Imagine you are Golding: Why have you written Lord of the Flies? Why have you used the characters and motifs that way?

Imagine that you are William Golding. From his point of view write a letter to the students of Gloucester High School explaining how a character and a motif (the ones you have been assigned) contribute to the meaning of the the novel, especially in the last five chapters. (You could write two letters one about the motif and one about the character, or you could weave the two together.)

While explaining how you, as the author, have used the character and the motif, cite at least three specific places where you, as Golding, use the character and three specific places where you, as Golding, use the motif. Make sure you explain how the parts -- the particular uses of the character & motif -- contribute to the novel as a whole.

When thinking about Golding's point of view and Golding’s purpose in constructing the novel, consider some things Golding has written about the novel:

“The theme (of Lord of the Flies) is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of society must depend on the ethical mature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable.”

“I believe that man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature.”

Also perhaps consider William Golding's life. The following is an excerpt from the Nobel Prize website. (Golding won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1983.)

"Taught at Bishop Wordsworth's School, Salisbury. Joined the Royal Navy in 1940 and spent six years afloat, except for seven months in New York and six months helping Lord Cherwell at the Naval Research Establishment. He saw action against battleships (at the sinking of the Bismarck), submarines and aircraft. Finished as Lieutenant in command of a rocket ship. He was present off the French coast for the D-Day invasion, and later at the island of Walcheren. After the war he returned to teaching [until 1962], and began to write again. Lord of the Flies, his first novel, was published in 1954."

And for more of Golding's views you'll find his Nobel Lecture here.

Your letter(s) should be 600 words or so and must be posted in the comment box by pumpkin time Friday, December 18.

Monster Books: First Comments

* Post responses in the comment box. (Remember to compose in a word processing file. Then copy and paste your work into the comment box.)
* Use your first name and last initial (for example James C.)
* Write the title and author of your book (for example Frankenstein by Mary Shelley).
* Write your response.

Respond to the author's portrayal of monsters (and/or monstrousness) in the novel you are reading. Your response should be 300+ words and must be received before pumpkin time (midnight) Monday. The questions below may help you generate a thoughtful response.

Who is the monster or who are the monsters in the book? How do you know? What makes the character a monster? Physical deformity or difference? Inhuman or inhumane behavior? Both? Something else? What is the relationship between physical monstrousness and moral monstrousness in your book? (Some possibilities: Does physical monstrosity mask moral beauty? Does physical monstrosity lead to alienation which leads to monstrous moral choices? Etc.)

What seems to be the cause of the monstrous behavior in your book? (Is it in the monster’s nature as with the Grendel of Beowulf? Is it chosen by the monster as a response to radical alienation and rejection as with the Grendel of Grendel? Is it learned by the monster? Is it taught to the monster?

What seems to be the author’s purpose in presenting a monster (and/or monstrous behavior) in the novel? What is the author trying to show about human beings and the human condition?

Grading: Your responses should show that you have read the first 50 to 100 pages of your book and that you understand how the book relates to monsters and monstrousness.

An advanced response, which shows a command of "monster" concepts and appropriate, precise, thorough supporting evidence, will receive an A.

A proficient responses, which offers plausible interpretations of monstrousness with specific support and no major omissions or errors, will receive a B.

A limited response, which offers partial interpretations of monstrousness with some specific, accurate, appropriate support, will receive a C.

A response, which address the prompt but which offer little to no support and which demonstrate little to no understanding of how the author uses monsters in significant ways, will receive a D or F.