an extremely brutal and cruel style of leadership

a story, poem or image that has a hidden message, typically a moral or political one

an advanced warning of what is to come in the future of a text

to undermine or go against the expected norm

Exploring structure, allegory and genre in Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'

English

In 'Lord of the Flies', students explore central questions about what gives us authority within society and whether power inevitably corrupts those who hold it. In 'Animal Farm: The Pigs and Power', students also explore the corrupting influence of power and question whether those who hold power are bound to abuse it. 

In 'A Monster Within', students look at villains in gothic fiction and, through their study of context, explore whether they are in fact made monstrous due to social fears and prejudices. In 'Lord of the Flies', students explore the powerful influence of social hierarchy and, using very different context, unpick what Golding's central message about human civilization might be. 

In this unit, pupils read and explore 'The Lord of the Flies' by considering Golding's message about human nature. They first read the novel, before analysing the characters Ralph, Simon, Jack and Piggy. They then look at setting and symbolism before planning and writing an essay on human nature.

'Lord of the Flies'

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Depiction or discussion of violence or fighting, including threats of violence or the aftermath of violence.

a group of texts written by the same author

a group of texts from a specific time period or era

the death of the mulberry-birthmark "littlun"

Which of the following deaths in 'Lord of the Flies' is intentional?

Which texts does Golding allude to in Chapter 1 of 'Lord of the Flies'?

He wanted to show how much more appreciative and kind children have become.

He wanted to portray a different idea about how children might behave.

He wanted to subvert the adventure novel genre to share his allegory about evil.

He wanted to conform to the adventure novel genre in a fresh and exciting way.

Why might Golding have alluded so distinctly to 'Coral Island' in 'Lord of the Flies'?

because Ralph is the main and most likeable character

to symbolise that the boys are actively seeking to destroy civility and order

to show how democracy can never prevail in face of tyranny

to show how savage the boys have become as they meticulously hunt Ralph

Why might Golding have wanted to end 'Lord of the Flies' with the hunting of Ralph?

a story, poem or image that has a hidden message

Match the vocabulary up to its definition.

Which of the following is a structural device?

they are respectful and awe-inspired by nature

they are disrespectful and destructive towards nature

How do the boys treat nature in 'Lord of the Flies'?

What does Piggy represent in 'Lord of the Flies'?

Which character from 'Lord of the Flies' is described as "sinister" in Chapter 1?

a brief reference to a character or incident from another text

the use of words or figurative language to create vivid pictures

attribution of human characteristics to non-human things

the use of images, words or nouns to represent abstract ideas 

an invented perspective or speaker used by a writer

a poetic form consisting of 14 lines, written in iambic pentatemeter

a short story typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral lesson 

a brief statement that refers to a character or incident from another text 

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Adult supervision required

Introduction

What will you need for this lesson?

Are you ready to learn?

Equipment

Content guidance

Supervision

Worksheet