Lord of the Flies Study guide Chapter 2

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Lord of the Flies Study guide Chapter 2
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• Recap
• The three boys are back from exploring the
  island. Ralph tells the others they are on an
  uninhabited island. He says, Weve been on the
  mountain top and seen water all round. We saw no
  houses, no smoke, no footprints, no boats, no
  people.
• Jack mentions the pig that escapes and slams his
  knife into the trunk to illustrate that next time
  hell be ready.

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• Ralph says, There arent any grownups. We shall
  have to look after ourselves. . .And another
  thing. We cant have everybody talking at once.
  Well have to have Hands up like at school.

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• At the meeting, what rules does Ralph establish?
• The boys must raise their hands to speak. Ralph
  will then give them the conch so they can speak.
  ONLY the person holding the conch has the right
  to speak.

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• Jack agrees and wants rules. He says, Well have
  rules! . . .Lots of rules! Then when anyone
  breaks em-

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• 2. Why, do you think, does Jack want rules?
• A He wants rules so he can punish the boys
  breaking the rules.

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• What does Ralph suggest the boys do until they
  are rescued by adults?
• A He says, Until the grown-ups come and fetch
  us, well have fun. . .Its like in a book.
• Treasure Island-
• Swallows and Amazons-
• Coral Island

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The Coral Island

• In Goldings time, a popular adventure novel was
  The Coral Island

• Written in 1858
• A group of boys are stranded on a tropical,
  uninhabited island
• The major characters are Jack and Ralph
• It is an adventure story with a happy ending

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• Jack points out that the island has
• Food
• Pigs
• Bathing water
• A little stream for drinking water
• BUT
• a little boy with a huge mulberry-colored
  birthmark asks Piggy and the group about the
  snake-thing or beastie.

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3

• What does the small boy with the birthmark say
  inhabits the island? Why is this ominous? What
  might this foreshadow?
• A A snake-like creature or beastie. It
  foreshadows the beginning of fear on the island,
  and fear is a powerful emotion.

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• 4. How does Jack handle the childrens fear of
  the beastie?
• A When the boy with the mulberry-colored
  birthmark first mentions the beastie, the boys
  agree that a creature that big could not live on
  a small island. They are adamant that there is
  not a beastie on the island. The boys think the
  little boy had a nightmare ( a product of his
  imagination).

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4. Ralph vs. Jack

• Pg. 36
• Ralphs response to the beastie But there isnt
  a beastie!
• Jacks response Ralphs right of course. There
  isnt a snake-thing. But if there was a snake
  wed hunt it and kill it.
• Notice how Jack wants to make the kids feel
  secure by telling them he will protect them from
  the beast.

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5. How do they boys plan on being rescued?

• Ralphs next decision as a leader is that they
  must make a signal fire. He says, Theres
  another thing. We can help them to find us. If a
  ship comes near the island they may not notice
  us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain.
  We must make a fire.
• The boys immediately run up the mountain to
  build a fire.
• Jack yells, Come on! Follow me!

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6. When the boys race up the side of the
mountain, what does Piggy think?

• Twice Piggy says, Like a crowd of kids. What
  does this judgment say about Piggy?
• A This lets us know how Piggy thinks. Ralph
  mentions the word fire and they all race up the
  mountain to build it. To Piggy, this is not
  proper behavior. Piggy would have preferred to
  finish the meeting, set priorities, and make a
  plan for the fire before actually building it.

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7. How do they boys eventually light the fire?

• The boys climb the mountain and begin to build a
  fire. There is an abundant supply of dead wood on
  one side on the mountain. The boys begin
  collecting wood to construct their fire. They
  make a large pile, but realize there is no way to
  light the fire. Jack sees Piggy and realizes they
  can use his specs to light the fire.

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• 7. The boys use Piggys specs to light the fire.

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• Once the fire is burning, the boys struggle to
  keep it going because the dead wood burns too
  quickly. In addition, the dry wood produces only
  fire, no smoke. When Piggy points this out, Jack
  lashes out at him. He says that Piggy did not
  help them collect the wood, but Simon points out
  that he helped light the fire with his specs.

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8. In what way does Jack try to limit the power
of the conch? What is the conch a symbol of?

• Piggy wants to talk and says he has the conch
  which gives him the right to speak, but Jack
  tells Piggy the conch does not count on top of
  the mountain, so he should shut up.
• The conch, then, is a symbol of democracy and
  island government. If the boys are allowed to
  speak while they hold the conch, then they ALL
  have an equal voice on the island.

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9. What does Jack say his choir will do?

• Jack says his hunters will be responsible for
  keeping the fire going at all times.

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• Piggy starts to criticize Jack saying, Youve
  got your small fire all right and the boys all
  notice that the fire has spread and is now out of
  control. The entire side of the mountain is
  engulfed in flames.

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• The boys watch as the side of the island goes up
  in flames.

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• Piggy continues, There aint nothing we can do.
  We ought to be more careful. Im scared-
• Jack Youre always scared Fatty!

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• Piggy losing his temper
• I got the conch! Just you listen! The first
  thing we ought to have made was shelters down
  there by the beach. It wasnt half cold down
  there in the night. But the first time Ralph says
  fire and you go howling and screaming up this
  here mountain. Like a pack of kids!. . . How can
  you expect to be rescued if you dont put first
  things first and act proper? . . .

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• Then when you get there you build a bonfire
  that isnt no use. Now you been and set the whole
  island on fire. Wont we look funny if the whole
  island burns up? Cooked fruit, thats what well
  have to eat, and roast pork! And thats nothing
  to laugh at. You said Ralph was chief and you
  dont give him time to think. Then when he says
  something you rush off, like, like

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• And thats not all. Them kids. The little uns.
  Who took any notice of em? Who knows how many we
  got? . . .Then you dont know how many of us
  there ought to be?
• And them little uns was wandering about down
  there where the fire is. How d you know they
  arent still there? . . .That little un him
  with the mark on his face. I dont see him. Where
  is he now?

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12.

• What happened to the littlun with a mark on his
  face?
• APresumably, he dies in the fire. The boys are
  in real danger unless they get their act together.

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Discussion Questions

• As Jack talks about the pig they saw on their
  expedition, what does he do that shows his
  violent nature?
• What do the boys do when the small boy with the
  mulberry-colored birthmark reaches out for the
  conch?
• What does Ralph say when attempting to put the
  smaller children at ease about the beastie?

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• 4. What does Ralph suggest they do to signal a
  potential rescue ship?
• 5. Who leads the boys into the jungle?
• 6. Jack accuses Piggy of just sitting while the
  rest are building the fire. Who defends Piggy?
• 7. What reason is given to show that Piggy helped
  with the fire?

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• 8. How does Maurice suggest they make smoke?
• 9. What disastrous things happens after the boys
  build the fire?
• 10. Piggy loses his temper and begins to complain
  about how everyone is behaving on the island. How
  does Jack reply to Piggys complaints?