By Tucker Iverson ’12, Humor Editor, and Mr. David Beckman, Essay Editor

Mr. Beckman’s Slot D World Literature Class

In-Class Essay on “Lord of the Flies”

Prompt:  Please write a paragraph for me responding to the question “What do the main characters of Lord of the Flies show about the inherent nature of human society?”  Be creative!  Show me that you’ve read the book!

The Man Who Would Be King

            The Lord of the Flies, by William Goldberg, is about a man struggling to come to terms with the torturous and cruel circumstances that he has been put under.  His name was Jalf.  King Jalf is his name after they make him the king.  As evidenced by the front picture of the book, or novel, this man wears glasses that have been cracked.  This is presumably a result of his forced kingship of the flies that he has been forced to undertake.  It isn’t really fair to say that he has to be king but like Simba in Lion King, he is made king anyway.  Also like Simba, he has an evil uncle.  Therefore, human society is not made, it is created out of circumstances.

Fine attention to the visual image—perhaps a future career in art history or design?  Attention to language (e.g. the author’s name) is not so detailed.  You may not have noticed, while tapping on the screen (or “cover,” as we call it) that this is a book, which can actually be opened and “read.”

C

Deep Thoughts

            You ask a question of me?  I ask a question of this novel. This question that you pose must first be scrutinized under a thick and calculated lens.  I do not understand this question but perhaps we can delve deeper into the true meaning behind it.  What is society?  How can Ralph, Piggy, and the gang coexist in the same world that created the “television” and other consumer culture?  I certainly have never worn name brands.  The words “Nike” and “IHOP” mean nothing to me.  Who are you?  Who am I?  If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?  If a tree falls on a mime in the woods, does anyone care?  Who is Jalph?  Does he dare bite the hand that feeds him?  These questions and more are in my brain.  You answer them now.

Hold it, alert Mr. Hawk, we have a TOK prodigy in the room.   Sign him up for a Global Speakers talk.  Let’s have a breakout session.

B/B+

I am Lord of the Haiku

The Lord of the Flies.
The kids are on an island.
Refrigerator.

I commend you on

your syllabification.

Nonetheless: a D.

Symbols in “Lord of the Flies”

There are various obvious symbols that clearly appear in the Lord of the Flies.  I think that many different things are definitely symbols.  For example, the conch shell represents a shell that was once in the ocean that is now used for making noises to signal the others that things are happening.  Furthermore and nevertheless, there are a lot more symbols such as the rock that smashes the great and powerful Piggy’s head open which is a symbol for things that smash everywhere.  This shows human society.

You have quite a knack for stating the obvious in a way that is however and in addition quite a way of stating the obvious.  Seriously, I’m impressed.  This shows an essay.

B-

Comrade of the Flies

The premise of the “Lord of the Flies” is that there is a problem because all of the flies live on a pig on a farm.  This is an obvious allegory to communism.  The main characters, Jalf and the pig and the flies all show that human society is simply something that was created in Russia in the 1930’s.

Always a step and a half behind us, aren’t you Mr. Jones?  Sorry, that was Animal Farm.  Still, glad you learned what an allegory is!

C+

I Didn’t Use Wikipedia!!

William Golding was born on September 19, 1911, in Cornwall, England. Although he tried to write a novel as early as age twelve, his parents urged him to study the natural sciences. Golding followed his parents’ wishes until his second year at Oxford, when he changed his focus to English literature. After graduating from Oxford, he worked briefly as a theater actor and director, wrote poetry, and then became a schoolteacher. In 1940, a year after England entered World War II, Golding joined the Royal Navy, where he served in command of a rocket-launcher and participated in the invasion of Normandy.

You’ve done a great deal here to illuminate the early struggles and adventures of young Billy Golding, which of course have nothing to do with his later novel of desert island life.  I do appreciate the subtle humor of your title.  It’s funny because it’s true.  You did not use Wikipedia.  You used SparkNotes.

F (with Honor Council referral)

Lord of the Flies: An Exploration of Middle Earth

In J.R.R. Tolkein’s classic novel “Lord of the Flies,” he takes us on the journey of a single hobbit, Frodo Baggins, and the burden that he must bear.  When his great uncle Bilbo Baggins gives him the one true ring he goes upon a quest and fights orcs and different fantastic creatures.  Also, he has many different friends who assist him in carrying out his arduous task.  This book (really a trilogy) is heart-wrenchingly beautiful and speaks volumes about the tremendous empathy that can be achieved through teamwork and acceptance of all races and genders.  Indeed, there is only one human in the entire trilogy and his name is Aragorn.  He becomes king of Middle Earth and everyone is happy because he is cool.  This shows much about the inherent nature of human society.

Indeed it does.  The school bookstore, in case you did not know, is located right across from the L.  What can I say?  Your essay is grammatically proficient, and you apparently have a very sensitive heart.

C-

The Lord of the Flies

The “Lord of the Flies” is about a group of boys who crash on a deserted island.  They kill each other.  Some get hungry and eat the others.  At the end, they are saved.

Thank you for reading the book.  Novel titles go in italics.

A-/A