2005 SUMMER READING FOR FRESHMEN
Lord of the Flies by William Golding (Perigree ISBN 0-399-50148-7 $7.95)
Adele M.  Suslick asuslick@uni.uiuc.edu

Wave after wave, Ralph followed the rise and fall until something of the remoteness of the sea numbed his brain.  Then gradually the almost infinite size of this water forced itself on his attention.  This was the divider, the barrier.  On the other side of the island, swathed at midday with mirage, defended by the shield of the quiet lagoon, one might dream of rescue; but here, faced by the brute obtuseness of the ocean, the miles of division, one was clamped down, one was helpless, one was condemned….

--Lord of the Flies (pp. 110-111)

Golding’s 1954 novel deals with a group of boys stranded on an uninhabited island.  It examines a number of important issues, including:

1.        What is human nature?
2.        What is the most effective form of government?
3.        What is a government’s responsibility toward the individual?
4.        What is an individual’s responsibility toward the government?

Your assignment is to read the novel and to take notes in your book as you read.  Mark words that are new to you, passages that seem significant, and the names of important characters.  Don’t worry if you don’t understand parts of the book.  Just do your best, pay attention, and be prepared to talk and/or write about the text in the fall.

You can purchase this novel at Pages for All Ages.

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