Name:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
THE
DARK
Period:
_ _ _ _ _ _
KNIGHT
of the Flies
Like William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, Christopher Nolan’s films The Dark Knight
and The Dark Knight Rises deal heavily with themes of
•
human nature: is humanity fundamentally good or evil?
•
social order: is chaos inevitable, or can law and order prevail?
This paper will allow you to compare, contrast, and SYNTHESIZE the points of view
presented in the book and the films on one of these questions. There will be several steps
to this process:
1. TAKE NOTE OF YOUR NOVEL IDEAS:
After reading Lord of the Flies, complete the Lord of the Flies Novel Notes Page. If you
haven’t selected which theme you would like to focus on yet, you should have a better idea
of which one you are leaning towards after completing the notes page. Even if you already
know which theme you would like to discuss in your paper, you still need to complete the
notes page.
2. WATCH MOVIE CLIPS AND READ SCREENPLAY SELECTIONS:
We can’t watch the entire movies in class, because it would take weeks. Instead, we will
watch selections and you will read the corresponding sections in the screenplays to
capture exact quotes (they are good!)
3. TAKE NOTE OF YOUR MOVIE IDEAS:
After watching the movie clips and reading the corresponding pages in the screenplays,
complete the Dark Knight Notes Page.
4. THINK ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS:
Look over the theme questions to assist you in coming up with a theme for your paper.
•
•
•
HUMAN NATURE
Are the characters admirable? Do
they behave in ways that make them
good, or ways that make them evil?
How does the story end? Do good
characters achieve good results?
Do evil characters get what they
deserve?
When characters make comments
about good vs. evil, does the story
prove them right or wrong?
•
•
•
•
SOCIAL ORDER
Do the characters follow social
norms?
When people in this story try to
observe social norms, do they
succeed? If not, what stops them?
What are each characters'
individual norms for behavior?
Which, if any, are they willing to
break? If they break social norms,
why do they do so?
How does the story end? Does order
prevail in the story's world, or does
everything fall into chaos
5. CREATE YOUR THESIS:
Complete the Crafting your Thesis – Quad Sheet. After filling in the four quadrants, create
a 1-sentence thesis about your chosen theme and the two authors’ views of the theme.
6. OUTLINE YOUR ESSAY:
Complete the thesis quad sheet and then, following the outline format on the back of this
sheet, create the outline you will use to write your paper.
I.
Introduction
A. Thesis statement: Nolan’s and Golding’s views of your theme
(may require two sentences)
II.
Golding Paragraph
A. View of your theme
1. First piece of evidence (cite page #)
2. Explanation of first evidence
3. Second piece of evidence (cite page #)
4. Explanation of second evidence
III.
Nolan Paragraph
A. View of your theme
1. First piece of evidence (cite page #)
2. Explanation of first evidence
3. Second piece of evidence (cite page #)
4. Explanation of second evidence
IV.
Conclusion
Restate main points and close
All you need here is
the thesis. Must be
a full sentence or 2!
Does not need to be in full
sentences, but must be thorough
and cite specific pages.
Do not just write “evidence.”
7. WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT OF YOUR PAPER:
Your essay should:
• be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins.
• discuss both The Dark Knight and Lord of the Flies.
• discuss ONE of the themes—human nature or social order—but not both.
8. PARTICIPATE IN PEER REVIEW:
Participate in peer review to get feedback on your first draft in preparation for revision.
9. REVISE PAPER:
Revise your paper using the feedback you received from the peer review and any other
areas you feel need improvement.
10. TURN IN FINAL DRAFT:
Turn in the final draft of your paper on www.turnitin.com. Please do not bring a hard
copy to class – won’t take it, don’t need, no thank you 
SEPTEMBER 7TH, 2015
 Turn in this packet of notes – do NOT staple your first draft to this packet
 Bring your first draft to class for peer review
 Participate in peer review
SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2015
 Turn in your final draft on www.turnitin.com
Novel Notes Page
QUOTE/EVENT
Quote the statement or
summarize the event.
WHO?
Narrator or
character?
Character
SIGNIFICANCE
What does it say about human nature or social order?
Circle the theme it relates to and explain the significance for that theme.
Human Nature
Social Order
Human Nature
Social Order
Human Nature
Social Order
Human Nature
Social Order
Human Nature
Social Order
_______________
or
Narrator
Character
_______________
or
Narrator
Character
_______________
or
Narrator
Character
_______________
or
Narrator
Character
_______________
or
Narrator
QUOTE/EVENT
Quote the statement or
summarize the event.
WHO?
Narrator or
character?
Character
SIGNIFICANCE
What does it say about human nature or social order?
Circle the theme it relates to and explain the significance for that theme.
Human Nature
Social Order
Human Nature
Social Order
Human Nature
Social Order
Human Nature
Social Order
Human Nature
Social Order
_______________
or
Narrator
Character
_______________
or
Narrator
Character
_______________
or
Narrator
Character
_______________
or
Narrator
Character
_______________
or
Narrator
THE DARK KNIGHT & THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
SCENE
Quick description
to refresh memory
QUOTE/EVENT
(Be sure to check script
for exact words.)
CHARACTER
Character who speaks the
line / does the action
SIGNIFICANCE
What does it reveal about Christopher Nolan’s view of
human nature or social order?
Human Nature
Social Order
Human Nature
Social Order
Human Nature
Social Order
Human Nature
Social Order
SCENE
QUOTE/EVENT
CHARACTER
SIGNIFICANCE
Human Nature
Social Order
Human Nature
Social Order
Human Nature
Social Order
Human Nature
Social Order
CRAFTING YOUR THESIS – QUAD SHEET
The Dark Knight and Lord of the Flies both address the themes of human nature and social order, but they
present a complex array of ideas and viewpoints. After reading the novel and watching the movie, choose
which side of the issue each writer favors. In the spaces below, make some notes analyzing the views of
William Golding (author of Lord of the Flies) and Christopher Nolan (writer/director of The Dark Knight)
and citing some details you could use to justify your analysis.
HUMAN NATURE
Is humanity fundamentally good or evil?
How does the text communicate this?
SOCIAL ORDER
Will law & order prevail, or is chaos inevitable?
How does the text communicate this?
Which theme will you discuss in your essay? Circle one:
Human Nature
Social Order
Write a 1-sentence thesis statement explaining Golding’s view of the theme and Nolan’s view of it.
T H E
D A R K
K N I G H T
of the Flies
Final Copy Grading Rubric
INTRODUCTION
5
4
3
Effective attention-getter, connector,
(title/author/genre) & thesis statement
One ACTS
element flawed
One ACTS
element missing
2
1
Multiple elements of ACTS
ineffective or missing
THESIS
5
4
Thesis clearly states both
authors’ stance on theme.
3
Thesis is
unclear.
2
1
Thesis only states
one author’s stance.
Thesis does not answer
question.
GOLDING SECTION
6
Contains clear claim, 2 specific
cited pieces of evidence. 1+
book quotes, relation to thesis
5
4
3
2-1
Minor
flaws
Flaws in 1 or 2 areas,
uncited info, unclear
explanations
Missing quotes,
inadequate explanations
or missing conclusion
Unclear claim, little
support, no link to
thesis, fact errors
NOLAN SECTION
6
Contains clear claim, 2 specific
cited pieces of evidence. 1+
book quotes, relation to thesis
5
4
3
2-1
Minor
flaws
Flaws in 1 or 2 areas,
uncited info, unclear
explanations
Missing quotes,
inadequate explanations
or missing conclusion
Unclear claim, little
support, no link to
thesis, fact errors
CONCLUSION
5
4
3
Restates thesis, references
attention-getter, closes w/ clincher
ORGANIZATION/TRANSITIONS
5
2
1
Elements missing;
includes pasted text
4
Multiple elements missing
3
Transitions smoothly guide reader
between ideas and ¶s
2
1
Missing or awkward
transitions
Little effort at organization;
few transitions; no ¶ breaks
CONVENTIONS
Present tense, authors’ surnames, correct title format, no I/you, no passive voice, no slang, (Author #) citations, double-spaced
12
11-10
Few to no errors in
grammar; no Absolute Must
errors; good word choices &
syntax
Minor
errors
9
8-7
Some poor
phrasing or
grammar/
usage errors
Uses the
word
quote
6
5-4
Much poor
phrasing;
distracting
errors
3-0
Many
grammar/usage
errors make the
essay hard to read.
STYLE POINTS
6
3
0
No errors in spelling, titles,
capitalization or sentence fragments.
One
error
Contains misspelled names/words, title errors (Knight/Night),
missing or erroneous capitalization, or 1+ sentence fragments.
TOTAL ESSAY SCORE ________ / 50
NAME _______________________________
PERIOD ______