The struggle to build civilisation

Question 1

“What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages?”

Answer 1

• Piggy pleading to remember civilisation of home
• Piggy in support of civilisation

Question 2

“Jack stood up as he said this, the bloodied knife in his hand. The two boys faced each other. There was the brilliant world of hunting, tactics, fierce exhilaration, skill; and there was the world of longing and baffled commonsense.”

Answer 2

• Path to civilisation is more difficult and less likely than the path to tyranny
• Here, Jack and Ralph fight. Jack is described in terms of his adroitness, Ralph in terms of his shortcomings

Question 3

“Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong – we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat - !”

Answer 3

• Jack’s pitch is simple and compelling, while Piggy’s and Ralph’s is mired in debate and indecision
• Savagery is easier
• This need for rules, and constant decision-making, proves untenable for the boys

Question 4

“’We’ve got to have special people for looking after the fire. Any day there may be a ship out there… and if we have a signal going they’ll come and take us off. And another thing. We ought to have more rules. Where the conch is, that’s a meeting. The same up here as down there.”

Answer 4

• Ralph sets up his society, looking towards the future
• Ralph focuses on the boys’ safety, by way of shelter, and rescue