 Now let's have a look at two model answers that I've written. One is a character-related answer and the other is a theme-related answer, okay? And of course, always remember when it comes to the exam questions, you always get either a character or a theme question to choose from. Now this past paper question asks, do you think piggy is an important character in Lord of the Flies, right about how Golding presents the character of piggy and how Golding uses piggy to present ideas about people in society. And as I mentioned, you want to first plan, consider four maximum five points to write about and of course you need to have an introduction and conclusion. Now whilst you're planning, of course, you want to first zone in on the key words. Of course, in this question, the key word is piggy, being important as a character in the novel, okay? And of course, how Golding presents him and how he's used to present ideas about people and society, okay? Now, let's look firstly at my introduction. Of course, always remember with an essay, you want to show your examiner that you understand the importance of introduction and conclusion, but you should not spend more than three minutes maximum on the introduction and three minutes on the conclusion. That's maximum, but I would suggest the more you practice, the quicker you're going to become and really you should be aiming for two minutes for each, meaning in total you're spending four minutes on intro and conclusion and you move on, okay? So the introduction. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding presents Piggy as a vital and intelligent character who this really shows the degradation of civilized values within other boys as the novel progresses. Golding uses him as a way to represent the superior social values of being civilized, rational and scientific as individuals. Piggy plays an important role in establishing order and rules as well as giving the other boys guidance, which was an essential reason why the boys managed to survive, yet he is presented as a physically weak character who's undermined by the other boys before he's finally killed. This essay will examine the important role that Piggy plays within the novel. So as you can see in my opening, I've linked it back to the question, why Piggy is important, he is vital and viscerally by the way means really vividly, okay? His treatment obviously shows the degradation, the downfall of civilized values within the boys who are supposedly really well to do very civilized, middle and upper class children from private schools in England. And of course, I've then developed how in summary, Piggy is seen as very superior in the sense that he has and he embodies civilized rational values. And I then mentioned whilst he's really important, he's still way too physically weak in this predatory environment, which leads him to be killed, okay? Then I've just mentioned that I'm going to be examining this in detail. Now let's look at my first point. Firstly, Golding presents Piggy as a vital character as he is used to represent the rational wise and civilized side of us. Piggy asks the boys, which better to have rules and agree or to hunt and kill? This rhetorical question is important in highlighting his intelligence and his need to maintain a social order among the boys. It's interesting that he's assertive as it shows that contrary to what we would expect, he's willing to fight to maintain a strong sense of civilization. From a psychological perspective, Piggy represents a super ego which derives from Freud's theory about human nature. He stated that the mind is like an iceberg and we as humans work hard to repress our hidden dark desires, which are our id. Piggy is able to successfully repress this throughout the novel and he maintains a strong sense of civility. Contextually, this is important as Piggy is used to contrast the brutality of war that enveloped the characters in the novel, as well as Golding when he served in the Second World War. Golding noticed that most people descended into savage brutality once they were beyond the watchful eye of the government. Thus, Piggy represents those who stayed civilized in spite of this. Now, what I want to highlight is what makes this a strong paragraph. Now, firstly, when you're writing any response within your paragraphs, you need to adopt the point evidence explanation and linking back method. Now, as you can see with this first point, I've first started off with a point which I'm going to highlight in pink, okay? So the point is in pink. Now, I've then supported my point with evidence, okay? And I'm going to highlight the evidence in blue. Now, I've then made my explanation, okay? So this rhetorical question and I've also highlighted in terms of language techniques. I've mentioned a rhetorical question which is actually a structural technique but essentially what I've done is I've shown an awareness of the structural and language techniques that Golding uses. Now, this is really, really good, opening with a point, then your explanation, evidence and then your explanation. However, this is only a part of what makes a really, really strong essay. Now, what you need to do is now link it back to the question, add relevant contextual factors as well as any other extra ideas. And this is really now the bulk of the analysis, okay? And I'm going to highlight this in yellow. This is really, really important. This is now what separates the very average level five answers from really strong level nine responses. It's this yellow part, this is your linking back. This is where you go into detail where you analyze not only what has been said from the novel but also talking about relevant factors such as context. And in this instance, for example, I've talked about the psychological side that Golding explores, which comes from a theorist called Sigmund Freud who talks about human nature. Now, one of the most important things to remember is when you're writing your answers and developing your points, you don't want to then say, this is what this point means and this is what the super ego means, for example. You want to allude indirectly to it without actually explaining everything because your examiner knows what this is. You just want to see that you're able to link it back and make it, of course, relevant to the key words and the question. Of course, the key words just to remember is how Piggy is important and what ideas he presents about people in society. So let's move on to my second point. Secondly, Piggy is portrayed as someone who values democracy and the rule of law from the start of the novel. He suggests that Ralph should blow the conch to bring the other survivors on the island to them. The fact that Piggy instantly gravitates to the conch is symbolic of the fact that Piggy represents common sense and discipline as he uses the conch to establish a sense of democracy and law. He urges the boys to abide by the rules to ensure the survival when he asks, how can you expect to be rescued if you don't put things first and act proper? This rhetorical question highlights Piggy's reliance on and his appreciation for civilization. Additionally, it shows his superior understanding of its importance and this is in stark contrast with the other boys who fell to grasp its meaning. Piggy represents what psychologist Sigmund Freud called the super ego as he's extremely well socialized and intelligence. Yet this causes friction and a degree of conflict with the other boys who experienced more primitive urges that Freud called the id because given they were outside of the world of grownups, they wish to carry out, to act in a more barbaric way surfaced much more vividly as their time on the island continued. Now again, I'm going to stop here and explain how I've structured this essay. So here, I've actually included elements of linking and analysis in parts of the essay and parts of the paragraph that maybe don't necessarily fit squarely at the end. And of course also I've still ended the paragraph with linking back and analyzing like this one, but also just to highlight to you. Firstly, I've began with the point linking back to the question, okay? And again here, the color code for the point is pink. I've then developed my point a little bit, okay? So I've developed that point somewhat a little bit more. Now what I've done is I've mentioned here just a little bit of analysis and this is just to illustrate to you that you can add a bit of analysis. What you don't want to do is get really carried away. I've talked about the symbolism of the conch and how this links back to Piggy representing common sense. This is a bit more advanced. So I would suggest if you do struggle with just understanding and considering how to do the point evidence explanation link method, don't do this as yet until you're really comfortable with writing your essay answers. Now I've made my point. I've added a little bit of linking and analysis already. However, I've quickly brought it back to my explanation or rather my evidence, which is in blue, okay? So now I've made my point. I've added a little bit of analysis and then I've added in my evidence. Now I've then essentially added in my explanation after this sense of evidence or rather this example of my evidence, okay? So I've supported my evidence with example and I've talked about how this retoccal question which is another structural technique, how this highlights Piggy's appreciation for civilization. Now as you can see here, I've then brought in the psychological perspective again. This is my link. So essentially this link here which I've added a little bit early on, also this could just go in at the end, okay? But I'm just showing you that it doesn't have to be very rigid. You can add a little bit of a link. What you don't want to do is get carried away and forget to add your evidence, your explanation, okay? However, what I'm trying to show you in this instance is you need to always remember that having a point, evidence and explanation is only half of the job done. You need to always add your link and analysis. This is the yellow section and please bear in mind that this is really the bulk of each paragraph because this is how important it is in securing really top marks. Let's look at the third paragraph. Thirdly, Piggy is presented as an outsider. The boys focus on the fact that Piggy is not fit to be a leader as not only was he physically unfit, however, he was also far more clumsy and less well-spoken in his vocabulary. To be sure, his vocabulary stands in stark contrast with Ralph, who's well-spoken as Piggy asserts. Nobody don't know we're here. Nobody don't know. This is important as it reveals Piggy came from a lower class than the other boys in the island. Contextually, this novel was written soon after the Second World War when class divisions in England were extremely stark. Thus, the boys would instantly sense that Piggy's family was from a lower class than them, making him vulnerable to being bullied. Furthermore, Piggy's status was further enhanced when the novel states that he was an outsider not only by accent, but by fat and asthma and specs and a certain disinclination to manual labour. The use of polysinderton in this description of Piggy emphasises the boys' division of him because of his physically weak appearance. Golding vividly conveyed the message that, despite Piggy representing the boys of Risen on the island, he was powerless to stop the descent into savagery of the other boys led by the novel's antagonist Jack simply because he belonged to a lower class which automatically marked him as an outsider. Golding uses the character of Piggy to explore how society can be dominated by the instinct of survival of the fittest, at the expense of more vulnerable outsiders and Piggy's role as a victim of prejudice is used to expose the darkness of man's heart. Now here again, what I've begun with is with a point. Again, here I'm going to highlight it in pink. Then here's my evidence. And then essentially, I've added a brief explanation and added some context really quickly on. Now what I then do, so this is of course context looking to analysis, however, what I've then also done and again, this is to show that the point evidence explanation method, you can obviously follow that particular structure but you can still add just a little bit of extra evidence if relevant and if it fits in to the wider point that you're making. So again here, I've added evidence and then mentioned polysinderton which is a structural technique and I've explained it and then added a bit more of analysis and talking about context, talking about class divisions. So as you can see here, again, what this illustrates is the importance of analysis and of course still don't forget that analysis isn't the whole picture, you still need to make a point, you need to add some evidence. You can add more than one piece of evidence. One piece of evidence is fine but if you can think of another quotation within good time that you think could add to your point and support your point even more, of course you can do so. Now let's look at my fourth point. Moreover, piggy spectacles are used as a powerful motif throughout the novel. Piggy spectacles are a symbol for civilization and the gradual destruction of spectacles charts the boys' descent into savagery. At first, the glasses are sturdy when we meet Piggy. This is evident in the description of his appearance, his lips quivered and the spectacles were dimmed with mist. However, as the novel progresses, his spectacles crack and this represents the gradual division that develops between the boys. Finally, by chapter 10, Jack attacks Ralph's group in the night and takes piggy spectacles so that his tribe can make a fire. This is important as it represents a total breakdown of unity as well as a complete destruction of social order among the boys. Piggy is distraught as he tells Ralph to remember what we came for, the fire, my specs. However, the destruction of Piggy's spectacles signal a turning point both in highlighting the savage nature of the boys that emerges as well as foreshadowing Piggy's death. This shows Piggy plays an important role as a crucial character in the novel as he highlights civiliser moral behaviour and ultimately his death points the destruction of these two virtues. Now again here, I make an additional point and I talk about Piggy's spectacles. So here is my opening point. Then I've highlighted this and supported this with some evidence. Then I develop my point a little bit more and of course this is actually another point I'm making, okay? So bear this in mind. So I'm developing yet another point talking about how actually as we look back at the question and of course what Piggy is important and how he shows people in society, these points that I'm making are highlighting the gradual disintegration of society and I've added another piece of evidence here, okay? So and the evidence should be in blue, not pink, okay? Now here I've then mentioned how this symbolizes a turning point, okay? So this is my explanation and then I've linked it back to the question, okay? Now let's look at my final point before I conclude. Finally the murder of Piggy is powerful in illustrating his importance as a character in the novel as it shows that there is no longer any order among the boys. The shocking description of his death goes against what we as readers associate with childhood as well as an innocence we perceive within children. Golding vividly depicts how the rock struck Piggy, a glancing blow from chin to knee, the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and seas to exist. This savage death hauntingly echoes the manner in which the boys killed the so earlier in the novel at once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, kept leapt on the beast's scream, struck a bit tall. This animalistic slaughter of Piggy, much like the pig, shows how the boys have descended into a brutal, Darwinian existence as they have been reduced to the bare animal instincts. This animalistic existence is further echoed on a witness, Piggy's dead body, his heart opened, Piggy's arms and legs twitched a bit like a pig's after it's been killed. Golding uses a simile as this powerfully connects Piggy to an animal, much like the other boys appear to also function as animals. However, as he's the weakest among the clan, thus he has been sacrificed on a brutal and senseless death, showing how living outside of the social constraints of society has reduced the boys to mere primates and only the fittest among them can survive. Hence Piggy's death is important in illustrating the fact that civilization and the threat of punishment is vital for a functioning society. Without the imposition of strict social controls, even the most innocent of humans has the capacity to become a cruel and barbaric individual who preys on the weakest beings within his group. Now again here, I have started with a point, a really detailed point. Then I've added evidence. I've then added yet another point, talking about elsewhere and how this is reinforced, and I've then added additional evidence here. Now, I've then added a little bit of explanation here and I've coupled this explanation with some context and of course this is to do with Charles Darwin and how the boys on the island show this Darwinianism, this idea of survival of the fittest. I've then added a little bit more evidence to just reinforce my point as you can see here. Okay, and do bear in mind that this is a model response. You don't have to add as much evidence. This is just showing how perfect a response can get. Okay, now then here is another explanation. Okay, and this explanation is tied to this previous quotation. Now I've then developed and analyzed all that I've included and as you can see here, I've got extra analysis. Now let's look at my conclusion. To conclude, Piggy serves an important character as he highlights the fact that humans can aspire to be good civilizational logical people. Piggy is an emblem of this aspiration and he plays an important role in showing the highest values that humans can aspire to. However, the boys descent into savagery and his eventual death also highlight the depths human nature can sink to. Therefore, his character shows importance of placing the social constraints of civilization on people to ensure that we as individuals do not descend into the animalistic people that we're capable of becoming. And again, this conclusion just links back to why Piggy is important and what this shows about when it comes to ideas of people and society.