Lord of the Flies

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 5

Lord of the Flies

Lesson 3

“Bollocks to the rules!”

Survival vs Rules

Lesson 3 complete 

Ties van der Heiden

5 vwo

90 minutes.

Today

• Warm-up (15min)


• Boys’ state trailer (10min)
• Be a character (25min)
• Analysis Chapter 4,5,6 “Bollocks to the rules!”  (15min)
• Learning Journal (10min)
  

All the steps in the lesson.

Focus

What happens to freedom when survival becomes more important than rules?

• How survival pressure affects freedom and group behavior.
• Understand how rules and power influence personal freedom.
• What happens to freedom when survival becomes more important than rules? 

Goals

• You can Identify character traits and describe them.
   
• Evaluate how survival pressures and ambition influence moral choices and group behaviour. 
  
•  You can see how graphic novel artists depict shifts in power and conflict through visual storytelling. 
  
• You can connect themes from Lord of the Flies to real-world situations  
  

• You can Identify character traits and describe them.  
• Evaluate how survival pressures and ambition influence moral choices and group behaviour. 
•  You can see how graphic novel artists depict shifts in power and conflict through visual storytelling. 
• You can connect themes from Lord of the Flies to real-world situations  

You and your group find yourselves stranded on an island. There's no government, no rules. You're hungry and exposed to danger. What is your priority?

Create rules and agreements

Focus on survival needs.

Warm-up

Ask students afterwards about what could go wrong if the focus is only on one of the two options.

This is a trailer about a summer programme where boys join to try and elect a governor among them.

Think, pair, share.

Documentary about teenage boys building their own democracy without any adult leaders.

• How are freedom, power and ambition depicted in the trailer?
• In both Boys' State and Lord of the Flies, what happens to freedom when people start to compete for power?

Think, pair, share.

Documentary about teenage boys building their own democracy without any adult leaders.

• How are freedom, power and ambition depicted in the trailer?
• In both Boys' State and Lord of the Flies, what happens to freedom when people start to compete for power?

Freedom
Power
Ambition

Ask about specifics in the trailer where Freedom, Power and Ambition is shown.

Is Freedom just a symbol?

Is Power just pretence? 

Is Ambition a mindset?

What limits the boys' freedom the most in the trailer?

Do you think the system of electing a governor is done fairly like this? 

Is everyone being treated equally?

The rules of the system

Peer pressure

The desire to win

Their own fear or insecurity

Have the students discuss in groups. Each group has to agree on one single answer. This invokes the students to explain and defend their point of view towards the trailer.

Ask questions about fair play. 

Do you think the system of electing a governor is done fairly like this? 

Is everyone being treated equally?

Debate

In groups of 5 

Convince your classmates that your character is right.

Preparation: fill in your character debate sheet.

Round 1: give your opening statement.

Round 2: try to convince Piggy to join your cause and win a Sticker.

Be a Character

Democracy and Rules

Logic and Fairness

Morality and spirituality

Power and violence

Hunting and survival

Ralph

Simon

Piggy

Roger

Jack

Main Activity Debate.

Students defend the POV of a randomly picked character. They aim to comprehend motivation, perspective, and moral reasoning.

10 minutes prep time with help from Debate sheet. 

Why does your character's goal matter the most?

Stick to your character during the debate.

Try to win over Piggy’s vote. 

Democracy and Rules

Logic and Fairness

Morality and spirituality

Power and violence

Hunting and survival

Ralph

Simon

Piggy

Roger

Jack

opening 

final

Ralph

➔ I believe rules are the most important thing.

➔ I want to build shelters, keep a signal fire burning, and organize assemblies.

➔ Without structure, we will lose our humanity.

Jack

➔ I believe survival comes first — rules don’t catch food.

➔ I want to hunt, provide meat, and lead by strength.

➔ Freedom means taking action without waiting for permission.

Piggy

➔ I believe fairness and logic must guide us.

➔ I want to protect everyone’s rights and use the conch to organize speech.

➔ Freedom without fairness is dangerous and cruel.

Simon

➔ I believe kindness and morality are more important than power.

➔ I see danger in fear and in the darkness inside people.

➔ True freedom comes from understanding and goodness, not control.

Roger

➔ I believe strength and fear control people.

➔ I want to follow instincts and seize freedom through power.

➔ Rules are just weak protection for the scared.

Discuss and debate with your group . 

Let everyone talk about what they believe.

Divide into two parties and win over Piggy’s vote. 

Who won Piggy?

Go ask every group who won Piggy’s vote.

Ask the student with Piggy’s role to explain why they voted for that student.

We’re they biased somehow?

Was the voting rigged? 

Did anyone try to convince you while not in character?

LOTF techniques

Page 146-150

Analyse the techniques used in your groups (Graphic novel terms by Scott McCloud 1993)

• What do you think is the intention for using different panel sizes?
  
• What do the colours and lines symbolise? 
  
• Why is the panel where Jack says "Bollocks to the rules!" open?
  
• Can you find other techniques used by the artist?
  
• Challenge: Think of a line that Ralph could say as answer to Jack’s “Bollocks to the rules” statement. Make a drawing of what that panel look like?
  

Challenge question. Take a picture of your drawing

Time for Learning Journal

Entry 2 

10 min

Think about how your freedom was affected during this class.

Handout LJ.3 (Learning Journal 3) 

To students.