We then discussed Lord of the Flies, focusing our discussion on the last section of the novel where the naval officer arrives. We considered the following questions:
- How does the description of this adult's arrival and interaction with the characters we have come to know throughout the novel change our perception of them?
- What do the adult's words and actions tell us about the adult world he represents?
- Why does Golding leave us with the image of the adult officer turning his back on crying children (so they can "pull themselves together") and looking at a military cruiser in the distance? If you consider this image as you would a painting, its symbolism becomes more apparent.
- We connected our discussion of the the above closing image to Ralph's treatment of Piggy in the opening chapters (wherein a weak, emotive boy is rebuffed with unintended cruelty).
- Some of us also looked at Ralph and Piggy's reaction to Simon's death in the hard light of day. Why do they cling to the notion of "accident"? Why do they each change their stories when both were witnesses to the other's actions?
- Henry asked an excellent question in Group 2: Do these boys form a religion during their time on the island?
- That led us also to consider whether or not Jack himself believes in the beast. While there wasn't consensus on that, we all agreed that he exploits fear of the beast for his own ends.
- Ultimately, most people liked the book; those who didn't thought it was just too darned pessimistic about human nature.
HOMEWORK:
Prepare THREE questions for tomorrow's review session on Macbeth.
Under the 4th bullet point, "the" is repeated twice.
ReplyDelete--Carol