Modern texts, Year 11: Ralph and Jack (Lord of the Flies option)

They elect him chief after he calls them together with the conch

HintA vote, not a fight.

The whyJack also stands for chief and is furious at losing, though Ralph gives him charge of the hunters. Ralph's authority rests on agreement, not on force.

Keep the signal fire burning so that they can be rescued

HintHe is always looking at the horizon.

The whyRalph's priority is rescue, and he is preoccupied with it. The other boys would rather play, swim or hunt, which is why he is often frustrated.

It declines as more boys leave him for Jack's tribe

HintHe starts with the support of nearly everyone.

The whyBy the end, Ralph is left with Piggy and the twins, and then with nobody. The slow loss shows how a civilised system can fall apart.

They set fire to the forest

HintThe weapon is the same thing that Ralph once wanted to use to be rescued.

The whyThe fire that Ralph wanted for rescue is now used to hunt him. It is the fire that attracts the naval ship and ends the hunt.

For the loss of innocence and the death of Piggy, after the boys' descent into savagery

HintHe is rescued, but he is not relieved.

The whyThe other boys cry too, as the shock of the officer's arrival makes them realise what they have done. It is not joy at being rescued.

A school choir

HintHe leads a group of boys who sing.

The whyThe ex-choir boys become his hunters, and then his tribe. Their discipline has been turned from singing to killing.

He takes the boys who were guarding the fire away to hunt, and the fire goes out when a ship passes

HintTwo priorities are in conflict, and Jack picks the wrong one.

The whyThis is the point at which the quarrel between Ralph and Jack becomes open. Jack's thrill at the kill matters to him more than being rescued.

He promises to hunt it, and so wins followers who want protection

HintFear works for the leader who offers an answer.

The whyRalph tries to say there is no beast, which gives the boys no comfort. Jack's promise of action is more attractive.

They paint them, which marks their change into a tribe of savages

HintAppearance is matched by behaviour.

The whyThe painted faces go with ritual dances and with a group identity. One reading is that hiding behind the paint lets the boys act without shame.

Piggy's glasses, the only way of making fire

HintThe one thing that is needed to start a flame.

The whyWithout the glasses, Ralph's group cannot light the signal fire, and so cannot call for rescue. Jack now controls fire, as well as food.