O.K. After talking to a few of you I have decided to amend the writing prompt:
"I believe that man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature."
William Golding
"Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick."
from Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Each of the works we have studied during the first semester explores the relationship between heroism and monstrousness. Choose three works we have studied. Compare and contrast how the authors of the three works use heroes (heroism) and monsters (monstrousness) to reveal some aspect (or aspects) of human nature.
Be careful. Make sure you go beyond merely identifying and describing heroes and monsters. Make sure you explain how the authors use the monsters and heroes to explore some aspect of being human.
Then, in an epilogue use first person to carefully explain and fully develop an insight into human nature you have developed while studying heroes and monsters this semester.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Lord of the Flies Review Questions
Practice "Quest" for Review.
Write down your answers and bring them in on Tuesday (1/19).
Looking at Lord of the Flies through an anthropological model for a balanced society by William Irwin Thompson, Kathleen Woodward, and your intrepid English teacher…
In the novel…
1. ____________________ and ____________________ are both ideational.
2. ____________________ and ____________________ are both operational.
3. ____________________ and ____________________ operate best on a subconscious, irrational level.
4. ____________________ and ____________________ operate best on a conscious, rational level.
5. In the society, Piggy fulfills the role of ____________________.
6. Jack fulfills the role of ____________________.
7. Ralph fulfills the role of ____________________.
8. Simon fulfills the role of ____________________.
*** The model originally referred to a successful Kalahari society as seen in John Marshall’s anthropological film The Hunters. Why then is the society of marooned boys so unsuccessful in Lord of the Flies? (In your answer refer to the roles, the characters, and the events of the book.)
Author’s Biographical Context
9. What two experiences may have influenced William Golding to write Lord of the Flies? Briefly explain how the experiences may have influenced the novel.
Symbols & Motifs
10. ____________________ seems to symbolize democracy, rationality, order, authority.
11. ____________________ is paradoxically a symbol of destruction and a symbol of hope.
12. ____________________ is a “sign [that] came down from the world of grownups,” representing the consequences of violence in the adult world beyond the island.
13. ____________________ helps Simon understand the true nature of the beast.
14. ____________________ frees the boys from “shame and self-consciousness,” compelling them to do things they otherwise would not.
15. To what does the title literally refer? ____________________
16. How does the answer to #6 symbolically represent what happens to the society?
17. What does the title refer to in translation? ____________________
18. Piggy is most closely associated with what symbol? ____________________
19. Simon is most closely associated with what symbol? ____________________
11. Who says, “‘This head is for the beast. It’s a gift?’” ____________________
20. Roger is most closely associate with what motif? ____________________
21. Who discovers the “beast from air”? ____________________
22. Name four things that at least some of the boys think of as “the beast” at one point or another in the novel.
23. In the quotation, “‘What I mean is…maybe it’s only us;” who is peaking and what is it?
24. “____________________ was the only boy on the island whose hair never seemed to grow.
25. After he reminisces about home in England, many readers are surprised to read that “____________________ too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh.
• Explain how one motif evolves or changes in three different scenes in the novel.
• How might the conch shell and the long hair be seen as opposing symbols?
• How might the scar, the fire, the storm, and the rock be connected as symbols?
• What is the symbolic significance of Piggy’s name?
• What is the relationship between the pigs, the pig’s head, the beast and Golding’s statement that “man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature.”
END OF PRACTICE "QUEST"
*******
More to review:
Lord of the Flies:
characters and motifs
Characters
Understand the significance of Golding’s characterization of each, the significance of each character’s development, the significance of each character’s role in the plot. When thinking about significance think about allegory and theme.
Ralph, Piggy, Sam and Eric, Jack, Simon, Roger, littluns (Johnny, Henry, Percival, mulberry-colored birthmark, etc.)
Motifs
Motifs are objects, ideas, etc. that are repeated in a work of art.
Understand the literal and allegorical (symbolic) significance of each motif as it develops through the novel.
PHYSICAL OBJECTS
• scar and other symbolic descriptions of the island:
o the island as alive;
o as an inanimate object: car, boat, bomb, etc.;
o as light or dark, calm or stormy, etc.
• conch/shell,
• glasses,
• fire,
• rock,
• pig/boar,
• monsters/beasts/animals (other than the pig/boar),
• uniforms, painted faces, masks, hair and other descriptions of the boys’ appearance
Write down your answers and bring them in on Tuesday (1/19).
Looking at Lord of the Flies through an anthropological model for a balanced society by William Irwin Thompson, Kathleen Woodward, and your intrepid English teacher…
In the novel…
1. ____________________ and ____________________ are both ideational.
2. ____________________ and ____________________ are both operational.
3. ____________________ and ____________________ operate best on a subconscious, irrational level.
4. ____________________ and ____________________ operate best on a conscious, rational level.
5. In the society, Piggy fulfills the role of ____________________.
6. Jack fulfills the role of ____________________.
7. Ralph fulfills the role of ____________________.
8. Simon fulfills the role of ____________________.
*** The model originally referred to a successful Kalahari society as seen in John Marshall’s anthropological film The Hunters. Why then is the society of marooned boys so unsuccessful in Lord of the Flies? (In your answer refer to the roles, the characters, and the events of the book.)
Author’s Biographical Context
9. What two experiences may have influenced William Golding to write Lord of the Flies? Briefly explain how the experiences may have influenced the novel.
Symbols & Motifs
10. ____________________ seems to symbolize democracy, rationality, order, authority.
11. ____________________ is paradoxically a symbol of destruction and a symbol of hope.
12. ____________________ is a “sign [that] came down from the world of grownups,” representing the consequences of violence in the adult world beyond the island.
13. ____________________ helps Simon understand the true nature of the beast.
14. ____________________ frees the boys from “shame and self-consciousness,” compelling them to do things they otherwise would not.
15. To what does the title literally refer? ____________________
16. How does the answer to #6 symbolically represent what happens to the society?
17. What does the title refer to in translation? ____________________
18. Piggy is most closely associated with what symbol? ____________________
19. Simon is most closely associated with what symbol? ____________________
11. Who says, “‘This head is for the beast. It’s a gift?’” ____________________
20. Roger is most closely associate with what motif? ____________________
21. Who discovers the “beast from air”? ____________________
22. Name four things that at least some of the boys think of as “the beast” at one point or another in the novel.
23. In the quotation, “‘What I mean is…maybe it’s only us;” who is peaking and what is it?
24. “____________________ was the only boy on the island whose hair never seemed to grow.
25. After he reminisces about home in England, many readers are surprised to read that “____________________ too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh.
• Explain how one motif evolves or changes in three different scenes in the novel.
• How might the conch shell and the long hair be seen as opposing symbols?
• How might the scar, the fire, the storm, and the rock be connected as symbols?
• What is the symbolic significance of Piggy’s name?
• What is the relationship between the pigs, the pig’s head, the beast and Golding’s statement that “man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature.”
END OF PRACTICE "QUEST"
*******
More to review:
Lord of the Flies:
characters and motifs
Characters
Understand the significance of Golding’s characterization of each, the significance of each character’s development, the significance of each character’s role in the plot. When thinking about significance think about allegory and theme.
Ralph, Piggy, Sam and Eric, Jack, Simon, Roger, littluns (Johnny, Henry, Percival, mulberry-colored birthmark, etc.)
Motifs
Motifs are objects, ideas, etc. that are repeated in a work of art.
Understand the literal and allegorical (symbolic) significance of each motif as it develops through the novel.
PHYSICAL OBJECTS
• scar and other symbolic descriptions of the island:
o the island as alive;
o as an inanimate object: car, boat, bomb, etc.;
o as light or dark, calm or stormy, etc.
• conch/shell,
• glasses,
• fire,
• rock,
• pig/boar,
• monsters/beasts/animals (other than the pig/boar),
• uniforms, painted faces, masks, hair and other descriptions of the boys’ appearance
Grendel Vocabulary
Vocabulary Words from the novel Grendel by John Gardner
(Words 1-10)
Sycophant [sik-uh-fuh nt]
A person who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people; a kiss-up, a flatter, a toady, a yes man. (Noun) Sycophantic (adjective)
Greek
Fuliginous [fyoo-lij-uh-nuh s]
Colored as if by soot; dark; black (Adjective)
Latin
Hex [heks]
1. An evil spell; a curse (Noun).
2. To curse (Verb)
German
Leer [leer]
1. desirous, sly, or knowing look (Noun).
2. To glance sidelong esp. sexually or maliciously (Verb)
Anglo Saxon/Old English
Moor [moo r]
A broad area of open land, often high but poorly drained, with patches of heath and peat bogs. (Noun)
To secure (a ship, boat, dirigible, etc.) (Verb)
A Muslim of the mixed Berber and Arab people inhabiting NW Africa (Noun)
Old English
Solipsist
A person who believes that the self is the only reality. (Noun)
Solipsism[sol-ip-siz-uh m] is the belief that the self is the only reality. (Noun)
Solipsistic[sol-ip-sis-tik] (Adjective)
Latin
Ominous [om-uh-nuh s]
Menacing; threatening (Adjective)
Latin
Undulant [uhn-juh-luh nt]
wave-like (Adjective)
Undulate means to move like a wave. (Verb)
Latin
Debauch [di-bawch]
To corrupt morally. (Verb)
Debauchery is moral corruption. (Noun)
French/German
Omniscient [om-nish-uh nt]
all knowing; complete knowledge and awareness (adjective)
Omniscience means infinite knowledge. (Noun)
Latin
Vocabulary Words from the novel Grendel by John Gardner
(Words 11-20)
Hoary [hawr-ee, hohr-ee]
Gray or white with or as if with age. (Adjective)
Old English/Anglo-Saxon
Dirge [durj]
A funeral hymn or lament. (Noun)
Latin
Dogmatism [dawg-muh-tiz-uh m]
Arrogant, stubborn assertion of opinion or belief. (Noun)
Dogma is an established, fixed, unchanging, predetermined set of beliefs.
Dogmatic (Adjective)
Greek
Petulant [pech-uh-luh nt]
1. Insolent or rude in behavior or speech. (Adjective)
2. Unreasonably irritable, annoyed, or ill-tempered; peevish; cranky. (Adjective)
Petulance is unreasonable irritability and peevishness. (Noun)
Latin
Intimation
A hint; an obscure or indirect suggestion or notice; a remote or ambiguous reference; as, he had given only intimations of his design. (Noun)
Intimate [in-tuh-meyt] means to hint, imply, suggest. (Verb)
Latin
Nihilism [nahy-uh-liz-uh m]
A belief that rejects all values, morals, purposes for living, etc. as baseless and arbitrary (Noun)
A nihilist is someone who rejects all values, morals, purposes, etc.(Noun)
Nihilistic (Adjective)
Latin
Paradox [par-uh-doks]
A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true. (Noun)
Paradoxical (Adjective)
Greek
Inchoate [in-koh-it, -eyt]
1. In an initial or early stage; incipient (Adjective).
2. not fully formed, incomplete (Adjective)
Latin
Ossify [os-uh-fahy]
1. To change into bone; become bony. (Verb);
2. To become rigid. (Verb)
Latin
Omnipotent [om-nip-uh-tuh nt]
Having unlimited power (Adjective)
Omnipotence is unlimited or universal power (Noun)
Latin
(Words 1-10)
Sycophant [sik-uh-fuh nt]
A person who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people; a kiss-up, a flatter, a toady, a yes man. (Noun) Sycophantic (adjective)
Greek
Fuliginous [fyoo-lij-uh-nuh s]
Colored as if by soot; dark; black (Adjective)
Latin
Hex [heks]
1. An evil spell; a curse (Noun).
2. To curse (Verb)
German
Leer [leer]
1. desirous, sly, or knowing look (Noun).
2. To glance sidelong esp. sexually or maliciously (Verb)
Anglo Saxon/Old English
Moor [moo r]
A broad area of open land, often high but poorly drained, with patches of heath and peat bogs. (Noun)
To secure (a ship, boat, dirigible, etc.) (Verb)
A Muslim of the mixed Berber and Arab people inhabiting NW Africa (Noun)
Old English
Solipsist
A person who believes that the self is the only reality. (Noun)
Solipsism[sol-ip-siz-uh m] is the belief that the self is the only reality. (Noun)
Solipsistic[sol-ip-sis-tik] (Adjective)
Latin
Ominous [om-uh-nuh s]
Menacing; threatening (Adjective)
Latin
Undulant [uhn-juh-luh nt]
wave-like (Adjective)
Undulate means to move like a wave. (Verb)
Latin
Debauch [di-bawch]
To corrupt morally. (Verb)
Debauchery is moral corruption. (Noun)
French/German
Omniscient [om-nish-uh nt]
all knowing; complete knowledge and awareness (adjective)
Omniscience means infinite knowledge. (Noun)
Latin
Vocabulary Words from the novel Grendel by John Gardner
(Words 11-20)
Hoary [hawr-ee, hohr-ee]
Gray or white with or as if with age. (Adjective)
Old English/Anglo-Saxon
Dirge [durj]
A funeral hymn or lament. (Noun)
Latin
Dogmatism [dawg-muh-tiz-uh m]
Arrogant, stubborn assertion of opinion or belief. (Noun)
Dogma is an established, fixed, unchanging, predetermined set of beliefs.
Dogmatic (Adjective)
Greek
Petulant [pech-uh-luh nt]
1. Insolent or rude in behavior or speech. (Adjective)
2. Unreasonably irritable, annoyed, or ill-tempered; peevish; cranky. (Adjective)
Petulance is unreasonable irritability and peevishness. (Noun)
Latin
Intimation
A hint; an obscure or indirect suggestion or notice; a remote or ambiguous reference; as, he had given only intimations of his design. (Noun)
Intimate [in-tuh-meyt] means to hint, imply, suggest. (Verb)
Latin
Nihilism [nahy-uh-liz-uh m]
A belief that rejects all values, morals, purposes for living, etc. as baseless and arbitrary (Noun)
A nihilist is someone who rejects all values, morals, purposes, etc.(Noun)
Nihilistic (Adjective)
Latin
Paradox [par-uh-doks]
A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true. (Noun)
Paradoxical (Adjective)
Greek
Inchoate [in-koh-it, -eyt]
1. In an initial or early stage; incipient (Adjective).
2. not fully formed, incomplete (Adjective)
Latin
Ossify [os-uh-fahy]
1. To change into bone; become bony. (Verb);
2. To become rigid. (Verb)
Latin
Omnipotent [om-nip-uh-tuh nt]
Having unlimited power (Adjective)
Omnipotence is unlimited or universal power (Noun)
Latin
Beowulf Vocabulary
Seven words that appear in Beowulf
af•flic•tion
n. A condition of pain, suffering, or distress; A cause of pain, suffering, or distress.
—Synonyms 2. mishap, trouble, tribulation, calamity, catastrophe, disaster. Affliction, adversity, misfortune, trial refer to an event or circumstance that is hard to bear.
—Antonyms 1. relief, comfort, solace.
[Origin: 1300–50; ME affliccioun < L afflīctiōn- (s. of afflīctiō).]
mail2
n. Flexible armor composed of small overlapping metal rings, loops of chain, or scales. 2. The protective covering of certain animals, as the shell of a turtle.
[Middle English, from Old French maile, from Latin macula, blemish, mesh.]
mead
n. An alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey and water.
sen•ti•nel (sěn'tə-nəl)
n. One that keeps guard; a sentry (a guard, a watch, a lookout).
[Middle French, from Old Italian, from Latin]
sin•ew (sĭn'yōō)
n.
A tendon.
Vigorous strength; muscular power.
The source or mainstay of vitality and strength.
[Middle English, from Old English]
sol•ace (sŏl'ĭs)
n. Comfort (or a source of comfort) in sorrow, misfortune, or distress; consolation; alleviation; relief.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin]
weird (wîrd)
adj.
Of, relating to, or suggestive of the preternatural or supernatural.
Of a strikingly odd or unusual character; strange.
Archaic Of or relating to fate or the Fates.
n.
Fate; destiny.
[Middle English from Old English wyrd, fate]
Five words that will help us understand Anglo-Saxon poetry.
al•lit•er•a•tion
n. The repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables, as in “on scrolls of silver snowy sentences” (Hart Crane). Modern alliteration is predominantly consonantal; certain literary traditions, such as Old English verse, also alliterate using vowel sounds.
[From ad- + Latin littera, letter.]
cae•su•ra also ce•su•ra
n. Prosody. a break, esp. a sense pause, usually near the middle of a verse, and marked in scansion by a double vertical line
A pause or interruption, as in conversation
[Latin caes ra, a cutting, from caesus, past participle of caedere, to cut off. See ka -id- in Indo-European Roots.]
ep•ic
n. An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero (or any literary work, period of history, etc. resembling an epic)
adj. Related to a literary epic; Surpassing the usual or ordinary, particularly in scope or size; Heroic and impressive
ken•ning
n. A figurative, usually compound expression used in place of a name or noun, especially in Old English and Old Norse poetry; for example, storm of swords is a kenning for battle and wave traveler is a kenning for boat.
[Old Norse, from kenna, to know, to name with a kenning. See gn - in Indo-European Roots.]
scop
n. An Old English poet or bard.
[Old English.]
af•flic•tion
n. A condition of pain, suffering, or distress; A cause of pain, suffering, or distress.
—Synonyms 2. mishap, trouble, tribulation, calamity, catastrophe, disaster. Affliction, adversity, misfortune, trial refer to an event or circumstance that is hard to bear.
—Antonyms 1. relief, comfort, solace.
[Origin: 1300–50; ME affliccioun < L afflīctiōn- (s. of afflīctiō).]
mail2
n. Flexible armor composed of small overlapping metal rings, loops of chain, or scales. 2. The protective covering of certain animals, as the shell of a turtle.
[Middle English, from Old French maile, from Latin macula, blemish, mesh.]
mead
n. An alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey and water.
sen•ti•nel (sěn'tə-nəl)
n. One that keeps guard; a sentry (a guard, a watch, a lookout).
[Middle French, from Old Italian, from Latin]
sin•ew (sĭn'yōō)
n.
A tendon.
Vigorous strength; muscular power.
The source or mainstay of vitality and strength.
[Middle English, from Old English]
sol•ace (sŏl'ĭs)
n. Comfort (or a source of comfort) in sorrow, misfortune, or distress; consolation; alleviation; relief.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin]
weird (wîrd)
adj.
Of, relating to, or suggestive of the preternatural or supernatural.
Of a strikingly odd or unusual character; strange.
Archaic Of or relating to fate or the Fates.
n.
Fate; destiny.
[Middle English from Old English wyrd, fate]
Five words that will help us understand Anglo-Saxon poetry.
al•lit•er•a•tion
n. The repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables, as in “on scrolls of silver snowy sentences” (Hart Crane). Modern alliteration is predominantly consonantal; certain literary traditions, such as Old English verse, also alliterate using vowel sounds.
[From ad- + Latin littera, letter.]
cae•su•ra also ce•su•ra
n. Prosody. a break, esp. a sense pause, usually near the middle of a verse, and marked in scansion by a double vertical line
A pause or interruption, as in conversation
[Latin caes ra, a cutting, from caesus, past participle of caedere, to cut off. See ka -id- in Indo-European Roots.]
ep•ic
n. An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero (or any literary work, period of history, etc. resembling an epic)
adj. Related to a literary epic; Surpassing the usual or ordinary, particularly in scope or size; Heroic and impressive
ken•ning
n. A figurative, usually compound expression used in place of a name or noun, especially in Old English and Old Norse poetry; for example, storm of swords is a kenning for battle and wave traveler is a kenning for boat.
[Old Norse, from kenna, to know, to name with a kenning. See gn - in Indo-European Roots.]
scop
n. An Old English poet or bard.
[Old English.]
Monday, January 4, 2010
Monster Letter Forum
Role: a monster from your independent reading book
Audience: classmates and other "monsters" from the books
Format: letter (300+ words)
Topic: Discuss three topics in the letter. 1. What makes you-as-the-monster monstrous? in other words, in what way are you a monster? 2. What influences, experiences, decisions made you who you are? 3. Looking back, what do you want to say about your monstrousness? Do you want to justify your actions? Do you want to apologize or express regrets? Do you want to give advice? What do you want to say?
Show that you have read and understood the book by weaving details into your letter.
Due Thursday night (January 7) 11:59 pm. Post your monster letter in the comment box below.
Audience: classmates and other "monsters" from the books
Format: letter (300+ words)
Topic: Discuss three topics in the letter. 1. What makes you-as-the-monster monstrous? in other words, in what way are you a monster? 2. What influences, experiences, decisions made you who you are? 3. Looking back, what do you want to say about your monstrousness? Do you want to justify your actions? Do you want to apologize or express regrets? Do you want to give advice? What do you want to say?
Show that you have read and understood the book by weaving details into your letter.
Due Thursday night (January 7) 11:59 pm. Post your monster letter in the comment box below.
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