Lord of the Flies

Over the course of this unit, you will be responsible for taking notes on what we discuss in class, creating a dialectical journal, and writing a literary analysis essay.

When creating a dialectical journal, look for:  Important passages  Setting  Characters – Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, and Samneric, and others.  Literary devices such as foreshadowing, allegory, allusion, flashback, foil, irony, etc.  Imagery  Symbols – the specs, conch, platform, parachutist, blood, pigs, females, weapons, war, heavens, fire, island, and others  Acts of mob violence  Questions that you have

When collecting evidence on characters and symbols listed above, focus on the theme of breakdown of socialized behavior. The journal entries will be the basis for a final essay on that theme. Write down the passage and page number (A). Then, interpret and analyze the passage in relation to the theme (B). You should have approximately two per chapter. I won’t collect them, but we will use them in class and I will have you do some work based on your dialectical journals, so if you don’t have any you will feel pretty silly and never be able to live down the embarrassment. You will also need them for the literary essay.

Example: A) “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking…. And he won’t be interrupted” (33). B) In the beginning of the book the conch shell is the obvious symbol of socialized behavior. They come up with rules surrounding the platform and speaking based on the conch. This is similar to what a judge’s gavel symbolizes in a courtroom. The conch will guide them to uphold the rules they have established.

Reading Schedule: Ch 1-3 due Fri. 9/2 Ch 4-6 due Fri. 9/9 Ch 7-9 due Fri. 9/16 Ch 10 -12 due Fri. 9/23