used to describe a quality we are born with - something that is instinctive and natural

taking care of something - raising it through feeding it and protecting it from harm

a quality or characteristic, belonging to a person

Exploring Golding's message about human behaviour in 'Lord of the Flies'

English

In 'Lord of the Flies', students explore central questions about what gives us authority within society and whether power inevitably corrupts those who hold it. In 'Animal Farm: The Pigs and Power', students also explore the corrupting influence of power and question whether those who hold power are bound to abuse it. 

In 'A Monster Within', students look at villains in gothic fiction and, through their study of context, explore whether they are in fact made monstrous due to social fears and prejudices. In 'Lord of the Flies', students explore the powerful influence of social hierarchy and, using very different context, unpick what Golding's central message about human civilization might be. 

In this unit, pupils read and explore 'The Lord of the Flies' by considering Golding's message about human nature. They first read the novel, before analysing the characters Ralph, Simon, Jack and Piggy. They then look at setting and symbolism before planning and writing an essay on human nature.

'Lord of the Flies'

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Depiction or discussion of violence or fighting, including threats of violence or the aftermath of violence.

The nature vs {{ }} debate is an age-old psychological and philosophical debate about human behaviour.

Which character from 'Lord of the Flies' arguably challenges the idea that evil is inherent and part of our nature?

Which of the following can be used as a synonym for the word 'inherent'?

What did William Golding compare man's inherent capacity for evil to? 

people had witnessed extreme brutality perpetrated by ordinary people

people wanted to know if there would be another war in their lifetimes

people struggled to understand how one person could influence so many others

many of the acts of violence in war were perpetrated by young people

Why might people have been so interested in the nature vs nurture debate after the two World Wars?

the idea that children are not violent or aggressive

the idea that people are born innately evil

the idea that rules and laws are necessary to a functioning society

the idea that people are either good or evil

the idea that people are not born evil, but are made evil

What might Golding have wanted to challenge when writing 'Lord of the Flies'? Select the most appropriate response.

In which year was 'Lord of the Flies' published?

What occupation did William Golding have before WWII?

Which of the following statements is true about William Golding?

Ralph refuses to let Piggy come and explore the island.

Simon discovers that the 'beast' is actually a fallen parachutist.

Starting with the first, put the following events from 'Lord of the Flies' in chronological order.

comparing two things in order to show the difference between them

the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close to each other 

attribution of human characteristics to non-human things

a figure of speech used to compare two unlike things using 'like/as'

Match the methods up to their definitions.

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of serious crime

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Adult supervision required

Starter Quiz