use the following rubric to assess the reading logs. The teachers reserve the right to grade only a representative sample of the reading logs.
Sophisticated
5 points
Sufficient
4 points
Limited
3 points
Minimal
0-2 points
Insight
Maturity of expression
Connections
The student shows evidence of understanding as indicated by the logic, analysis, and insight used in the response.
The responses reveal strong attention to elevated diction and varying sentence beginnings.
Writing is at an advanced level.
Clear, detailed example(s) to convey the personal connection to this moment in the novel.
Student understands the novel as evidenced by response, but it lacks some detail for a full, critical understanding.
The responses reveal writing appropriate for grade level.
Response gives a more general, less specific, personal connection.
Student has the plot understanding but has limited analysis.
Writing may be unclear and vague. Weak diction, especially verbs, is apparent.
Response lacks clarity and development.
Student demonstrates a vague understanding of the novel and a lack of critical interpretation.
Response is hurried and lacks detail, resulting in undeveloped ideas.
Response reveals little effort to find a connection to personal experience, observation, prior knowledge, or society.
Mechanics
Spelling, grammar, punctuation
There are no errors in conventions.
Response contains 1 or 2 errors.
Response contains noticeable errors.
Response contains pervasive errors.
This assignment will be worth 30 points.
Again, if you have questions or concerns regarding this assignment, please do not hesitate to contact Ron.Shapiro@fcps.edu
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/

English 10 Honors, Summer 2014
Reading log activity is adapted from Parkland High School, http://www.parklandsd.org/