Answer the following. Remember to quote from the text.
CHAPTER TWO
1. 1. What question does the littlun with the
birthmark raise?
2. 2. How do Ralph and Jack answer the question about
the beast?
3. What is the significance of the
chapter’s title, “Fire on The Mountain”?
4. How do they start the fire?
5. How do the following characters
react to the boy’s revelation about the”
beastie” and what does this tell us about them?
a. Ralph
b. Jack
c. other older boys
d. other younger boys
1) In the text the littlun with the mulberry coloured birthmark on his face raises two questions. He asks what the boys intend to do about the snake-thing and also asks whether it will return the coming night. Symbolically he raises other issues, such as why didn't anyone know what his name was and why was the exact number of boys never determined.
ReplyDeletewhy did nobody bother to find out his name? The very fact that he had a mulberry coloured birthmark meant that he was noticed but nobody asked him for his name, perhaps the fact that he had a birthmark somehow lessened his importance to the other boys, his disability somehow made him invisible. I suppose that he is an example of societies attitude towards disability.
2) Ralph states quite clearly that he believes that there is no beast and he also calls a meeting to try and convince the ones who have a doubt that the beast does not exist. Jack, while initially appearing to agree with Ralph then adds. "But if there were a beast my hunters would hunt it down and kill it". Later Jack seeks to "appease" the beast by leaving offerings from his kill for it.
3) Taken at face value the title simply refers to the lighting of the signal fire on the mountain top. It could also refer to the fact that the signal fire gout out of control and set fire to the pocket of trees on the mountain side. However as symbolism is often used in 'The Lord of The Flies' the title could refer to beacon fires which were it during wartime as a warning the enemy was approaching. This might be a veiled allusion to the fact that things were already beginning to go wrong on the island and first cracks in their society, had begun to appear.
4) They steal the glasses from one of the boys and use lenses as a magnifying glass. Jack seized Piggy's spectacles and Ralph then uses them as a burning glass to focus the sun's rays and start a fire. Their intention is to build a signal fire, which can attract any passing ships or planes however their over enthusiasm leads the boys to build an enormous bon-fire which eventually collapses in on itself and releases a shower of sparks which set fire to a patch of jungle further down the mountain.
5a) Ralph says that a "beastie", a snake-like thing, on an island of this size was impossible and that they could only get it in big countries like Africa or India.
b) Jack says that he is sure that there isn't a beat, but just in case they're all going to hunt for it anyway.
c) The other older boys snicker and decide that the beastie is just the ropey-looking creepers that hang in the trees.
1. Ralph apprises the group of the facilities that are available to them in the island, and whatever else he, along with Jack and Simon, had discovered in their expedition. He withholds no information, perhaps because he does not believe it is his prerogative to do so, and which may be considered as an impractical and unwise decision on the part of a leader. After he has finished making his speech, he asks the crowd of boys if they have found out anything else about the island. At first, there is a stagnant silence but gradually, a low clamour rises from within the group of the younger boys, who are referred to as the littl’uns by Piggy later in the chapter. Since they are a timorous and meek lot, they are not heard in the beginning but slowly the older boys begin to take notice of a reluctant movement in the mob. One particular child, of an apparently weak constitution and a mulberry-coloured birthmark sprawling across one side of his face, was being pushed to the forefront by the others, despite his constant resistance. He is shown to be shy and unwilling to speak when Golding mentions that “he bored into coarse grass with one toe”, as a gesture of diffidence.
ReplyDeleteRalph urges him to speak but when the little boy reaches out his hand for the conch, as per the rules, the crowd erupts in mocking laughter. He quickly withdraws back into this shell and is only able to communicate his information thereafter through Piggy, who insists on the littl’un having the conch. Piggy kneels by him, so that he feels comfortable and isn’t intimidated by the brunt of authority, and patiently interprets his messages to the congregation. The boy’s first question, uttered through Piggy’s lips, is what Ralph and the others who are in charge intend to do about the “snake-thing”. Ralph laughs in disbelief and the other boys follow suit. This causes the littl’un to become more sheepish. Ralph diffuses his tension by asking him about the creature he was referring to, lending his discovery credibility and importance. The boy says it was a “beastie”, a large snake-like creature, which he saw in the woods. The fear of the prospective existence of this monster which the little child refers to,innocently as “beastie”, insidiously crystallises in the crowd. A feeling of disquiet descends upon the boys who were dismissive and disbelieving a moment earlier. Ralph senses this change and quickly assures everyone by saying that a beast like that could only be found in bigger, scarier countries like India or Africa, not in the crevices of a small island tucked away somewhere safely at a corner of the world. There is unassertive assent in the crowd, agreement which is wary of being refuted,as a terrifying question connoting an appalling possibility sprouts in the hearts of the boys. Others claim that it must have been a nightmare, conferring this beast with an implicit power of mythical proportions, acknowledging it as something that could only haunt them in their sleep and in their subconscious.
2. On hearing about the “snake-like” thing, Ralph is laughingly dismissive at first, labelling the question as the result of childish fancy, and the adventurous imagination of little boys. The littl’un further says that he saw the creature in the dark, that invites another bout of laughter from the mob, which questions him how he could see it if it was dark. Ralph assures the boy by saying such a beast could not be found in an island as small as this, that monsters like that are found in bigger places, like Africa, the Dark Continent, or India. In the beginning, his suggestions and stark denial are met with agreement, but slowly, cravenly, an unsettling feeling envelops the boys. An unspoken unrest, a repressed dread slowly gathers momentum in the crowd when the boy reveals greater details, about how he had seen it hanging in the trees, disguised as the creepers, lying in wait in the branches. He poses a question, asking whether it will come back tonight.
ReplyDeleteRalph now engages in denying the existence of this creature, insistently, doggedly. A sort of adamance comes over him in his determined negation of the boy’s discovery, which sounds almost as if he is no longer sure of his argument, and that he is trying to convince himself, more than anybody else, of a truth which is self-crafted, illusory and his only hope for survival. His assurances begin to ring hollow and Golding says that “Ralph was annoyed, and for the moment, defeated. He felt himself facing something ungraspable.” The possibility of this creature’s existence was creeping up on him, and he was too scared to admit it to the others, and least of all, to himself.
Jack, however, on hearing the same news, takes a completely different approach to it that is very characteristic of him, and brings to light his intrepid and fearless survival instincts. At first, he joins the others in their incredulous laughter and mockery, and agrees with Ralph, saying that there isn’t a snake-thing but, he quickly adds, on understanding that the possibility isn’t very far-fetched, that if the creature does, in fact, exist, they will hunt and kill it. His response is very unlike Ralph’s in the sense that he is prepared to face the prospect head-on, and possesses the courage to confront this demon whereas Ralph constantly denies it, because he believes it is too horrifying a likelihood, he thinks the existence of this monster would be a dead-end in their quest for survival.
3.Ralph, in his role as leader, takes on the responsibility to assure the other boys of their imminent and eventual rescue. He says that his father, who works in the Navy, had told him there were no more undiscovered islands left on the planet, and that the Queen of England had a room where the maps of all these islands, however small and remote they may be, were kept—hence, they could be easily located and in no time, rescue troops would arrive in his Daddy’s ships to take them home. This announcement is greeted with great cheer and exhilaration. At this juncture, faced with the open admiration of the children, Ralph suggests they start a fire, the smoke emerging from which would send a signal and herald any nearby ships to their island. The crowd erupted in vehement agreement and enthusiasm as they followed him to the top of the mountain, on the opposite and “unfriendly side” of which, was a deep, apparently impenetrable forest bestowed with dry, dead wood. Golding says “the patch might have been designed expressly for fuel”. The boys immediately engage in collecting wood and bringing them to the top, although it is a tiring and Herculean task. After having collected the fuel wood, Ralph and Jack are faced with an embarrassing truth—none of them knew how to light a fire.
ReplyDeleteSuddenly, Jack suggests they use Piggy’s glasses to concentrate and focus the heat of the sun and hence set the pile on fire. They ignore Piggy’s emphatic objections and use his spectacles as burning glasses until a “beard”-like flame shoots into the air.
But much to their dismay, this fire, which was all flame and no smoke, quickly died out. Now the patient, amenable, compromising Piggy, who was being ignored repeatedly despite possessing the conch, which went against the laid-down rules, grows frustrated at the sight of the ensuing mess, indignant at being rebuffed, and loses his temper. He says they were foolish to follow Ralph’s suggestion to start a fire first, without a moment’s deliberation, in an impetuous wave, when they would have been better advised to build shelters on the beach instead. He admonishes the group for building an enormous, yet smokeless and hence useless fire, when they had intended to start a small one. When he has completely flown into a very uncharacteristic fury, his gaze shifts to the “unfriendly side” of the mountain, and an ominous-sounding laughter rings in his throat, in appreciation of the “sour joke”—the forest, their main source of fuel wood, had caught fire and it was a shocking and awful sight to behold.
Suddenly, the realisation dawns on the boys that some of the younger kids, including the one with the birthmark, could not be seen in their midst, it beats down on them with a terrifying, striking certainty that the child with the mulberry-coloured birthmark, was in the furious forest fire, which they were witnessing from a distance.
The fact that they used Piggy’s spectacles as burning glasses, which results in them getting blurred, reveals a savage insensitivity in the boys’ characters, an unkind trait in their disposition. Moreover, the events that lead to the forest fire, brings to light the boys’ impulsive, primitive and primeval instincts to create mayhem. After having collected the firewood, it is shown that neither Jack nor Ralph know how to begin the fire—which divulges a certain surprising incompetence in these two able, authority figures. Therefore, the fire on the mountain reveals certain deeper aspects of the characters in the novel and their collective progression towards an ominous and sinister destination. Hence, the chapter is named, “The Fire on the Mountain.”
4. The boys discover a patch of forest on the other side of the mountain, which is a repository of fuel wood. Subsequently, they engage in a laborious attempt to gather and collect the dry wood from the forest. But after having collected the resources, they were faced with the realisation that neither Jack nor Ralph knew how to light a fire. Golding subtly implies their mortification at their incompetence by saying, “The shameful knowledge grew in them and they did not know how to begin confession”. He also says,"Ralph spoke first, crimson in the face.” and “Now the absurd situation was open, Jack blushed too.” to further assert the ignominious ridiculousness of the situation.
ReplyDeleteFinally, Jack proposes that they use Piggy’s spectacles as burning glasses to light the fire, which again establishes the cruel insensitivity in Jack’s character and the implicit hatred between the two of them.
5. a. Ralph is dismissive of the little boy’s revelation at first, and passes it off as childish fancy. He assures the child by saying that such a beast could only be found in large expanses of wilderness like in Africa, or in India, but not in an island as small as this. But as the little boy reveals greater details and Ralph senses the others beginning to believe the child, he resorts to stark and illogical denial. He repeatedly reiterates that there isn’t a beast. Finally, when the laughter dies down and an eerie, pregnant silence weighs down on the atmosphere, Golding says “Ralph was annoyed and, for the moment, defeated. He felt himself facing something ungraspable.” Ralph is so vehemently opposing this boy because he is too scared to accept the possibility, and is rendered helpless in the face of this unanticipated problem which he, in his capacity as a leader, thinks is insurmountable.
5. b.Jack, like Ralph, is disbelieving of the little boy at first but soon grasps the feasibility of the situation, and is not daunted by the prospective coming alive of the nightmare. He affirms Ralph’s opinion that the snake-thing does not exist, but says if it does, he will hunt and kill it. This reveals an element of formidable courage in Jack’s character, and proves that he is wont to proving his mettle in the event of a crisis.
*wont to prove
Delete5. c. On hearing the littl’un’s discovery, the older boys launch into peals of incredulous laughter. They continue to ridicule the boy as he reveals other details, like how he saw the creature in the dark. Ralph ventures to say that the child was probably dreaming, when the latter says the monster came and went away and retuned again to eat him. Here, Golding implies the older boys’ stance in the matter by saying, “Laughing, Ralph looked for confirmation round the ring of faces. The older boys agreed.” They supported Ralph’s views and laughed with him but when the little boy posed the final question, about whether the beast would come back again that night, the smirks disappeared from their faces and the chuckling came to a dead, sinister halt.
ReplyDelete5.d. The other younger boys,who pushed the child with the birthmark infront, clearly believed him. They were “whispering but serious” which reveals that they thought what the boy was saying was plausible and ought to be brought to the attention of the seniors in the group. They did not fall for Ralph’s words and when Ralph claimed the boy must have been dreaming, Golding mentions, “here and there among the little ones was the doubt that required more than rational assurance.” Hence,the younger boys were already in the iron-clad, vice-like grip of this fear of the unknown.
1. At the beginning of the second chapter, Ralph calls another meeting by blowing the conch where Ralph tells the other boys what Jack, Simon and he has found out about the island. Then he asks them whether anybody has found anything else. It is then that they notice a little boy, about six years old, with a mulberry coloured birthmark, being urged by the other little boys to go up and speak though he doesn’t want to. The little boy, ’warped out of the perpendicular by the fierce light of publicity’ is extremely nervous and he starts muttering, about to cry. He raises a question in the meeting asking what is to be done about the ‘snake-thing’ which he calls beastie. He says that he has seen a very big ‘snake thing’ in the woods. The little boy thus creates the myth of a beast in the island which is something unknown,
ReplyDeleteUnrecognised and hence frightening.
2. When they first hear of the beast, Ralph tells them quite clearly that there is no beast. He kindly tells the child that a beast cannot be exist in an island as small as theirs and can only be found in big countries like Africa and India. He treats the whole suggestion of the beast as a joke and offers a rational explanation for it, saying that the little boy must have been dreaming. Jack on the other hand says that if the beast does exist he along with his hunters will hunt and kill it when they go out to hunt pigs. This shows that Jack wants to deal with all the difficulties that they may face in the island by physical force.
3 .In the meeting Ralph suggests that they make a signal fire to attract the passing ships to rescue them. As soon as he makes this suggestion, all the boys run off to light a fire, all dignity and order forgotten. They don’t even regard the conch. It is only Piggy who is indignant of lack of order displayed by the boys. The boys, in their excitement, and by their disorderly conduct, sets off a forest fire which burns down half the forest and leads to the death of a little boy. This fire signifies the beginning of the detoriation of the façade of civilisation which surrounded the boys until now. Like the signal fire used to warn people about danger, the fire in the mountain warns the readers of the eminent threat of the savagery in the boys which will slowly come out on the surface.
These are Jhelum Mukherjee's answers. Her internet connection isn't functioning,so I'm posting them on her behalf.
DeleteThese are Jhelum Mukherjee's answers:
ReplyDelete4. It is only after a lot of firewood has been collected that both Ralph and Jack come to this shameful realisation that neither of them know how to start a fire. Jack ,blushing in shame, mutters vaguely about rubbing two sticks together while Ralph blurts out ‘the last confession of incompetence’ asking for matches. Then there notice falls on Piggy and Jack suggests that they can use Piggy’s spectacles as burning glasses to light the fire. The boys snatch away Piggy’s spectacles, completely disregarding his vehement protests, and Ralph uses the lens to focus the sun’s rays to light a fire in the heap of firewood that they have collected. Thus Piggy’s glasses becomes a symbol of the power of science and intellectual ability in a society. The flames from their signal fire is carried by the wind which sparks off a forest conflagration burning down half the forest.
5.a. Ralph , from the very beginning refuses to acknowledge the beast’s existence. He approaches the matter rationally saying that a there can be no beast in an island that size and that the little boy must have been dreaming. He proclaims again and again that there is no beast, getting annoyed and exasperated when discussion about the beast continues. It is possible that at some level Ralph feels threatened by the beast. He finds himself facing an intangible adversary, one who is beyond his reach. He thinks that he is losing respect as a leader and hence he tries his level best to convince the boys that there is no beast.
b. Jack, though at first agreeing with Ralph, later says that if there is a beast then he and his choirboys will hunt it down and kill it. This shows Jack’s obsession with physical strength. He thinks that all difficulties and problems should be dealt with in a violently with aggression. This brings out the savagery and bloodlust in Jack’s character. He prefers brute strength to cool logic and reason.
c. The older boys firstly scornfully laugh at the little boy’s story about the beast. They all gravely agree with Ralph when he says that there is no beast. But beneath their scorn, the myth of the beast is already starting to have an effect on them. Therefore, there seems to be more agreement with Jack’s plan of action than Ralph’s.
d. When the little boy with the mulberry coloured birthmark first introduces the concept of the ‘beastie’, he creates a sense of doubt among the younger boys regarding the safety of the island. To them the beast becomes a nightmare, a myth that is frightening due to their lack of knowledge about it. The fear of the beast is deep-seated and irrational and they need more than rational assurance to put their minds at rest.
1)The littlun with the birthmark is greatly symbolic in the story 'Lord of The Flies' by William Golding.
ReplyDeleteSmall and seemingly insignificant, the real name of the littlun remains unknown till the end of the story. This shows how strength is often the only thing that can buy a voice, and how the weak and their opinions, their identities get so easily overshadowed in the battlefield known as the real world.
The littlun wants to say something, but he finds himself 'warped out of the perpendicular by the fierce light of publicity'.
When, after much hesitation, he finds the spirit to go out and get the conch,he is greeted by peals of laughter from the assembly.
His new-found courage gets lost somewhere in those echoes of ridicule, and 'the blow of laughter had taken away the child's voice.'
Through Piggy's patient interpretation, the boy finally asks his question.
'He wants to know what you're gonna do about the snake-thing.'.'
The littlun, in his diffident ignorance, wants to know what they would do about the snake thing.
Later, he calls it a 'beastie'', a thing he saw in the woods.
Despite Ralph's attempts to deny the existence of such a thing, despite the scoffing, and despite the explanation he gives - 'You only get them in Africa, or India.', the horrifying prospect of the existence of such a beast looms large over them all.
*about the snake thing. '
Delete*'beastie'
2)When Piggy mentions the 'beastie'', the snake like thing, Ralph's first instinct was to give a logical explanation why this wasn't possible.
ReplyDeleteHe explains, 'kindly' that they were only found in big, far-off countries like Africa and India.
Initially, the mention of the snake thing is met only by laughter and scepticism, but this is rather short lived.
Ralph looks at the little boy in 'mixed amusement and exasperation' for at that point, that is all there is to the beast.
A sense of amusement for the apparent lack of credibility of the statement, for its childishness, and a sense of exasperation towards the little boy who just doesn't seem to understand.
The author's portrayal of Ralph's reaction is interweaved skilfully with that of Jack, as this brings out the contrast between the two immensely well.
Jack, at the mention of crisis, becomes his own defensive self.
His motive is not so much to deny the existence of such a thing as to ensure the others that, even if it exists, they would hunt it and kill it.
The prospect of a beast does not dismay Jack as it does to Ralph, but encourages him to decide to go hunting soon, and to fight down the beast.
Golding then brings the spotlight back to Ralph.
Ralph, who says one thing, and one only.
'But there isn't a beastie'!
Ralph's denial is a desperate one. He finds himself 'facing something ungraspable'.
In his fervor, Ralph repeats the same sentence, again, again, yet again.
Through Ralph, we find what leadership does to a human.
With the responsibility of fifty-odd young boys resting on him, Ralph cannot admit, even to himself, that there is a potential threat of this enormity lurking in the midst of the forest.
He is obviously mortified by the idea, and Ralph's young mind cannot bear to accept the idea even for a split second.
Then, Ralph makes his point, one last time, 'loudly and again.'
'But there isn't a beast!'
This is when the author shows us the other side of Ralph.
That side, which cannot accept fear beyond proportions.
That side, which uses not rationale, not sense, but sheer emotion.
This is when we see the character of Ralph bending to pressure, and choosing impulse over logic.
This is the one scene where we see the human side of Ralph.
3)The chapter's title, 'Fire in The Mountain' is very apt.
ReplyDeleteWhen the young boys realize that it is imperative to get rescued as soon as possible, they decide that they must make a fire on the mountain.
Such things, however, are much more easily said than done, for, after all that is involved in collecting materials to build a fire, it is discovered that nobody can light one satisfactorily.
The 'absurd situation' shows how even the most determined of leadership is powerless in the face of incompetence.
Eventually, using Piggy's glasses as a burning glass, a fire is lit.
The pair of glasses is symbolic of how, so often, the weak become nothing but tools in the hands of the strong- instruments, mere inanimate objects, to be taken advantage of.
At the end of the story, we find that the large forest fire that had been built was futile.
Smokeless, it could not attract ships and only served to burn down a large portion of the forest.
At the end, we find that the littlun who mentioned the snake, the young boy with the mulberry faced mark, is now missing.
He has been consumed by the fire, like some sacred offering which will never bear any fruit.
The tittle of this chapter mentions the fire.
The fire and its futility symbolize all the efforts that go in vain.
The teamwork, the adrenaline, and all the enthusiasm of the boys is now nothing but fear and futility.
This is symbolic of human emotions, and how they are so often nothing but barriers, and how feeling often takes man to doom, rather than divinity, as is so often proclaimed.
4)'We must make a fire.'
ReplyDeleteThese words, uttered by Ralph, trigger an enthusiastic, almost frenzied reaction.
Together, the boys collect we much firewood as they deem necessary, before the truth dawns on them.
Nobody knows how to light a fire.
Ralph and Jack, the leaders, are so mortified at the realization that they do not 'know how to begin confession.'
Temporarily, the mood is one of helplessness and awkward embarrassment.
Neither Ralph nor Jack have any significant knowledge of the process of lighting a fire, and an atmosphere of doubt prevails before Jack sees Piggy approaching, and has a brainwave.
'His specs- use them as burning glasses!'
Soon after Jack says these words, the fire has been lit by concentrating the sun's rays on the wood using the lens of Piggy's glasses.
However, this incident raises a question.
Piggy's glasses were used. This could have affected his vision and his health very seriously. Piggy was, in fact, the brain of the group.
Is man so inconsiderate that he cripples another for his own needs? Is it innate in us all to be selfish, to think of ourselves and ourselves only, and to inflict hurt on one another simply because it benefits us?
Is this simply Ralph, or Jack, or is this indeed the dark side of each and every one of us, hungry for survival, and blind to all else?
5. a) Ralph, on hearing the littlun talking about the beastie, first tries to explain logically why the existence of such a beast is not plausible in the island they were living in. Later, he resorts to one statement.
ReplyDelete'But there isn't a beastie!'
His fervent denial seems to be more to convince himself than anybody else, and over time, his words lose plausibility and ring only with desperation.
He finds himself 'facing something ungraspable.'
This shows us that Ralph is intimidated, and with the pressure of leadership on him, he cannot bear to even think of what the presence of a beast would mean.
The mere thought, the mere idea is unthinkable to Ralph.
His voice echoes again, with another spirited denial of the beast.
This, to me, is the inner voice of man speaking, when the pressure he is given is more than he can cope with.
His human instincts kick in and instead of reason, there is nothing but blind force.
Logic takes a backseat, and Ralph's voice begins to come from the inner beast.
b) Jack's reaction to the beast is different from Ralph's. Although he too denies its existence, he accepts the possibility. He says that if it were there, they would hunt it and kill it.
He then proceeds to describe what else they would hunt.
Through Jack, Golding shows another aspect of man- violence.
It is also in man's instincts to hurt.
To kill.
Jack's readiness, almost eagerness to be violent is a depiction of man's tendency to think himself superior, and to cause harm to all other inferior beings.
Of course, in the race for survival, nothing is left unharmed, and Jack's statement seems to mark the end of civilization, and the beginning of savagery.
c) When Ralph denies the existence of a beastie, the other older boys agree. Hence, they too claim to believe that the littlun's statement is false.
However, it is for us to wonder whether their agreement is genuine, or a facade to cover up their real feelings. They are older, and to believe in the beast would mean going down in the eyes of their companions, since bravado and self-confidence are the order of the day.
Their agreement has been received, but the cause behind it remains a question.
d) Among the younger boys, the mention of the beast gives rise to a 'dubiety that required more than rational assurance.'
Thus, while the older boys have agreed with Ralph, the younger ones are still in some doubt.
This, perhaps, is due to their age, where they are more vulnerable and more prone to fearing unknown beasts.
However, this could also be because, being young, they are not afraid of the truth.
Their age prevents them from realizing the true gravity of the situation, and perhaps thus enables them to speak what they truly feel without denying it to themselves and to one another.
They are young, and hence ignorant.
Also, they are young, and this makes them outright and plain.
Golding has depicted both of these characteristics that children possess through the children in the story.
It is indeed masterfully written.
5. a) *the beast within.
Delete(The last three words)
1. In the novel Lord of the flies by William Golding ,the author has introduced the idea of fear of the unknown through the question that the ‘little un’ raises. The little un with a birthmark asks their leader ,Ralph ,what he was going to do about the ‘snake thing’ latter referring to it as ‘beastie’ . He claims to have seen the huge snake like beastie lurking in the jungle in the dark. Although the little uns appear to be terrified of the beastie all the others dismiss his claim thinking it ridiculous and willed all the little uns to believe that the boy with the mulberry birthmark must have been dreaming.
ReplyDelete2. Ralph being the leader considers it to be his duty to keep the others calm and therefore decides the best approach to be one that ceases to make the unsupervised boys from panic. Ralph thus immediately tells the assembled group that there was no beastie on that island and thus nothing to worry about.
Jack on the other hand is inquisitive and announces that he would make sure , while away hunting , that there was no such snake like thing. ‘There isn’t a snake like thing. But if there was a snake we’d hunt it and kill it.
3. The second chapter of the novel The lord of the flies is called “Fire on the Mountain”. When a troop of unsuperwised boys get abandoned on an island, they decide to choose a leader and designate jobs to help them survive amd hopefully get rescued.
One of these jobs was to build a fire and keep it burning on the mountain top so as to catch the attention of probable rescuers. Thus the boys set out piling logs of wood and sticks and finding ways to light the fire. Though successful I lighting a fire, they failed to keep it contained. The fire caught onto one of the wisp and the small fire turned into a forest fire on the mountain. Though the mountain caught fire, the boys did not take it seriously, that is until Piggy made them aware of the fact that there still might be little boys stuck in the fire.
‘ that littleun, him with the mark on his face, I don’t see him. Where is he now?’- Piggy.
4. The boys set out to build the fire by collecting a huge pile of wood, stones, leaves and sticks. They however are unable to figure out how to light a spark. Ralph the leader is quick on his feet and grabs Piggy’s glasses rubbing the lens until a fire forms with the help of the suns rays. And in this way the boys start a fire.
5. The little un with the mulberry birth mark claims to have seen a snajke like, huge beastie in the dark jungle. All the boys have different reactions.
a. Ralph is the leader and considers it his job to calm down the unsupervised boys. Thus he assures everyone that there is no such ‘beastie lurking in the shadows of the islandsaying that the little un must have been dreaming.
b. Jack states that though he did not believe in the existence of the beastie, if there was such a thing he would hunt it down and kill it.
c. The older boys are reassured by the words of their leader and agreed to it being a nightmare laughing at the ridiculous notion that the beastie might be real.
d. The little boys however were uncertain , not satisfied with rational assurance.
1.The littlun, with the birthmark, raised a question about what they were going to do about the ‘snake-thing’, the ‘beastie’.
ReplyDeleteGolding, very strategically, made a little boy talk about the unknown creature; an older boy would perhaps have brushed the encounter off as a bad dream or a hallucination of some sort. The little boy was more likely to term it a ‘beastie’ he was more likely to connect the undefined with something that he was afraid of, pointing at the inherent and irrational fear of all things unknown, within us.
With the coining of the unknown creature, the ‘snake-thing’ as ‘beastie’ the little one also raised questions within the minds of the boys – Was there really nothing to be afraid of? What if the beastie WAS real? Was the island really safe? What else did it hold for them? A haze of unspoken fear descended on the boys. Although Ralph and the older boys tried rationalising, there was still a sense of apprehension of the mysterious and the unknown, at the back of their heads.
2. Ralph tries to rationalise with the boys. Although he is kind to the littlun, he dismisses his apprehensions about the ‘beastie’ without giving it a second thought. He explains by saying ‘You couldn’t have a beastie, a snake-thing, on an island this size, you only get them in big countries, like Africa an India.’ He also points out that according to the littlun ‘the beastie came in the dark.’ then how could he have seen it. This seems to convince the older boys, that the littlun’s was probably just having nightmares, but the younger boys were still in doubt. The littlun with the birthmark paid no heed to what Ralph had said, and further asked if the ‘beastie’ would come back that night. Ralph’s patience gave way to annoyance and cried ‘But there isn’t a beastie!’
Jack resorted to aggressiveness while trying to assuage the boys’ apprehensions. He says ‘Ralph’s right of course. There isn’t a snake-thing. But if there was a snake we’d hunt it and kill it.’ Jack did not altogether dismiss the possibility of the ‘beastie’ existing but he was confident that if it was there somewhere on the island he would be able kill it. He was trying to build the same kind of confidence in the other boys’ too.
3. On the surface, the significance of the second chapter being called ‘Fire on the Mountain’ is the fire that the boys built on the top of the mountain, by using logs of wood and dry leaves. The chapter is centered around the boys making the decision to attract passerby ships by the smoke emitted from a fire. They did manage to start a fire but it turned out to be mostly smokeless and later spread to another part of the forest where it caused considerable damage.
The glowing flames of the fire also remind us of the energy and excitement that is raging within the boys, when building the fire. Just like the fire that consumes and destroys wholly and unconditionally, energy and enthusiasm totally consumes the boys. On Ralph’s suggesting the idea of building a fire to attract passerby ships they rush to collect wood and leaves without giving it a second thought.
When delved deeper into the significance of the fire, it seems to be a premonition of the dangers to come. The spreading of the fire and turning trees and leaves into rubble is symbolic of the breaking up of the newly formed society. Just like the trunks that crumbled to dust because of the fire, their façade of civilization seems to be crumbling down, revealing glimpses of their true savage nature.
4. The boys collect firewood and leaves and build a heap from which they decide to start a fire. Once the heap is built, it dawns on Jack and Ralph that neither of them knows how to start a fire. Their cheeks turn crimson as each asks the other one to do the job. Golding describes their embarrassment by saying, “The shameful knowledge grew in them and they did not know how to begin confession.”
ReplyDeleteThe atmosphere of awkwardness and helplessness is broken when finally Jack sees Piggy appear and takes Piggy’s spectacles against his will, and uses them to focus sunlight onto the heap and start a fire. All the buys get busy in celebrating the starting of the fire while Piggy is left to dwell in his humiliation, once again feeling like a no-body.
This incident is among the first to reveal flaws in the leaders to the other boys. It brings to light how even the strongest of people are helpless at the hands of incompetence.
Once again, it shows Jack’s insensitivity towards Piggy and adds to Piggy’s anger, due to humiliation and ignorance, which is slowly building up.
5a) Ralph was completely dismissive of the littlun’s ‘beastie’ theory. The leader in him realized that it was his duty to pacify the other boys. His first instinct was to rationalise with them. He proposes logical explanations like the fact that they were on an island and you could only find snakes ‘in big countries, like Africa, or India.’ He also said that it was dark when the littlun claims to have spotted the ‘beastie’, so how could he have seen it? These explanations seem to pacify the boys, but only temporarily.
Ralph was kind and patient when he first heard the littlun talk about the ‘beastie’ but denied the possibility of its existence completely. He kept getting more and more baffled when Jack and some other boys entertained the mere possibility. This aggravated him and led to him finally losing his temper, only to get back his ‘good humour’ the next minute.
b) Although Jack did not believe in the ‘beastie’, unlike Ralph, he entertained the possibility of its existence. His natural instinct was to make himself and the other boys believe that even if it did exist, they were strong enough to ‘hunt it and kill it.’ This shows his belief in physical power rather than reason.
Golding repeatedly shows us Jack’s readiness to harm others by violent means. Jack embraces his primitive, savage, self without a moment’s hesitation and is eager to establish his superiority.
c) The older boys seemed convinced by Ralph’s reassuring words and let logic rule over irrational fear.
Although they nod their heads when Ralph is speaking, the reader gets the feeling that maybe this confidence is just an attempt to mask their inner fears. The boys know that to acknowledge the possibility of the ‘beastie’ would be silly and immature therefore they convince themselves superficially that it does not exist, but deep down they haven’t banished the possibility altogether.
d) The other younger boys thought the littlun’s story was of some consequence and hence pushed him to Ralph. Unlike the older boys, Ralph did not manage to convince them. Golding says ‘ among the little ones was the dubiety that required more than rational assurance.’
Also unlike the older boys, the younger ones did not even try to hide their scepticism and fear. Being little, they clung on to their fears and simple logic could not deter them from their beliefs
1. After Ralph, Jack and Simon get back from exploring the island, they hold another meeting in the afternoon where Ralph discloses all details of their findings to the other boys and asks if anyone else has seen anything. That is when they notice a group of little boys, urging a child forward. This boy who was six years old had a particularly weak composition and half of his face was covered with a mulberry colored birthmark. His name is never revealed. Perhaps no one bothered to ask him because he was one of the small, insignificant children, and was easily distinguished by his birthmark. He was reluctant to speak in front of the large group of people and was 'warped out of the perpendicular by the fierce light of publicity' and 'bored into the coarse grass with one toe'. When he finally got the courage to speak and reached for the conch, he was ridiculed. This is perhaps a allusion to how society reacts as well to a visibly quiet and physically weak person when they try to get involved in the happenings of the group. Also, the fact that he is only referred to as the 'boy with the mark on his face' shows how society reduces a person's identity to their disabilities.
ReplyDeleteAfter being ridiculed, the boy is only able to speak through Piggy who helps him out and interprets what he wants to say. He raises the question of what Ralph is going to do about the 'snake-thing'. As Ralph and the other boys laugh at his question again, he proceeds to describe the snake, and calls it a 'beastie'. He says it was 'ever so large' and that he saw it in the woods. Ralph tries to reason with him and says that such a beastie or a 'snake-thing' can only be found in a big country like Africa or India and not in an island so small. The boy insists on the existence of the beastie and says that it wanted to eat him.
Golding had very strategically used the character of the boy with the mulberry birthmark to raise this question. Perhaps he wants to hint at the forthcoming danger but not attach too much importance to it at the moment. At this point of time, the 'beastie' is only a rumour. None of the other boys took this account to be reliable and will probably forget about this soon. Golding does not use a major character to speak of this just yet, because it will make the idea of the beastie more concrete. Also, the young boy who sees the 'snake-thing' calls it a beastie. An unknown beast which sounds like one from a children's tale. This is where Golding introduces the fear of the unknown. Which is what makes the beastie all the more terrifying.
2. Ralph says very decisively that it is not possible for any such beast to exist. He tries to reason with the little 'un by saying that such a beast cannot be found in an island so small and is only found in big countries such as Africa or India. He then says that it must have been a nightmare while stumbling among those creepers in the woods. He does not waver from his views and shows the qualities of a true leader in some ways when he puts all doubts at ease and re-iterates that there isn't any such beastie. However, a true leader should also be open to new information that his followers try to bring in front of him. Perhaps he does not want to acknowledge the fact that there is a possibility of this being true.
ReplyDeleteJack on the other hand, agrees with Ralph and says that there isn't a beastie. However, he is confident about that fact that if there had been one, he would have known how to deal with it and so he feels the need to tell the entire group of boys and establish his strengths. He says that if there was a 'snake-thing' they would hunt it and kill it. And that even though Ralph was probably right about there not being a beastie, they would need to make sure when they went hunting. He makes it clear that he is not afraid of the beastie, as is characteristic of Jack.
3. The title of this chapter, "Fire on the Mountain" is the central theme of this chapter. In the meeting held by the boys in the afternoon, Ralph declares that their main goal is to 'have fun and to be rescued'. He says that 'we want to be rescued and of course we shall be rescued'. This was perhaps not very realistic of him. But the simplicity of this statement, backed by no evidence, but made believable by his authority as the leader, brought a sense of hope and happiness and renewed energy among the boys. Ralph said that his father was in the Navy and he had told him that there were no unexplored islands. And therefore, he believed, that a ship would soon come to get them. And as the ship might not notice them, they had to build a fire, to signal to the ship that they were here. As soon as he utters the word 'fire' everyone is one his feet. No one except Piggy objects to this decision to build a fire, and unfortunately, no one pays heed to Piggy. After they build the fire, and it dies out, Piggy finally gets the chance to speak. And that is when he finally makes his point. He says "you got your small fire alright" as a flash of fire appears at a root of one wisp and the fire that they built rekindles and beneath the gathering of boys, a quarter of a mile square of forest is savage with smoke and flame. This signifies the over powering of human society by nature. The fire could not be contained by the group of boys as was convenient to them. It grew out of hand, and grew savage. Towards the end of the chapter, Piggy notices that the boy with the mulberry mark who had raised the question of the snake was not amongst them. And Ralph mutters the reply as if in shame, that perhaps he went back. So the over enthusiastic, adrenaline driven, basic instinct of the boys and the power of untamed nature claims the first life in the book.
ReplyDelete4. The boys go to a platform of forest where they find a path where the trees forced by the damp heat, found too little soil for full growth, fell early and decayed; creepers cradled them, and new saplings searched a way up. There they build a pile of all the dead wood they could gather. Each party of boys added to the pile until they sensed it was complete. That was when they realized that none of them knew how to actually set the pile on fire. Ralph and Jack looked at each other while 'society paused about them' expectantly, embarassing the two boys who had, uptil now, not thought about this obstacle. Ralph 'spoke with a crimson face' and Jack 'blushed and muttered vaguely' and said something about rubbing two sticks together. Ralph blurted out the last confession of incompetence. Of dependence on modern tools which rendered him powerless in such a situation. That is when Piggy arrives and Jack points at his specs suddenly and realizes that they can be used a burning glasses. The specs are snatched from Piggy, and used to light the dry wood.
ReplyDeleteEven though Piggy was not supportive of the idea of lighting the fire, he is forced to help the rest in lighting it. Perhaps this shows how in a civilized society as well, physically weak members are often coerced to provide resources or exploited to provide for the plans of the leaders for the 'greater good' of the society.
5. a. Ralph first laughs at the boy's revelation about the beastie. He declares it ridiculous and tries to reason with the boy in vain. Even though his reasons are not credible, and he finds himself defeated in the argument, he repeatedly refuses to accept even the possibility of there being any such creature. Perhaps he is subconsciously trying to put his own mind at ease and believes that not acknowledging the possibility that there might be an unknown creature lurking somewhere in the village, might prevent it from being true. It also comes forth as a shortcoming of a leader, who should be open to all views and opinions brought to light by any member of the group he is leading. Ralph is clearly afraid and uncertain about the boy's revelation even though he doesn't admit it.
ReplyDeleteb. Jack is not as concerned about the existence of this beast as he is about killing it. He is overly eager to inform everyone that he is capable of dealing with said beast. He says that his group of hunters will hunt it and kill it just like they will kill the pigs and bring meat for everyone. He, unlike Ralph, is open to the idea of the beast and is prepared, at least mentally, to face it if any situation arises where is forced to do so.
ReplyDeletec. The older boys follow their leader and dismiss the account given by the quiet, frail, young boy whom they do not consider reliable. They brush him off and laugh at what he says and take Ralph's arguments to be absolute because it obviously is more comforting than the boys's uncertain revelations. Also, when Ralph said that he must have had a nightmare, there is grave nodding because the older boys knew what a nightmare is. It is human nature to agree with the opinions which make one feel more intelligent and knowledgeable and so they readily agreed with Ralph.
d. The younger boys, unlike the older ones, could not be put completely at ease with just logical reasoning. As Golding puts it, "here and there among the little ones was the dubiety that required more than rational assurance".
1) After Ralph, Simon and Jack finish exploring the island, another meeting is called where they narrate their discoveries to all the rest of the boys. They say that they might be stuck on this island for a very long time but that it is a ‘good island’, with all the necessities so they could ‘have fun’ until they are rescued by adults. It is then that the ‘littlun’, a six-year old boy, is pushed forward by his friends. He has a mulberry-coloured birthmark covering one side of his face and seems to be terrified and almost crying at the feat of having to speak in front of all the boys. Piggy kneels next to the little boy, who is on the verge of panicking, and listens to him before conveying his question to the rest of the boys. The boy wanted to ask Ralph what he planned to do about the huge ‘snake-thing’ or the ‘beastie’ that he saw in the woods in the dark. He says that ‘in the morning it turned into them things like ropes in the trees and hung in the branches’ and he asks them whether it would come back again the following night? His innocent and seemingly childish question is greeted with laughter and ridicule prompting the poor boy to become even more scared and humiliated. Using this little boy’s question and nervous manner, Golding seeks to bring out the fear of the unknown that lurks in the mind of all humans. A small and nervous boy like him is ridiculed for his childishness and his fears are brushed aside by the other boys. They claim he simply either dreamt or hallucinated about the ‘beastie’ and no one seem to take him seriously. However, this whole exchange does raise some apprehension and fear in the minds of all the boys about the unknown beast in the unknown surroundings though they do not choose to voice it.
ReplyDelete2)2) Ralph is quite adamantly dismissive of the littlun’s claim of there being a ‘beastie’ on the island. He says that big snakes like the one the littlun thinks he saw are only found in large countries like India or Africa, and not on small islands. He laughs at the boy and when he sees that some boys seem to be doubtful whether the ‘beastie’ really exists or not, he says that the small boy must have had a nightmare. Again, he strongly insists that there is no beastie on the island when the other boys seem to be apprehensive of its existence. Then, he quickly changes the conversation to lighter topics about having fun and being rescued. Jack reacts quite similarly to Ralph to the littlun’s question. He laughs at it and agrees with Ralph that it does not exist. However, later he says, maybe just to console the other boys, that the hunters would find it and kill it if it did exist after all. This might be a ploy by William Golding to bring out Jack’s thirst for violence and blood.
In the second chapter, the boys, under the leadership of Ralph, decide to make a fire on the top of the mountain on the island to create smoke so that it might attract any ships passing by which would lead to their rescue. As soon as Ralph suggests this, all the boys except Piggy rush to the top of the mountain, without pausing to make any plans or think it through. They start collecting leaves and branches and such to make the fire but once they are done, they are forced to stop. Here, Ralph and the others are forced to acknowledge the fact that they did not think the plan through and that none of them know how to start the fire. It is then that Piggy reached the top of the mountain and on Jack’s suggestion, the boys forcefully take off Piggy’s glasses and use them to start the fire. Once they had started the fire, they struggled to keep it alive but failed to do so for long. However, in the process, they did manage to start a forest fire that seemed to engulf the entire mountain. This fire was the result of their savage and hurried actions. They had not stopped to think about their actions logically and had bullied and shouted down Piggy when he had tried to make them see sense. In a way, this fire might be symbolic of the destructive nature of man as well as the transition of the characters into savage, primeval beings. Later, they come to the conclusion that the small boy, the ‘littlun’ with the mulberry-coloured birthmark on one side of his face must have had to succumb to the forest fire. He was the first life they lost on the island and they were all left shocked and stumped by this turn of events. Thus, the fire on the mountain leads to all the events that occur next in the chapter, shaping the story in a major way. This fire is very significant, both in the chapter and in the entire book and it represents the slow changing of the nature of the boys. They are losing the ways of society and reverting back to the old, primitive instincts of chaos and destruction in man. Thus, this is the huge significance of this fire in the second chapter which is titled ‘Fire on the Mountain.’
ReplyDelete4) As soon as Ralph suggests that they build a fire on top of the mountain, all the boys rush towards the mountain, all thoughts of the ‘beastie’ and logic abandoned. On the other side of the mountain, was a ‘platform of forest’ which was covered with fallen, decayed trees and creepers. All the boys, even the smallest ones, all except Piggy, scrambled down to the patch and began to collect fuel. They would search for usable wood and then drag it up to the top. Slowly, the pile on top of the mountain began to grow in size. Now, the boys were forced to stop as the pile was complete but an embarrassing realisation dawned on Jack and Ralph. They had no means to start the fire. Various suggestions were thrown in by the boys but they were at a loss until Jack saw Piggy and suggested that they use his glasses to start the fire. The rest of the boys immediately descended on Piggy and snatched away his glasses, despite Piggy’s pleas and protests. Then, Ralph moved the lens back and forth until a small trickle of smoke began to rise from the pile of dead leaves and branches. Jack, too, knelt near the pile and blew softly at it and soon, there was a little flame and it grew into high flames of twenty feet, ‘enriched with colour’. Ralph shouted at them to get more wood and for some time, they all rushed about, flinging wood into the fire and trying to keep it awakened but then they all dropped to the ground with exhaustion and the fire died down and ‘the pile fell inwards with a soft, cindery sound, and sent a great tree of sparks upwards that leaned away and drifted downwind.’ However, this was not the end of the fire completely, for this brief, strong fire had set aflame the entire side of the mountain where they had found the patch of forest which was now ablaze.
5)Jack- Jack laughs at the little boy’s revelation about the ‘beastie’ but he also says that if it does exist, the hunters would hunt it down and kill it. This shows that while he ridiculed the little boy’s fears, he was unsure of its existence. His immediate desire to kill it also brings out Jack’s thirst for violence and his savage, primitive instincts.
ReplyDeleteRalph- Although Ralph laughs at the kid’s revelation, he is not unkind about it. He explains to the kid that big creatures like those are only found it big countries like India and Africa. He even claims that the kid must have dreamt about the snake-thing. Ralph seems determined to prove that the ‘beastie’ does not exist. Maybe he, himself is apprehensive and is trying to relieve himself by thinking it does not exist or maybe he is trying to be a good leader and reassure the rest of the boys but either way, he is adamant and insists that the ‘beastie’ is not real. Ralph’s desperation to prove that the beastie does not exist shows clearly that he himself is afraid and unsure of the ‘beastie’ himself but is not willing to admit it.
Other older boys- The older boys quite easily agreed with Ralph that the beastie did not expect. They all shouted and laughed at the little boy’s fears. This shows their insensitivity about other’s feelings. They agree with Ralph when he says that the boy must have had a nightmare. This might be a play on Golding’s part to show how humans often tend to choose to believe what is comforting rather than what makes them uncomfortable and afraid. The older boys follow Ralph’s leadership on this matter, maybe because they are too afraid to think of the alternative.
Other younger boys- The younger boys take the littlun’s question about the beastie very seriously. They are the ones who push him forward to ask the question in the first place and even when Ralph declares that there is no beastie on the island, they remain grave and apprehensive. They need more convincing than the older boys and are quite terrified by the idea of some huge, unknown, snake-like creature. However, once Ralph changes the topic to them getting rescue, their attention is quite easily diverted. This shows that they, unlike the older boys, are not yet used to choosing the more logical, realistic-seeming option. They are also more likely to get scared by things they don’t know about and constantly seek assurance of safety.
1) Ralph, the leader, assembles the group of boys on the platform and tells them about whatever was discovered during the expedition he undertook along with Simon and Ralph. Jack then asks the boys whether they found anything else on the island. At first, there was complete silence and then the older boys noticed a“shrimp boy” with a “mulberry-coloured birthmark being pushed forward by a group of young boys. Despite his reluctance, when he was pushed to the center, he bored into the coarse grass with one toe and was visibly shy and unwilling to speak. When encouraged by Ralph to speak, he looks around in panic and then extended his hand forward for the Conch. This action of his makes the assembly erupt in laughter which furthermore embarasses the already timid boy who quickly withdraws his hand and is silent. Thereafter, he is able to put forward whatever he wanted to say only through Piggy who happens to be quite meek himself. Piggy, who is constantly laughed at and treated with indifference, probably does not want the little boy to be uncomfortable as he himself is and is therefore patient with him and also insists on the boy’s right of having the conch.
ReplyDeleteHe communicates the boy’s message to the assembly. The boy wanted to know what Ralph would do about the “snake-thing.” This makes Ralph and the other boys laugh in disbelief. Then Ralph asks him about the snake-thing, and is told it was a “beastie”, “ever so big” and the boy saw it in the woods. The other boys were now taking the young boy seriously and were visibly uncomfortable. Ralph, like a true leader, tried to reassure the boys by telling them that there could not possibly be a “snake-thing” on a small island like theirs since such a creature could only be found in Africa or India. Ralph tried to dismiss the claims of the boy and the fear of the other boys by claiming that the young boy probably had a nightmare. To this, the older boys readily agreed but the younger boys were still not assured.
2) On hearing the question about the “snake-thing” Ralph laughed at the little boy and dismissed his claims stating that the boy probably had a nightmare. He looked at the little boy in a “mix of amusement” and “exasperation”. Then he explained kindly to him that a snake-like creature is found only in countries like Africa and India and not on a small island like theirs. Initially, the boys agree with his explaination, but slowly, a deep disquite rises among them when the little boy goes on to explain that he saw the creature in the dark stumbling about among the creepers. This annoyed Ralph and he felt “defeated”. He felt himself facing something “ungraspable.” Maybe, the probable existence of the creature had started to bother him or maybe it was his inability to convince the boys about the non-existence of the “snake-thing” that bothered him.
Jack, on the other hand, seized the conch and reassured the boys that even if there is a snake they would definitely look for it when they go hunting and kill it. This shows that Jack, unlike Ralph, isn’t afraid of the possibility of the existence of the beast and isn’t afraid to face the danger.
It also clearly brings out the contrast between Ralph and Jack and how they react when faced with the possibility and fear of the unknown.
3) Ralph tells the boys that it is only when they make a fire that the ships passing by would get a singal and they would therefore be rescued. To this suggestion, the crowd readily agrees and there is visible excitement and enthusiasm. “All at once the crowd swayed towards the island and were gone-following Jack.” They began collecting material-wood, leaves and logs. Once the all the materials were gathered they realised that nobody knew how to start a fire.
ReplyDeleteRalph and Jack looked at each other while “society” paused about them. The “shameful knowledge” grew in them and they did not know how to begin the confession. Finally it was Ralph who blurted out the last confession of “incompetence.” Then, Jack suggests that they use Piggy’s specs as “burning glasses.” Piggy was then surrounded by the boys and Jack snatched the glasses off his face. The fire was then finally started. The use of Piggy’s glasses despite his repeated protests reveal how insensitive and unkind man can be and how someone like Piggy, who is neither in any position of authority like Ralph nor is physically strong like Jack, is treated with indifference. Although the fire was started, it was smokeless and therefore did not serve the purpose for which it was lit.
Suddenly the boys realise that the boy with the mulberry-coloured birthmark was nowhere to be seen. The terrifying realisation dawns on them that the boy was probably engulfed by the forest-fire.
Thus, in the second chapter the savage, primeval insticts of the boys is revealed and the newly formed society seems to be breaking down. This chapter also brings forth Ralph’s incompetence as a leader, Jack’s hatred and insensitivity towards Piggy, the savage, almost inhuman instinct of the boys and their collective failure in establishing the forest fire, which is a complete failure on the part of their newly-formed society.
4) The boys discovered a patch, a hundred feet below them on the steeper side of the mountain. Jack then turned to the choir and told them that they would build up a pile. They found the likeliest path down and began tugging at the dead wood. Most of the wood was so rotten that when they pulled it broke up into a “shower of fragements” and “woodlice” and decay; but some trunks came out in one piece. Once all the materials were gathered, the “shameful knowledge” that they did not know how to start the fire dawned on Ralph and Jack. Then Jack suddenly came up with the idea of using Piggy’s glasses as “burning-glasses” to start the fire. Piggy’s lenses were snatched and Ralph moved it back and forth, till a glossy white image of the declining sun lay on a piece of rotten wood. Almost at once, a thin trickle of smoke rose up and finally a tiny flame appeared.
5) A) When the little boy tells Ralph about the snake-thing, Ralph vehemently opposes it and dismisses the boy’s claim as his nightmare. He gives a logical explanation to the boys and reassures them that such wild creature could only be found in India or Africa. After a while, the readers feel that by denying the possibility of the existence of a beast, continuously, Ralph seems to be convincing himself more than anybody else.
ReplyDeleteThis also tells the readers how Ralph, although a capable leader, is helpless and not ready to explore the possibility of the existence of something unknown.
b) Even though Jack, like Ralph, did not believe in the existence of the beast he, unlike Ralph, does not shy away from exploring the possibility of the existence of the beast. He tells the boy that he would look for a beast when they go hunting.
His natural instict was to tell the boys that if the beast did exist they would definitely “hunt it and kill it”
This brings out a certain sense of fearlessness in Jack’s character and tells the readers that he has the courage to face danger and is also brave enough to acknowledge the possibility of the existence of a beast. It also reiterates Jack’s savage insticts as the first thing he plans to do on finding the beast is hunt it.
c) The older boys erupt in mocking laughter when the boy tells them about the beast and also agree with Ralph when he denies the existence of the beast.
Although, they agree with Ralph, the readers get an indication that they are trying to hide their real feelings and deep down they might be apprehensive and might not have dismissed the little boy’s claims as childish fantasy, like Ralph had.
d) Although Ralph’s rational explanation had managed to convince the older boys, “among the little ones was the dubiety that required more than rational assurance.”
They are young, more likely to express all that they feel. They do not try to put on any facade and were able to bring forth their fear and apprehension.
When the explorers return , Ralph sounds the conch shell, summoning the boys to another meeting on the beach . He makes the audience aware about the gravity of the situation .Ralph here is the authoritative figure . The platform raised above the danger and confusion of the jungle , is an ideal location for the parliamentary discourse . It represents a more rational level of human existence . Golding uses the imagery of height to represent some kind of human aspiration or mastery . The conch shell becomes a symbol of authority or like a sceptre .
ReplyDeleteThe boys have a discussion about their findings . Then Jack asks the boys whether they found anything else on the island . There was sheer silence at first. Then the older boys noticed a hesitating child . The child was " a shrimp of a boy ", about six years old and one side of his face was blotted out by a mulberry coloured birthmark ." The reluctant child was being urged by a group of boys .
When Ralph asks him speak up the child panics and becomes extremely tensed . The boy held out his hands for the conch and the assembly shouted with laughter . Piggy immediately comes to his rescue . The little boy wanted to know what Ralph was going to do about the " snake thing " .On hearing this , Ralph along with the other boys erupt in laughter . Then Ralph asks him about the snake - thing as is told that it was a "beastie" "ever so big " and that the boy saw it in the woods . After hearing this a feeling of unrest spread amongst the boys . A wave of fear ripples through the group at the idea of the monster prowling the island .Though they are frightened , the older boys try to reassure the group that there is no monster . Ralph says that the existence of a "beastie" or "snake - thing " on that island of that size was improbable . He goes on to say that such creatures are found in countries like Africa or India . The younger boys were not so convinced . A tinge of fear still prevailed in them . Ralph tried to convince them by saying that it was just a nightmare .
2 . On hearing what the child had to say , the audience along with Ralph and Jack burst into laughter . But Ralph soon composes himself and tries to assure the boys that there is no beast out there and that there is nothing to worry about . He also says that " You only get them in big countries like Africa or India ." But as the child goes on to give further details about the beastie , the atmosphere changes . A feeling of unrest spreads amongst the younger boys . Ralph tries to assure them by saying that the child must have had a nightmare . He realizes that the beast is just a manifestation of the boy's imagination .
ReplyDeleteJack claims that he will make sure that there is no deadly creature while he is hunting . This is in harmony with his usual behavior , which involves bullying others and using brute force to get whatever he wants . Ralph becomes annoyed with such childish thoughts and like a good leader , stands firm in belief that there is no beast , making the rest of the boys slightly better about the situation .
Ans 1) When Jack asked if anyone had found anything in the island during the assembly, nobody initially responded, but there was a group of little boys urging another boy to go forward and speak up. This ‘littlun’, as the younger boys were called, was about six years old and had a mulberry-coloured birthmark on one side of his face. The sudden attention that he received made him very nervous and ‘he bored into the coarse grass with one toe’ and ‘was muttering and about to cry.’ On being ordered by Ralph to speak up, the little boy held his hands out for the conch, but as he did so, the assembly burst out laughing and he quickly retreated back and began to cry. Once the assembly was quietened down, Ralph was once again tried to get the little boy to speak, ‘but by then the blow of laughter had taken away the child’s voice’. So Piggy knelt down beside him and interpreted what he said to the assembly. The little boy wanted to know what was going to be done about ‘the snake-thing’. This question made Ralph and the other boys laugh and they asked him about the snake-thing. Then the little boy said that it was a ‘beastie’, a ‘snake-thing’, a creature which was very big and he’d come across it in the woods.
ReplyDeleteAns 2) Ralph quickly dismissed the idea of a ‘beastie’ as nothing serious. He tried to explain that it was not possible to have a ‘beastie’ or ‘snake-thing’ on an island of a size that small, and that they were only found in big countries like India or Africa. He laughed and said the little boy must have been dreaming when he said that he had seen the snake-thing or beastie in the dark which repeatedly came back to eat him. Ralph suggested that the little boy had had a nightmare because he was ‘stumbling about among all those creepers’. When the little boy repeatedly asked if the beastie would come back that night and described how it turned into ‘them things like ropes in the trees and hung in the branches’, Ralph kept denying by claiming there wasn’t any beastie. He ‘pushed both hands through his hair and looked at the little boy in mixed amusement and exasperation.’
Jack’s reaction, however, was more violent. He agreed with Ralph by saying there wasn’t a snake thing, but also mentioned that even if there was, they’d hunt it and kill it.
Ans 3) The title of the second chapter is ‘Fire on the Mountain’ as the chapter revolves around how the boys agree to build a fire and how they go about doing the same.
ReplyDeleteRalph suggests building a fire as passing ships may not notice them but making smoke on top of the mountain could increase their chances of being noticed and thus, rescued. The assembly agrees to do so and immediately begins moving to the mountaintop to build the fire.
They take a while to build the fire and ultimately use Piggy’s spectacles to do so. However, in the end we learn that the entire process is useless as the fire is smokeless and can not be used to catch the attention of the ships passing by. Also, the fire spreads out rapidly and instead of the ‘small fire’ that the boys had initially intended to build, it turns into something so big that it also ends up consuming the littlun with the mulberry-shaped birthmark on his face.
Ans 4) The boys began to gather wood from a platform which was at the bottom of the mountaintop. They kept piling up wooden limbs, logs, dried leaves and rotten wooden fragments.
Initially, Ralph and Jack were quite ashamed to light up the pile that was created but soon they were asking around for matches to do so. Suddenly Jack pointed out Piggy’s spectacles and suggested using them as burning glasses. At once the crowd snatched Piggy’s spectacles and ‘Ralph moved the lenses back and forth, this way and that, till a glossy white image of the declining sun lay on a piece of rotten wood’. At first thin smoke rose up, and then a tiny flame appeared which kept getting bigger and bigger and ‘exploded with a sharp crack’.
Ans 5)
a) Ralph, upon hearing about the ‘beastie’ or ‘snake thing’, refused to pay much attention to it and quickly dismissed it by suggesting that the littlun was perhaps just having a nightmare after having spent too much time amongst the creepers in the forest. He kept denying by repeatedly saying “But there isn’t a beastie!” However, it seemed like he was convincing himself more than the others.
b) Jack reacted quite violently. He too denied the existence of any such a creature but mentioned that even if there was one, they would hunt it and kill it.
c) The older boys agreed with Ralph and they too decided not to pay much attention to the boy with the mulberry shaped birthmark.
d) The younger boys don’t completely agree with Ralph and still look quite doubtful. They needed more than ‘rational assurance’ to believe that there was truly no existence of any such creature.
3. In the second chapter , the boys realize that they will be needing fire for survival . Ralph suggests that they should go to the highest point on the island , on the top of the mountain to start the fire . The boys start up the mountain . But on reaching there they fail to light a proper fire . Jack then suggests to use Piggy's glasses as burning glass . Piggy's glasses which are snatched by the boys are representative of his intellectualism . He might be occasionally useful to the boys , but he will never have their respect .
ReplyDeleteUltimately the fire goes out of control because of the boys' impulsiveness , impatience and ignorance . They unleash an inferno which they cannot control .Fire is an important symbol throughout the book . The fire gets out of control and the system of order of the boys started also break down . This is the beginning of chaos in the island . The fire becomes a symbol of the power of brute force . Uncontrolled, the result is destruction .
Also , Fire often appears in opposition to the snake . The snake is a remembrance of the limits of man . Sliding under rocks and through slime , it suggests the dark places of human experience . Fire is usually a symbol of the best in man . It represents the hope of the human spirit as it flickers upward .
4. The boys go to the top of the mountain . They gather dried wood and leaves and make a huge pile out of it. Once this is accomplished , they are unsure of how to start the fire .Jack suggests rubbing two sticks together and Roger says something about making a bow and spinning the arrow . Finally when Piggy makes it up the mountain, Ralph asks him if he has any matches .
ReplyDeleteJack is suddenly struck with the idea to use Piggy's to make a fire . Piggy's glasses were snatched away from him . "Ralph moved the lenses back and forth , this way and that , till a glossy white image of the decaying sun lay on a piece of rotten wood ." At once smoke appears . Gradually a thin flame also appears .
" The flame , nearly invisible at first in that bright sunlight , envelopes a small twig , grew , was enriched with colour and reached up to a branch which exploded with a sharp crack ." The flame grew strong and the boys broke into a cheer .
5.i ) At first Ralph reacts with disbelief that there is a beast . Given his reasonable personality , he cannot believe that a beast would live in this kind of an environment . He tries to convince others that the existence of the beast is very improbable . Ralph realizes that the beast that the young boy is talking about is just a manifestation of the boys imagination . Ralph uses logic instead of aggression . He attempts to emphasize the importance of being reasonable in dealing with the idea of the beast .
ReplyDeleteii ) Jack laughs at the mention of the beast in the beginning . Like Ralph he too believed that it was just the imagination of the boy . He then claims that if there was such a thing , he would hunt it and kill it . This is in harmony with his usual behavior , which involves bullying others and using brute force to get what he wants .
Jack uses the fear of the beast to undermine Ralph's authority by promising the younger boys that he and his hunters will destroy the beast . He sees it as a too he can use to his advantage . Jack uses the "beastie" and the fear to enhance his influence over the boys , simply for power . He is the embodiment of greed and evil that lurks within every human .
iii ) The older boys laugh , mock and jeer at the small , tensed and frail child when he talks about the beast . They agree with Ralph whose words make them comfortable . The child's account was dismissed by them as they found it unreliable and uncomfortable . They repeatedly make fun of the child . This shows how insensitive and unscrupulous they can be .
iv ) The younger boys firmly believed in the boy's account . They persuaded him to speak up . It is clear that they were petrified on hearing about the "beastie" . They were not being convinced easily . Ralph had to try hard to calm them down . This shows that they are not very mature and get scared by the things they don't know about .
1. At the second assembly at the scar, Ralph, along with Jack and Simon enumerates their findings in the island during their “expedition”. Subsequently, Ralph assigns the possession of the conch to be the equivalent of raising hands to talk; the holder having the complete liberty to talk without being interrupted. Hence, the littlun, seeking to be heard, asks Piggy, the current holder, for the conch. At this, the child is subject to a great deal of mockery and ridicule from the older boys, including Ralph and Jack. Upon Piggy’s persistence, however, the boy does feebly raise his seemingly unimportant yet extremely crucial question. He asks what they intend to do about the ‘Snake-Thing’ which he later calls a ‘Beastie’ and says was ‘Ever so large’; only to be laughed at yet again.
ReplyDeleteGolding uses the little’un with the birthmark as an instrument alone to raise this question apparently symbolising childish fears. Although the older boys laugh at him, it is evident that the little boy’s fear of the unknown scares most of them too.
2. Ralph is adamant in his belief that there is no beastie. Every time someone raises a point in this regard, he strongly opposes the very existence of the beast. He says that these only exist in exotic places like Africa or India. He tries to convince the group that the child had a nightmare and keeps looking around for confirmation. When even Jack indirectly portrays his belief in the possibility of the Beastie’s existence, Ralph loses his cool and shouts out enumerating for the thousandth time that there is no beast, receiving a static silence from the rest of the boys. This is the first time where Golding shows Ralph as a figure of authority, who might as well resort to tyranny, given enough reason, to maintain order and calm.
Jack on the other hand takes even this instance to prove himself to be harsh, seasoned and strong enough to protect himself and the others from whatever danger lurks in the wilderness. While Ralph keeps trying to convince the boys that there is no beast, Jack makes sure it is known that he is perfectly capable to get rid of it, if the beast does at all exist.
This is another instance of the stark difference between Ralph and Jack’s leadership qualities. Where Ralph is ready to go to any heights in order to protect the peace of mind of his group, Jack is more than willing to do the same to prove his bravado.
3. in this chapter we see the boys sitting again at the platform on the scar, deciding where to go from this point, the layout of the island having been explored. This is when Piggy raises the issue of being lost completely. He says that people do know where the plane was supposed to go, but no one knows that it crashed, hence no one knows where they are. Ralph, however, has complete faith in his father, who is in the navy, to be able to find them. He tehn decides for them that they “want” to get rescued and tells them to their great relief, that there is no undiscovered island anymore. Sooner or later they will be found but for that they need to make a smoke on the mountain top, for passing ships to see the help signal. They then proceed to the mountain and make a fire, after which some of the smaller boys seem to go missing. Thus the building of the fire at the top of the mountain being the main issue, the chapter is called Fire on the Mountain.
ReplyDelete4. the boys reach the top of the mountain and start making a pile to light. Jack and his choir, the little boys and everyone but Piggy got busy heaping the peak with dead wood, apparently so rotten that it ‘broke into a shower of fragments and woodlice and decay’ when they pulled it. Then the twins found the first proper log after which Ralph and Jack found a huge one to place at the top of the pile. It was only after they found the pile sufficient that they realised none of them had a clue as to how the fire was to be lighted. After much speculation, they decided that Piggy’s specs would make a good burning glass. Much to the latter’s dislike, his glasses were snatched from him and he was elbowed to a side while Ralph attempted to light the fire amidst much ‘pushing and pulling and officious cries.’ He moved the lenses around in all directions for a while before the sun reflected itself on the rotten wood and a sliver of smoke appeared, causing Ralph to choke. At Jack’s gentle blowing, the smoke moved away and grew thicker as the flame began to shine through. Thus the fire was started.
5a. At first, Ralph, along with the other boys laughed the little boy’s whims away. He points out the improbability of finding a ‘beastie’ in an island like the one they were marooned on as it is more likely to find one in an exotic place like Africa or India. He then says that the boy having it seen it in the dark must have mistaken a nightmare to be true. He looks around him for confirmation in his hypothesis and finding signs of discontent, repeats a number of times that “there isn’t a beastie”. After a point it appears that perhaps his chant is meant not only to convince himself and the others of the fact but also to keep the lot calm.
b. right from the start, Jack laughs along with Ralph and the other boys about the boy’s question. He laughs along at every statement till the mood of the gathering turns dark and Ralph falls silent. At this point, he says that Ralph is right about the nonexistence of the beast. However, if there was one, they would hunt it and kill it. At Ralph’s repeated insistence he replies that the nonexistence of the beastie will be confirmed when they go hunting the following day.
c. the older boys all laugh at the story of the beast and agree with Ralph about the improbability of the beastie’s existence and that the child might have had a nightmare. After a point however, they too start considering the possibility and add to the stock of grave eyes that were fixed upon Ralph.
d. Afraid and unsettled, the younger boys all invest complete faith in their fellow’s story. Ralph’s logic and reasoning did not do much to convince them. They needed, it seems, more than ‘rational assurance’ to squash their dubiety.
ANSWER 1
ReplyDeleteAs Ralph, Jack and Simon Return from their “expedition”, Ralph blows the conch and summons the boys, to inform them of their findings. Once the boys are done explaining about the uninhabited island with its rocks and blue flowers, they ask the other boys whether any of them have found anything. It is then that the older boys first notice the shrimp of a boy about six years old with a mulberry colored birthmark splashed across his face.
He seemed out of place, and very insecure with the sudden attention. AS the other boys shove the lime light on him, Ralph orders him to speak up. Jittery and panicked, the small boy hesitantly held out his hand for the conch. The entire assembly roared with laughter as this gesture and soon, the boy withdrew to his cocoon and only agreed to speak when Piggy spoke for him and defended him. With Piggy as his voice, e asked Ralph what he was going to do about the “snake thing”. Later, he refers to it as a “beastie” and asked Ralph whether it would be back that night. Even though Ralph dismissed the question calling it the boy’s reverie, it is evident that the presence of a strange unknown being lurking in the dark has unsettled the boys.
ANSWER 2
The little boy’s fear had the other boys unsettled. As chief, Ralph at first kindly tells him that a big snake thing could not exist in an island as small as the one in which they were marooned, he dismisses the issue. The little boy urges on, telling Ralph that the “beastie” came and went away and that he would return once darkness descends. To Ralph, such an irrational fear from a young boy is ridiculous and he laughs. Laughing, he looks around for conformation, to his surprise; he notices that among the younger ones there was a dubiety which would require more than rational assurance.
Piggy urges on, telling Ralph that the little’un says that the beastie would be back at night; slowly, Ralph loses his cool and exasperated, firmly tells them that there is no “beastie”. Jack doesn’t lose opportunity to be in the limelight. He agrees with Ralph but claims that if they find it, he will hunt it and kill it. Jack’s interruption is mainly because he seems impatient and wants to continue hunting.
ANSWER 3
After being firm with the assembly of boys on the non existence of a “beastie” on the island, Ralph continues telling them about his plan of getting rescued. He assures them all, telling them that his father is in the navy and that he will find them and rescue them. In order to get rescued, Ralph told the boys that they would have to make fire on the top of the mountain. Jack immediately orders the boys to follow him and all the boys, enthusiastically obey Jack, No one listens to Ralph.
Once on top of the mountain, the boys gather wood and use Piggy’s spectacles to make a fire. They succeed in making it light up when a passing wind spreads the fire to the other side of the mountain. AS the boys watched, the fire spread furiously and the smoke thickened. Rapidly, the fire ravaged through the other side, devouring leaves, trees, animals even the creepers that festooned the dead or dying were not spared. The heart of the flame leapt nimbly across the gap between trees and then went swinging and flaring along the row of them.
Piggy, fought for his right to speak and as he spoke, he put to shame all of them for their naïve behavior. He called then children who went howling and screaming up the mountain once they heard “fire”. He accused them of not being careful with the fire. He blamed them for destroying the other side of the mountain. He was outraged because no one seemed to care about the little’uns. Then, Piggy brought their notice to the fact that the little boy with the purple birthmark sprawled on one side of his face was missing. Reality descended upon Ralph .
This chapter showcases the reckless attitude that the boys have. They share no responsibility. Impulsiveness and enthusiasm can only last so long. Piggy, here speaks as an adult, compelling the boys to snap out of their reverie and face reality.
ANSWER 4
ReplyDeleteAfter the original hustle and enthusiasm at collecting wood to create the fire, as the boys sensed that the pile was complete, the more important and apparently ignored question revealed itself. How to light the pile ? Ralph and Jack found themselves at a loss, both wondering whether the other would know how to light the pile on fire. Ralph asked if anyone had matches but, didn’t get and affirmative answer. The unsuspecting intelligence arose from Jack. He suggested they use Piggy’s specs. And soon, Piggy’s glasses were snatched away from him as no one listened to Piggy’s wails. Ralph moved the glasses back and forth and soon, a trickle of smoke bellowed from the pile. The flame grew rapidly and flapped higher causing the boys to erupt into a cheer.
ANSWER 5
A) Seeing the little boy with the purple birthmark, appear so shy , reserved and withdrawn, at first Ralph kindly told him that a snake like thing could not be on an island so small as the one in which they were marooned. Piggy was still voicing the small boy and Ralph found the irrational fear ridiculous. Laughing, he looked around and realized that some of the little’uns were succumbing to the fear of this unknown entity present on the island. As Piggy urged on, Ralph lost his cool and shouted at them. Making his point very clear. This did not entirely convince the little’ uns but it surely shut them up.
B) TO me, it appeared as though Jack cared little about this entire ordeal. All he wanted to do was to prove to others and himself that he was capable of hunting. Snatching the conch from Ralph, he quickly agreed with Ralph and assured the little boy that in case such a thing existed, he would hunt it down and kill it.
C) The big boys found the entire ordeal rather amusing and, they snickered and the immature fear of the little boys. But, even to them the knowledge of a strange creature existing on the island and appearing only after darkness descended was a tad bit unsettling.
D) The smaller boys felt insecure with their surroundings from the very beginning. Adding in the rumor about the beastie and snake thing, most of them were hoping they were living a bad dream and would wake up in some time. All in all, the little’uns were taking it rather harshly. No one paid much attention to them and now, with the knowledge of some unknown beast-like thing waiting within the darkness had them reduced to shivering masses.
1. When the boys hold their second meeting, Ralph, Jack and Simon tell the other boys about their ‘expedition’. They feel a sense of self importance – making rules, talking only with the conch in hand, having the ability to rule over the little boys. The littleun with the birthmark, was a ‘shrimp’ of a boy. He seemed to be six years old and was exceedingly shy, now that he was in the spotlight. The older boys first noticed him when he ‘resisted’. A group of boys urged him to go forward and talk. Gathering courage, he held his hand out for the conch. The entire assembly laughed at him, causing him to shrink back into his shell. Piggy stood up for him and let him have the conch. The little boy then asked what was going to be done about the ‘snake-like thing’ later referring to it as a ‘beastie’.
ReplyDeleteGolding uses a little boy to ask this question to symbolize childish fears. He wants to say that even though elders pretend like they are not afraid, all human beings, regardless of age, are afraid of the unknown.
2. After the child raised the question, an unknown chill ran in the air. Ralph, wishing to emulate an adult, spoke kindly. He said that large beasties like that only exist in big countries like Africa or India, not on island that size. When the child retaliates saying, he saw it at night, he is once again, ridiculed. Ralph, losing all patience, says that he couldn’t have seen it if it came in the dark. The child must have been dreaming! He must have had a nightmare! Jack, always the fighter, bounces up saying that even if there was a beastie, they would hunt it down and kill it. An argument breaks out, wondering whether or not there really is a beast. Ralph, defeated for then, changed the topic, very cleverly, into having fun without adults.
3. Ralph, keeping everyone’s spirits up, talks about how they will be rescued. His father is, after all, in the Navy. He says that they should make a fire to attract the attention of passing ships. The children collect wood and are then faced with lighting the fire. They do not have matches and forcibly use Piggy’s glasses to make the fire. The boys unleash an inferno which they cannot contain. They are impulsive and irrational as the fire burns a part of the island and is ultimately useless as it is smokeless. The title, Fir on the Mountain, is thus effective and tells us what is to come.
4. Once the boys agree that they have to start a signal fire, they hunt around for dead wood and dried leaves. Anything, that would burn. They pile all the wood. Most of the wood was so rotten that it would break in a shower of wood lice and rotten pieces of wood. Once the pile had been put together, Jack and Ralph stare at each other, wondering how to light it since they did not have matches. Jack suddenly points at Piggy’s glasses which are wrested from him. Ralph moves the lenses this way and that way till a glossy white image of the sun lay on a piece of rotten wood. Almost at once, a thin trickle of smoke appeared. Jack knelt, and blew gently. The fire then exploded so fast that the boys broke into a cheer, proud of their accomplishments.
ReplyDelete5a. Ralph- Ralph takes the revelation of the beastie well, at first. He speaks kindly and gives a logical explanation as to why the beastie cannot exist. Upon repeated questions, he gets a little annoyed but handles the increasing fear well. He is a capable leader and dismisses the fear.
5b. Jack, like Ralph does not believe the beastie exists. He, however, does not dismiss the possibility of exploration. He is fearless and talks about killing it, should they encounter it. This can be viewed in two ways. First, being young but brave enough to even think about hunting. Second, as reiteration of his innate savagery and bestiality.
5c. The older boys ridicule the littleun. They mock him. However, their laughter seems a little off, as they too, are scared that the beastie may exist. They put on a seemingly brave front and their fears are shaken due to Ralph’s intelligence.
5d.The younger children, are frightened. They do not put up a façade. However, their fears are also laid to rest because of Ralph’s little explanation.
4. Once the boys agree that they have to start a signal fire, they hunt around for dead wood and dried leaves. Anything, that would burn. They pile all the wood. Most of the wood was so rotten that it would break in a shower of wood lice and rotten pieces of wood. Once the pile had been put together, Jack and Ralph stare at each other, wondering how to light it since they did not have matches. Jack suddenly points at Piggy’s glasses which are wrested from him. Ralph moves the lenses this way and that way till a glossy white image of the sun lay on a piece of rotten wood. Almost at once, a thin trickle of smoke appeared. Jack knelt, and blew gently. The fire then exploded so fast that the boys broke into a cheer, proud of their accomplishments.
ReplyDelete5a. Ralph- Ralph takes the revelation of the beastie well, at first. He speaks kindly and gives a logical explanation as to why the beastie cannot exist. Upon repeated questions, he gets a little annoyed but handles the increasing fear well. He is a capable leader and dismisses the fear.
5b. Jack, like Ralph does not believe the beastie exists. He, however, does not dismiss the possibility of exploration. He is fearless and talks about killing it, should they encounter it. This can be viewed in two ways. First, being young but brave enough to even think about hunting. Second, as reiteration of his innate savagery and bestiality.
5c. The older boys ridicule the littleun. They mock him. However, their laughter seems a little off, as they too, are scared that the beastie may exist. They put on a seemingly brave front and their fears are shaken due to Ralph’s intelligence.
5d.The younger children, are frightened. They do not put up a façade. However, their fears are also laid to rest because of Ralph’s little explanation.
ReplyDelete1.Ralph sits down to tell everyone the outcome of the expedition and his discoveries of the fact that they were on an Island when a “shrimp of a boy” who has a “mulberry-coloured” birthmark marring his face is pushed forward by the crowd against his will. He is frightened and looks like he is about to cry.
Ralph asks him to speak up. He raises his hand forward to hold the conch, however, he withdraws when the rest of the boys burst into peals of laughter out of fright . Seeing his distress, Piggy shouts tout that “let him have the conch!” . Somehow, Ralph induced the “little’un” to hold the conch shell. however the “blows of laughter” left the little boy unable to speak out aloud, hence Piggy kneels down beside him and conveys what the little boy had to say. The littleun asks Ralph what he is going they do about the “snake-thing”. When everyone starts to laugh once more, the little boy says that it is a “beastie”. On being asked where it is, the boy says it is in the woods.
2.Ralph first dismisses the “snake-thing” as a joke and say that the island was too small to house the “snake-thing” and that they were only found in countries like Africa and India. On hearing that the “beastie” came in the dark, Ralph replies “ Then he couldn’t have seen it”. The little boy conveyed through Piggy that it “came and went away” and that it wanted to eat him. On hearing this Ralph says that he must have dreamt it. On seeing suspicions on the truth of this statement on the faces of the younger children, Ralph says that it was probably a nightmare. The children still believe that the beastie exists even though Ralph keeps protesting that it doesn’t. On seeing Ralph’s exasperation, Jack takes hold of the conch and says that Ralph is right and that it doesn’t exist and even if it did he would hunt it down along with the pigs. Ralph protests that there is no such Snake-thing when Jack replies “we will make sure when we go hunting”. To this ,Ralph says in a loud voice once and for all that there is no beast, to which the whole assembly falls quiet.
3.After his outburst over the beastie, Ralph reclaims his composure and goes on to discuss that he has devised a plan so that they get rescued. He tells the boys that his father is in the Navy and he will rescue them and that the Queen has a list of maps which probably would have their island as well on it.Everyone’s hopes are lifted and they become cheerful. At the same time they start respecting Ralph more. When the crowd is silenced, Ralph goes on to say that to help them find the island they could light a fire on a mountain so that the rising smoke help the ships to spot the islands and see signs of life on it.They immediately went and started to collect a pile of logs to light a fire on the Mountain, hence the name of the chapter is explained.
4. All the boys pile up logs one by one on the mountain. However after they are done, they realise that need to light a fire. After much thinking as to how they should do so, Jack comes up with the idea that Piggy’s glasses could be used as a fire glass to light a fire. All the boys surround Piggy. Then, they snatch Piggy’s glasses away against his will and held it over the pile of logs. First a “thin trickle” of a sparks could be seen which suddenly flapped into flames.
ReplyDelete5. a) When Ralph first hears about the “beastie”, he refuses to believe it and laughs it off and says that it was probably dreamt up by the little boy and it was a nightmare. He tries his level best to make everyone believe that the beastie does not exist. He keeps on saying that “but there isn’t a beast!” with indignation. At the end, Ralph loses his composure and bursts out saying “But I’ll tell you there isn’t a beast!”
This behaviour of Ralph shows that despite always being cool and composed, he does have an element of violence and anger within him. His strong belief in the fact that the beastie does not exist shows his refusal to believe in superstition.
b) On seeing Ralph exasperated, Jack says that Ralph is right and that the beastie does not exist. However, he says that even if it did, he would hunt it down along with the pig and make sure that it ceases to exist. This shows Jacks love for violence. Humans were once hunter gatherers and thrived on hunting. Violence runs in their blood. This aspect of human nature is perfectly embodied by Golding in Jack’s character and in his eagerness to hunt.
c) The older boys do not believe in the existence of the beastie and laugh it off as well. However, it can be sensed that they partly believe it is true and that the fear it. However, they do not have the courage to face it. One can say that they are in denial and that even if they believe it is true on a subconscious level, on a conscious level the refuse to do so.
d) The younger boys believe in what the littleun says and are scared by the idea of it. They immediately start asking Ralph what he is going to do about the Beastie, even though he protests that it does not exist. This symbolises the ignorance of human and their belief in illogical superstitions even when it is untrue.
1. In the book, Lord of the flies, the little’un, with the purple birthmark, tells the boys that he has seen a ‘snake thing’ and asks them what they are going to do about it. He was extremely frightened of the ‘beastie’ and he repeatedly asks the boys what they intend to do about it. The little’un continues to inquire about this beastie that he is convinced he saw, but none of the boys are helpful. They are dismissive towards him and they laugh at him. Ralph assures the rest of the boys that the boy must have had a nightmare and says that these creatures could only be found in Africa or India. He gets annoyed by the boy and stands by his opinion that there is no beast. The boys did not believe the little’un simply because they thought that he was just a little boy and he did not know what he was talking about. Although there was a feeling of unrest among the other boys, they brushed it off when Ralph made fun of the boy and convinced themselves that the boy could not be believed, and he had indeed just had a nightmare.
ReplyDelete2. Ralph sticks by his stance that there is no beast. He laughs at the little’un and he convinces the rest of the boys the same. Jack also agrees with Ralph, but also adds, to comfort the little boys that were feeling doubtful, the he would hunt down the beast and kill it, if it really did exist. Ralph jokes about the whole incident and he says that the boy just had a nightmare. We could say that the other boys did not believe the little’un because Ralph, being the leader had convinced them, but also, since he was a little boy, people found it difficult to believe.
3. We can simply say, that the chapter is so titled because of the lighting of the fire on the mountain top to signal to any possible passer-bys, but it could also refer to beacon fires which were used during war time when the enemy was approaching. This may symbolise that thinks on the island, among the boys, were soon about to go wrong.
4. Jack told the boys to follow him, and he lead them up a mountain top where he would gather firewood. However, they soon realised that none of them really knew how to light a fire. They did not know what to do, and almost seemed helpless. Jack then saw Piggy approaching and exclaimed that they should use his specs as ‘burning glasses’. Piggy protests, that he would not be able to see without his glasses. This shows just how much the boys disrespect what Piggy has to say, as they take his glasses and make a fire with the help of them, while Piggy is left visually impaired.
5. a. Ralph, on hearing about the beastie from the little’un tries to explain to him that there isn’t any beastie. When the boy claims repeatedly that he has, indeed, seen a beastie, Ralph becomes stubborn in his opinion and keeps repeating that there was not beastie. It is felt that maybe Ralph is trying to convince himself, more than anyone else that there was no beastie. He feels pressurised, since as the leader he had to comfort all the other boys there, and he himself was frightened. He also had a hard time believing the boy, because he was not in the least bit grown up, and he thought the little boy had a nightmare.
b. Jack too denies that there is a beastie, he is also dismissive towards the boy. However, he also tries to comfort him by saying that if there was a beastie, he would hunt it down and kill it.
c. When Ralph dismisses the little’un and insists that there could not have been a beastie, the other boys also start to agree with him. The little boys, however, still feel some fear. We can say that the boys agreed with Ralph, partly because he was the chief and also because they felt the need to convince themselves that it did not exist, so that they themselves could feel safe. The younger boys however felt more frightened of this unknown creature.