Answer to Question #292366 in English for Kelsey Jand

Question

Lord of the Flies Study Guide Questions

Directions: Answers need to be thorough, and where possible, include quote text (with citation).

Chapters 8

Characterization: What does Piggy’s suggestion to move the fire to the beach accomplish in the boys? How does Piggy feel? How is his participation in the group different than in the past?

Answer the three questions with complete sentences with accurate detail and critical-thinking analysis and provide textual evidence.

Answer 1

It's a basic idea, but one that restores hope and purpose to the boys. Piggy is "very proud of his contribution to the betterment of civilization." The pig's head is sliced off by the guys. "Sharpen a staff at both ends," Jack instructs Roger. They drive the stick into the ground and deliver the impaled head of the sow to the beast as an offering.

The boys are in a frenzy the next morning as they meet on the beach to hear about the monster. The other boys' claims to have seen the monster perplex Piggy, who was not on the mountain the night before. Jack grabs the conch shell and awkwardly blows into it, signalling an assembly. Jack informs the others that there is undoubtedly a beast on the mountain and that Ralph is a coward who should be removed from his leadership position. On the other hand, the other boys are adamant about keeping Ralph in power. Jack walks away from the gathering, yelling that he is leaving and that anyone who wants to join him is welcome.

Ralph is deeply worried and unsure about what to do. Meanwhile, Piggy is overjoyed to see Jack depart, and Simon advises that they all return to the mountain to find the beast. On the other hand, the other boys are too terrified to follow his advice. Ralph is depressed, but Piggy cheers him up with an idea: instead of building a new signal fire on the mountain, they should create one on the beach. Ralph's hope that they will be rescued is restored thanks to Piggy's suggestion. The boys get to work and start a new fire, but many of them sneak out at night to join the party of jacks. Piggy tries to persuade Ralph that the deserters are a waste of time.

Jack gathers his new tribe along another stretch of sand and proclaims himself the leader. The hunters slaughter a sow in a ferocious rage, and Roger slams his spear into the pig's anus. The guys then sacrifice the sow's head to the beast by placing it on a sharpened spike in the bush. The guys flee as the dark blood falls down the sow's fangs as they set the head erect in the woodland.

The hunters from Jack's tribe descend upon Piggy and Ralph as they sit in the old camp discussing the deserters, yelling and whooping. The hunters take the burning sticks from the beach fire. Ralph's supporters are invited to come to Jack's feast that night and even join his tribe. The notion of pig's meat tempts the hungry guys.

Simon slips away from the camp just before Jack's tribe storms the beach, returning to the jungle clearing he had previously sat, marvelling at nature's beauty. But now he discovers the head of a sow impaled on a stick amid the clearing. Simon sits alone in the clearing, staring at the impaled pig's head, which is now teeming with flies, with rapt concentration. He is mesmerized by sight, and it appears as if the head has come to life. The head speaks to Simon in the voice of the "Lord of the Flies," ominously claiming that Simon will never be able to escape him since he is present in everyone. He also assures that he and Simon will have some "fun." Simon collapses in a fain, terrified and worried by the ghost.