II. Exercises.

Assignment 3.

Chapter 4

I. Active vocabulary: Translate the words into Russian. Explain the meaning of the underlined words.

to adjust oneself to smth

dubious adj

to huddle together

to exercise control over smb / smth

taboo n,v

bloodthirsty adj

outsider n

disinclination for smth

chant vt, n

to impose smth upon smb

to assert one’s chieftainship

II. Exercises.

1. Arrange these words into pairs of synonyms:

to impose; to adjust oneself; to hinder; barbarian; dubious; to prevent; to adapt oneself; sinister; disinclination; ill-omened; to force; savage; doubtful; unwillingness

2. Study these word combinations:

a dubious result (compliment, influence), dubious help (progress, advice, value); bloodthirsty eyes (cries, savages, wolves); disinclination for manual labour (continuous effort, planning one’s action), inclination for research (self-analysis, exaggeration, aggressive actions); to impose advice upon people, to impose one’s friendship upon the younger, to impose one’s opinion upon the indifferent, to impose one’s authority upon the audience; to assert one’s rights (claims, statements, power), to assert oneself, self-assertion; to exercise control over the activities of some people (a committee, an institution, a department).

3. Translate the sentences into Russian:

1. The woman was the self-assertive type: peremptory, admitting of no criticism but provoking a lot. 2. His aunt’s arrival was a dubious surprise. 3. It will be difficult for you to adjust yourself to the new routine within a fortnight. 4. Your inclination for laughing at the wrong moments and your disinclination for serious effort go hand in hand, don’t they? 5. When it started raining, the sheep huddled together under an enormous oak-tree. 6. I don’t want to impose my will upon you nor exercise control over your final decision. 7. The football fans chanted encouragements to their favourites producing a lot of unwelcome noise throughout the match. 8. The boy playing the role of the wolf made such bloodthirsty cries that the spectators looked at him in terror. 9. The errant son’s name became a taboo in the Hyde family.

4. Discuss episodes from your own life when:

1. somebody tried to assert his (her) authority in the wrong way; 2. you turned out to be an outsider; 3. somebody gave you dubious advice; 4. you failed to adjust yourself to a new rule, regulation or way of life; 5. somebody’s name was tabooed.

5. Recall the situations from the book where the following sentences occur:

1. Nevertheless, the northern European tradition of work, play and food right through the day, made it impossible for them to adjust themselves wholly to this new rhythm.

2…though there was a dubious region inhabited by Simon and Robert and Maurice, nevertheless no one had any difficulty in recognizing biguns at one end and littluns at the other.

3. They suffered untold terrors at night and huddled together for comfort.

4. He became absorbed beyond mere happiness as he felt himself exercising control over living things.

5. Here, invisible but strong, was the taboo of the old life.

6. He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling.

7. There had grown tacitly among the biguns the opinion that Piggy was an outsider…by fat, and ass-mar, and specs, and a certain disinclination for manual labour.

8. They were chanting, something to do with the bundle that the errant twins carried so carefully.

9. His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge… that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it…

10. So Ralph asserted his chieftainship and could not have chosen a better way if he had though for days.

6. Find sentences confirming that:

1. the children were afraid of the dark; 2. the younger imitated the older; 3. Roger enjoyed throwing stones at Henry; 4. Jack’s mask had more than one function; 5. Jack made some children disobey Ralph’s orders; 6. Jack took delight in the act of killing; 7. Jack’s violence shifted Ralph and Piggy’s relations.

7. Say why this happened:

1. Roger led the way straight through the castles, kicking them over, burying the flowers, scattering the chosen stones.

2. The mask compelled them.

3. Ralph picked out Jack easily, …tall, red-haired, and inevitably leading the procession.

4. He (Jack) took a step, and able at least to hit someone, stuck his fist into Piggy’s stomach.

5. Then to his (Jack’s) surprise, Ralph went to Piggy and took the glasses from him.

6. Simon, …wiped his mouth and shoved his piece of meat over the rocks to Piggy, who grabbed it.

7. Jack, recovering, could not bear to have his story told. He broke in quickly.

8. Say whose utterances these are and what emotions they convey:

1. “We could make a sundial…” “And an airplane, and a TV set, and a stem engine.”

2. “They let the bloody fire out.”

3. “You and your blood, Jack Merridew! You and your hunting! We might have gone home – “

4. “- I apologize.”

5. “That was a dirty trick.”

6. “I got you meat!”.

III. Questions and topics for discussion.

1. The daily routine on the island. Discuss the pastime of the younger and the bigger boys. What relations existed between the two age groups? How is the society divided?Compare the treatment of the “littluns” by Ralph, Piggy and Simon on the one hand and Roger and Jack on the other. How does the author give to understand that the taboos of civilization might be soon discarded by Roger and his like? What does power mean for Ralph and Jack? Speak about Roger and his first steps of aggression.

2. Point out instances when “littluns” blindly followed the examples set by the bigger boys. Where did the danger of it lie, if any?

3. What new idea was Jack preoccupied with? What difference did wearing a mask make to him? How did it affect the others? Describe Jack’s painted face. What does the war paint symbolize?

4. What reasons had the boys for treating Piggy as an outsider? How is he different from others? Account for Piggy’s disinclination for manual labour. Why did Piggy seek Ralph’s company? How did Ralph treat him? How did Jack treat Piggy?

5. The smoke on the horizon and the boy’s frustration. Whom do you think responsible for the missed chance of rescue? What does the fire symbolize?

6. Jack leads the procession of hunters. Comment on their chant and the emotional clash of Ralph’s and Jack’s groups. How did Jack react to the news? Do you regard Jack’s violence to Piggy as a typical sort of fight between boys? Mind the usage of the world “blood”. Comment on the scene of killing the pig.

7. The meat-eating scene. How did Jack turn it into humiliation of those who had not participated in the hunt? Comment upon his account of the hunt. How did he impose on everybody his exceptional role in it? Note his use of the pronoun “I” and the reiterated phrases. What light do they throw on what he really enjoyed in the hunt?

8. What change was there in the relations of Ralph and Jack? Ralph and Piggy? Ralph and the hunters? Jack and the Hunters? Why did the hunters not resent Jack’s methods of self-assertion?

9. Comment upon the boys’ behaviour after the feast. What was there in common between their actions and those of the people generally described as savages? What enormity of their behaviour was the starting point of their going savage?

10. Sum up Jack Merridew as presented in the chapter.Is there any link between his joy of killing and his rag for leadership? What cardinal defects of his made the boys’ rescue impossible under the circumstances?

11. Sum up Simon.

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