Lord of the Flies Literary Analysis
A literary analysis discusses a reader’s interpretation of a text through careful examination of the author's choices within the text: word choice, themes, motifs, as well as many other literary devices.
Students will choose a prompt and compose a 2-3 page essay analyzing how one literary element affects the meaning of the work as a whole.
Students must….
Prompts
1. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works, a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning.
Prompt: Choose a symbol and analyze how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole.
2. An author considers hundreds of decisions when building characters. What the character looks like, says, thinks, and does are all details an author uses to develop a character. The author can then use many aspects of this characterization to advance a theme in the novel.
Prompt: Choose a character from Lord of the Flies. Analyze how the author develops this character in order to advance one of the novel’s central themes.
3. Irony is a contrast or incongruity between expectations for a situation and what is reality. This can be a difference between the surface meaning of something that is said and the underlying meaning. It can also be a difference between what might be expected to happen and what actually occurs.
Prompt: Select 2-3 examples of irony in the novel and explain how Golding uses irony to reveal character or themes of the work as a whole.
Paper Specifications:
Timeline:
Students will choose a prompt and compose a 2-3 page essay analyzing how one literary element affects the meaning of the work as a whole.
Students must….
- Develop a clear thesis, stating the purpose and setting the tone and direction of the essay.
- Prove the thesis using between two and four body paragraphs.
- Compose body paragraphs that begin with a claim statement and provide supporting details.
- Include textual support, both direct and indirect (with MLA citations) in each body paragraph.
- Include at least two quotes per body paragraph.
- Include a works cited page.
Prompts
1. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works, a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning.
Prompt: Choose a symbol and analyze how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole.
2. An author considers hundreds of decisions when building characters. What the character looks like, says, thinks, and does are all details an author uses to develop a character. The author can then use many aspects of this characterization to advance a theme in the novel.
Prompt: Choose a character from Lord of the Flies. Analyze how the author develops this character in order to advance one of the novel’s central themes.
3. Irony is a contrast or incongruity between expectations for a situation and what is reality. This can be a difference between the surface meaning of something that is said and the underlying meaning. It can also be a difference between what might be expected to happen and what actually occurs.
Prompt: Select 2-3 examples of irony in the novel and explain how Golding uses irony to reveal character or themes of the work as a whole.
Paper Specifications:
- 2-3 pages, double-spaced
- Proper MLA format
- Works Cited page
- Times New Roman size 12
Timeline:
- Claim/Thesis Statement
- Outline + Quotations
- Intro Paragraph
- Body Paragraph
- Draft One
- Peer Revision (in-class)
- Draft Two
- Final Draft
- Grades Assigned
Thesis Statement Exemplars | |
File Size: | 13 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Revision Process | |
File Size: | 14 kb |
File Type: | docx |