Aim: How does a close-reading of Lord of the Flies demonstrate the power that naming has in society?
Do Now:
At the beginning of today’s lesson we discussed the backgrounds behind our names, and the significance or meaning of our names. Surprisingly, only a few students were able to associate or identify with the meanings behind their names, however most did not and do not believe it reflects on their personality. Angela shared that her name means “angel” or a messenger of god, but does not associate with that name, and does not believe that her personality is reflected in her name. Rory shared that they were named after Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, however strongly dissociates with the name and believes that their character is more reflected in the name Rory! I personally believe that my name and personality are deeply correlated, as my name means “vigor and virtue” and I am a fairly headstrong person. This discussion was a very good segway into the lesson, and although our views about our names were fairly different, writers often use naming to give insight into their characters and the story, which we get into later in the lesson.
Pair-share into Whole Group Discussion
Next, we discussed how naming was present in the “Lord of the Flies”, specifically by discussing the titles of chapters in the book. Some ideas brought up were that the chapters give some insight into what we are about to read, foreshadow the events of the chapter, and provide symbolism. My group discussed that in the last few chapters, darker symbolism showed that there will be an unhappy ending, foreshadowing the conclusion of this book. Towards the last chapters, the words “darkness” “death” and “cry” present these sadder dark themes, while the beginning of the book appears to be less dark and more innocent, leading us to discover that naming of chapters does indeed have a very large purpose and importance in our reading!
Titles of Chapters
The Sound of the Shell
Fire of the Mountain
Huts on the Beach
Painted Faces and Long Hair
Beast from Water
Beast from Air
Shadows and Tall Trees
Gift for the Darkness
A View to a Death
The Shell and the Glasses
Castle Rock
Cry of the Hunters
Close-Reading (Page 11)
Afterward, we read a section out of Chapter 1 “The Sound of the Shell” describing an interaction between the characters known as “Piggy” and “Ralph”. Then discussed the significance of “Piggy’s” name with our group and how this name could affect him. We concluded that the character “Piggy” is described as a “little fat boy” and the name piggy would be associated with pigs and is often an insult towards someone’s body type. This name with a very strong negative connotation could lead this character to be cast out from society, ridiculed and bullied, as well as compared and treated like a pig. The naming of Piggy’s character sets up a conflict for his character, which is demonstrated in Ralph’s reaction to his name. Ralph is a depiction of how society would react and ridicule someone with such a nickname. Additionally, this reaction from Ralph sets up his character to be a rather childish character with a lack of maturity and emotional awareness/empathy.
Finally, we wrapped up the lesson with a character analysis, discussing each character’s direct and indirect characterization. Each student was supposed to submit an individual response describing either Ralph’s, Jack’s or Piggy’s character. The students were supposed to submit a brief response touching upon both direct and indirect characterization and evidence from the text to support these claims.
Let's start off with Ralph. Ralph’s direct characterization was of his physical appearance, the author directly describing him as being “the boy with fair hair”, and “…taken off his school sweater and trailed it from one hand, his grey shirt stuck to him and his hair plastered to his forehead.” Indirect characterization of Ralph is developed through his actions, through how he appears immature and insensitive to the reader through his complete abandonment of Piggy’s trust, and the bullying he subjects him to, not realizing the harmful consequences his actions have on Piggy.
Next, Jack’s is described with direct characterization and indirect characterization as well. He is described as “tall, thin, and bony” and his face was “crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness”. This gives a direct depiction of his somewhat unattractive physical appearance, however Jack is also depicted as a bully through his incredibly cruel words and actions, specifically towards Piggy. Additionally, Jack is portrayed as arrogant, rude, and bloodthirsty. He is angered when he is not able to kill, and has an innate desire for power, which is developed through his attempt to become chief through a display of arrogance.
And finally, as mentioned before, Piggy, described with very negative connotations, is depicted as unintelligent, not attractive, and rather unimpressive. The lack of a name for this character, as he’s just referred to as “Piggy” shows how he is viewed by his peers as unimportant and not worthy of a name. Some examples of direct characterization are the author’s direct description of “Piggy” as a “fat boy” while Ralph is portrayed as a“fair boy” and the use of the word “Piggy”, comparing him to a rather disgusting animal. However his words give away his intelligence and maturity. Rather than acting without haste and thought, he attempts to be organized and thinks through his actions. Instead of just wanting to have fun he immediately creates plans for survival, which shows his maturity above his peers. Although he is portrayed as unintelligent and unimpressive, and is given many physical incapabilities, he is developed to be way above his peers in terms of his maturity level.
Reflection: In today's lesson I learned about how naming has an impact in many areas of our life and in literature. As we started off the lesson I began to reflect upon what significance my name had on me, and my classmates on them. Then as we transitioned into our reading and responses later in the class I began to realize just how important naming has in many aspects of literature. Naming of a character in literature often has a great impact on how the character is portrayed and perceived. The indirect characterization of a name can often tell a great deal about what the author intends for you to believe about this character. Naming chapters in a book can also help identify what the significance of the chapter is and provide details to the events of the chapter, the impact of them, and the importance of what the chapter is named as. The naming of Piggy’s character in Lord of the Flies helps portray him as almost like an animal, rather unintelligent, unfit, and helps the reader perceive him as somewhat below the other characters in terms of physical and mental capabilities. Piggy’s character is quite obviously being compared to a “pig”, and Ralph’s reaction to this name shows how this name is almost laughable and something that Piggy would get bullied for, however the indirect characterization throughout the chapter shows how this name specifically reflects/represents Piggy’s own personality. This lesson helped me understand just how important character’s names are, and how the author directly and indirectly characterizes them, and I will make sure to keep in mind these ideas while reading “The Lord of the Flies” and many other books in the future.
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