English Advanced Midterm Final Study

Shakespeare, Lord of the Flies, Literary Lenses, Gothic & Romantic Literature

Jack

Represents savagery, ambition, and the id (impulses)

Piggy

Symbolizes intellect, rationality, and the ego (logic)

Simon

Embodies morality, spirituality, and the superego (conscience)

Ralph

Leadership and civilization, balancing ideals and survival

Roger

Sadism and cruelty, representing unrestrained violence

Littuns

Innocence, fear, and vulnerability

Imaginary Figure

Fear, collective paranoia, evil

Id

Jack (impulsive, power-driven)

Ego

Ralph (mediates survival and order)

Superego

Simon (moral compass)

Conch

Order, authority, power

Fire

Hope, survival, destruction

Beast

Fear, primal instinct

Lord of the Flies

Evil, corruption

Themes

• Civilization vs. savagery.

• Fear's power over behavior.

• Innate evil within humanity.

Formalist lens (structure of text)

Focus on conch (order), fire (hope/destruction), beast (fear)

Power Lens

Ralph’s democratic leadership contrasts with Jack’s tyranny

Historical Lens

The novel reflects post-WWII fears of human conflict and societal collapse

Psychological Criticism

• Freud: Jack (id), Ralph (ego), Simon (superego).

• Maslow: The boys prioritize survival (fire, food) over higher needs (order).

• Kohlberg: Roger (pre-conventional morality), Ralph (conventional morality), Simon (post-conventional morality)

Romanticism

Celebrates emotion, individuality, and nature over logic and order

Gothic

Dark settings, supernatural elements, isolation, and suspense

Gothic Settings

Remote, eerie places (e.g., castles, wilderness), creating fear and tension

Macbeth Characterization

Ambition and guilt lead to tyranny and downfall

Lady Macbeth Characterization

Ambitious, manipulative, later consumed by guilt and madness

Macbeth Themes

• Ambition: Corrupts and destroys.

• Guilt: Both characters are haunted by their crimes.

• Fate vs. Free Will: Struggle to control destiny

Macbeth Themes

• Ambition: Corrupts and destroys.

• Guilt: Both characters are haunted by their crimes.

• Fate vs. Free Will: Struggle to control destiny

Macbeth Symbolism

• Blood: Represents guilt and murder.

• Weather: Reflects chaos and unrest.

• Hallucinations: Insight into psychological breakdowns.

Cold Read

• Look for themes (what is being explored—e.g., fear, love, power).

• Use text evidence (specific phrases or details) to support answers.

• Analyze characters: How they change and how the setting impacts their choices.

• Evaluate diction (word choice) and syntax (sentence flow) to understand mood and tone.

• Identify the author’s purpose: Why they wrote the text and what they want to convey