William Golding was a British novelist best known for his 1954 novel Lord of the Flies. He served in the Royal Navy during World War II and drew on his experiences to examine human nature. Lord of the Flies tells the story of British boys stranded on an island who try to govern themselves but descend into savagery. Though initially rejected, it became a classic that explores the conflict between civilization and innate human brutality. Golding sought to trace the defects of modern society back to defects in human nature.

1. Jasmin Vargas Ms.King Period 7 05/20/10 William Golding (1911-1993) GOLDING PHOTO PORTRAIT CA. 1975 Photo Portrait ca. 1975. Photocredit Jerry Bauer.

2. Was a British novelist. Born on September 19, 1911, died 1993 Studied Science and English at Oxford Fought in Royal Navy during WWII and was briefly involved in the pursuit and sinking of Germany's mightiest battleship, the Bismarck . He also participated in the invasion of Normandy on D-Day , commanding a landing ship that fired salvoes of rockets onto the beaches(rocket ship), and then in a naval action at Walcheren in which 23 out of 24 assault craft were sunk. At war’s end, returned to teaching and writing Earned the Nobel Prize in Literature Winner of the 1983 Nobel Prize in literature, he’s among the most popular and influential British authors to have emerged after World War II.

3. He grew up in WWII 1939-1945 The fall of France to Nazi Germany in 1940 Britain feared an invasion and evacuated children to other countries. 1940 A German U-Boat torpedoed, a British ship carrying children, killing the boys, suspending the overseas evacuation program.

4. 1939- Britain joined France in war against Nazi Germany 1940- Fall of France 1940- Fascist Italy joins the Axis with Germany 1941- Japan attacks Pearl Harbor causing USA to declare war on Japan and enter the war 1944- D-Day Normandy Landings 1945- Bombing of Dresden 1945- European victory celebrated 1945- Atomic Bomb dropped in Hiroshima immediately killing 60-80,000 people (final death toll 135,000 people)

5. “ It was simply what seemed sensible for me to write after the war when everyone was thanking God they weren’t Nazis. I’d seen enough to realize that every single one of us could be Nazis.” --William Golding

6. Golding once allowed his class of boys total freedom in a debate, but had to intervene as mayhem soon broke out Experiences in war Critical response to Coral Island by R.M. Ballanytyne Philosophical questions about human nature

7. John Hobbes English Philosopher: 1588- 1679 Man is by nature selfishly individualistic Man constantly at war with other men Fear of violent death is sole motivation to create civilizations Men need to be controlled by absolute sovereignty to avoid brutish behavior

8. Rejected 21 times before it was published It was his first novel- published in 1954 Not successful until the early 1960’s On the American Library Association’s list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000.

9. Set in mid 1940’s when Europe was engulfed in war. A plane carrying British school boys is mistaken for a military craft and shot down. Only the boys survive the crash and try to form a society and govern themselves. Two ended up being killed.

10. “The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature.” --William Golding

11. Survival Power/leadership styles Civilization vs. Savagery Loss of Innocence Human nature Duality of man Nature Vs. Nurture Good Vs. Evil

12. Heavy use of symbolism Irony Abundant imagery and sensory detail Figurative Language Simile Metaphor Personification

13. In Hook , Robin Williams compares Lost Boys to savages in Lord of the Flies The Simpsons episode “Das Bus” is a parody Inspiration for the anime series Infinite Ryvius Mel Gibson’s 2006 movie Apocalypto has a similar ending. T.V. shows Survivor and Lost are said to have been inspired from Lord of the Flies 2006 movie Unaccompanied Minors makes reference to Lord of the Flies

14. “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy." - William Golding, Lord of the Flies , Chapter 12

15. Golding, William. (2010). Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia . Retrieved May 21, 2010, from Grolier Online http:// gme.grolier.com/article?assetid =0122620-0 Galloway, David. &quot;Golding, William Gerald (1911–1993).&quot; Encyclopedia Americana . Grolier Online http://ea.grolier.com/article?id=0179130-00 (accessed May 21, 2010). SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Lord of the Flies.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2007. Web. 6 May 2010. &quot;Lord of the Flies.&quot; Shmoop Literature. 23 Jan 2009 < http:// www.shmoop.com /intro/literature/william-golding/lord… “ William Golding.” 13 Mar 2008 http://www.william-golding.co.uk/works.html