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Lord of the Flies

by William Golding

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Discussion Topic

Guidelines for writing and structuring a 3-page essay on Lord of the Flies

Summary:

To write and structure a 3-page essay on Lord of the Flies, start with an introduction that includes a thesis statement. Follow this with body paragraphs, each focusing on a specific theme or character analysis, supported by textual evidence. Ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence. Conclude by summarizing your main points and restating the thesis in light of the arguments presented.

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How should I structure a three-point essay about Lord of the Flies?

William Golding's Lord of the Flies is a novel that is rich in psychological, geopolitical, and religious symbolism. You could create a thesis and support it with three points taking any of these perspectives.

To approach the novel from a psychological perspective, you can analyze the characters Ralph, Jack, and Piggy using Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory (see link below for more information). It's easy to show Jack as the manifestation of the id, the part of the personality that operates selfishly to satisfy its own desires. You can quote passages where Jack leaves Ralph's group and says he won't play anymore and in chapter 9 where he asks, "Who'll join my tribe and have fun?" Piggy clearly stands for superego, or the voice of conscience and adult caregivers. He often asks, "What's grown-ups going to think?" or makes similar remarks that sound like a parent. Ralph operates...

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primarily as the ego, maintaining a balance between the id and the superego. You can quote the passages at the beginning that show Ralph having fun swimming and later where Ralph enjoys hunting the pig with the others to show his id side, and then quote his lecture to the boys about keeping the fire lit in chapter 5 to show his superego side.

Another way to look at the book is through a geopolitical interpretation. Golding wrote the book shortly after WWII ended, and the way the boys divide echoes the way countries allied themselves during that conflict. Ralph represents Great Britain or democracy; you can prove this by pointing out how he runs the meetings democratically, trying to assure that all voices are heard and all concerns are addressed. Piggy, as Ralph's closest ally, represents the US. He's fat and has a bad accent—perhaps the way America looked to its more refined counterparts in the United Kingdom. Piggy's glasses represent technology—allowing the boys to use fire—and the US provided superior technology during the war. Finally, Jack represents Germany or Hitler. He lures boys to his tribe by offering meat, just as Hitler gained a following by promising to improve Germany's economy. Jack silences the other boys and favors dictatorial rule as evidenced in chapter 10 when he beats Wilfred. Roger could be viewed as the Gestapo, gleefully punishing Jack's enemies.

You could also write about the religious allusions in the novel. Three obvious ones are that the island itself represents the Garden of Eden: the failure of the boys' civilization parallels the Fall into sin and Simon functions as a Christ figure. See the link below for more information on the Christ figure angle. Depending on the length required, you could write the entire essay on Simon's role.

As you can see, you can find many ways to discuss Lord of the Flies. The novel is rich with meaning psychologically, politically, and religiously.

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