Lord of the Flies Chapter 2-6

Find a quotation from the chapter, which supports the notion that Piggy is intelligent

"But Piggy for all his ludicrous body, had brain"

Find a quotation which illustrates that a rift is forming between Ralph and Jack

"I was talking about smoke! Don't you want to be rescued? All you can talk about is pig, pig, pig!"

Find a quotation from chapter 6 which supports the notion that Sam and Eric are inseparable

"They could never manage to do things sensibly if that meant acting independently" "their identical laughter"

Why does Roger throw the stones around Henry but never at him?

At home, Roger was conditioned in a civilization where they would not stone people. He wanted to respect his laws that he followed back home.

It is clear that there is going to be some friction between Jack and Ralph. Explain why, and predict what you think might happen.

Both want to be leader of the group and have different opinions/views

Why does Simon doubt the existence of the 'beast'?

He concludes that if there were a beast, it would leave tracks they would see

Why is keeping the fire burning so important to Ralph?

He wants to get rescued

Explain what happens to cause Ralph to be so angry with Jack. Do you think this anger was justified?

Him and his hunters were supposed to be watching the signal fire and it went out

Why did Maurice feel bad for throwing sand into the eye of the littlun?

His mother had discipline, back home Maurice would have received much discipline for kicking sand in one's eye. Even though there was no parent around, Maurice still felt badly about that.

Why does Jack use face paint? Give two reasons.

Jack initially paints his face as a way to camouflage himself while he is hunting, but also, the mask liberates Jack from "shame and consciousness." The clay and charcoal masks allow the hunters to act like savages without feeling self-conscious about their behaviour. The paint hides their identities and gives them the freedom to act like barbarians.

How does Jack treat Piggy?

Jack is obsessed with getting power over the boys, he treats Piggy horrifically, he punches him, verbally abuses him constantly, and even wouldn't let him have food from him from the hunt

How has Ralph changed since being on the island

More wise, knowing more about life

Do you think that Jack and Ralph have the same motive for hunting the beast? Explain your answer fully.

No. Ralph's motives are so they can be safe and access the signal fire. Jack is more interested in tracking it to hunt and kill

The twins say that 'the beast' had claws, and that it followed and nearly touched them. Is this true? Explain why they say this

No. Their fear made them imagine things, fear made it real for them

What are the two reasons given for why the littluns obey the call of the conch?

Partly because Ralph blew it and was big enough to be a link to the adult world of authority, and partly because it was entertainment of the assemblies.

Why is Percival's revelation that the beast comes from the sea, particularly frightening?

Percival tells the boys that the beast comes out of the sea in squid form and then is a ghost on land, so no one can see it, but it still attacks its prey

Why is Piggy so frightened of Jack?

Piggy is confident that Jack would not hurt Ralph, but if Ralph were not there to protect Piggy, Jack would hurt the next thing, Piggy.

When the fire gets out of control on the island, how do the boys react?

Piggy is lecturing the boys that they should have used the wood as shelter. Piggy and the rest of the boys are scared because they can't find the boy with the birthmark

Piggy is clearly intelligent and has good ideas. Why don't the boys look to him as a leader?

Piggy is very smart, and the boys are just starting to realize that. But they still don't look up to him or see him as any threat because of his appearance

Why is Ralph frustrated with the other boys?

Ralph and Simon are the only ones building the shelters. Ralph is frustrated because rules were made and agreed to, including the building of shelters, but most of the boys have forgotten them. They simply swim, eat, play and sleep. There is no accountability.

How does Ralph try to maintain order and a sense of society amongst the boys? You must give specific examples.

Ralph creates rules and simple form of government to achieve order and civilized behaviour. Ralph keeps the boys under order through the meetings which he holds. At these meetings, a sense of order is instilled because the boys have to wait until they hold the conch to speak ('we'll have the hands up like in school'). He enforces his role of leader by making rules and gives the boys the stability of an authority figure.

Do you think that his frustrations is justified? Explain why or why not.

Ralph has every right to feel frustrated. The boys on the island are not like adults. No progress has been made on the island since they crashed because they aren't contributing

How do Ralph and Jack differ in the way they talk to the littluns?

Ralph is more respectful and pays more attention to comfort them. Jack disrespects, screams, and calls them cry babies, pays less attention

When the boy with the mulberry-coloured birthmark talks about the 'beastie', how do Jack and Ralph react?

Ralph is trying to convince the other boys that there is no beastie and they are only found in other countries and that the little boy was dreaming. Jack says that if there is a snake thing, then they would hunt and kill it.

Who do you agree with most and why?

Ralph points out that that the shelters are important because they serve as protective homes for the littluns who fear the beast. Ralph is concerned with the shelters and signal fire, which are essential for survival and rescue, while Jack is only concerned about hunting.

Explain how we see Jack and Ralph's differing priorities in this chapter.

Ralph thinks that building shelter, and the fire should be the main priority, but Jack thinks that hunting and finding food should be the boy's main priority.

What is Ralph's plan for rescue? Do you think that this is a good plan? Why or why not?

Ralph thinks that they should start a fire, so that if a ship passes by, they might see the smoke and rescue them.

How do reactions to the discovery of the Castle Rock differ?

Ralph wants to move on and build up the fire for smoke again. Jack sees it as a place for a fort on the island.

Describe the character of Simon

Simon is helpful, but also suspicious, he goes into the forest at the end of the chapter. Slim, skinny, a little darker in color.

Fear is starting to creep in amongst the boys. How do we know this and of what are they afraid?

Simon observes that it is as if the island is bad, not the good island Ralph described in Chapter 2. Jack agrees. While hunting in the jungle, he says, he often feels like he's the one who's being hunted. "Jack had to think for a moment before he could remember what rescue was." The boys, especially Jack, is giving up hope that they will ever be rescued. They are forgetting what rescue even is. The beast starting to get to them.

Why is chapter 6 called the Beast From Air?

The "beast" falls from the air, think it is beast from forest

What happens at the end of the chapter, which is particularly horrifying?

The boy with the birthmark goes missing when the fire starts to go out of control and isn't seen again

When Ralph calls the assembly, what are his main complaints?

The organization of drinking water, beliefs about the beast, being rescued and the element of fear in everyone's mind

What do Sam and Eric see in the middle of the night while on fire duty, and why does it frighten them?

They see the fallen parachute man and they think it is the beast. The strings on the parachute have been caught in the branches so as the branches blow in the wind, the man moves up and down

How do the boys start the fire?

They use Piggy's glasses as "burning glasses."

What does this tells us about their differing leadership styles?

This tells us that Ralph is more focused on calming everybody down, and getting them off of the island in the quickest way possible, but Jack is just looking for something to hunt.

Why do you think that Simon ventures into the forest at the end of this chapter?

Wanted a break from all the work. Curious of island

Describe the daily pattern of life on the island.

While mornings are cool and comfortable, the afternoon sun is oppressively hot and bright, which incites fatigue among many of the boys and they scramble for shade. At midday, the sea rises and appears to contain flickering images; Piggy discounts them as 'mirages.' As the sun went down, there was a coolness, but there was a darkness in the night. The shelters were filled with tired boys. The northern European tradition of work, play, and food right through the day is not forgotten, making the transition difficult.

Do you think that Jack and Ralph will be able to work together again?

Yes, if both find an equalizer, something they both can agree on, and see each other's side