Lord of the Flies
question
Can someone please help me understand this?
deleted member
Apr 13, 2020 11:05AM
Can someone please explain these passages to me? ^_^ I will be forever grateful and indebted. English is sadly not my first language. I've been trying so hard to picture what exactly is happening in them but I just can't (stupidity hurts).
Passage 1 (beginning of the book):
Piggy [...] sat on a fallen trunk near the little cliff that fronted the lagoon. [...] Ralph came forward and stood by Piggy. [...] Ralph had stopped smiling and was pointing into the lagoon. Something creamy lay among the ferny weeds. [...] Near to Ralph's elbow, a palm sapling leaned out over the lagoon. [...] He tore out the stem and began to poke about in the water, while the brilliant fish flicked away on this side and that. Piggy leaned dangerously. [...] The palmsapling, bending, pushed the shell across the weeds. Ralph used one hand as a fulcrum and pressed down with the other till the shell rose, dripping, and Piggy could make a grab.
I dont understand the part where Ralph uses his hand as a fulcrum and "pressed down with the other till the shell rose". What exactly is he pushing down? The sapling into the water? If yes, where is his fulcrum-hand meanwhile? Is he making a kind of seesaw and balancing the shell on one end of the sapling?
Passage 2 (middle of the book):
Ralph felt his knee against something hard and rocked a charred trunk that was edgy to the touch. He felt the sharp cinders that had been bark push against the back of his knee and knew that Roger had sat down.
He felt with his hands and lowered himself beside Roger, while the trunk rocked among invisible ashes.
I dont understand the rocking here. Is the trunk vertical or horizontal? Did Roger sit on it or lean against it?
I will be so endlessly thankful for help!!
Passage 1 (beginning of the book):
Piggy [...] sat on a fallen trunk near the little cliff that fronted the lagoon. [...] Ralph came forward and stood by Piggy. [...] Ralph had stopped smiling and was pointing into the lagoon. Something creamy lay among the ferny weeds. [...] Near to Ralph's elbow, a palm sapling leaned out over the lagoon. [...] He tore out the stem and began to poke about in the water, while the brilliant fish flicked away on this side and that. Piggy leaned dangerously. [...] The palmsapling, bending, pushed the shell across the weeds. Ralph used one hand as a fulcrum and pressed down with the other till the shell rose, dripping, and Piggy could make a grab.
I dont understand the part where Ralph uses his hand as a fulcrum and "pressed down with the other till the shell rose". What exactly is he pushing down? The sapling into the water? If yes, where is his fulcrum-hand meanwhile? Is he making a kind of seesaw and balancing the shell on one end of the sapling?
Passage 2 (middle of the book):
Ralph felt his knee against something hard and rocked a charred trunk that was edgy to the touch. He felt the sharp cinders that had been bark push against the back of his knee and knew that Roger had sat down.
He felt with his hands and lowered himself beside Roger, while the trunk rocked among invisible ashes.
I dont understand the rocking here. Is the trunk vertical or horizontal? Did Roger sit on it or lean against it?
I will be so endlessly thankful for help!!
flag
I believe the trunk is horizontal. And yeah I think the sapling's end is under the shell. The fulcrum hand is somewhat near the middle the sapling with the hand under the sapling (elbow pointing down). The other hand is near the other tip of the sapling that (I believe) is out of the water pushing it down. So yeah like a seesaw.
lonesomeone wrote: "Can someone please explain these passages to me? ^_^ I will be forever grateful and indebted. English is sadly not my first language. I've been trying so hard to picture what exactly is happening i..."
He was using the palm stick to lever the "conch" shell out of the pond . This becomes the "horn" to call a meeting.
He was using the palm stick to lever the "conch" shell out of the pond . This becomes the "horn" to call a meeting.
lonesomeone wrote: "Can someone please explain these passages to me? ^_^ I will be forever grateful and indebted. English is sadly not my first language. I've been trying so hard to picture what exactly is happening i..."
He knew that Roger had sat on the Trunk because he felt it rub the back of his leg as it rocked from Roger's weight.
He knew that Roger had sat on the Trunk because he felt it rub the back of his leg as it rocked from Roger's weight.
lonesomeone wrote: "Can someone please explain these passages to me? ^_^ I will be forever grateful and indebted. English is sadly not my first language. I've been trying so hard to picture what exactly is happening i..."
The trunk was on a burned out fire so the center was rocking on the coals , or tizzone of the wood under the Trunk.
The trunk was on a burned out fire so the center was rocking on the coals , or tizzone of the wood under the Trunk.
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