Michelle Taylor

Dr. Keck

ENGL 496

9/28/19

Search for Power: Teaching Golding’s Lord of the Flies in the Classroom

This essay will analyze adolescent themes reflected in characters’ behaviors, actions, and

emotions displayed in William Golding’s dystopian novel, Lord of the Flies, and the resources

that teachers can use to teach, what Paulo Freire considers, the oppressed. In Pedagogy of the

Oppressed, Freire argues that students (the oppressed) experience academic dehumanization. To

Freire, the oppressed “are inhibited from waging the struggle for freedom so long as they feel

incapable of running the risks it requires.” When the male characters from Golding’s novel are

relieved of their behavioral confinements, being subjected to an uninhabited island, they continue

to struggle against their oppressors. Freire describes a similar struggle in Pedagogy of the

Oppressed; “Their struggle for freedom threatens not only the oppressor, but also their own

oppressed comrades who are fearful of still greater repression (cite).” As a result of Golding’s

novel, adolescent males, of two distinct social classes, are contrived as beastly, uncivilized

creatures. Because the oppressor can assume the role of teachers, peers, and rules that have been

established by society, it is important to note how this effects the modern day classroom. Yet,

Lord of the Flies may refute Freire’s basic principle of oppression; textual evidence may indicate

that oppression is necessary for the social order of society to remain intact. I argue that Lord of

the Flies, paired with Pedagogy of the Oppressed, as well as other various resources that give

insight on activities that can be used in a classroom, allow educators to distinguish power and

dehumanizing behaviors, both of which dwell in educational settings, and produce effective
Michelle Taylor

Dr. Keck

ENGL 496

9/28/19
pedagogies in order to create a sufficient learning environment. Educators will be able to avoid

dehumanizing behaviors by analyzing how pedagogical patterns that Freire explains in Pedagogy

of the Oppressed; this will allow teachers to better their instruction and teaching philosophy.

Also, I will provide resources that will allow prospective and/or active teachers to learn and

utilize effective multimedia resources to pair with Lord of the Flies to conduct three seamless

and unconventional activities that portray a multitude of the novel’s core thematic elements.

However, before multimedia resources can be used to create lessons, educators must identify the

thematic elements that they could include to develop their students’ understanding of the novel,

Lord of the Flies.

In this essay, I will discuss two important themes, the critique of social class as well as

the characters’ departure from civilized manner, which I would use as a base for instructing the

novel. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies serves as allegory to satirize the upper class,

becoming one of the primary underlying themes in the novel. Set in the middle of an unspecified

war, two distinguished groups of male students, one being upper-class choir students and the

other being middle or lower class individuals, are stranded on an island after a plane crash kills

all of the adult passengers. The choir boys, led by Jack Merridew, are distinguishable from the

rest of the boys, whom are poorly dressed, if dressed at all; the choir boys are clothed in black

cloaks, matching hats, and badges (14); “This last piece of shop brought sniggers from the choir,

who perched like black birds on the criss-cross trunks and examined Ralph with interest. Piggy

asked no names. He was intimidated by this uniformed superiority and the offhand authority in

Merridew’s voice. He shrank to the other side of Ralph and busied himself with his glasses (14).”
Michelle Taylor

Dr. Keck

ENGL 496

9/28/19
As the novel progresses, Golding blurs the distinguishable qualities of the choir boys, compared

to the others. The choir boys, who arrived to the island with the privilege and “superiority” that

derives from their social class, are diminished to barbaric, blood-thirsty savages. This acts as an

allegory; the upper-class choir boys, who are supposed to be the cream-of-the crop, were

displayed as being just as savage, if not worse, as the middle-to-lower class male characters.

Although poised and collected, initially, the choir boys, notably Jack, suffer from the

pursuit of survival. When establishing roles on the island, Jack was adamant about declaring him

and the choir boys as hunters. Despite his knowledge of how to slaughter a pig, Jack shows

hesitation when confronted by his first encounter with a pig; ultimately, he is unable to kill it.

“He snatched his knife out of the sheath and slammed it into a tree trunk. Next time there would

be no mercy. He looked round fiercely, daring them to contradict.” (Golding, 41). Quickly, it is

shown that Jack and the others have liberated themselves, adapting to savagery; “Kill the pig.

Cut her throat. Spill her blood. The twins chattered and danced. The twins continued to grin

(Golding, 69).” To Paulo Freire, the choir boys have freed themselves from their oppressors,

being rules and laws place on them by society. Freire assumes that “the oppressed must be their

own example in the struggle for their redemption (Freire, 54).” By killing a pig after an

unsuccessful attempt, Jack Merridew and the hunters have completed their “redemption” and

devolved into total liberation, which, ironically, leads them to become the oppressors of the other

children.
Michelle Taylor

Dr. Keck

ENGL 496

9/28/19
Golding represents upper and lower class citizens through Jack, Ralph, and Piggy,

respectfully. Social class is emphasized by two extremes, being Jack and Piggy. Jack, as earlier

described, assumes superiority. On the other hand, Piggy is never depicted as lower middle class,

but it is apparent through his dialect. Piggy often uses slang, or shortened versions of words,

which is not prevalent in any of the other characters. “I’m sorry I been such a time. Them fruit---

(Golding, 11)” Besides Piggy’s dialect, there are also physical and social cues that differentiate

his character. “There had grown up tacitly among the biguns the opinion that Piggy was an

outsider, not only by accent, which did not matter, but by fat, and ass-mar, and specs, and a

certain disinclination for manual labor (65).” Although an “outsider” and poorer from the other

main characters, Piggy serves as a voice of reason, being the smartest boy on the island. As Jack,

along with the choir boys and Ralph, digress into a primitive-like state, Piggy consistently turns

to logic and knowledge as his guide towards problem-solving, becoming the last remaining trace

of civilized manner. With his death, Piggy becomes the symbolic form of dehumanization in the

oppressed.

The digression from civilized boys into untamed, predators is one of the most recognized

themes amongst readers. The boys, prior to being on the island have been restricted by the laws

that we face today. At first, all of the characters, even Jack Merridew, settled on adapting laws

that are similar to ones that they were accustomed to. They settled on a democracy, and

appointed Ralph as leader; Ralph immediately dictates a conch as the symbol of voice and

authority; which gained respect from most boys, except for Jack. “They obeyed the summons of

the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world
Michelle Taylor

Dr. Keck

ENGL 496

9/28/19
of authority (Golding, 59).” As the boys continued their pursuit of surviving in the hopes of

being rescued, the civilization that the boys have created for themselves on the island rapidly

devolves. The boys, subjected to complete and total liberation, provide an interesting critique to

Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed.

Paulo Friere’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed discusses the many forms of oppression that

can be implemented by teachers and society. Freire refers to liberation as the source for human

completion (Freire, 32). Although the characters in Lord of the Flies have set some rules to use

as a base for civilized manner, most of the characters, especially the littleuns, do as they please.

Yet, some of the littleuns yearn for guidance that was previously given by authoritative figures.

“Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the

protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. Roger’s was conditioned by a

civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins (62).” To Freire, this quote would

symbolize the dependence that the oppressed have on the oppressors. Because freedom, or

liberation, would not have been easily accessible as a child in their previous English society, the

children crave some sort of oppression to create a sense of safety as they live on the island.

Shown through the interactions between Jack and Piggy, readers are able to recognize that Jack

mirrors the oppressive society in which he stems from.

Jack Merridew, who becomes the novel’s main source of evil and savagery, reflects on

civilized manner at the beginning of the novel. “I agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have rules and

obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything.
Michelle Taylor

Dr. Keck

ENGL 496

9/28/19
So we’ve got to do the right things (Golding, 42).” This quote adds to the theoretical approach

that rules and laws, which Jack reflects on, ultimately leads to formation of two groups, being

oppressors and the oppressed. The boys all, at some point in the novel, all reflect on their view

of society, their obligations, and the laws that kept them safe. As rules and standards are set into

place, the boys begin to become subject to dehumanization. Freire explains dehumanization as a

process in which the human quality is distorted, or greatly changed, giving more power to the

oppressors (Freire, 44). William Golding portrays the characters in his novel, initially, as being

harmless and naïve, yet when rules are put into place, they lose their humanistic qualities,

satirizing the previous societies that the boys originated from. When teaching Lord of the Flies,

or any novel or concept, teachers are often prone to use oppression as a pedagogical method.

Because the allegory and themes associated with Lord of the Flies may not be obvious to

the untrained eye, or to students who have never read the novel before, it is important for

teachers to guide students by emphasizing textual evidence, paired with interactive activities.

Lord of the Flies can be a difficult novel to teach high school students. Students may not be

accustomed to the orderly lives that the characters’ have experienced prior to being on the island,

or students may not understand that each character is a symbol for a human trait; for example,

Jack is a symbol for the inherent evil in humans, Piggy being a symbol for knowledge and

reason, and Ralph as the average, civilized leader. To go along with the idea of adaptation to a

new environment, I would guide students through the use of virtual gaming.
Michelle Taylor

Dr. Keck

ENGL 496

9/28/19
Although Lord of the Flies contains many interesting elements that can be easily

dissected through research-supported book reports, grueling tests, and exhausting analyses, it is

best to teach students through nonconventional methods. With any assigned reading, especially

with classical novels, it is easy to assign a paper to students to determine their level of

understanding. However, essays may limit the students’ abilities to display their knowledge and

creativity (Ernst, 50). Many students struggle with writing or English, so by limiting students to

only conventional assignments (essays, tests, research-based assignments) educators are

assuming their role as oppressors. Primarily, I believe that the students should use virtual worlds

to display their knowledge, or understanding, of Lord of the Flies. There are many online

resources available for students and teachers to use, but I would prefer to have my students a part

of Minecraft: Education Edition due to its user-friendly platform and popularity amongst

students (Nebel, 356). Because of the limitations placed on students by many schools, relating to

gaming and technology, Minecraft can be beneficial since it allows students to use their

creativity and knowledge obtained from reading to show plot, character analyses, and setting. By

allowing students to explore learning through virtual gaming, teachers will most likely see an

increase in student motivation and interest in the topic/concept (Nebel, 361).

Students will be placed into small groups, depending on class size, and tasked to create

their own version of the island because the island is a critical aspect in the novel; the island

serves not only serves as a setting, but is almost portrayed as if it were a character (Arver, 39).

Creating a virtual world allows students to utilize their creativity, but relies on the collaboration

of group members, similarly to the characters in the novel. For shorter units, I would have
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Dr. Keck

ENGL 496

9/28/19
students complete their island, characters, and have them choose one event to recreate after they

have read the entire novel. However, ideally, this would be an ongoing activity in an overall unit

plan. Students will read the novel, and they will recreate an event that take place in each chapter;

this will be a continuous activity performed after each chapter has been read. Teachers are able

to use Minecraft: Education Edition to interfere with the groups’ progression on the island.

Teachers are able to form obstacles or scenarios that requires critical thinking. For example, a

teacher can task a group to build shelter, and have groups decide what would be the best

material, what location would be the most suitable, what roles will each group member play, etc.

By using a tool such as Minecraft: Education Edition, teachers can analyze a student’s

understanding of the novel with resorting to conventional methods of teaching.

The second activity centers around the use of social media. With the popularity of social

platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, teachers are consistently innovating dated

lesson plans to accommodate to social trends. While unconventional, social media will give

students a form of freedom in the classroom. A source of oppression in schools is the limitations

of dialogue, using electronical devices. Most schools enforce policies that restrict students from

using any electronical device that is not provided by the schools. A common rule is that students

may not be allowed to use their cell phones during the school day. However, by banning

electronic usage, schools and teachers are repressing students’ dialogue. By dialogue, I am

referring to the expression students can make through communicating on messaging applications

and social media platforms; even if expressed electronically, students are still using dialogue. To

Freire, “If the structure does not permit dialogue the structure must change (Freire, 103).” Thus, I
Michelle Taylor

Dr. Keck

ENGL 496

9/28/19
believe that it is appropriate to incorporate social media into my lessons. For the second activity,

an activity that I have done as a student, is to create a profile of a character on a social media

platform. In my classroom, I would use Twitter; Twitter allows students to engage with each

other, can be easily monitored by the teacher, and has a word-count restriction on each tweet.

Unlike the first activity, creating a character’s profile would be completed individually.

Restricting one’s ability to collaborate may be deemed as oppression, according to Freire, but

students will still be able to engage with each other and be actively involved in each other’s

profiles.

To use social media platforms in the classroom, teachers must set some guidelines. For

this activity, students must choose one character from Lord of the Flies and make a Twitter

profile for their chosen character. The teacher, as well as other students, must be able to view and

interact with every profile. That being said, the students’ profiles must be set as public. Students

will need to choose a profile picture for their character, a header, and create a biography.

Students must have a minimum of fifteen tweets; these tweets cannot be direct quotes from the

novel, rather, they can be tweets that depict emotions, actions, or thoughts from the chosen

character’s point of view. This rule is set in place to enhance the creativity of students. Students

also have to respond to five of the profiles created by students who chose a different character

than they did. For example, students who chose to create a profile for Piggy cannot respond to

other profiles dedicated to Piggy. By having students persistently be involved with each other’s

profiles, teachers are promoting collaboration, creativity, and interest in their lessons (Bennett,
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Dr. Keck

ENGL 496

9/28/19
1). Although there are some rules the students will have to consider, students will be able to use

dialogue to display the understanding of the novel, and they will be more engaged in the novel.

The third activity is also an activity that has been around for years: a mock trial. In the

novel, there are three deaths in total: unnamed boy with mulberry birthmark, Simon, and Piggy.

All three deaths can be considered homicides; the unnamed boy died from a fire caused by the

other boys, Simon was ripped apart in a hallucinated daze, and Piggy was killed by a boulder/fall

from a cliff. In this activity, students will decide if a character’s death was accidental/justifiable

or a homicide. Students will be divided into three groups: jury, prosecutors, and defenders. As a

class, students will vote on one character’s death to focus on for this trial. In their groups,

students will research and provide evidence that supports their argument. For this assignment,

students will be allowed to use direct quotations from the novel. Then, students will present their

case to a jury, who will decide the verdict. If applicable, I would have another classroom fill the

role as jurors because they might not have the bias of students who have already read the novel.

If this were to be available, students in my classroom would be split into groups of prosecutors

and defenders. This is a longer assignment, more suitable for larger units, or a yearlong plan. I

think that a mock trial would be an interesting approach to the novel because students will re-

experience how laws and society affect individuals, relating back one of the discussion topics I

referenced earlier.

When teaching a novel such as Lord of the Flies, teachers must be precautious not to

imitate the oppressive roles that are portrayed in the novel. To teach effectively, teachers should
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Dr. Keck

ENGL 496

9/28/19
consider their own roles that they play in society. To many students, teachers are another

oppressive figure in their lives, or we may be the only source of stability. By using Freire’s

Pedagogy of the Oppressed, educators can analyze their roles and encourage discussions with

their students on social class, oppression, death, etc. Yet, to ensure that teachers do not fulfill the

role of an oppressor, teachers must thoroughly consider the lessons the teach and how to use a

unconventional methods to give students a creative, expressive outlet that gives them a sense of

freedom in schools.
Michelle Taylor

Dr. Keck

ENGL 496

9/28/19

Works Cited:

Arver, Cara M. (2007). Are You Willing to Have Your Students Join Ralph, Jack, and

Piggy? The English Journal, 97(1), 37.

Bennett, Elena. (2014). Social media as a tool for improving research and teaching. Frontiers in

Ecology and the Environment, 12(5), 259.

Bloom, Harold, and William Golding. William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Bloom's Literary

Criticism, 2010.

Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Penguin Education, 1972.

Nebel, S., Schneider, S., & Rey, G. D. (2016). Mining Learning and Crafting Scientific

Experiments: A Literature Review on the Use of Minecraft in Education and

Research. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 19(2), 355–366.

Michelle Taylor

Dr. Keck

ENGL 496

9/28/19