Lord of the Flies
Name: ___________________________________________________________________ Hour: _________
Lord of the Flies
By William Golding
Critical Thinking/Interpretive Study Guide
[pic]
Chapter 1: The Sound of the Shell
1. How do the boys end up on the island?
They are in some kind of plane crash, though the details are not all clear.
2. Who is “the voice” referred to on page 7? What does the voice represent?
Piggy is “the voice” and represents the voice of reason
3. How does the reaction of the fair-haired boy differ from the fat boy’s at the realization that there are no adults around?
Fat Boy: startled that no adults are around, suggests that the pilot may still be alive. Wants to get things organized and make a list of survivors, have a meeting
Fair-Haired Boy: Happy and excited about having no adults around, only wants to play
4. Golding’s choice of vocabulary when describing Ralph (black shoes, kicked, fiercely, ripped off, skull-like coconuts, sliding over the skin, snake-like clasp) sets what kind of tone? What could it be foreshadowing?
Evil tone, foreshadows a shady character
5. How old is Ralph?
12 years and a few months
6. What do you like about the book so far? What are you struggling with?
Answers vary. Ideas?
7. On the bottom of page 8, Piggy says, “It wasn’t half dangerous…” Again on page 13, he says twice, “You can’t half swim.” What does Piggy mean by “half”?
Double negative. For example, “It wasn’t half dangerous” means that it really was dangerous.
8. Describe Piggy.
Fat, wears glasses, asthma. Brighter and more mature than Ralph, but kind of a wimp
9. Find the examples of personification on page 15, in describing light and breezes.
Breezes “crept,” the breeze seemed to “whisper,” the light “slid over their bodies or moved like bright, winged
Lord of the Flies
By William Golding
Critical Thinking/Interpretive Study Guide
[pic]
Chapter 1: The Sound of the Shell
1. How do the boys end up on the island?
They are in some kind of plane crash, though the details are not all clear.
2. Who is “the voice” referred to on page 7? What does the voice represent?
Piggy is “the voice” and represents the voice of reason
3. How does the reaction of the fair-haired boy differ from the fat boy’s at the realization that there are no adults around?
Fat Boy: startled that no adults are around, suggests that the pilot may still be alive. Wants to get things organized and make a list of survivors, have a meeting
Fair-Haired Boy: Happy and excited about having no adults around, only wants to play
4. Golding’s choice of vocabulary when describing Ralph (black shoes, kicked, fiercely, ripped off, skull-like coconuts, sliding over the skin, snake-like clasp) sets what kind of tone? What could it be foreshadowing?
Evil tone, foreshadows a shady character
5. How old is Ralph?
12 years and a few months
6. What do you like about the book so far? What are you struggling with?
Answers vary. Ideas?
7. On the bottom of page 8, Piggy says, “It wasn’t half dangerous…” Again on page 13, he says twice, “You can’t half swim.” What does Piggy mean by “half”?
Double negative. For example, “It wasn’t half dangerous” means that it really was dangerous.
8. Describe Piggy.
Fat, wears glasses, asthma. Brighter and more mature than Ralph, but kind of a wimp
9. Find the examples of personification on page 15, in describing light and breezes.
Breezes “crept,” the breeze seemed to “whisper,” the light “slid over their bodies or moved like bright, winged