Download LORD OF THE FLIES

The Relevance of Lord of the Flies
You will organize and write an essay that conveys your understanding of one major literary aspect in Lord of the
Flies. You can create your own topic or choose from the list below to help you get started. Take into account our
many class discussions in order to go beyond the obvious and to the heart of authentic reflection. A completed
essay will have all of the following elements:

A clear, thoughtful, and well-organized thesis that serves as a foundation for the entire essay

Well-structured topic sentences that relate to the thesis and provide a focus for each body
paragraph

Seamlessly integrated quotes from the novel to support your thesis and TSs (at least two per body
paragraph)

Thoughtful analysis that sheds light on the topic sentences and goes beyond a surface
understanding of the novel’s themes.

An introductory paragraph to set up your argument and chart your course (NOT to provide a
summary of the book)

A concluding paragraph to wrap-up your points and express the relevance of your topic outside of
an academic setting (how is this significant in the real world? why should someone outside of
class care?)

Formatted through MLA guidelines and submitted on time to turnitin.com
1: Golding’s allegory is “an attempt to trace the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society
must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not any political system.”
Discuss Golding’s theme in his novel, Lord of the Flies, by analyzing the regression of the boys from their playful
behavior on a paradise island adventure, to their destructive savagery in the wilderness. Include key events from the
story to thoroughly illustrate this regression in individuals, and thus, as the society at large. Why does it fall apart?
What human traits contribute to its demise? to its success?
2: Choose one symbol in the book and thoroughly explain its meaning/ significance. In what ways does this symbol
enrich and develop a theme in the book. An insightful response will comment in depth on the meaning of the symbol
in and of itself as well as how it conveys a deeper theme in the novel.
3: Choose one character from the novel to thoroughly analyze as a psychological archetype. Use theories from Freud,
Kohlberg, or the Seven Centers of Consciousness to focus your analysis and support your claims. A strong essay will
reveal both knowledge of the character and the psychological archetype with which he is associated.
4: Analyze the nature of the beast and all the forms it takes throughout the novel. Essentially, address what the idea
of a beast represents in humankind according to Golding. In what ways does each manifestation of the beast reveal
its true nature? What is behind our consistent need to create a beast? What happens to those who attempt to
expose it for what it is? What are the results of believing in such a beast?
5: Analyze the novel as an allegory for our human evolution from pre-civilized savages to conscious, social beings.
After choosing one boy and directly stating what stage of evolution he represents, develop your argument with
specific quotes and instances from the book to support your claims.
6: Analyze the novel as an allegory of another kind. Be clear on how the microcosm of island life relates to the
macrocosm of your choice (modern society, human condition, aspects of personality, etc.
Please see me if you have other ideas for essay topics so I can help facilitate your needs and get you started.
Remember, a strong essay will be focused on a thesis, with related topic sentences to begin each body paragraph.
Thesis/ Prewriting: ____________
1st Draft: __________________
Final Draft: _____________