Double Journal Entry Assignment

Using the novel, ​Lord of the​ Flies, students will fill out the Double Journal below. This is
an individual assignment. I need not remind you of the rules concerning plagiarism and
cheating. Don’t do it!

DIRECTIONS:
The ​left side ​of your journal will contain a significant quote from the book, of your
choosing. Should you wish to refer to a particularly large selection, you may paraphrase
​ in ​LOTF, for every two chapters, you only need to use
it. Since there are 12 chapters
one quote for your journal. To clarify, the first quotation you use can be from either
chapter one or chapter two, the second quotation you use can be from either chapter
three or chapter four, and the next quotation you use can be from either chapter four or
five, and so on. This enables you students to choose from a selection of significant
quotes without too many of you choosing the same ones. In total, I expect you to use 6
quotes, spanning from the beginning to the end of the book.

Of course, fill out the leftmost section pertaining to what chapter and what page the
quotation was found on.

The ​right side ​of your journal is the more intensive section, which requires critical
thinking about the quote and its meaning on your part. This should be a minimum of a
five sentence response, but I will be looking more for quality than quantity.
Below are some topics you should cover in your responses, choose your quotes wisely
(one topic is enough for a response, but you can use more if you want):
● Determine a theme and thoroughly analyze it in relation to the chosen passage.
● Analyze the impact of specific word choices (diction) on meaning and tone.
● Analyze conflict--external or internal--that a character faces.
● Analyze a character. What are his motivations? His fears? His traits?
● Identify a symbol and state the significance.
● Free response.

Overall, type out the template below using the stated criteria. This assignment is meant
to help you analyze the text AND prepare you so for chapter specific discussion in class
​ as we read the ​LOTF. When I grade these, I will be looking for detail. The best way to
guarantee earning full credit for this assignment is to comment fully on your passages.
 Name:

Novel Title & Publication Date:

Author Name:

Chapter & Quotations Commentary/Analysis

Page #
 Rubric for Double Journal Entry Possible Points Earned Points

Chosen quotes are insightful, and relate to 10

the required content.

Responses are a minimum of five 10

sentences. They demonstrate a keen
insight into the novel and do an exceptional
job of explaining the connection between
the textual evidence and analysis. All
responses are highly developed and
insightful.

Demonstrates control of the conventions 5

with essentially no errors; responses may
be typed.

One quotations is selected from every two 3

chapters. See example for clarity.

Accurate page number and chapter number 2

can be found on the leftmost column for
every entry.

A theme is thoroughly analyzed in a 2

response.

Diction’s effect on tone is discussed in a 2

response.

A significant symbol is identified in a 2

response.

A character is analyzed in a response. 2

A conflict faced by a character is discussed 2

in a response.

Total Points 40
 EXAMPLE DOUBLE ENTRY JOURNAL
Name: Heather Gammon
Novel Title & Publication Date: ​Lord of the Flies, 1954
Author Name: ​William Golding
Chapter Quotations
&
Page
#
Ch.1 Ralph took the shell from Piggy
p and a little water ran down his arm.
14-15 In color the shell was a deep cream,
touched here and there with fading
pink...
“We can use this to call the others.
Have a meeting. They’ll come when
they hear us”
We spread round. I crept, on hands
and knees. The spears fell out
Ch. 4 because they hadn't barbs on. The pig
p 69 ran away and made an awful noise—"
"It turned back and ran into the circle,
bleeding—"
All the boys were talking at once,
relieved and excited.
Then Maurice pretended to be the pig
Commentary/Analysis
Piggy is the one to find the shell, while Ralph
uses it to call the others to a meeting to
establish society. The shell symbolizes
democracy, acting as a conduit to create
their artificial civilization. They elect their
leader, just like their Parliament in Britain.
Ralph is elected leader over Jack in part
because he was attractive and charismatic,
but more so because he held the conch, the
thing that brought them all together. The
conch is similar to that of a crown or tiara: the
person in possession is in charge, but in this
case, Ralph is elected and the conch is a
symbol of democratic power, bestowed by
the people.
As the boys spend more time on the island, they
are becoming more and more “uncivilized,” a
theme that runs through the book frequently.
Back home in England, acting violent, killing
things with bare hands, is not socially
acceptable. The boys’ society, which started out
as orderly and democratic is swiftly devolving.
They gain pleasure from killing, from killing a pig
to pretending to kill a boy acting as a pig. The
theme of becoming uncivilized, becoming
 and ran squealing into the center, and
the hunters, circling still, pretended to
beat him. As they danced, they sang.
"Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her
in."
​ imon, walking in front of Ralph,
S The word choice of “beast” is quite a general
felt a flicker of incredulity—a beast
Ch 6 with claws that scratched, that sat
P. 105 on a mountain-top, that left no
tracks and yet was not fast enough
to catch Samneric. However Simon
thought of the beast, there rose
before his inward sight the picture of
a human, at once heroic and sick.
Piggy was so full of delight and
expanding liberty in Jack’s
Ch. 8 departure, so full of pride in his
P. 133 contribution to the good of society
that he helped to fetch wood.
primitive is strong in this passage: the more
comfortable the boys grow in killing, the higher
the likelihood one of them will end up a victim of
their violence.
term, but one that evokes animosity. One of
the definitions is “an animal opposed to
human.” Another is “a wild animal that is
dangerous.” The boys spend much time
talking about the beast, trying to find the
beast, when it is really a dead parachuter.
The term “beast” implies an unknown animal,
one they must confront, adding to an
atmosphere of fear and the dark tone of
general paranoia and uncertainty. The beast
is the enemy; they will find it no matter the
cost. It is only Simon who realizes that
perhaps the “beast” is really in all of us, in
humans.
Piggy is a character that stands out to me.
His intelligence allows him to act as Ralph’s
advisor, his wise counselor. He is
overweight, has asthma, and is not very well
liked. Though he is ridiculed for his physical
appearance, he still wants to contribute to the
group’s success, to the “good of society.”
Everyone else appears locked in a power
struggle, not interested in upkeep necessary
to keep society going. However, this
contribution appears to come from a place of
wanting to be accepted, his well placed fear
of rejection. Nonetheless, Piggy stands as a
beacon of civilization, of democracy.
 P​iggy drew up his legs.
“You all right, Piggy?”
Ch. 10
P. 172 “I thought they wanted the conch.”
“They didn’t take the conch.”
“I know. They didn’t come for the
conch. They came for something
else. Ralph – what am I going to
do?”
Far off along the bowstave of the
beach, three figures trotted toward
the castle rock. The chief led them,
trotting steadily, exulting in his
achievement. He was a chief now in
truth; and he made stabbing
motions with his spear. From his left
hand dangled Piggy’s broken
glasses.
“​The rock struck Piggy a glancing
blow from chin to knee; the conch
Ch. exploded into a thousand white
11 fragments and ceased to exist.
p 209 Piggy, saying nothing, with no time
for even a grunt, traveled through
the air sideways from the rock,
turning over as he went […]. Piggy
fell forty feet and landed on his back
across the square red rock in the
sea. His head opened and stuff
came out and turned red. Piggy's
The conch--representative of law and order,
democracy--is no longer sought after. It has
become almost powerless in light of Jack’s
coup. Instead, Piggy’s glasses have become
the most powerful item on the island, as they
bestow the user the ability to make fire. This
is a personal loss to Piggy because he relies
upon them for sight, but it’s also a loss for
Ralph’s group because they no longer have
the ability to make fire. Essentially, this
makes Jack the de facto most powerful
person on the island.
The conflict in this chapter is clearly external,
human against human. Their society has
fallen apart and Piggy’s glasses have been
stolen by Jack. Rather than banding together
to survive, like they did in the beginning, two
groups have formed. It’s basically Piggy &
Ralph against Jack & everyone else. Piggy’s
death is likened to that of a pig, speaking to
the larger order of things. Under Jack’s brutal
rule, even humans are not safe from being
killed like pigs. Further, Piggy dies with the
conch shell, signalling the true end of
arms and legs twitched a bit, like a
pig's after it has been killed.”
civilization, of democracy. The conch dies
with Piggy, along with any chance of
reconciliation. With Piggy dead, Ralph is left
alone and with no allies. He now must
survive Jack hunting him down too, like an
animal.