C H A P T E R 2
Chapter 2: Fire on the Mountain
The young boys start a learn how to start a fire in hopes of getting rescued.
Plot of Chapter
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Ralph urged the boys to start a fire to get rescued, using Piggy's specs
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Boys have a meeting to determine what is needed to be done for them to survive (speaking only when you have the conch)
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A little boy with a birthmark mentioned a beastie on the island but has disappeared
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Ralph blamed Piggy for not keeping track of the boys' names and how many
Vocabulary
DUBIETY (35): the state of being doubtful or uncertain
("...but here and there among the little ones was the dubiety that required more than rational assurance."
CONSPIRATIONAL (36): a combination for a persons for a secret, unlawful, evil purpose
("He flashed a conspirational grin at the other two")
GROTESQUE (38): odd or unnatural in shape, appearance or character
("Then they inched the grotesque dead thing up the rock and toppled it over the top.)
Literary Device
Passage Study
Reader's Response
The conch gave Ralph power which made him savage. What did the author mean? Perhaps later in the book, he uses his power to his advantage and becomes a dictator because he enjoys the feeling of having authoriy.
"I agree with Ralph. We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages." (Jack-42)
After reading this chapter, it becomes evident the struggles the boys have with staying civilized or becoming savages. The more the boys spend on this island, the more things need to be done to stay alive so I wonder if they boys will actually stay alive. Will the nightmares result in all the littluns to go first?
"Startled, Ralph realized that the boys were falling still and silent, feeling the beginnings of awe at the power set free below them. The knowledge and the awe made him savage." (Ralph-44)
FORESHADOWS the power of rules on the island and the experience the boys will go through in order to stay civilized or perhaps become savages
"Jus' blurs, that's all. Hardly see my hand-" (Piggy-40)
HYPERBOLE was used to exaggerate the importance of Piggy's specs. It was mentioned that without his glasses, he did not seem as refined and civil
This shows the lack of importance Piggy has on the boys. He seems the most intelligent but his impression doesn't seem to bother them. This will have a big impact later on as the story climxes beacuse when Piggy becomes a crucial player for survival, they take him for granted and treat him lower than them.
"'I've got the conch,' said Piggy, in a hurt voice'...They looked at him with eyes that lacked interest in what they saw and cocked ears at the drum-roll of the fire." (Narrator-44)
