Today, we started reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding. We annotated the first paragraph and learned a little about the setting and a character. After annotating, we continued to read a few pages into the novel.
Document Camera Notes
We discovered:
So far, there are two boys on an island.
One is a fat boy with asthma and glasses, named Piggy. The other boy is named Ralph. He has blonde hair and is initially dismissive of Piggy (which means he doesn't give Piggy a lot of attention).
There are no adults.
The boys are trying to figure out what happened. They were on a plane, then the plane crash-landed onto the island. Beyond that, they're not sure what happened.
The biggest clue we have is that one of the boys overheard someone talking about an atom bomb.
So far, we are wondering: Are they alone on the island? Are there other kids or adults? Did an atom bomb go off somewhere? Why were they on a plane in the first place?
Click below to listen to an audiobook for Lord of the Flies.
Today, we took some notes over Lord of the Flies and its author, William Golding. The student notes page and the PowerPoint of notes are attached below.
Today, we did a district checkpoint. It is a formative grade. If you were absent today, you will need to come after school to complete this assignment.
Teiresias warns Creon that he has received two bad omens - two bad signs - of things to come. This is foreshadowing!
Creon is dismissive of Teiresias' warnings. Creon accuses him of taking bribes.
Teiresias leaves, still warning Creon that he needs to change his ways. He says that Creon needs to get Antigone (who is alive) out of her grave, and bury Polyneices (who is dead). He points out that Creon has disrupted the natural order of things; he has buried someone who is alive, and not buried someone who is dead.
After Teiresias leaves, Creon finally changes his mind.
He leaves to go recover Antigone and bury Polyneices.
The blind prophet.
Summary of Exodos:
A messenger appears and tells Eurydice, Creon's wife and the mother of Haemon, what has happened.
The messenger says that they buried Polyneices, whose body had been shredded into pieces by wild dogs.
They went to go free Antigone from her grave, and Creon finds that Haemon is already there.
Haemon found Antigone dead when he got there.
She hung herself with a piece of her clothing.
Haemon blames his father for her death, spitting at him and drawing his sword.
In his grief, Haemon swings his sword, accidentally stabbing himself.
Mortally wounded, Haemon stumbles over to Antigone, hugging her as she hangs dead from the ceiling.
Eurydice leaves the stage and kills herself, cursing Creon with her last breath.
Creon begs for death once he sees his own wife dead, but that would be too kind. He must live with the consequences of his choices.
As he died, he gathered Antigone close in his arms again, choking, his blood bright red on her white cheek. And now he lies dead with the dead, and she is his at last, his bride in the houses of the dead. (Exo. 72-76)
Haemon draws his sword on his father, Creon.
He just found Antigone dead.
Creon and Haemon have a conversation about Antigone.
Creon starts off by lecturing his son a bit, warning him not to lose his head over this girl. He speaks at length about the value of obedience. It is very clear that Creon expects his son, Haemon, to do exactly as he says. Creon is not used to being challenged.
Haemon listens patiently to his dad, then gives him a "compliment sandwich" - he tells his father that he is wise, but that he has heard people speaking about Antigone's death sentence. He tells his dad that people don't agree with it. He is careful to not directly confront his dad.
Creon reacts badly. He does not want to listen to someone who is younger than he is.
The conversation devolves into a verbal fight.
Creon thinks everyone should just blindly follow what he says. Haemon says that leaders should listen to their people.
They trade insults.
Creon threatens to kill Antigone right now, right here in front of Haemon. (They are engaged, remember?!)
Haemon peaces out, angry.
Creon admits that he has changed his mind about one thing. He has decided not to kill Ismene.
This is the first time we see that Creon has changed at all. He is now officially a dynamic character. He admits that he was wrong. (Gasp!)
Choragus: These girls? You have sentenced them both?
Creon: No, you are right. I will not kill the one whose hands are clean.
(3.138-140)
Creon and Haemon have words.
Summary of Scene 4:
This scene is very short.
Antigone is being lead to her death.
She is obviously sad about dying.
She cries the whole way to her final resting place.
Creon shows up and hurries them along, wanting her in her grave ASAP.
The Sentry (a messenger) brings Antigone to Creon.
He tells Creon that he has witnessed Antigone burying her traitorous brother, Eteocles.
When Creon confronts Antigone, she immediately admits that she did, in fact, bury her brother.
She did this because she feels like her morality ("God's laws") are far more important than Creon's law about not burying the brother ("Man's laws").
Creon is outraged.
Creon asks his people to bring Antigone's sister, Ismene, to him.
He thinks that Ismene helped bury Eteocles, but the audience knows that she did not. (This is an example of dramatic irony).
Ismene offers to help take the blame for the crime, but Antigone rejects her help.
Antigone thinks: My sister didn't help me bury him, so why should she try to take credit for it now? I did the right thing by burying him, and my sister did not.
Creon is pretty angry that Antigone buried Eteocles. He immediately sentences Antigone and her sister Ismene to death, even though Ismene didn't really do it.
Antigone in front of Creon, being sentenced to death.
Creon explained his new law: No one may bury Polyneices, the traitorous brother.
A Sentry (a messenger) shows up and has the horrible job of telling the increasingly agitated Creon that someone has already violated his law and buried the brother.
Creon reacts badly to the news and asks the Sentry to go find whoever did it.
Meanwhile, the Choragus and the Sentry start to question whether the law was a good idea.
Choragus: I have been wondering, King: can it be that the gods have done this? (1.102-103)
Sentry: Are you sure it is my voice [which distresses you], and not your conscience? (1.133)
Antigone burying her brother, Eteocles (the traitor).
Today, we started reading Antigone. Most classes got through the Prologue and the Parodos.
Summary of Prologue:
Antigone tells her sister, Ismene, that their uncle, King Creon, has made a new law.
The new law states that no one may give a proper burial for their brother, Polyneices.
Antigone does not like this law, and intends to bury him anyway.
She asks Ismene to help her bury their brother.
Ismene declines to help her, saying that the law is too strong, and she is afraid of the consequences.
The sisters fight verbally about this conflict.
Antigone and Ismene eventually leave separately, still mad at each other.
Parodos:
This is a feature of ancient Greek plays that is not seen in modern plays.
In the Parodos, the Chorus and Choragus would sing about whatever just happened in the play. Sometimes they would offer commentary and explain what happened in the play, or they could also talk about "the moral of the story" or give background information.
This is similar to how in a modern-day musical, a big event will happen, and then everyone sings about it and gives more information about it.
In this particular Parodos, the Chorus and Choragus give us the story of the battle between the brothers that ended in their deaths.
This Parodos also offers a "moral of the story" - For God hates utterly the bray of bragging tongues. (Par. 21-22)
Need help? Click here for a thorough character list. I found a production of our particular translation on YouTube. You can play it and read it at the same time, like an audiobook. You can play it here:
