Characters in Lord of the Flies Characterization Vocab

Characters in Lord of the Flies

Characterization Vocab Review • CHARACTERIZATION the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character. • INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION the author reveals to the reader what the character is like by describing how the character looks and dresses, by letting the reader hear what the character says, by revealing the character’s private thoughts and feelings, by revealing the characters effect on other people or by showing the character in action. • DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION the author tells us directly what the character is like: sneaky, generous, mean to pets and so on. • The main character in a story is called the protagonist. He or she is always involved in the main conflict and its resolution. • The person opposing the protagonist is called the antagonist. • Dynamic - A dynamic character is a person who changes over time, usually as a result of resolving a central conflict or facing a major crisis. • Static - A static character is someone who does not change over time. • Round - A rounded character is anyone who has a complex personality; he/she is often portrayed as a conflicted and contradictory person. • Flat - A flat character is the opposite of a round character. This person is simply one way and is usually not central to the story. • Foil- A character who is the opposite (in contrast) of another character

LOTF Characters

Symbolism – The Lord of the Flies

More than any other novel this year, there are significant symbols you need to know. The following are examples that you’ll need to know for the story and for the unit overall.

Symbolism: • In your journals define symbolism: • a person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself and that also stands for something more than itself.

Conch • Represents communication and unity between the boys, whether they are in the same tribes or not. • Like blowing a whistle during a sporting event, the conch shell represents order. • It also represents the island, on which the boys are stuck.

Piggy’s Glasses • Piggy is very intelligent, although he’s more “book smart” than anything else. • He is rational and is the least changed human from the civilized world to the island. • His glasses represent his ability to “see the truth, ” but they also represent freedom, because with the glasses, the boys are able to build a fire – important for survival. Because of this fact, the glasses also represent power.

The Beastie • The “beast” is really an imaginary figure that scares the boys. • It represents that there is something barbaric (savagely cruel) and primal inside of all of us. • Simon, one of the boys (also the “Christ” figure) tries to reach out to the beastie when he realizes that it is a figure that only exists in our imaginations. • As the boys become more barbaric, the more real the beastie becomes to them.

The Lord of the Flies • This is the pig’s head (one that they kill while on the island). • They pay homage to the Lord of the Flies as an “offering” to him; a false idol. • Simon, the innocent “Christ figure, ” confronts the sow’s head, trying to tell him what evil exists in the human heart. • The term “The Lord of the Flies” literally means “Beelzebub, ” which is the Devil’s name in the Bible. • Therefore, the LOF represents evil itself.

The Signal Fire • The fire equals freedom for the kids on the island. • It is how they signal that they are still alive. • It also represents chaos and shows just how “out of control” things are on the island. • At one point, the fire goes out, and because of it, a plane bypasses the island leaving them stranded for what seems like a very long time.

Archetypes • Universal patterns in all stories and mythologies regardless of culture or historical period. • Recognizing archetypal patterns in literature brings patterns we all unconsciously respond to. The term archetype can be applied to: • An image • A theme • A symbol • An idea • A character type • A plot pattern

Three Types of Achetypes Character Situational Symbolic Common character types in literature Common situations for characters or in stories Common symbols within literature. Hero, scapegoat, Quest, Task, Journey, mentor, mother, father, Initiation, Fall, Battle trickster, hunting group between good and evil of companions, outcast, loyal retainers, shadow, creature of the night Light vs. darkness, Innate wisdom vs. educated stupidity, Fire, water vs. desert, colors the persona

The Hero • The one who saves the day; runs the show

The Hero Ralph • Ralph is the athletic, charismatic. Pg. 10 -11 • Elected the leader of the boys. • “But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully there was the conch. The being that had blown that, had sat waiting for them on the platform with the delicate thing balanced on his knees, was set apart” Pg. 24

The Hero Ralph • Ralph is the primary representative of order, civilization, and productive leadership in the novel. • Ralph uses the conch to maintain order • Ralph sets about building huts and thinking of ways to maximize their chances of being rescued. • Ralph represents the more paternalistic aspects of government, concerned with socialism, making sure there is housing and looking after everyone.

The Hero Ralph • Ralph’s commitment to civilization and morality is strong, and his main wish is to be rescued and returned to the society of adults. • “We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire”. Pg. 41 • Ralph suggest special people for looking after the fire and restores order about when and where the conch still is in effect. Pg. 46 -47

The outcast • has been kicked out of society or has left voluntarily • Sometimes the "Christ" figure

The Outcast Simon • Simon embodies a kind of innate, spiritual human goodness that is deeply connected with nature and, in its own way, as primal as Jack’s evil. • Simon is in touch with nature and has a higher moral and spiritual awareness then the rest of the boys on the island

The Outcast Simon • Ralph describes Simon as queer and funny. Pg. 59 • He was a small, skinny boy, his chin pointed, and his eyes so bright they had deceived Ralph into thinking him delightfully gay and wicked. The course mop of black hair was long and swung down. . . ” Pg. 60

The outcast Simon • Simon is the Christ like figure, representing a higher moral order than the other boys. Simon is aware that good and evil come from within ones self and not from any imposed political system in which society has paced on them. • The other boys abandon moral behavior as soon as civilization is no longer there to impose it upon them. They are not innately moral; rather, the adult world, the threat of punishment for misdeeds, has conditioned them to act morally

The Outcast Simon • Pg. 61. This passage is reminiscent of how Christ was with his followers. Simon provided food to the hungry children, he could reach the berries that their little hands could not. Just as Jesus had multiplied the bread and fish so that he could feed many. • Simon acts morally not out of guilt or shame but because he believes in the inherent value of morality. He behaves kindly toward the younger children,

The Outcast Simon • Simon is the first to realize the problem posed by the beast and the Lord of the Flies. • Simon realizes that the monster on the island is not a real, physical beast but rather a savagery that lurks within each human being. • The sow’s head on the stake symbolizes this idea, as we see in Simon’s vision of the head speaking to him. • Pg. 157 -159 The conversation between the Beelzebub which means The Lord of the Flies, also known as Satan.

The Outcast Simon • Simon represents a contrary idea of essential human goodness. However, his brutal murder at the hands of the other boys indicates the scarcity of that good amid an overwhelming abundance of evil. • His brutal murder at the hands of the other boys indicates the scarcity of that good amid an overwhelming abundance of evil. • Just as Jesus Christ dies (sacrificed) on the cross for the sins of mankind, so too was Simon, who represented the very few of the truly good, was sacrificed for the evil that was present in the boys.

Kohlberg’s hierarchy of moral development • This obedience is compelled by the threat or application of punishment. • The second level of moral thinking is that generally found in society, hence the name "conventional. • The third level of moral thinking is one that Kohlberg felt is not reached by the majority of adults. Its first stage (stage 5) is an understanding of social mutuality and a genuine interest in the welfare of others. • The last stage (stage 6) is based on respect for universal principle and the demands of individual conscience.

Kohlberg’s hierarchy of moral development

The scapegoat • the one blamed for everything, regardless of whether he or she is actually at fault

The scapegoat/mother Piggy • Piggy is an archetype for both the scapegoat and a mother figure. • Piggy has a tendency of taking care of, and looking after others before self • Piggy is the intellectual with poor eyesight, a weight problem, and asthma. He is the most physically vulnerable of all the boys, despite his greater intelligence. • Piggy represents the rational world. • By frequently quoting his aunt, he also provides the only female voice. Chapter 1

The scapegoat/mother Piggy • Piggy's intellect benefits the group only through Ralph; he acts as Ralph's advisor. • He cannot be the leader himself because he lacks leadership qualities and has no rapport with the other boys. • Piggy also relies too heavily on the power of social convention. He believes that holding the conch gives him the right to be heard. He believes that upholding social conventions get results.

The scapegoat/mother Piggy • intellectual approach to life is modeled on the attitudes and rules of the authoritative adult world, he thinks everyone should share his values and attitudes as a matter of course. • Speaking of the deaths of Simon and the littlun with the birthmark, he asks "What's grownups goin' to think? " as if he is not so much mourning the boys' deaths as he is mourning the loss of values, ethics, discipline, and decorum that caused those deaths.

The trickster • THE CUNNING, CLEVER, AND DANGEROUS CHARACTER

The Father/ Trickster Jack • Jack’s physical description is typical of the villain, his appearance is the opposite of that of Ralph’s attractive appearance • P. 20 He has red hair and is tall, thin and bony. His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness. His fiery hair and his ugly appearance give us clues to his fiery, ugly character

The father/trickster Jack • Jack represents both the father and trickster archetype. • As a father figure he is seen as authoritative, the man who brings home the “bacon” • He is the hunter • Jack soon becomes obsessed with hunting and devotes himself to the task, painting his face like a barbarian and giving himself over to bloodlust. The more savage Jack becomes, the more he is able to control the rest of the group

The Father/ Trickster Jack • Jack desires power above all other things. He is furious when he loses the election to Ralph and continually pushes the boundaries of his subordinate role in the group • Eventually, Jack has learned to use the boys’ fear of the beast to control their behavior—a reminder of how religion and superstition can be manipulated as instruments of power.

Situational Archetypes The Quest The Task The Journey The Initiation The Ritual The Fall Battle between Good and Evil What the Hero must accomplish in order to bring fertility back to the wasteland, usually a search for some talisman, which will restore peace, order, and normalcy to a troubled land. The character searches for something, whether consciously or unconsciously, their thoughts, actions, feelings center around this goal. The nearly superhuman feat(s) the Hero must perform in order to accomplish his quest. The journey sends the Hero in search of some truth that will help save his kingdom. The adolescent comes into his maturity with new awareness and problems. The actual ceremonies the Initiate experiences that will mark his rite of passage into another state. A clear sign of the character's role in his society The descent from a higher to a lower state of being usually as a punishment for transgression. It also involves the loss of innocence. Obviously, a battle between two primal forces. Mankind shows eternal optimism in the continual portrayal of good triumphing over evil despite great odds.

The Quest

The Quest in LOTF • “’Now we come to the most important thing…This is what I thought. We want to have fun. And we want to be rescued”(Golding 37). • “’Just an ordinary fire. You think we could do that, wouldn’t you? Just a smoke signal so we can be rescued’”(Golding 170). • Ralph, Piggy, and Simon just got attacked by the hunters. • The hunters stole Piggy’s glasses so that they could create a rescue fire. • Ralph is stressed by the quest.

The Task

The Journey

The Initiation • “They made us. They hurt us…”(Golding 188). • Jack’s tribe offers an example of initiation by hazing the new tribe members. • Eric and Sam are brought into the tribe against their will, Ralph discovers Jack and Roger’s savagery has continued. • “You don’t know Roger. He’s a terror. And the chef– they’re both terrors” (Golding 189). • The twin’s’ conviction of Ralph being n danger is grounded in their own first hand knowledge of Jack and Roger’s brutality.

The Ritual • Chapter 9: When the rain starts, Jack orders the boys to dance in the rain, playing out the same mock hunt in which Robert was hurt. • The dance gives order to the boys' panicked energy during the downpour and acts as a defiance of the elements, a sort of rain dance in reverse. • A sense of protection is created when the dance happens and there is a change in tone for the novel

The Fall • The descent from a higher to a lower state of being usually as a punishment for transgression. It also involves the loss of innocence. • Who in the novel fits this archetype? • Find textual evidence from the story.

Battle between good and evil • Ralph vs Jack • What are examples of this battle in the novel?

Symbolic Archetypes Light vs. Darkness Light usually suggests hope, renewal, or intellectual illumination; darkness implies the unknown, ignorance, or despair. Innate Wisdom vs. Educated Stupidity Some characters exhibit wisdom and understanding of situations instinctively as opposed to those supposedly in charge. Loyal retainers often exhibit this wisdom as they accompany the hero on the journey. Fire Water vs. Desert Fire represents knowledge, light, life, and rebirth Because Water is necessary to life and growth, it commonly appears as a birth symbol, as baptism symbolizes a spiritual birth. Rain, rivers, oceans, etc. also function the same way. The Desert suggests the opposite. Colors Red: blood, sacrifice, passion, disorder Green: growth, hope, fertility Blue: highly positive, security, tranquility, spiritual purity Black: darkness, chaos, mystery, the unknown, death, wisdom, evil, melancholy White: light, purity, innocence, timelessness (negatives: death, horror, supernatural) Yellow: enlightenment, wisdom The mask one puts on in front of other people, the hidden person comes through in the glimpses The persona

Innate Wisdom vs. Educated Stupidity • “ ‘And you can see, the rocks get • “ ‘We’ve got to talk about this fear and decide there nothing worse’[…] ‘we’ll try climbing the mountain in it. I’m frightened myself, sometimes; only that from here, ’ he said, ‘I should nonsense! Lke bogies. Then, think this is the easiest way. when we’ve decided we can There’s less of that jungly stuff; start again and be careful and more pink rock. Come about things like the fire’ on’”(Golding 26). • This quote is from Jack who shows “(Golding 98). his instinctual knowledge of their situation on the island • Jack’s leadership position adds meaning to the book as Jack’s actions often cause other important events to occur on the island • Ralph understand a difficult situation on the island. • He acknowledges the fear of others and himself. • He shows innate wisdom as he continues to discuss a plan of action

Light vs. Darkness • “Toward midnight the rain ceased and the clouds drifted away, so that the sky was scattered once more with the incredible lamps of stars” (Golding 153). • After Simon’s death the sky clears and brightens from the stars. • Representing Simon’s renewal into another life/ afterlife and the stars symbolize peace. • “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s hear, and the fall through the air of true, wise friend called Piggy”( Golding 202). • Showing the darkness through Ralph’s despair and the merciless killing of Simon and Piggy. • Golding shows that there is no way to stop evil from happening throughout the novel.

Colors: White • “ Out there, perhaps a mile away, the white surf flinked on a coral reef, and byond the open sea was dark blue” (Golding 10). • The color white represent the truth of how the boys are completely alone on the island.

HOW TO WRITE A LITERARY ANALYSIS PAPER

What is a literary analysis essay? • Encourages you to think about how and why a poem, short story, novel, or play was written. • For now your literary analysis will include the following components: • Identifying theme • Explain how theme was shown throughout the novel • Analyze the symbols, characterization, and other aspects of the literature that showed you what theme was

Step One: • Take out your notebook or a sheet of paper and create the header for your thematic analysis essay. • Must be in MLA format • PAGE 25 of Red Writing Guide • Formatting • Heading • Header

ORGANIZATION YOU ARE WRITING A 5 -PARAGRAPH ESSAY Introduction – One Main Theme Body 1 –Element #1 Body 2 – Element #2 Body 3 – Element #3 Conclusion

INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH • HOOK • TRANSITIONS • THESIS Your introduction needs to grab the reader, explain the issue, and then show your stance on that issue.

Step Two: Planning your introduction • Choose a theme you want to write about - Evil is innate - Violence needs an outlet - Fear can affect a person - There are negative effects of war - Experiences can make a child lose innocence - People struggle with individualism and community relations. - People struggle with civility and savagery • Once you choose your theme find three literary elements that support your selected theme • Symbolism, character development, interactions between characters, archetypes, etc.

THE HOOK • The hook is a grabber for the reader. It gets the readers attention and relates to the topic in some way. • Quotes • Statistics • Anecdotes • Interesting facts/definitions

SAMPLE HOOKS • “Dying is not a crime, ” said Jack Kevorkian. • Elbert Hubbard once said, “Truth is stronger than fiction. ” • Twenty innocent children died in the horrific killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and yet not one new gun control law has been enacted as yet.

HOOKS • "Seventy-two percent of Americans have been directly related to a person, or persons, killed during WWII" (Source to follow here). • "Do you hear the scraping, the groaning, the sounds of stumbling hooves, the moos and bleats? It's our student body, heading to a too-short, too-crowded lunch. "

WHAT ARE HOOKS YOU CAN USE? • Think… Quotes Statistics Anecdotes Interesting facts/definitions

Step 3: Write your hook • Write a hook that will relate to theme you are going to write about • Examples: • Violence needs an outlet: • Hook- Frequently my younger brothers will fight for no reason and will be friends with one another after. Many males can have physical altercations with one another and be able to move past it emotionally.

THESIS PAGE 1618 • Your thesis needs to be specific and demonstrate what your three body paragraphs will entail. • It must be an arguable statement • It must have three prongs • Your thesis statement is the target for your reader to know what they are reading

THESIS Writing • Topic: Pollution is bad for the environment. • Arguable Statement: At least 25 percent of the federal budget should be spent on limiting pollution. • Thesis Statement: At least 25 percent of the federal budget should be spent on helping upgrade business to clean technologies, researching renewable energy sources, and planting more trees in order to control or eliminate pollution.

Example Thesis: • Golding portrays theme that evil is innate through the antagonist and foil of Jack Merridew, the symbolism of the Lord of the Flies, and the conflict and foreshadowing between Roger and the boys.

Step Four: Write your thesis • What is your main point? (the topic) • What are your three ideas? (subtopics) • WRITE A SENTENCE …

TRANSITIONS YOU MAY INCLUDE: • Include a TAG (title, author, genre). • Both sides of the debate • Definitions • Explain your hook • How do you get from your hook to your thesis? Bridge the gap…

Sample Introduction Thomas Hobbes, a famous philosopher studied the American political ideologies and found that men are born with original sin and often give into temptation. In The Lord of the Flies, William Golding explains his observations and thoughts about humans and the human psyche. This book was written post WWII and really demonstrates the concept of how humans react to catastrophic events and how humans react when left to their own devices. Golding agreed with Thomas Hobbes’s theory that men are born with greed animal instinct. Golding portrays theme that evil is innate through the antagonist and foil of Jack Merridew, the symbolism of the Lord of the Flies, and the conflict and foreshadowing between Roger and the boys.

Step Five 1. On your planning sheet write your transition sentences 2. Raise your hand for me to check your hook, thesis, and transition sentences 3. After I check your work on your sheet of paper with your MLA formatted header write your introduction paragraph 4. If you finish early check your citations for your textual evidence

BODY PARAGRAPHS • YOU NEED THREE EXAMPLES TO SUPPORT YOUR THESIS • Each example must demonstrate a different literary element/device • YOU ARE WRITING PEAS paragraphs • • Point Evidence Analysis Summary

FIND YOUR EVIDENCE • Skim through your Lord of the Flies to find evidence that will support your main point. • One main quote, can stand on its own • You must tell your reader what happened in the novel before giving the quote

Step Six: • You should have already found your evidence: • If you haven’t find it • If you have then… • You need to introduce each quote by telling your reader what is happening • Write your body paragraphs on your planning sheet • Point: think topic sentence, what is the literary element that support theme • Evidence: Introduce what is happening in the story then give the quote in a correct MLA citation • Analysis: Explain how the literary element supported theme • Summary: Restate what you have told your reader focusing on what the literary device is and how it supported theme

Conclusions • Should restate your position (thesis) • Then discuss the consequences of taking the other side or answering the “so what? ” • (Think of it like inverting your introduction).

Step Seven: Write your conclusion • Write your conclusion on your planning sheet • Transition from your last body paragraph and start to restate your thesis in new words • Then you have two options: 1. Give the so what? Why is theme from the novel important for people to learn? 2. OR what is a counter claim to theme you have found or could the evidence support something else? Is theme relevant in today’s society? Is theme correct? • Raise your hand for your body paragraphs and conclusion to be checked • After it is checked you can start writing your body paragaphs and conclusion on your sheet of paper

Essay Structure • The FIVE-paragraph essay review • Page 13 -15 • Introduction • Thesis – Page 16 • Body • • Body Structure - Page 10 Title Punctuation – Page 26 Floating Quotes – Page 19 Citing sources – Page 27 • Conclusion

Grading 5 _____may be overly simplistic in analysis, _____relies almost exclusively on paraphrase rather than specific, textual examples. _____may provide a plausible reading, _____analysis is implicit rather than explicit. _____might provide a list of literary devices present in the literature _____ makes little or no effort to discuss the effect that these devices have on the lit. _____superficial, vague, and mechanical. _____language is simplistic and the insight is limited or lacking in development. 4 -3 _____compounds the problems found in the 5 essay. _____demonstrates significant sustained misreadings _____provides little or no analysis. _____maintains the general idea of the writing assignment _____shows some sense of organization _____weak in content, maturity of thought, language facility, and/or mechanics. _____may distort the topic or fail to deal adequately with one or more important aspects of the topic. _____incomplete, oversimplified, meager, irrelevant, and insufficient. 2 -1 _____makes an attempt to deal with the topic _____demonstrates serious weakness in content and coherence and/or syntax and mechanics. _____unacceptably short and / or poorly written

Grading 7 _____highly competent _____comprehends the task set forth by the prompt and responds to it directly _____some of the analysis may be implicit rather than explicit. _____a thinner version of the 9 -8 paper in terms of discussion and supporting details _____is still impressive, cogent, and generally convincing. _____less well-handled in terms of organization, insight, or vocabulary. _____demonstrates clear understanding but less precise and less well-supported than 9 -8 _____demonstrates an adherence to the task, but deviates from course on occasion. _____but may contain a few errors which may distract but do not obscure meaning. _____no significant sustained misreadings. 6 _____an upper-half paper, _____may be deficient in one of the essentials mentioned in the 7 score _____less mature in thought or less well-handled in terms of organization, syntax or mechanics. _____analysis is somewhat more simplistic than found in a 7 essay, _____lacks sustained, mature analysis.

Step Eight: • Read your handwritten essay to yourself out loud and fix any grammar errors • Find a partner to read and switch essays with… • Read each other’s essays • In pencil underline misspelled words • In pencil circle grammar issues • Trade essays back and give feedback • Did they have sufficient evidence? • Is there hook interesting? • Fix your grammar/spelling errors (you can use a phone) • Staple planning and grading sheet to essay and turn in