Lord of the Flies, An Introduction
By William Golding
Overview - Plot
Setting: Wartime, deserted tropical islandCharacters: school-aged boysConflict: power
Overview - Themes
Civilization Democracy Dictator
Religion Established Created
Identity Society/school Island
Power Absolute Limited
Fear Unknown Known
Loss of Innocence Child Adult
Overview - AuthorLife
Born in Cornwall, 1911 Poor family, low social
standingSchool
Brasenose College Pushed to be scientist by
parents Delved into Literature Became a teacher in
Salisbury
Overview - AuthorNavy
Joined Royal Navy in 1940 Saw the sinking of the Bismarck Was present on D-Day invasion
Teaching After navy, resumed teaching LOTF published in 1954 Orig. titled The Strangers Within Rejected by 21 publishers Created LOTF scenario in
classroom—mayhem Retired in 1962 Died 1993
Overview - InspirationSchooling
Social inadequacy No faith from administrators
Coral Island Written by Robert M.
Ballantyne 1858 Boys deserted on tropical
islandWar experiences
Death, animalistic instincts Anarchy, chaos
Overview - InspirationPhilosophers
Thomas Hobbes Man vs. Nature Government
Plato Allegory of Cave
Psychologists Maslow
Hierarchy of Needs Sigmund Freud
Psychoanalytical Theory of Personality Id, Ego, Superego
Overview – Historical ContextLiterary Period
Post-War Fiction
Historical Events WWII Atom Bomb
The Philosophers – Thomas HobbesNature
Man is not a social animal Society cannot exist w/out a
governmentState of Nature
No society, continual fear, danger of violent death
Knowledge of Natural Law Men are condemned in endless conflict
Conflict Men cannot know good and evil
The Social Contract Do as you’re told
Violation of the Social Contract No right to rebel, King can do no
wrong
The Philosophers - Plato
Allegory of the Cave Most people see
shadows, not forms
http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/knowledge/story/sto_set.html
The Philosophers - Plato
What is this???
The Philosophers - Plato
This is NOT a cow!!!
The Philosophers - Plato
The Matrix The film uses the
Allegory of the Cave from Plato to explain REAL life to Neo
Shadows versus Forms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4ybxR9Io-g&feature=related
The Philosophers - Plato
Prisoners in Plato’s cave Human bodies in pods
Puppeteers create ‘reality’ Computers generate ‘reality’
Prisoner is freed from chains Neo is freed from pod
‘Reality’ are Shadows ‘Reality’ is the Matrix
The real world is made of Forms The real world is the Machine World
The Pyschologists - Maslow
Abraham Maslow Created Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs Ranks basic needs to
ultimate fulfillment needs
The Psychologists - Freud
Sigmund Freud Psychoanalytical Theory
of Personality Id, Ego, Superego