Exam Practice - Answers from the board

Exam practice question - answer

Roosevelt once said: “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.” Using the novel as a whole, judge the ways in which this quote pertains to life on the island for the boys.

Thesis: If the boys would not have feared so many things they would have fonction better (with fewer conflicts) as a mini-civilization

1. Losing power
1. Jack
2. Ralph
2. Beast
1. Parachute
2. Simon’s death
3. Death
1. Fire → keeping it alive
2. Hunters → afraid of starvation

Mme’s comments: thesis could be reworded, but arguments are really good

Thesis: The quote “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself” pertains to the boys life on the island as fear causes erratic behaviours which puts them in dangerous situations.

1. Jack’s fear of losing power
1. kills piggy
2. almost burns down the island and kills ralph
2. Fear of the fire going out
1. Ralph’s “freak out” (p.111)
2. Hunters let fire go out on mountain
3. Fear of the Beast
1. Makes Ralph question himself
2. Kills Simon

Thesis: The boys in Lord of the Flies had much more to fear than fear itself considering the very real dangers they were exposed to throughout  the book

1. The boys had trouble meeting their foundamental needs
1. Maintaining a fire
2. Littluns access to food
3. Hunting/shelter building/heat...
2. Corruption within the group
1. Roger’s cruelty (littluns, Henry, …)
2. Jack abusing his power, abusing SamnEric
3. Consequences of anarchy/bad leadership
1. Ralph getting hunted
2. Moral disengagement (Simon’s death)

Other example of a good thesis: Hysteria shortly becomes the source of chaos as the characters learn that they need to fend for themselves