Year 9 - English
Exploring structure, allegory and genre in Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'
'Lord of the Flies'
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
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.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how Golding structures the text and subverts the traditional adventure novel genre.
Key Notes
- The deaths in the novel drive the plot - they escalate in brutality and intention as the novel progresses.
- Golding foreshadows the death of Piggy and the attempted murder of Ralph from the beginning of the novel.
- Golding's novel is an allegory about the importance of rules and the innate evil of mankind.
- Golding alludes to 'Coral Island' throughout the novel, arguably to offer a different perspective of the same situation.
- Golding subverts the children's adventure novel genre to create a horrifying allegory about the true nature of evil.
Vocabulary To Learn
- tyranny: an extremely brutal and cruel style of leadership
- allegory: a story, poem or image that has a hidden message, typically a moral or political one
- foreshadowing: an advanced warning of what is to come in the future of a text
- to subvert: to undermine or go against the expected norm
- inevitable: certain to happen - unavoidable
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Lots of students do not realise that this novel was actually inspired by an earlier, 19th century novel called 'Coral Island' by Ballantyne.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
The deaths in the novel drive the plot - they escalate in brutality and intention as the novel progresses. Golding foreshadows the death of Piggy and the attempted murder of Ralph from the beginning of the novel.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'tyranny'
an extremely brutal and cruel style of leadership.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Lots of students do not realise that this novel was actually inspired by an earlier, 19th century novel called 'Coral Island' by Ballantyne. Correction: Golding uses the established genre and subverts its conventions to create a horrifying exploration of what evil truly is and where it comes from.
More Lessons In This Unit
- An exploration of Chapter 1 of 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- An exploration of Chapter 10 of 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- An exploration of Chapter 11 of 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- An exploration of Chapter 12 of 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- An exploration of Chapter 2 of 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- An exploration of Chapter 3 of 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- An exploration of Chapter 4 of 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- An exploration of Chapter 5 of 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- An exploration of Chapter 6 of 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- An exploration of Chapter 7 of 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- An exploration of Chapter 8 of 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- An exploration of Chapter 9 of 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- Considering and understanding allusions in Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- Considering ideas of rules and human nature in relation to 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- Considering Jack's dictatorial leadership and antagonism in 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- Considering the presentation of Ralph in Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- Exploring Golding's message about human behaviour in 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- Exploring Simon's role as an outsider and as Jack's foil in 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- Golding's use of setting in 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- Golding's use of symbolism in 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- Planning a written response on human nature in Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- The dehumanisation and death of Piggy in Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
- Writing a response on human nature in Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' Study Guide
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