slide-deck

1.

An exploration of
Chapter 9 of ‘Lord of
the Flies’
English
Unit ‘Lord of the Flies’

2.

Outcome
I can explain and explore the key events of Chapter 9 of ‘Lord of
the Flies’.

3.

Keywords
hallucinatory
relating to experiences in which you see, hear, feel or
smell something that does not exist
collective
shared by every member of a group
pathetic fallacy
the projection of human emotions onto nonhuman objects found in nature
tension
a feeling of anxiety or nervousness
before a significant event
connotations
a feeling or idea that is suggested by a word in
addition to its basic meaning

4.

Lesson outline
An exploration of Chapter 9 of ‘Lord of the Flies’
Understanding Chapter 9
Pathetic fallacy in Chapter 9

5.

Understanding Chapter 9
Explanation
At the end of Chapter 8, Simon has a hallucinatory encounter
with the beast (in the form of the head of a pig).
The beast has revealed that he is in charge and that Simon can’t
halt the evil that is in all human beings.
Read Chapter 9. You need a copy of the ‘Lord of the Flies’ for this lesson.
Please ensure that you are using the Faber & Faber; Main edition (3 Mar.
1997).
As you read, focus on the character of Simon. What does he discover? What does
he do? What happens to him?

6.

Understanding Chapter 9
Check
Which answers are correct?
1. What does Simon discover at the
beginning of Chapter 9?
a.
b.
c.
The “beast” is real and dangerous.
The “beast”
dead
parachutist.
The
“beast”isisa a
dead
The boys have built more shelters.
parachutist.
2. What does Simon do after his discovery?
a. He
He runs
boys
thethe
truthtruth
about
runstototell
tellthe
the
boys
the beast.
about
the beast.
b.
b.
c.
c.
He goes
goes to
to talk
talk to
to the
the beast
beast
He
He cries
cries thinking
thinking of
of his
his home.
home.
He
c. The boys have built more shelters.
3. What happens to Simon?
4. What do Ralph and Piggy do?
a. He gets lost in the jungle
jungle.
b. He faints and doesn’t recover.
The boys
thethe
beast
and kill
c. The
boysthink
thinkhe’s
he’s
beast
him. kill him.
and
a. They run away.
They join
violence.
b. They
joinininthe
the
violence.
c. They try to protect Simon.

7.

Task A
Understanding Chapter 9
Practice
This is one of the most shocking chapters in the novel. All of the
boys - even the rational Piggy - have participated in violence and
savagery. The result is the death of Simon.
Discuss: what does the terrible killing of Simon tell us
about the moral state of the boys on the island?
Use the following sentence starters:
● The boys attacked Simon because …
● Ralph and Piggy initially stayed out of the attack, but …
● This is the second death in the book, so …

8.

Task A
Understanding Chapter 9
Feedback
You might have said:
● The boys attacked Simon because they were caught up in a frenzied
dance and mistook him for the beast. Even when he calls out about the
dead man on the island, they do not recognise the real Simon.
● Ralph and Piggy initially stayed out of the attack, but they then join in. They
become part of the violence of the group, partly because they too are
affected by the collective blood lust, but also because in the moment,
the group seems to offer a sense of belonging and security.
● This is the second death in the book, so it is clear to the reader that the
boys are becoming increasingly immoral and violent. At this point, they
seem so far gone into savagery that we might predict that even worse
will happen.

9.

Lesson outline
An exploration of Chapter 9 of ‘Lord of the Flies’
Understanding Chapter 9
Pathetic fallacy in Chapter 9

10.

Pathetic fallacy in Chapter 9
Explanation
Pathetic fallacy is the projection of human emotions onto non-human
objects found in nature.
Find examples of pathetic fallacy in Chapter 9. Here are some hints to help:
Page 160, first sentence: the noun that describes the clouds
Page 160, first paragraph: the verb that tells you what the air is about to do
Page 168, fourth paragraph: the metaphor used to describe the lightning
Page 168, fourth paragraph: the simile used to describe the noise
Page 169, fourth paragraph: the verbs used to describe the rain and the clouds

11.

Pathetic fallacy in Chapter 9
Explanation
You might have found:
● Page 160, first sentence: the noun that describes the clouds “build-up”
● Page 160, first paragraph: the verb that tells you what the air is about to do
“explode”
● Page 168, fourth paragraph: the metaphor used to describe the lightning “scar”
● Page 168, fourth paragraph: the simile used to describe the noise “whip”
● Page 169, fourth paragraph: the verbs used to describe the rain and the clouds
“ceased” and “drifted”

12.

Pathetic fallacy in Chapter 9
Explanation
Discuss: what are the connotations of each of
the following quotations? The first one has been
done for you.
“build-up”: suggests a rising tension that will have to be released
“explode”
“scar”
“whip”
“ceased” and “drifted”

13.

Pathetic fallacy in Chapter 9
Explanation
You might have said:
● “build-up” : suggests a rising tension that will have to be
released
● “explode”: sounds violent and makes the reader think of bombs
● “scar”: an injury, evidence of physical harm
● “whip”: a violent punishing weapon
● “ceased” and “drifted”: resolved and calm, moving away

14.

Pathetic fallacy in Chapter 9
Check
Match the quotation with its connotations.
“drifted”
permanent injury
“scar”
bombs
“whip”
moving away
“explode”
attack
“build-up”
growing

15.

Task B
Pathetic fallacy in Chapter 9
Practice
Discuss: how does Golding use pathetic fallacy to create,
build and reduce tension in Chapter 9?
You could:
● use quotations and explore their connotations
● comment on the changing and different moods created by the pathetic fallacy

16.

Task B
Pathetic fallacy in Chapter 9
Feedback
This is what
Compare
your
theideas
Oak with
pupils
theirs.
said.
The weather represents the
boys’ feelings. For example,
the “whip” of the noise
reflects the boys’ attacks on
Simon. The effect of pathetic
fallacy is to make the whole
environment seem violent.
Sam
Golding talks about how the
bad weather “ceased” and
“drifted.” Tension may have
been reduced, but can the
boys really just brush away
what they have done?
Jacob

17.

Summary An exploration of Chapter 9 of ‘Lord of the Flies
● Simon wakes up after fainting, sees the parachutist and realises the boys
have mistaken his dead body for the beast
● Simon goes to Jack’s feast to tell the boys that the beast is not real
● Jack’s feast becomes a frenzy as the boys perform a hunting dance - even
Ralph and Piggy join in
● the boys mistake Simon for the beast and savagely kill him with their hands
and teeth
● Golding uses pathetic fallacy to describe how the tension builds,
explodes and reduces in this chapter

18.

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