Hi, everyone, this is Mr. Chandrapala and I'm really looking forward to working with you today.

Today we have another lesson on "Lord of the Flies," and we're gonna be looking at Golding's use of symbolism within the text.

Symbolism is such an important method for us to feel control over and a real confidence with because it allows us to consider how ideas are developed over the course of the text.

I'm really looking forward to getting into this with you and exploring how Golding uses it.

Let's dive in.

So our outcome for today is to be able to explain the symbolism of the conch and Jack's face paint in the novel.

Our keywords include the noun symbolism, which is the use of images, words, or nouns to represent abstract ideas or qualities.

We'll be considering the adjective innate, which is used to describe a quality we are born with, something that is instinctive and natural to us.

We're gonna also be thinking about the concept of bloodlust, an uncontrollable desire to hurt or kill others.

And finally, our adjective appalled means feeling horrified and disgusted.

So for today's lesson, our first part is going to be focusing on the conch.

But firstly, let's just recap what is symbolism? Talk to the person next to you and just try to find a definition of symbolism.

Why is it so important? If you are working alone, you may want to just write your own definition of symbolism, just in your own words, and then when you're ready, hit play.

Fantastic work there, everybody.

So symbolism is, as Aisha says, the use of images, words, or nouns to represent abstract ideas or qualities.

When we're talking about abstract ideas or qualities, we're talking about things that don't have concrete representations.

So for example, if I'm thinking about the symbols of love, love being an abstract idea, something I can't touch, I can't touch love, I may feel like I love someone, but I can't touch that, what that means is I may represent that by thinking about heart or thinking about the colour red.

I may think about a particular object that I associate with a person, and that's what I'm thinking about when I'm thinking about symbolism.

Can we identify any symbols in the novel though? Are there any significant concepts or objects or images that represent specific ideas? Pause the video and see if you can name any for yourself.

Really good work there, everyone.

So there are a couple that we should be aware of.

So as we're gonna cover today, we're gonna be considering the conch and the war paint, but there's also the fire, the beast, the pigs and Piggy's glasses, which crack towards the end of the novel.

Let's start off by looking at the conch.

What is the conch? When is it used? And who uses it? Pause the video, answer those questions quickly and then come back and we'll keep going.

So to recover, you might have said that the conch is a creamy shell that the boys find and it can be blown to make a loud noise.

Ralph dictates that the person holding the conch has the right to speak without being interrupted.

And the conch is also used to summon the boys for meetings.

The conch is primarily used by Piggy and Ralph.

But who does not respect the conch? And why is it important that that character does not respect the conch? Pause the video again.

See if you can remember any group or individual who you think disrespects the conch and why that's so significant.

When you're ready, hit play.

Really good work there, everyone.

So Alex points out that Jack refuses to respect the rules of the conch because of what the conch represents.

It represents democracy and because Jack does not respect democracy, he therefore does not respect the culture.

Aisha points out that Jack never had genuine respect for the conch or its rules, probably because it's a concept that Ralph came up with and Ralph is Jack's political opponent.

One of the rules of the conch is that a person can only speak when in possession of it.

Why do you think this rule was made though? And was it a good rule in the first place? Why do you think that? Pause the video.

Have that discussion.

Maybe challenge each other's ideas or if you're just writing to yourself, consider alternative ways of looking at the conch and whether it's a good idea.

And when you're ready, hit play.

Lovely work there, everyone.

So we may be able to think about the conch being created because it suggests and sort of the remnants of society, doesn't it? It means that there is something that governs law and order.

It is a symbol of civilization.

Is it a good rule? Well, in order to keep order probably, but it's lack of genuine punishment if the rule is broken is possibly an issue with it.

Sofia points out that this rule was made to establish equality amongst the group and to ensure that every person had a voice and was able to express their opinion.

It's a key feature of the democracy, a leadership approach that Ralph firmly believes in.

But how does Jack begin to undermine the rules of the conch? I said earlier that the conch is something that once the rules were broken, no one seemed to be able to punish someone for breaking the rules of the conch.

How does Jack begin to undermine those rules? Pause the video again, have that discussion and when you're ready, hit play.

Really lovely work there, everyone.

So pleased that so many of you are going back to your copies of the text and check your understanding here.

So Jack has a lack of respect for the conch and its rules grow as the novel progresses.

He starts off by accepting the rules of the conch when he or Ralph is in possession of it, but he quickly begins to challenge its rules, especially when Piggy is holding it, which really demonstrates again the fact that he has a disrespect for Piggy because Piggy requires this idea of equality, requires a good society because otherwise, as we've seen already, he becomes very quickly dehumanised.

Jack's disobedience then escalates to claiming that the conch and its rules do not apply to specific parts of the island, parts that he later claims as his own territory.

So you'll remember that he says that at the tip of the mountain that actually, there's no need for the conch to be included, that the conch has no power there.

And that's because Jack is trying to carve out specific areas where actually, he can have greater control.

If there's anything that you need off of this slide, just pause the video and just take that note.

Otherwise we'll move on.

Hit play when you're ready to keep going.

So what does the conch represent to Ralph and Piggy? What does the conch represent to Jack? Well, Alex argues that the conch represent a threat to Jack's authority.

As the conch represents democracy and Jack has no intention of playing by the rules of democracy, the conch represents a threat to his potential leadership.

Aisha views the conch though as representing civilization to Ralph and Piggy.

Piggy frequently reminds the boys of the rules, stating that he has got the conch and that is therefore his time to speak.

What did the conch represent in "Lord of the Flies" though? We've just discussed some of the key ideas around it.

Looking at A, B, C, and D, I need you to choose the correct options.

So is it A, Jack's savagery, option B, Ralph's leadership, option C, democracy and civility or D, logic and reason? When you're ready, hit play.

I could see people really carefully thinking about what we had just been talking about.

So I'm glad to see that so many of you went for Ralph's leadership, and democracy and civility.

Democracy and civility is so clearly represented by the conch.

It's the thing that gives Piggy the opportunity to speak, but it's also because the conch represents democracy, which is Jack's preferred, sorry, Ralph's preferred leadership style.

Literally, the conch is a symbol of Ralph's leadership, but metaphorically, it represents democracy and civility.

You may want to just take 30 seconds and just make sure that you have that note.

So I'd ask you to pause the video here and make sure you've got that little note starting from literally to civility.

Then when you're ready, hit play.

Really diligent stuff there, everyone.

Let's keep moving.

So we now need to think about how is the conch destroyed and what does its destruction mean and why would Golding do that? Pause the video now and see if you can work out how is the conch destroyed? You'll know that, that's just knowledge, but then what is it meant to represent? What does that demonstrate about society on the island? Pause the video, have that discussion and when you're ready, hit play.

Really good work there, everyone.

So glad that so many of you were deeply thinking about actually the fact that it represents democracy and therefore, Godling is trying to represent to us.

So you might have said that Piggy and the conch are destroyed simultaneously, and Piggy dies clutching the conch, perfectly reflecting his commitment to civilization and democracy that ultimately gets him killed.

Piggy's stubbornness and unwillingness to abandon civility is arguably one of the reasons he is killed.

The destruction of the conch is therefore symbolic as it marks the end of civilization and rationality.

From this moment onwards, the boys descend further into depravity and savagery.

So we're just gonna put all of our knowledge about the conch together now.

I want you to discuss with the person next to you or maybe if you're working alone, just answer these questions.

Why was the conch so important on the island? What is our real-life equivalent of the conch and what symbols of democracy and civility do we still have? Once you've had that discussion and turned to the person next to you and made some notes or once you even just answer those questions for yourself, hit play, and we'll start to take some feedback.

Fantastic work there, everyone.

Some really deep thinking.

Let's take some feedback.

So some of the ideas from our Oak pupils included Alex saying, "The conch was a vitally important item on the island as it was used to try to enable the boys to communicate with others respectfully and productively." Whilst Aisha points out, "In a classroom setting, a real-life symbol of equality and freedom might be putting your hand up to speak when you would like to." Do you think the boys ever achieved respectful and productive communication? Why do you think that? Why not? Pause the video and have that discussion and when you're ready, hit play.

It's interesting, isn't it because they do try so hard to make sure that they have that respectful and productive communication and the more that Ralph has that opportunity, that does seem to be the case and actually, the more that Jack becomes involved, it seems that it's clear that that is dying away.

Arguably, the fact that Piggy is ostracised from the start of the text could represent the fact that actually, that this democracy isn't as respectful and productive as we would hope.

But Ralph does try to eventually bring Piggy back into the fold.

We're now gonna consider masks of paint within "Lord of the the Flies." So let's think about this.

Why do people wear masks and what do we associate with the wearing of masks? Pause the video and see if you can come up with any of your own ideas.

Maybe talk to the person next to you and see if they have any too.

Then hit play.

Lovely stuff there, everyone.

So arguably people wear masks to disguise their true identities.

We, therefore, associate the wearing of masks with disguise, mystery, secrecy, and in some cases, deception.

At which point in the novel does Jack paint his face though and why does he paint his face? We've just covered some of the reasons why people choose to wear masks.

Does Jack have any other reasons to? Pause the video and see if you can have that discussion? Once you're ready, hit play.

Fantastic work there everyone.

So in chapter four, Jack paints his face with charcoal and clay to disguise himself when hunting pigs.

He believes it will make him a better hunter.

A strange decision because the pigs can still probably see him.

That camouflage probably is giving him a marginal gain but not a huge one.

But what could the materials Jack chooses symbolise? What do they reveal to the reader about him and how he has changed? Pause the video again and see if you can come up with any ideas here.

Some really interesting stuff.

The idea that he's doing it to be a better hunter shows the sort of values that he prizes, but the fact that he chooses charcoal and clay, these sort of dirt or these materials associated more with dirt could suggest that actually, he's becoming more savage in this nature.

You might have said the fact that actually to Jack, the fact that Jack uses red clay could represent danger or blood, it symbolises his growing bloodlust.

Or as Aisha argues, that the white clay could symbolise Jack's innocence that he's in the process of losing.

It could represent the idea of purity and good being corrupted by savagery.

Whilst Lucas argues, well, the charcoal might represent the darkness that arguably resides within Jack.

Charcoal is created by applying great heat to wood.

This heat could represent the savagery that is beginning to consume Jack.

All of these are such great ideas and if there's any that you really like, you should absolutely take a moment and get them down now.

Please pause the video and take anything you need.

Really diligent stuff there from everyone.

I'm so glad that we're taking these ideas from our Oak pupils.

What fantastic ideas to be able to claim here.

But do we think Jack's choice of material suggests his savagery is innate? Remember, innate means it's something natural, something that we're almost born with.

Do we think that his choice of material suggests that the savagery was always within him? Pause the video and have that discussion.

When you're ready, hit play.

Excellent work there, everyone.

I really like the fact that some of us were beginning to evaluate that.

Was Jack always so savage? Well, Alex argues, well, yes, Jack uses natural materials, suggesting that these are natural instincts that are innate to him.

Whilst Aisha says, well, charcoal is created under a great heat pressure.

You could argue that the savagery is a result of the pressures of being on the island.

Two very different ways of thinking about that.

It's worth thinking, do we think Jack would've been so savage if he had been living in his normal life? Probably not.

He would've probably lived by the same laws of society.

But probably the pressures do allow him to lean further into the savagery that he realises will benefit him.

Which Oak pupil's response do you mostly align with? Whichever one you do, write it down and explain why.

Pause the video now and have a go at that.

Lovely work there, everyone.

I was so interested in the fact that so many of you went for Alex's idea, the fact that actually, because he uses those natural materials, it suggests that it's innate with him.

It could well be that, but I also really like Aisha's idea for the reasons that I said earlier.

I do think that he's placed in a huge amount of pressure and actually that's what leads him to fall so far astray.

Jack has two attempts at painting this face.

Why do you think it matters to him what the mask of paint looks like? Think about how others are going to perceive him or how he perceives himself whilst wearing it.

Why is it so important that the mask of paint looks quite right? Once you've done that, hit play.

Some really interesting ideas there, everyone.

So arguably, Jack is trying to make himself look as intimidating and unrecognisable as possible.

It takes him two attempts to perfect his look, showing that this is arguably more of a vanity project than a way to disguise himself for hunting.

It's not really going to make him a better hunter, is it? But it definitely signals something to other people on the island about what he is leading into and how he should be perceived.

I now want you to read from the word Samneric, halfway down the page to the word them on page 67.

As you're doing so, I want you to be thinking, how does Jack behave with his face painted? Pause the video and read that part of the text and when you're ready, we'll begin to discuss how Jack behaves with his face painted.

You may want to discuss particular ideas with your colleagues.

That's absolutely fine, or you may want to just do this independently and just underline key phrases.

Pause the video for now.

Read from Samneric to them on page 67 and then hit play.

Cracking work there, everyone.

So Jack is described as looking like a stranger and Golding describes the way that the mask appalled the other boys.

They seem to think it's this terrible, awful thing.

Golding describes the bloodthirsty way in which Jack snarls and the sense of liberation he gets from wearing a mask.

So what has Jack created for himself by painting his face? What is he allowing himself to do by doing so? Pause the video, and see if you can work that out and when you're ready, hit play.

Some really interesting ideas.

It does seem to allow Jack this space where actually, he is creating a persona for himself.

This sense of fear and intimidation that actually others should be aware of him, should be more mindful of his attitude on the island.

Now, a quick check for understanding here.

Is it true that the boys are appalled by Jack's mask because it makes him look ugly? Pause the video now and discuss with your partner whether this is true or false and when you're ready, hit play.

Well done, everyone, so many of us going for false there but can we now justify the answer? Is it because A, the boys are appalled by Jack's mask because it makes him unrecognisable as a human being, both in appearance and demeanour? Or is it because the boys are appalled by Jack's mask because he smudged the paint and made himself look a mess? Pause the video again.

Which one is correct, A or B? When you're ready, hit play.

Well done, so many of us getting two from two there.

It's because his appearance and demeanour are unrecognisable as a human being.

He's altering himself, he's making himself seem more threatening, more frightening because he knows that actually that sends a signal to the others of what he is capable of.

We're going to practise now applying this knowledge about the masks of paint.

This part of the text is one of Lucas's favourite parts of the novel.

When asked why he had to say, "The creation of the mask with paint is such a significant moment in the text because it marks the symbolic rebirth of Jack into an appalling and monstrous savage.

Jack's outward appearance now reflects his inner character.

To what extent do you agree that at this moment the real Jack emerges, that this has always been innate within him? Pause the video now and see how you would agree, how far you would agree with Lucas's idea and see if you can provide any evidence to support that.

Once you've done that, hit play.

Excellent work there, everyone.

I'm so glad that we're beginning to evaluate Lucas's ideas.

It's a cracking idea but it's always worth questioning it.

Let's take some feedback.

Challenging your own thinking is so important to consider new possibilities and to gain a deeper understanding of the text.

To do this, I want you to answer the following questions.

If you agreed with Lucas that this moment marks the emergence of the real Jack, I want you to consider if this is the first glimpse of savage Jack that we have seen.

And if so, is savage Jack the real Jack or is he a product of his environment and therefore, not really the authentic version of Jack? If you disagree with Lucas though, I want you to answer these questions.

Why do you think Jack is described as hiding behind the mask still? And why is the mask described as having a mind of its own? You all have different opinions and that's absolutely fine, but challenging them is so important here because it allows us to deepen our thinking.

Pause the video now and answer which other set of questions that you more closely align with when considering your view of Lucas's ideas from the previous slide.

And when you're ready, hit play.

A really interesting range of ideas there.

I personally disagree with Lucas and I actually was thinking about that idea, the fact that Jack is described as hiding behind the mask.

Well, if I'm thinking about Jack hiding behind the mask and maybe thinking about the fact that he's quite insecure, he too has lost a society.

He too has lost a huge amount of security because he has now landed on the island without this sort of previous hierarchy.

And so he's trying to establish himself at the top.

It's a defence mechanism potentially.

Now let's summarise our understanding of Golding's use of symbolism in "Lord of the Flies." So we've covered how arguably the conch is a symbol of democracy and free speech, and that Jack despises the conch and its rules, arguably because it is representative of Ralph's leadership, but also because it is a threat to his campaign.

The destruction of the conch arguably represents the downfall of civilization and democracy And this descent into savagery.

Jack's painted face could therefore mark the emergence of the real savage Jack who has surrendered to his impulses.

The boys are arguably appalled by Jack's mask because it makes him unrecognisable as human in both appearance and demeanour.

You have all been fantastic today and hopefully I have been somewhat recognisable in my demeanour and I have not appalled you too much.

A terrible joke to end.

Thank you so much for joining me today though.

I've really appreciated it.

This (indistinct) symbolism is so important and you can always be thinking about the conch and the war paint as part of your essays on the "Lord of the Flies." Please carry this with you into your future work with it.

But until then, I hope you have a lovely day and I'll speak to you soon.

Bye for now.