Treasure Island
Chapter 21 — Teaching Companion
Robert Louis Stevenson · Trailblazers 4th–6th
Coaching, not a script — and not an answer key: every question here has more than one defensible answer.
This chapter's big question
Why does Captain Smollett single out the squire and the doctor for scolding, and Gray alone for praise, when every man but Gray had left his post to watch Silver go?
The tension When Silver leaves, the captain finds "not a man of us at his post but Gray" and is angry for the first time. He promises Gray a line in the log for standing by his duty like a seaman, tells the squire he is surprised at him, and asks the doctor whether this is how he served in the king's coat at Fontenoy; the rest are simply sent back with red faces. The fight then tests them all: Joyce asks with quiet civility whether he may fire, fires first, admits honestly that he missed, and dies at his loophole; Gray cuts down Anderson; the gentlemen shoot and fight as well as anyone. The chapter sets duty measured by rank against duty measured by deeds, and asks what the captain thinks makes a man reliable when the fence is crossed.
Today's focus
Watch how each person in the log-house meets the attack, what each one does and says, and what the victory costs.
Two core ideas
- A fight shows people: Joyce asks before he fires and owns up to a miss, Jim has no time to be afraid, and the captain plans his defence and keeps to it.
- Victory has a price: the attack breaks, but Joyce is dead, Hunter is stunned and the captain is wounded.
The shape at a glance
When Silver leaves, the captain finds every man but Gray away from his post and sends them back. He sets out the defence and the garrison waits an hour in the heat. The attack comes: shots from all sides, then a rush from the north. Four pirates get inside the fence, the garrison fights them outside the log-house, and the attack breaks. Joyce is dead, Hunter is stunned, and the captain is wounded.
A way in
Start with Joyce's question, “if I see anyone, am I to fire?” Ask what kind of man asks it that way.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the posts, the plan, the wait, Joyce's shot, the rush from the north, the fight outside, and the count.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences of their own in the same pattern: one flat sentence that says how things changed, and one that says what the change felt like, using a sound instead of a sight.
Debate After the first shots, was the captain wise or stubborn to change nothing? Each side gives one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking what the fight shows about each person, and what the count at the end adds.
Easier Read the fight aloud in two parts and talk through discussion questions 2 and 4 only.
On level Talk through all five discussion questions, then have the student write one critical-thinking answer with two pieces of evidence from the chapter.
Harder Ask the student to find one more place where a person's words or actions show what he is like, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- The captain says, “I’ve given Silver a broadside. I pitched it in red-hot on purpose.” What might he hope that does?Inference
What it asks It asks the student to work out what a captain wants from a hot-tempered parley, and whom the words are for.
One reading
He wants Silver to attack soon, while the garrison is ready and fights in shelter.
before the hour’s out, as he said, we shall be boarded
we fight in shelter
Another reading
He is speaking to his own men as much as to Silver: he has shut the door on any deal and is steadying them.
Were outnumbered, I neednt tell you that
Ive no manner of doubt that we can drub them, if you choose.
Listen for
- Says what the captain expects to happen next.
- Notices the captain is talking to the garrison, not to Silver.
If stuck
- What does the captain say will happen before the hour is out?
- Whom is the captain speaking to when he says this?
- What does he say about the garrison's chances?
A strong answer The captain says he threw the broadside in red-hot on purpose, and he expects a boarding within the hour. One hope is that an angry Silver will attack soon, while the garrison is ready and fighting in shelter. Another is that the words steady his own men, since he tells them they are outnumbered and still can drub the enemy if they choose. A strong answer picks a hope and points to the lines that support it.
- Joyce asks, “if I see anyone, am I to fire?” and later admits he did not hit his man. What do those two answers show about Joyce?Character
What it asks It asks what a man's quiet manners and his honesty about a miss tell us about him.
One reading
He is careful and respectful: he asks before he acts and keeps his manners even with the enemy near.
If you please, sir, said Joyce, if I see anyone, am I to fire?
Thank you, sir, returned Joyce with the same quiet civility.
Another reading
He is honest: he could have claimed a hit, and he says plainly that he missed.
Did you hit your man? asked the captain.
No, sir, replied Joyce. I believe not, sir.
Listen for
- Uses Joyce's own words, not only Jim's report.
- Says what a miss says about a man, not only that it happened.
If stuck
- What does Joyce ask before he does anything?
- What does Joyce say when the captain asks if he hit his man?
- What does the captain mutter afterwards?
A strong answer Joyce asks politely, “if you please, sir,” whether he is to fire, and says “Thank you, sir” with quiet civility. When the captain asks if he hit his man, he says plainly that he believes not. A strong answer sees a man who does what he is told, says what is true, and does not make a show of either. It can add that the captain mutters “Next best thing to tell the truth” and ask what he means.
- After the first shots, most of the fire comes from the north, yet the captain “made no change in his arrangements.” Was that wise or stubborn?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to weigh a captain's steadiness against a chance to shift his men toward the danger.
One reading
Wise. A show of force on three sides may hide a real push, and an empty loophole is a door.
they would take possession of any unprotected loophole and shoot us down like rats in our own stronghold
a third, running unharmed all around the house, appeared suddenly in the doorway and fell with his cutlass on the doctor
Another reading
Stubborn. The count of shots pointed north, and he did not move a man.
From the east and west only a single shot had been fired.
But Captain Smollett made no change in his arrangements.
Listen for
- Gives the captain's own reason before judging him.
- Weighs what the captain could know then, not only what happened later.
If stuck
- How many shots came from the east and west, and how many from the north?
- What does the captain say would happen to an unguarded loophole?
- Who comes in by the doorway when the attack arrives?
A strong answer The shots made it plain that the attack would come from the north, but the captain argues that any unguarded loophole would be taken and the men shot down like rats. The chapter gives some support: a pirate runs around the house and appears in the doorway. A strong answer can call it wise because the door needed a guard, or stubborn because the north was where the danger was, and it should say what the captain could know at that moment.
- Jim says he “had not time to be afraid” when Anderson’s blade goes up. Does being too busy to be afraid count as brave?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks whether bravery needs fear to be overcome, or whether acting quickly is bravery of its own kind.
One reading
Yes. Jim goes out of the door and round the house with his cutlass raised, knowing what is waiting.
I dashed out of the door into the clear sunlight.
with my cutlass raised, ran round the corner of the house
Another reading
Not quite. Jim obeys without thinking, and his escape is a leap and a fall, not a stand.
Mechanically, I obeyed
leaped in a trice upon one side, and missing my foot in the soft sand, rolled headlong down the slope
Listen for
- Says what brave means before deciding.
- Uses what Jim does, not only what he says he felt.
If stuck
- What word does Jim use for how he ran round the house?
- What does Jim do when the blow hangs over him?
- Can you be brave without being frightened first?
A strong answer Jim goes out of the door and runs round the corner with his cutlass raised, and then finds Anderson face to face. He says he “had not time to be afraid,” so his first move is nearly automatic: he obeys “mechanically” and leaps aside. A strong answer says what it thinks brave means: doing the thing while afraid, or simply doing it. It should also notice that Jim’s escape is a fall in the sand, not a fight.
- Jim says, “in this breath of time, the fight was over,” and then stops to see “the price we had paid for victory.” Why might the author slow down there?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the author follows a fast fight with a slow, plain count of the garrison's losses.
One reading
The pause keeps the win from feeling cheap: the reader is made to see who paid.
Hunter lay beside his loophole, stunned; Joyce by his, shot through the head, never to move again
The captains wounded, said Mr. Trelawney.
Another reading
The pause sets loss beside gain, and the captain’s arithmetic shows the garrison still counting its hope.
Five! cried the captain. Come, thats better.
We were seven to nineteen then, or thought we were
Listen for
- Compares the speed of the fight with the slowness of the count.
- Says what the reader feels after each part.
If stuck
- How many lines does the fight take, and how many the count?
- Who is lying where when they return to the house?
- What does the captain do with the numbers?
A strong answer The fight is over in a breath, and the next part is slow and plain: Hunter stunned beside his loophole, Joyce shot through the head, and the captain wounded. That can make the reader feel the loss before the win. Then the captain counts the numbers and says they are better than at the start, which puts gain beside loss. A strong answer says what the reader is left feeling and how the order of the two parts does it.
Critical thinking
- Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the fight turns when the pirates reach the log-house.
What it asks It asks the student to trace a fight that turns against the garrison and then turns back, using what the chapter shows.
One reading
It turns against the garrison first: they lose their cover and are struck down inside.
now it was we who lay uncovered and could not return a blow
with one stunning blow, laid the poor fellow senseless on the floor
Another reading
It turns back when the captain calls everyone out to fight in the open.
Out, lads, out, and fight em in the open! Cutlasses! cried the captain.
And yet, in this breath of time, the fight was over and the victory was ours.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that explains how the turn happens.
If stuck
- Where were the garrison firing from before the pirates arrived?
- Who is struck down when the pirates reach the loopholes?
- What does the captain order next?
A strong answer The fight first turns against the garrison: Jim says they were firing under cover and now lay uncovered and could not return a blow, and Hunter is laid senseless on the floor. Then it turns back when the captain orders them out to fight in the open, and in a breath of time the fight is over. A strong answer uses one piece from each turn and explains why going out was worth the risk.
- Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the captain keeps the men steady during the long wait.
What it asks It asks the student to look at what the captain does and says while nothing happens, and what that does for the men.
One reading
He gives them things to do and eat, so they are ready and fed when it begins.
Hawkins hasnt had his breakfast. Hawkins, help yourself, and back to your post to eat it
Hunter, serve out a round of brandy to all hands.
Another reading
He makes light of the wait, though his own face shows the strain.
This is as dull as the doldrums. Gray, whistle for a wind.
the captain out in the middle of the blockhouse with his mouth very tight and a frown on his face
Listen for
- One thing the captain does and one thing he says.
- Notices what his face shows against his words.
If stuck
- What does the captain tell Jim to do about breakfast?
- What does he say to Gray as the hour passes?
- What does his face look like when Joyce speaks?
A strong answer The captain keeps the men busy and fed: Jim eats at his post, and a round of brandy is served to all hands. He also jokes that the wait is as dull as the doldrums and tells Gray to whistle for a wind. A strong answer uses one doing and one saying, and can add that when the attack comes his mouth is very tight, which shows the cost of staying steady.
- Using two pieces of evidence, explain why the pirates lose even after four of them get inside the fence.
What it asks It asks the student to find why an attack that reached the house still failed, looking at both sides.
One reading
The garrison’s fighters beat them one by one, inside and outside the house.
beat down his guard and sent him sprawling on his back with a great slash across his face
Gray, following close behind me, had cut down the big boatswain ere he had time to recover from his lost blow.
Another reading
The pirates’ own haste and poor aim lose it for them.
such was the hurry of the marksmen that not one appears to have taken effect
kept up a hot though useless fire on the log-house
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says whether the garrison won it or the pirates lost it.
If stuck
- Who deals with the pirate who attacks the doctor?
- Who cuts down the boatswain?
- What does Jim say about the pirates' firing from the woods?
A strong answer Four pirates get inside the fence, but the garrison deals with them quickly: the doctor beats down his man, Gray cuts down the boatswain, and another pirate is shot at a loophole. Their fire from the woods is hurried and does no harm. A strong answer uses one piece on the garrison’s side and one on the pirates’ side, and says which mattered more.