Page 189 - 梁文燕紀念中學（沙田）－青苗文集

The Creative Collection of the Budding Writers

crashes on a deserted tropical island,
a perfect place for a group of kids to
have tons of fun as there is no adult
supervision. Two of the boys, Ralph
(with fair hair and genuine leadership)
and Piggy (short and overweight, a
bespectacled boy), discovers a conch
shell on the beach, and Piggy realises
it could be used as a horn to summon
other survivors around the island. Once assembled, the boys thinks about electing
a leader and plans a way to be rescued. Once Ralph is elected as their leader, he
asserts three primary goals: have fun, survive and to maintain a smoke signal that
could alert passing ships of their presence. The boys also declare that whoever
held the conch has the right to speak. In the meantime, Ralph appoints another boy,
Jack (red headed, leader of the choirboys) to be in charge of food hunting for the
entire group.
Later on, Ralph, Jack, and another boy, Simon (a quiet and dreamy boy), set
off on an expedition to explore the island. When they return, Ralph commands
others to light a signal fire to attract the attention of passing ships. The boys
succeed in burning dead wood by focusing sunlight through the lenses of Piggy’s
glasses. However, the boys pay more attention to playing than to monitoring the
fire. Without proper supervision, the flames quickly engulfs the forest. One of the
youngest boys in the group disappeared, with most assuming that he is burned to
death.
At first, the boys enjoy their life without grown-ups and spend most of their time
playing. However, Ralph insists that they should be maintaining the signal fire and
building huts for shelter. In direct contradiction of his wishes, Jack requested all of
his hunters to hunt down a wild pig, drawing away those assigned to maintain the
fire.
When a ship passed by one day, Ralph and Piggy notices it. However, the most
inopportune thing happened: the signal fire burned out. Ralph is extremely angry
and he accosts Jack, but the hunters just returned with their first kill. Piggy criticises
Jack, but ends up being hit across the face. Ralph blows the conch shell and warns
the boys to restore order. At the meeting, some of the boys starts to get frightened.

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