New
New
Year 9

Considering ideas of rules and human nature in relation to 'Lord of the Flies'

I can use context to make predictions about the text's themes and purpose.

New
New
Year 9

Considering ideas of rules and human nature in relation to 'Lord of the Flies'

I can use context to make predictions about the text's themes and purpose.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Rules and laws are put in place to try and ensure that society remains civilised and peaceful.
  2. 'Lord of the Flies' was written and published shortly after WWII.
  3. The novel is set against the backdrop of WWII.
  4. The novel explores human beings' capacity for persecution and brutality.
  5. Golding himself experienced the brutality and savagery of humans, whilst at war.

Keywords

  • Civilised - an advanced state of social existence in which people are polite and well-mannered in their interactions with one another

  • Brutality - immense cruelty and savagery

  • To persecute - to subject someone to cruelty and unkindness

  • Savage - cruel, violent and out of control

Common misconception

When pupils think about the role of rules in society, they tend to focus on the role of more punitive rules and argue that rules are restrictive.

Try to get pupils to understand the necessity for rules and laws - particularly those that ban harming others. Get students to imagine what life would be like if harming others was not prohibited.

The reflection task in Task A of Learning Cycle 1 provides you with a reference point to return to throughout the text. You can refer back to this task to illustrate the difficulties in establishing rules, when the boys begin to argue about rules in the text.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is context?
information about what happens in a text
Correct answer: the circumstances in which a text was produced
the key themes and characters in a text
Q2.
In which year did World War II end?
1939
1941
1943
Correct answer: 1945
1947
Q3.
'Lord of the Flies' is a novel. What is a novel?
a work of non-fiction that tells a story about life and the world
a short, rhythmic work involving rhyme
Correct answer: a narrative work of fiction that tells a story about the human experience
a literary work written for the theatre that dramatises events through dialogue
Q4.
A debate is a discussion about a subject on which people have different views. People their opinion at debates.
Correct Answer: argue, present, discuss
Q5.
Which of the following nouns indicates the most leadership and authority?
Mister
Correct answer: Lord
Citizen
Peasant
Pauper
Q6.
What do we mean by the phrase 'the writer's intentions'?
the writer's thoughts and feelings towards the reader
the writer's life and their experiences
Correct answer: what the writer aimed to do when they wrote the text
the career ambitions a writer has - what they intend to do next

6 Questions

Q1.
In which year was 'Lord of The Flies' published?
1952
1953
Correct answer: 1954
1955
1956
Q2.
Which jobs did William Golding have in his life?
He was a blacksmith.
Correct answer: He was in the Royal Navy.
He was a doctor.
Correct answer: He was an English teacher.
He was a factory-worker.
Q3.
When was 'Lord of the Flies' set?
against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution
against the backdrop of WWI
Correct answer: against the backdrop of WWII
against the backdrop of the Plague
Q4.
To someone means to subject them to cruelty and unkindness.
Correct Answer: persecute
Q5.
is the opposite of savagery.
Correct Answer: Civilisation, civilised, civil
Q6.
What did Golding aim to explore through writing 'Lord of the Flies'?
challenging situations in which it is difficult to object
humans' innate sense of morality
Correct answer: the circumstances it takes for a person to become savage and cruel
Correct answer: humans' capacity for brutality
the interactions and development of children in social groups