Lord of the Flies Annotation Guide
The chart below indicates important aspects of the novel to consider for annotations:
Setting
What role does this
play? How is the
jungle/island
characterized?
What aspects are
symbolic (e.g. the
scar)?
Characterization:
of major characters (consider
both direct & indirect
characterization. What do
certain details/actions suggest
about these characters?



What do they say
What do they do (behavior)?
How do the interact with
others? Pay attention to
CONFLICTS
Themes:
Make note of
actions/events that
embody these overarching
ideas






Man is inherently evil
The need for civilization
Innocence & the loss of it
The loss of identity
Power
Fear of the unknown
Symbols:
Make note of items/things that
take on larger meaning. Be able
to identify what these things
represent!
Watch for mentions of:
 The conch
 Piggy’s glasses
 Fire
 Masks
 The lord of the flies/the
beast
Literary Devices and Techniques:







Foreshadowing
Imagery (sensory language)
Figurative Language (metaphor, simile, etc.)
Irony (verbal, situational, dramatic)
Diction – word choice for effect
Syntax – (e.g. parallel structure, polysyndeton,
asyndeton)
Motif – a reoccurring pattern of imagery,
symbolism
Ideas, etc. (e.g. power, leadership, etc.)
*see detailed explanations on reverse side*
Literary Elements & Language Terms:
1.
Irony – occurs in three types
a. Verbal irony – occurs when a speaker or narrator says one thing while meaning the opposite
Ex: Your friend falls down the stairs, and you say “You’re so graceful!”
b. Situational irony – occurs when a situation turns out differently from what one would normally expect – though
often the twist is oddly appropriate
Ex: A deep sea diver drowning in a bathtub is ironic.
c. Dramatic irony – occurs when a character or speaker says or does something that has different meaning from what
he thinks it means, though the audience and other characters understand the full implications of the speech or action
Ex. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet:
Juliet’s mother bids Juliet goodnight, not realizing that Juliet is preparing to kill herself: “Good night. / Get thee to be d, and rest: for thou
hast need.”
2.
Motif – a term that describes a pattern or strand of imagery or symbolism in a work of literature
Ex. In Romeo and Juliet, the story is filled with images of light, especially sun imagery. Juliet is often referred to as the sun, eclipsing the moon.
3.
Symbolism – the use of any object, person, place, or action that both has a meaning in itself and that stands for something
larger than itself, such as a quality, attitude, belief, or value.
a. universal symbol – a symbol that is common to all mankind (a cross for Christianity)
b. contextual symbol – symbol used in a particular way by an individual author (the conch shell as democracy)
4.
Suspense – the quality of a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem that makes the reader or audience uncertain or
tense about the outcome of events
5.
Foreshadowing - The use of hints to give the reader insight about coming events.
6.
Diction – word choice intended to convey a certain effect
Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the "dictionary definition."¨ For example, if you look up the word
snake in a dictionary, you will discover that one of its denotative meanings is "any of numerous scaly, legless,
sometimes venomous reptiles, having a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most tropical and temperate
regions."
Connotation, on the other hand, refers to the associations that are connected to a certain word or the emotional
suggestions related to that word. The connotative meanings of a word exist together with the denotative meanings. The
connotations for the word snake could include evil or danger.
7.
Imagery - Words and phrases that appeal to the senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and/or taste. Sensory details
create vivid descriptions that re-create sensory experiences for the reader, creating “word pictures”
8.
Syntax - Syntax is an author’s grammatical structure, his choice of sentence structure and punctuation which leads to a
specific effect. Syntax does not have to do with the meaning of the word; it is the structure of the sentence.
a. Parallelism: Repetition of words, phrases, or sentences that have the same grammatical structure or that state a
similar idea.
Example: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, It was the epoc h of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness…”
b. Polysyndeton: the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than are necessary or natural, often slowing
the tempo or rhythm.
c.
Example: “In years gone by, there were in every community men and women who spoke the language of duty and morality and loyalty and
obligation.”
Asyndeton: a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions, often resulting in
a hurried rhythm or vehement effect.
Examples: “I came, I saw, I conquered.” – Julius Caesar; “We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend,
oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” – John F. Kennedy
9.
Figurative Language:
a. Simile: A technique that makes a comparison between two dissimilar objects using “like” or “as” to make the
comparison.
b. Metaphor: A technique that makes a comparison between two dissimilar objects without using “like” or “as” to
make the comparison.
c. Personification: A technique in which a writer gives human qualities or characteristics to non-human things.