Critical Lens Literature Review

Period Two

Characters: Roger, Jack (antagonist), Ralph (protagonist), Piggy and Simon (die)

Imagery: death of Piggy/Simon, lord of the flies, hunting Setting: WWII (evacuated from England), plane crashes on

a deserted island Conflict (external): boys vs. beast, Ralph vs. Jack, boys vs.

each other, savagery vs. civilization, Piggy vs. boys who pick on him

Symbolism◦ Pig’s head—savagery◦ The Beast—evils in society--fear◦ Fire—civilization/hope◦ Piggy’s death—death of knowledge ◦ Conch--democracy◦ Glasses—knowledge

Lord of the Flies, William Golding

Plot: Hunting other humans (smartest, can fight back)

Imagery: Depiction of the setting (the island, jungle/trap), hiding in the tree, the sounds, the dogs

Characterization: General Zaroff hunts humans—he’s crazy, trophy room, fancy vocabulary, Ivan (the guard), Rainsford (protagonist)

Conflict (external): Zaroff vs. the huntees, Zaroff vs. Rainsford

Conflict (internal): Rainsford versus his idea of hunting (trying to stay calm and sane)

“The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell

Plot: Tom Robinson is accused of rape by a white woman (Mayellen Ewell), defended by Atticus Finch

Boo Radley (neighbor who never comes out of his house, but saves the kids from Bob Ewell), Scout (narrator), Jem (brother), Dill (friend)

Setting: Great Depression, Alabama Conflict (external): Atticus vs. the town, Tom

vs. the town (racism) Conflict (internal conflict): Atticus vs. decision

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Lenny (big and slow) and George (hard-working, Lenny’s best friend, ranchhand, intelligent)

Curly (egotistical, angry, a jerk) and Curly’s wife (flirtatious, loves the attention)

Foreshadowing: Lenny accidentally kills the puppy, Lenny touches the girl’s dress

Setting: California, the Great Depression Lenny and George run away from Curly, George

kills Lenny in order to protect him (he dies happy, thinking about their dream of the ranch)

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

Memoir about the Holocaust Symbolism:

◦ Night/darkness: a world full of horror, a world without a benevolent God

◦ Fire: the power of the Nazis Imagery: desperation/survival—ugly truth

about humanity Theme:

◦ Don’t give up hope, even in the face of unspeakable horrors.

◦ Family means everything; even in the face of death, family can help you survive.

Night, by Elie Wiesel

Allegory: seems to be about life on a farm, but is really about politics

The animals represent significant political figures (Stalin [corrupt, exploitive leadership], Lenin/Marx [source of the ideals that Stalin corrupted], Trotsky [the idealist], Molotov [propaganda])

Theme: ◦ The working class must be aware of what their

leaders tell them.◦ Power can corrupt anyone.◦ Society tends to divide itself into social classes.

Animal Farm, George Orwell