Plot and Action
Plot summary: What happens in Lord of the Flies?
Revision focus: Getting the plot straight, Chapters One and Two: Establishing order on the island, Chapters Three and Four: Order is slipping, Chapters Five and Six: Focusing on the beast, Chapters Seven and Eight: Thrill of the hunt, Chapters Nine and Ten: Savagery rules, Chapters Eleven and Twelve: Chaos and rescueChapter One: The sound of the shell
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key setting: The island, Key characters: Ralph, Piggy and Jack, Key quotation: Jack’s character, Aiming high: Writing about the boys’ namesChapter Two: Fire on the mountain
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key quotation: Ralph’s character, Key theme: Fire, Key character: Piggy, Exam focus: Writing about the beastChapter Three: Huts on the beach
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key theme: Law and order, Key quotation: Simon’s character, Aiming high: Writing about Piggy’s glassesChapter Four: Painted faces and long hair
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key characters: Piggy, Key theme: Order and chaos, Revision focus: Tracking the descent into chaosChapter Five: Beast from water
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key character: Ralph as leader, Key theme: Evil, Aiming high: Writing about views on Ralph as leaderChapter Six: Beast from air
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key theme: The beast, Key characters: Different reactions to the beast, Top tip: Writing about power and leadershipChapter Seven: Shadows and tall trees
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key language: Natural images, Key theme: Savagery and tribalism, Top tip: Writing about the use of languageChapter Eight: Gift for the darkness
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key character: Jack as a leader, Key context: Lord of the Flies, Aiming high: Discuss what characters representChapter Nine: A view to a death
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key character: Simon – the martyr for the truth, Key quotation: Simon as ‘the beast’, Exam focus: Writing about effectsChapter Ten: The shell and the glasses
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key characters: The two groups, Key language: The shell and the glasses as symbols, Top tip: Writing about Jack’s leadership in contextChapter Eleven: Castle rock
Summary, Why is this chapter important?, Key context: Children’s literature in the 1940s and 1950s, Key character: The death of Piggy, Key quotation: Order versus chaos, Key theme: An increase in violence, Top tip: Writing about the rule of order, Aiming high: Comment on different possibilitiesCharacters
Ralph
Ralph’s role in the novel, Ralph’s importance to the novel as a whole, Top tip: Writing about Ralph and Piggy’s relationship, Exam focus: Writing about Ralph, Revision focus: RalphJack
Jack’s role in the novel, Jack’s importance to the novel as a whole, Exam focus: Writing about Jack, Top tip: Writing about JackRoger and Maurice
Roger and Maurice’s roles in the novel, Exam focus: Writing about Roger and Maurice, Top tip: Writing about Roger and MauriceSam and Eric
Sam and Eric’s role in the Novel, Aiming high: Discuss language, Exam focus: Writing about Sam and EricThemes, Contexts and Settings
Themes
Good and evil, Aiming high: Writing about evil, Civilisation and savagery, Revision focus: Descent into savagery, Order and discipline, Key quotation: Jack and order, Crowd mentality, Conflict: External and internal, Exam focus: Writing about the mobForm, Structure and Language
Form
The adventure novel, R. M. Ballantyne’s The Coral Island (1857), Is Lord of the Flies an adventure novel?, Key quotation: The Coral Island, Revision focus: The Coral IslandProgress Booster
Planning your answer
Plan quickly and efficiently, Stage 1: Generate ideas quickly, Stage 2: Jot down useful quotations (or key events), Stage 3: Plan for paragraphs