Treasure Island
Chapter 29 — 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 is Jim's heart sore for Silver, "wicked as he was", after watching him lie, bully and bargain his way back to captain?
The tension Five men come with the black spot cut from a Bible; Silver mocks the paper, answers the four charges one by one, flings down the chart, and has them shouting his name before the torch burns down. Jim sees the whole "remarkable game": one hand keeping the mutineers together, the other reaching for any means to save his neck. The scrap of Revelation reads "Without are dogs and murderers". Silver snores; Jim lies awake pitying him. The chapter sets clear sight of a wicked man against sorrow for him, and asks where the sorrow comes from.
Today's focus
Watch how Silver handles a crew that has turned against him, and what Jim sees in him at the end of the night.
Two core ideas
- Silver meets the black spot with jokes, rules, threats, and then the chart, and he wins the crew back.
- Jim watches the whole game from the wall and ends the night with mixed feelings about the man who runs it.
The shape at a glance
The crew goes out to council and sends a man back with the black spot, cut from a Bible. Silver mocks it, insists on the rules, and answers George's four charges one by one. He throws down the chart, the men cheer him captain again, and he tosses Jim the spot as a curiosity. The pirates sleep, and Jim lies awake thinking about Silver's game.
A way in
Start with the moment the man is pushed forward with his hand closed. Ask what each side is afraid of.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the torch, the knife and book, the black spot, George's four charges, Silver's answers, the chart, the cheer, and the sleep.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences of their own that describe a crowd getting excited over a prize, ending with how far they imagine themselves along.
Debate What do the men want from Silver: treasure first, or a leader who can get it? Each side gives one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking what Silver's answers to the four charges show about how he leads.
Easier Read George's four charges aloud together and talk through discussion questions 1 and 2 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 Silver uses the rules, or fear, or the chart, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- The crew sends a man forward to hand Silver the black spot, and Silver says, “I know the rules, I do; I won’t hurt a depytation.” Why do these rough men keep such careful rules?Theme
What it asks It asks why a crew of mutineers still follow forms and customs, and what the rules do for each side.
One reading
The rules protect the weaker party. They give the crew a lawful way to remove a captain, and protect Silver's person while they do.
This crew has tipped you the black spot in full council, as in dooty bound
I wont hurt a depytation.
Another reading
The rules are a weapon that either side can turn on the other. Silver uses them as cleverly as the crew does.
I thought you said you knowed the rules, returned Silver contemptuously.
I wait hereand Im still your capn, mindtill you outs with your grievances and I reply
Listen for
- Says who the rules protect.
- Notices both sides quote the rules.
If stuck
- Who quotes the rules first, and what for?
- What does Silver say when they demand he step down?
- What would happen on the ship without any rules?
A strong answer The crew hands the black spot over in full council, as in duty bound, and Silver will not hurt a deputation. Yet when George tells him to step down, Silver says he knows the rules and stays captain until the grievances are answered. A strong answer says that the rules give these men a shared way to settle things, and that each side bends them when it can.
- George lists four charges against Silver. Silver answers the first by turning it around: “Who crossed me?” Why does that work on the crew?Inference
What it asks It asks the student to see what Silver does with an accusation, and why the crew is moved by it.
One reading
He makes the accuser the guilty one, and the crew remembers it is true.
Who forced my hand, as was the lawful capn?
it was Anderson, and Hands, and you, George Merry!
Another reading
He uses fear and force of voice, and the men are swept along.
he had been talking with a vehemence that shook the house
Silver paused, and I could see by the faces of George and his late comrades that these words had not been said in vain.
Listen for
- Says what Silver does with the question.
- Says what the crew does when he finishes.
If stuck
- Who does Silver say forced his hand?
- What does he say about the dance they began?
- What do the faces of George and his comrades show?
A strong answer George says Silver made a hash of the cruise, and Silver replies that it was George, Anderson and Hands who crossed him and tipped him the black spot on the day they landed. The accusation turns around, and Jim sees the words take hold. A strong answer says whether it is the truth of it, the force of his voice, or both that moves the crew.
- When Silver throws down the chart, the men shout, “Barbecue for capn!” What do they want from him?Character
What it asks It asks what a crew wants from a captain at this moment, and why a chart can undo a black spot.
One reading
They want treasure, and Silver has the chart that leads to it.
you would have thought, not only they were fingering the very gold
You lost the ship; I found the treasure.
Another reading
They want someone to lead them out of danger, and Silver sounds like the man who can.
Silver! they cried. Barbecue forever!
Were that near the gibbet that my necks stiff with thinking on it.
Listen for
- Says what changes the moment the chart appears.
- Says what the men seem to value more than their complaints.
If stuck
- How do the men handle the chart?
- What does George ask right after?
- What did the men cry when Silver resigned?
A strong answer The men leap upon the chart like cats on a mouse and act as if they are already at sea with the gold. George still asks how they are to get away with it and no ship, but when Silver offers to resign, they call him captain. A strong answer says that they want treasure first, and someone who looks able to get it, even if they do not like him.
- Silver tosses Jim the cut-out page of the black spot as a keepsake to look at. Why might he give it to a boy prisoner?Inference
What it asks It asks the student to work out what Silver gains by passing a dangerous paper to a boy, and what it says about him.
One reading
He wants to show the crew, and Jim, that the spot no longer frightens him.
Taint much good now, is it?
It dont bind no moren a ballad-book.
Another reading
He wants Jim to feel that they are in this together.
Here, Jimheres a curosity for you
Jim, said Silver, who had by this time adopted quite a friendly and familiar tone.
Listen for
- Gives a reason for the toss.
- Notices Silver has been friendly with Jim all evening.
If stuck
- What does Silver say the spot is worth now?
- Who is watching when he hands it over?
- How does Silver speak to Jim in this chapter?
A strong answer A black spot is meant to end a captain, and Silver tosses it to a boy to look at, which shows it has lost its power. It may also be a friendly gesture toward Jim. A strong answer says what the act does for the crew watching and for Jim, and whether it is a show or a real kindness.
- The piece of paper holds a verse with “Without are dogs and murderers.” Why might the author let Jim read those words?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what a line from Revelation adds to a scene of men quarrelling over who is captain.
One reading
It names what the men are, whether or not any of them knows it.
Without are dogs and murderers.
which struck sharply home upon my mind
Another reading
It is only a chance scrap, and the author leaves the reader to make the link.
It was around about the size of a crown piece.
a verse or two of Revelation
Listen for
- Says who the words might describe.
- Says what difference it makes that Jim is the one who reads them.
If stuck
- What does Jim say the words did to his mind?
- Who cut this page from the Bible?
- What does Jim think about later that night?
A strong answer The page was cut from a Bible by the men themselves, and the words on it, “Without are dogs and murderers,” could be taken as a verdict on the men who cut it. Jim says they struck sharply home upon his mind. A strong answer says what the author gains by handing Jim those words, and is honest that the author does not say what he means by them.
Critical thinking
- Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the pirates hand Silver the black spot and what the way they do it shows.
What it asks It asks the student to read the scene of the handing over for what it says about how the crew feels about Silver.
One reading
They are afraid of him, so they send one man forward and push him.
pushed one of their number forward
hesitating as he set down each foot, but holding his closed right hand in front of him
Another reading
They are sure of their cause, so they do it formally and in council.
This crew has tipped you the black spot in full council, as in dooty bound
with a repetition of the same salute
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what the crew feels about Silver.
If stuck
- Who is pushed forward?
- How does he walk?
- What do they say about their right to do it?
A strong answer The men push one of their number forward, and he steps slowly, hesitating at each step with his hand closed. Yet they act by form, saluting and delivering the spot in full council as in duty bound. A strong answer uses one sign of fear and one of form and says what they show about the crew's feeling.
- Using two pieces of evidence, explain how Silver answers the charge that he let the enemy out of the trap for nothing.
What it asks It asks the student to follow Silver's answer to the second charge and see what it rests on, in his words and in what he does.
One reading
He answers with what the crew cannot deny: they came crawling to him for the bargain.
you came crawling on your knees to me to make it
youd have starved too if I hadnt
Another reading
He answers by pointing to what he has gained: the chart.
You look therethats why!
You lost the ship; I found the treasure.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence from Silver's speech.
- Says what each one relies on.
If stuck
- What does Silver say the crew did before the bargain?
- What does Silver throw down on the floor?
- What does he say about the ship and the treasure?
A strong answer Silver says the crew came crawling on their knees and would have starved if he had not bargained, and then he throws down the chart to show why. Later he sums up: they lost the ship and he found the treasure. A strong answer uses one of each and says what they rely on, the crew's memory and the chart in their hands.
- Using two pieces of evidence, explain how Silver keeps control of the crew through the whole council.
What it asks It asks the student to gather Silver's different moves, from threat to joke to resignation, and say what ties them together.
One reading
By threats and scorn: he frightens and mocks them.
I wont eat you.
Well now, look here, Ill answer these four pints; one after another Ill answer em.
Another reading
By offering what they want: he gives up his place and lets them choose.
And now I resign, by thunder! Elect whom you please to be your capn now; Im done with it.
Silver! they cried. Barbecue forever!
Listen for
- Two different moves, not one told twice.
- Says which move seems to work best.
If stuck
- How does Silver treat George at first?
- What does Silver do when the men have the chart?
- What do the men cry when he resigns?
A strong answer Silver starts with jokes and contempt, keeps calm, and answers the four charges one by one in a voice that shakes the house. Then he offers to resign, and the men cry Barbecue for captain. A strong answer uses two different moves and says which one seems to win them back.