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Year 9

Exploring Golding's message about human behaviour in 'Lord of the Flies'

I can clearly explain the purpose of Golding's novel and his message about human behaviour.

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New
New
Year 9

Exploring Golding's message about human behaviour in 'Lord of the Flies'

I can clearly explain the purpose of Golding's novel and his message about human behaviour.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Golding aims to provide an incisive insight into human behaviour.
  2. Golding was horrified by the brutality he witnessed during the war, perpetrated by seemingly-ordinary people.
  3. Golding used children for his exploration of human behaviour, arguably because they are considered innocent.
  4. Golding suggests that all humans have an innate savageness within, which is suppressed by societal expectations.
  5. Once these societal expectations are removed, arguably, this savageness is given space to emerge.

Common misconception

Students think that Golding sits on the 'nature' side of the nature/nurture debate.

Golding does not provide us with a concrete answer- he suggests that we all have the capacity (or the impulses) to behave sinfully, but it takes the right circumstances for brutality to emerge.

Keywords

  • Inherent - used to describe a quality we are born with - something that is instinctive and natural

  • Nurture - taking care of something - raising it through feeding it and protecting it from harm

  • Brutality - extreme cruelty and/or violence

  • Trait - a quality or characteristic, belonging to a person

You could look at some of the psychological experiments into brutality as a point of interest e.g. Milgram's 'Electric shock' experiment.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need a copy of the Faber & Faber 1997 edition of 'Lord of the Flies' for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of serious crime
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

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).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In which year was 'Lord of the Flies' published?
1951
1952
1953
Correct answer: 1954
1955
Q2.
What occupation did William Golding have before WWII?
lawyer
Correct answer: teacher
doctor
police officer
Q3.
Which of the following statements is true about William Golding?
he was a commander in the army
Correct answer: he was a lieutenant in the Royal Navy
he was an officer in the Royal Air Force
Q4.
What does the word 'innate' mean?
manufactured
Correct answer: natural
controlled
wild
savage
Q5.
Starting with the first, put the following events from 'Lord of the Flies' in chronological order.
1 - The boys elect Ralph as leader.
2 - Ralph refuses to let Piggy come and explore the island.
3 - Jack's hunters let the fire burn out.
4 - Jack kills his first pig.
5 - Simon discovers that the 'beast' is actually a fallen parachutist.
6 - Simon is murdered by the boys.
7 - Piggy is murdered by Roger.
Q6.
Match the methods up to their definitions.
Correct Answer:contrast,comparing two things in order to show the difference between them

comparing two things in order to show the difference between them

Correct Answer:assonance,the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close to each other

the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close to each other

Correct Answer:personification,attribution of human characteristics to non-human things

attribution of human characteristics to non-human things

Correct Answer:semantic field,a set of words grouped by a common theme

a set of words grouped by a common theme

Correct Answer:simile,a figure of speech used to compare two unlike things using 'like/as'

a figure of speech used to compare two unlike things using 'like/as'

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
The nature vs debate is an age-old psychological and philosophical debate about human behaviour.
Correct Answer: nurture
Q2.
Which character from 'Lord of the Flies' arguably challenges the idea that evil is inherent and part of our nature?
Ralph
Jack
Correct answer: Simon
Piggy
Samneric
Q3.
Which of the following can be used as a synonym for the word 'inherent'?
unnatural
forged
manipulated
Correct answer: innate
uncanny
Q4.
What did William Golding compare man's inherent capacity for evil to?
ants creating a molehill
rabbits creating burrows
Correct answer: bees making honey
cows producing milk
Q5.
Why might people have been so interested in the nature vs nurture debate after the two World Wars?
Correct answer: people had witnessed extreme brutality perpetrated by ordinary people
people wanted to know if there would be another war in their lifetimes
Correct answer: people struggled to understand how one person could influence so many others
many of the acts of violence in war were perpetrated by young people
Q6.
What might Golding have wanted to challenge when writing 'Lord of the Flies'? Select the most appropriate response.
the idea that children are not violent or aggressive
the idea that people are born innately evil
the idea that rules and laws are necessary to a functioning society
Correct answer: the idea that people are either good or evil
the idea that people are not born evil, but are made evil