Suggested Essay Ideas – these are “jumping off points” for your thesis. They give you a place to start:

Read them over and discuss the two you like the best with a partner or small group. Be sure that there are three areas you can discuss about the topic you have chosen. Make a point form list of the three pieces of key evidence you could use to support each area.

1.  Of all the characters, it is Piggy who most often has useful ideas and sees the correct way for the boys to organize themselves, yet the other boys rarely listen to him and frequently abuse him. Why do you think this is the case? Inwhat ways does Golding use Piggy to advance the novel’sthemes?

2.  What, if anything, might the dead parachutist symbolize? Does he symbolize something other than what the “beast” and the “Lord of the Flies” symbolize? How are these three the same or different? Discuss Golding’s use of these symbols in the novel.

3.  The sow’s head and the conch shell each wield a certain kind of power over the boys. In what ways do these objects’ powers differ? In what way is Lord of the Fliesa novel about power? About the power of symbols? About the power of a person to use symbols to control a group? Analyze one or both of these symbols in terms of how they are perceived by the boys as well as what they symbolize for the reader.

4.  What role do the littluns play in the novel? In one respect, they serve as gauges of the older boys’ moral positions, for we see whether an older boy is kind or cruel based on how he treats the littluns. But are the littluns important in and of themselves? What might they represent and why has Golding included them in his novel?

5.  In his introduction to William Golding's novel, novelist E.M. Forster suggests that Golding's writing "lays a solid foundation for the horrors to come." Using Forster's quote as a starting point, discuss how Golding foreshadows the murders of Simon and Piggy in the novel: focus on events or images from the novel's earlier chapters and describe how they anticipate the novel's tragic outcome.

6.  Many critics have read Lord of the Flies as a political allegory. In particular, they have considered the novel a commentary on the essential opposition between totalitarianism and liberal democracy. Using concrete examples from the novel, show how the two political ideologies are presented in the novel, and then discuss which of the two you think Golding seems to favor.

7.  Names and naming are important in Lord of the Flies. Many characters have names that allude to other works of literature, give insight into their character, or foreshadow key events. Discuss the significance of the names of three key characters. What does each character's name say about him and his significance? Use external sources as necessary, and be sure to note your sources in your list of works cited.

*There are many other topics which can be discussed about this novel. You must have your topic selection and thesis approved by Mrs. Jackman by the end of the period today – Monday January 20th for ENG2DI-05/E block

-Tuesday January 21st for ENG2DI-04/D block

Thesis statements and essay planning

1.  Your thesis is a statement of what you are proving about a certain topic in the novel. It should, in a summarized fashion, let the reader know what information you will cover as part of your argument. Your thesis must include the name of the book and the name of the author. You do not need to say that you are going to prove something in your essay, because your reader knows this – that is the purpose of an essay, after all!

Basic thesis: In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses the conch as a symbol of order throughout the novel.

Final thesis: Golding uses the discovery of the conch to initiate the dichotomy between order and chaos which will grow, fester and ultimately explode in Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies.

2.  Start with a BASIC thesis – as shown above, you can tweak the language once you have your plan and paragraphs completed (as long as you don’t twerk it).

3.  Outline the three main points of your argument, and put down a chapter location where each of your proofs can be found – later these will have to be precise page numbers, but for now this will do. You need 2-3 clear, well discussed pieces of evidence for each of your body paragraphs.

Put your plan in the spaces below, unless you wish to use the computer to do it. You must print and hand in your plan by the start of next class: Tuesday January 21st for ENG2DI-05/E, and Thursday January 23rd for ENG2DI-04/D.

Thesis:

Body Paragraph #1:

Body Paragraph #2:

Body Paragraph #3: