Lord of the Flies Analytical Essay

Prompts

#1: Defend or criticize Ralph as the leader of the large group of boys. Does Golding want readers to see Ralph as an
effective or ineffective leader? So what—what is his message/theme?

Things to consider: What motivates Ralph? What qualities does he possess? Does he bear any responsibility for the tragedies
involved, and if so, how much? Why? Could he have done anything to prevent any of the deaths? Why won’t the boys follow him
the entire time? What is Golding trying to show through his character? (Try not to fall into fence-sitting if you choose this
prompt)

#2: Who or what does Golding want readers to see as responsible for the complete breakdown on the island? So what
—what is his message/theme?

Things to consider: You must be specific and detailed; “Savagery is to blame for what occurs on the island or Jack is to blame
for what occurs on the island” is much too broad and simple an explanation. In some ways, this can be a difficult topic, so
beware. Ask yourself, at what point does the breakdown begin and why? Where are the turning points?

#3: Select a character or characters and perform a character analysis in which you discuss his/their traits and also
explain how Golding uses him/them to express his message about human nature.

Things to consider: What message about human nature is the strongest in the book? In which character(s) do we best see
these ideas played out?

#4: In the novel, what does Golding suggest is the primary reason (or reasons) that human beings will follow corrupt
leaders?

Things to consider: In what ways is Jack corrupt? Who follows him? Do they all follow him for the same reason? Do they follow
him because of something in human nature or because of socialization? (Remember, this is a literary analysis so all of your
information about following corrupt leaders must be tied to the book).

#5: Select one of the supplementary thinkers (Rousseau or Freud) we have studied in conjunction with Lord of the
Flies and write an essay in which you explain whether or not William Golding would agree or disagree with your
chosen thinker.

Things to consider: What are the main ideas of your chosen philosopher? What are his arguments and reasoning? To what
extent does William Golding agree or disagree with your thinker? How does he express these agreements/disagreements?

#6: Golding’s novel is heavily symbolic. Select one object from the book and write an essay in which you explain how
the symbol functions in the novel. What point(s) was Golding trying to make with his development of the symbol?

Things to consider: What object/symbol seems very important in the novel? How is that symbolism expressed? Are the ideas
associated with the symbol consistent, or do they change? When, where, and why? What is the significance of those changes?
How does it all relate to the novel’s theme?

Instructions
Once you have chosen a specific prompt, follow each of the required steps below. We will be completing this assignment in four
stages, and I will be there to guide the process each step of the way, so help yourself by completing all of the tasks as directed
on the back side of this page:

1. Outlining: Complete an outline.

 a. Do this on an outline template. (in-class handout)
b. Your outline needs to contain the following:
i. The prompt you have chosen.
ii. A clearly articulated thesis with 3-point blueprint.
iii. Completed topic sentences for each body paragraph.
iv. All of your quotes/examples written out and properly cited (minimum of 6, no more than 9)
v. Quote analysis/commentary (this may take the form of short notes or phrases of points you will
discuss).
c. Due: Thursday, October 31st

2. Drafting: Take your completed outline and put together a rough draft of your essay.
a. Your rough draft needs to:
i. Be at least 500 words in length.
ii. Be typed, double-spaced, and formatted correctly, using MLA conventions
iii. Have all quotes integrated into your body paragraphs.
iv. At this stage, it’s OK if your introduction and/or conclusion is rough and still needs work.
b. Due: Wednesday, November 6th

3. Final Draft: Take all of the feedback you’ve gotten and revise your essay, adding and refining your ideas as well as
fixing all errors. Be sure to go through a final proofread.
a. Your final draft is due on Wednesday, November 13th by the time your class starts – that’s right I’m
giving you a long weekend to finish it up and make it great! On this day, you need to make sure that you
bring in a hard copy and that it:
i. Is polished and clean, fully completed, free of spelling/mechanical errors.
ii. Is in final manuscript form following MLA conventions.
iii. Includes a Works Cited page.
b. Also to be turned in on that Wenesday:
i. Assembled and stapled in this order, from top to bottom:
1. Signed rough draft
2. Essay outline
ii. Note: Do all of this outside of class ahead of time and have the packet ready to be turned in! It’s
simply a waste of class time to get your papers organized and stapled in class.
c. You must also have posted a copy of your essay to Canvas by the end of the school day class on
Wednesday. If you fail to do so, your essay will be regarded as late and only graded for partial credit.

A Few Reminders

1) Come up with an original and descriptive title for your essay; not “LOF Essay”
2) Formal Academic Voice/Tone—no I think, Me, You, We—and NO CONTRACTIONS!
3) Literary present tense!
4) You will turn in all parts of this essay on the day the final draft is due.
5) The success of your paper depends on a clear and identifiable thesis
6) Integrated quotes (quote introductions and taglines) with proper citations!
7) You must have at least 6 quotes, two in each body paragraph
8) Proofread your papers please! Spelling, grammar, and punctuation do count!
9) All papers must be printed out and are due at the beginning of class, no exceptions!
10) No Plagiarism (we are quite aware of Spark notes/Cliff Notes)