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 | The Lord of the Flies Study Guide for the book by William Golding
Grade Level: 11-12
Setting: 1950's-type era, jungle island
British Literature
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Study Guide . . . . Item #419 PDF Format (CD) . . . . Item #419CD Teacher's Set . . . . Item #419M PDF Format by Email . . . . #419PDF
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"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure . . ."
~Jeremiah 17:9
"There is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts . . ."
~Ecclesiastes 9:3
An airplane, carrying a group of British boys fleeing a devastating war, is shot down and crashes, stranding the boys on a tropical island. With the pilot dead and only themselves to rule the island, the boys try to establish some form of order.
Under the leadership of Ralph and the advice of a boy called Piggy, the boys set up rules for survival and rescue. Above all else, a signal fire must be maintained. This responsibility is accepted by Jack and his followers, who are also the hunters. But something stalks the island, sowing fear and discord. The fire is allowed to die and a rescue ship misses them. Day by day the boys change. Conflicts arise. Mistakes happen. And as time passes, the children become filthy, careless, and cruel.
In time, the children who were formerly disciplined by the structure of British society become savage animals, hunting not only pigs, but each other. Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, is a literary masterpiece examining the fallen condition of the human heart and the loss of innocence.