Brianna Bui

English II
Naughton
2016 Oct 18
Lord of the flies needs
At the end of the day, the goals are simple: safety and security (Jodi Rell). Abraham
Maslow is best known for creating Maslows hierarchy of needs. Which is fulfilling the levels of

Maslows pyramid of needs in order to become more successful in life. In the book, Lord Of The
Flies, written by William Golding, the characters show how they represent Maslow's needs.
Ralph, the main character, shows how he maintains Maslows safety needs to survive and help
the other boys feel safe.
At the beginning of the book, Ralph shows how he represents Maslows safety needs by
having the conch. Ralph and Piggy walk along the shore and Ralph discovers the conch in the
water. Piggy soon realizes that they can use [it] to call the others (Golding 16) that still may be
alive. Piggy suggests to blow the conch so the others that are lost will, come when they hear
[Ralph] (Golding 16). When Ralph blows the conch, all the boys come out of the forest and
meet together. Blowing the conch helps the boys hear where they are and where to meet so they
do not get lost. Having the conch makes the members feel safe (Maslow 3) and have a safe,
orderly, [and] organized world, which [the boys] can count on(Maslow 3). The conch is the first
thing that leads Ralph to being the leader because it shows organization and leadership.
In the middle of the book, the boys soon realize that they need shelters, which is another
example of Maslows safety needs. Ralph calls for a meeting and Piggy suggest that the first

thing [they] ought to have made [are] shelters (Golding 45). A couple of days after the meeting,
Jack gets back from hunting, where Ralph and Simon are seen working on the shelters. They
have been working on the shelters for multiple days now and only have two shaky shelters put
together. When Ralph and Jack get into an argument, Ralph tells Jack that [the littluns are]
frightened..they talk and scream..even some of the [boys] (Golding 52) when they are asleep.
Ralph wants the littluns and boys to feel safe by having a safe living environment and adequate
shelter (Maslow) so he tells Jack that they need shelters as sort of [a] home (Golding 52). By
making shelters for the boys, it shows Ralphs safety needs because he is providing a safe and
secure place for the boys to stay when they are scared.
At the end of the book, the fire is an important symbol because it represents Ralph's final
safety need of Maslows pyramid. Ralph is determined to keep the fire going so they can be
rescued off the island. The fire gives the boys hope that a ship will pass near the island and see
their signal. Ralph, Piggy, Sam, and Eric go into the forest to gather more wood for the fire, but
when they come back, they give up. Eric asks What's the good?(Golding 163), they were all
tired and there is no point in keeping the fire going. Ralph encourages the boys to not to give up,
he tells them, Weve got to make smoke, and more smoke.how else are we going to be
rescued? (Golding 163). By encouraging them, it shows that Ralph is trying to keep them safe
and get them off the island. Ralph wasnt aware of [his] security needs except in times of [an]
emergency or distress (Maslow). When he realizes that they might not be getting off the island
anytime soon, he finds every way to survive and protect the boys and himself from harms way.
In conclusion, Ralph meets his safety needs in order to survive and help the boys get off
the island together. Ralph maintains his safety needs by finding the conch and using it to call the

others. He also builds the shelters for the littluns and the boys that are afraid of the beastie.
Finally, he was determined to keep the fire going in case a ship passes by and sees the smoke.
Maslows hierarchy needs play an important role in Lord of the flies but would the boys still be
alive without them?

10

Evidence
Your score: 10

The body of the

essay uses many
examples from both
texts. There are
plenty of examples
from the Maslow
handouts and from
Golding's novel.

The body of the

essay uses several
examples from both
texts. There are a
disproportionate
number of
examples, though,
between the two
texts.

The body of the

essay uses an
insufficient amount
examples from
either of the two
texts. There aren't
enough examples
from either of the
two texts.

The body of the

essay doesn't use
enough evidence to
support the
argument. Some
texts are completely
missing from these
paragraphs.

Topic Sentences
Your score: 6

The topic sentences

are direct and clear.
They tie directly to
the prompt. They
state explicitly what
the paragraphs are
about.

The topic sentences

are somewhat clear.
They attempt to
state what the
paragraphs are
about, but they are
missing
information.

The topic sentences

are irrelevant to the
content of the
paragraph, they do
not state a topic,
and/or they are
seem to be using
evidence instead of
stating a topic

There are no topic

sentences.

Quote Blending
Your score: 10

All quotes are

blended seamlessly.
They are cited
correctly.

Most quotes are

blended correctly.
One or two of the
quotes change
perspective, lack
clarification of a
pronoun, or they
have text that is
irrelevant to the
paragraph.

Some of the quotes

are blended
correctly. A few of
the quotes change
perspective, lack
clarification of a
pronoun, or they
have text that is
irrelevant to the
paragraph.

Most (if not all) of

the quotes are not
blended properly

Grammar and
Usage
Your score: 8

There are no errors

that impair the flow
of communication.
Errors are
infrequent and have
a minor impact on
the overall
communication;
they are generally
of the first-draft
variety and may
occur when students
attempt
sophisticated
sentence
construction.

Errors are
occasional but do
not impede the flow
of communication;
the writers
meaning is not
seriously obscured
by language errors

Errors are frequent

and may cause the
reader to stop and
reread part of the
writing. While
some aspects of the
writing may be
more consistently
correct than others,
the existing errors
do impair
communication.
With a little extra
effort on the
readers part, it is
still possible to
discern most, if not
all, of what the
writer is trying to
communicate.

Errors are serious

and numerous; they
cause the reader to
struggle to discern
the writers
meaning. Errors are
frequently of a wide
variety. There may
be sections where it
is impossible to
ascertain what the
writer is attempting
to communicate.

Apostrophes and
Commas
Your score: 8

Correct spelling and

punctuation;
complete sentences;
correct use of
capitalization.

Few grammar
errors; mostly
correct punctuation;
complete sentences;
correct
capitalization

The essay mostly

ignores conventions
of punctuation and
capitalization.

The essay
completely ignores
conventions of
punctuation and
capitalization.

FINAL DRAFT: Good improvements

10

Assignment
Requirements
Your score: 10

2+ pages, written in
the present tense,
written in the 3rd
person, citations are
correct, responds
directly to the
prompt, transitions
are sophisticated

2+ pages, written
mostly in the
present tense,
written mostly in
the 3rd person,
citations are correct,
responds directly to
the prompt,
transitions are basic

Fails at meeting
several
requirements

Fails at meeting
most of the
requirements

Intro and
Conclusion
Your score: 8

Good attention
getter. Thoughtful
conclusion. Maslow
and the novel are
introduced. Thesis

Good attempt at an
attention getter.
Somewhat
thoughtful
conclusion. Maslow

Weak attention
getter. Not much of
a final thought in
the conclusion.
Maslow or the

No attention getter.
Brief, mechanical
conclusion.
Maslow/Golding
not introduced at

is clearly written.

and/or the novel are

introduced, but in a
very brief way.
Thesis is evident.

novel are
introduced, but in a
very brief way.
Thesis is evident.

all. Thesis may be

missing.

Topic Sentences
Your score: 9

The topic sentences

are direct and clear.
They tie directly to
the prompt. They
state explicitly what
the paragraphs are
about.

The topic sentences

are somewhat clear.
They attempt to
state what the
paragraphs are
about, but they are
missing
information.

The topic sentences

are irrelevant to the
content of the
paragraph, they do
not state a topic,
and/or they are
seem to be using
evidence instead of
stating a topic

There are no topic

sentences.

Evidence
Your score: 10

The body of the

essay uses many
examples from both
texts. There are
plenty of examples
from the Maslow
handouts and from
Golding's novel.

The body of the

essay uses several
examples from both
texts. There are a
disproportionate
number of
examples, though,
between the two
texts.

The body of the

essay uses an
insufficient amount
examples from
either of the two
texts. There aren't
enough examples
from either of the
two texts.

The body of the

essay doesn't use
enough evidence to
support the
argument. Some
texts are completely
missing from these
paragraphs.

Quote Blending
Your score: 10

All quotes are

blended seamlessly.
They are cited
correctly.

Most quotes are

blended correctly.
One or two of the
quotes change
perspective, lack
clarification of a
pronoun, or they
have text that is
irrelevant to the
paragraph.

Some of the quotes

are blended
correctly. A few of
the quotes change
perspective, lack
clarification of a
pronoun, or they
have text that is
irrelevant to the
paragraph.

Most (if not all) of

the quotes are not
blended properly

Grammar and
Usage
Your score: 10

There are no errors

that impair the flow
of communication.
Errors are
infrequent and have
a minor impact on
the overall
communication;
they are generally
of the first-draft
variety and may

Errors are
occasional but do
not impede the flow
of communication;
the writers
meaning is not
seriously obscured
by language errors

Errors are frequent

and may cause the
reader to stop and
reread part of the
writing. While
some aspects of the
writing may be
more consistently
correct than others,
the existing errors
do impair

Errors are serious

and numerous; they
cause the reader to
struggle to discern
the writers
meaning. Errors are
frequently of a wide
variety. There may
be sections where it
is impossible to
ascertain what the

occur when students

attempt
sophisticated
sentence
construction.

Apostrophes,
Capitalization, and
Commas
Your score: 10

Comments:

Correct spelling and

punctuation;
complete sentences;
correct use of
capitalization.

Few grammar
errors; mostly
correct punctuation;
complete sentences;
correct
capitalization

communication.
With a little extra
effort on the
readers part, it is
still possible to
discern most, if not
all, of what the
writer is trying to
communicate.

writer is attempting
to communicate.

The essay mostly

ignores conventions
of punctuation and
capitalization.

The essay
completely ignores
conventions of
punctuation and
capitalization.