Treasure Island - Vocabulary Flashcards
PART ONE — The Old Buccaneer
Overview of setup: The narrator (Jim Hawkins) recounts how Treasure Island began, starting with the inn at the Admiral Benbow and a mysterious seafaring man. The framing device is a manuscript addressed to the reader, promising to keep nothing back but the bearings of the island.
The Old Sea-dog at the Admiral Benbow (Chapter 1)
A tall, strong, nut-brown seaman with a sabre cut, a weather-worn appearance, and a one-legged fearsome reputation in stories.
He lodges at the Benbow; buys rum and supplies; shows a fierce, silent demeanor and a taste for old sailor songs like “Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest—Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!”
He has a cryptic habit of watching ships and asking after seafaring men; he is quiet but commands attention when he speaks or sings.
Black Dog Appears and Disappears (Chapter 2)
A mysterious confrontation with Black Dog; a violent night, a scuffle, and a warning that trouble is coming, foreshadowing mutiny and danger.
The inn becomes a scene of fear and tension; Black Dog’s appearance marks a turning point toward the larger mutiny plot.
The Black Spot (Chapter 3)
The equivalent of a pirate’s summons against a mutineer; a dramatic, ominous device used by Flint’s crew.
The “spot” intimidates the inn’s residents and signals deeper conflicts among the buccaneers.
The Sea-chest (Chapter 4)
Jim discovers Billy Bones’s sea-chest; contents hint at a treasure map and Flint’s treasure-lore; the chest becomes a focal point for future conflict and peril.
The Last of the Blind Man (Chapter 5)
The inn is invaded in the night; the blind beggar (Pew) and Black Dog have a plan to seize the chest and ink a larger mutiny.
Jim witnesses a violent confrontation, the mutiny’s reach spreading beyond the inn into the island’s broader intrigues.
Key concepts
The treasure map motif begins here: a map and bearing clues drive the action forward.
The “blood and treasure” theme: violence, greed, and the lure of wealth shape every major decision.
Framing device of Jim’s notebook as an unreliable but richly vivid narration; a memory shaped by fear and awe.
Notable numbers and details (LaTeX-formatted):
Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest: 15 men
One sabre cut and a heavily patched coat; the captain’s rough appearance is described in vivid detail
The narrative’s price of fear and power is measured in coins and fourpenny pieces (e.g., a silver fourpenny) — not a precise monetary total given here, but the counting of coins becomes central later.
PART ONE — Deep glance at early character dynamics and foreshadowing
Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesey appear as later patrons of the treasure quest; their presence foreshadows a formal expedition and a shipful of sailors loyal to law and order.
The Admiral Benbow inn as a stage for a nexus of fear, suspicion, and storytelling; it becomes the island’s first network hub, and the community’s ignorance about real danger becomes a breeding ground for mutiny.
The Old Buccaneer’s influence: even after his departure or removal, his stories linger, shaping townspeople’s sense of England’s maritime power and fear of the sea.
PART TWO — The Sea-cook
Overview: Jim’s shift from inn life to the world of seafaring; the plan to prepare a voyage to Treasure Island and outwit the mutineers who have followed the map and the treasure.
I Go to Bristol (Chapter 7)
Jim continues to be drawn toward the sea; the squire and doctor assemble plans and begin to recruit a crew.
The ship HISPANIOLA begins to take shape; the crew is assembled; the role of Long John Silver begins to emerge as a key figure.
At the Sign of the Spy-glass (Chapter 8)
Jim meets Long John Silver, the ship’s cook, a one-legged man with a keen mind and a mixture of charm and menace; Silver’s pirate persona is revealed as both practical and dangerous.
Silver’s charisma and leadership begin to overshadow the other crew members; Jim senses a paradox: Silver is generous and charismatic, yet treacherous and calculating.
Powder and Arms (Chapter 9)
The crew’s armament and the preparation for mutiny are discussed; Captain Smollett’s wary mood is noted; the notion of “sealed orders” and a private chart among the mutineers is introduced.
The Voyage (Chapter 10)
The voyage to Treasure Island is described; the crew’s dynamics and the mutineers’ undercurrent of mistrust intensify; Jim’s allyship with Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawney grows.
What I Heard in the Apple Barrel (Chapter 11)
Jim overhears mutineers’ scheming in the apple barrel; Long John Silver’s plan to seize control is outlined; the mutiny’s seed is planted.
Key concepts
The mutiny as a planned, mechanical process; the mutineers’ internal divisions; the role of fear and reputation in leadership.
The dynamic between Captain Smollett and his officers vs. Mr. Arrow and the mutineers; the tension over who truly controls the voyage.
Notable numbers and details
The ship’s proposed crew includes a number of named men; the map and the hidden gold drive tension toward a mutiny that hinges on the balance of power onboard.
PART THREE — My Shore Adventure
13 How My Shore Adventure Began
Jim’s imagination runs wild with the island’s geography; Long John Silver’s influence continues to loom as a possible ally or foe.
14 The First Blow
Jim’s bold decisions while ashore, facing hostile terrain and mutinous plans; a plan begins to crystallize to survive and possibly outwit the mutineers.
15 The Man of the Island
Jim’s encounter with Ben Gunn—a marooned man who has spent years alone on Treasure Island; Gunn’s knowledge and the treasure’s location begin to take shape.
Key concepts
Ben Gunn as a crucial ally with knowledge of Flint’s past and the island’s layout; his eccentricities mask a deeper strategic value.
The island as a living map: natural features (Spy-glass, Skeleton Island, the tall tree) become critical bearings for treasure location.
Notable numbers and details
The plan to find the “tall tree” and the bearing to the treasure includes navigational clues such as the Spy-glass hill and Skeleton Island, with precise bearings later described in the chapters that follow.
PART FOUR — The Stockade
16 Narrative Continued by the Doctor: How the Ship Was Abandoned
The mutineers’ takeover escalates; Jim and the doctor witness the mutiny as it unfolds on the HISPANIOLA; the ship’s crew dwindles under mutineer control.
17 Narrative Continued by the Doctor: The Jolly-boat’s Last Trip
The mutineers’ attempt to retreat and the stockade’s creation; Redruth and others join the defense.
18 Narrative Continued by the Doctor: End of the First Day’s Fighting
The stockade’s early fighting results; the mutineers’ assault tests Captain Smollett’s leadership and the cabin crew’s resolve.
19 Narrative Resumed by Jim Hawkins: The Garrison in the Stockade
Jim’s role expands as the crew coordinates a defense; Dr. Livesey’s presence reinforces lawful order and medical care for the wounded.
20 Silver’s Embassy
Silver makes a formal approach to negotiate with Captain Smollett; a tense exchange about parole, safety, and control.
21 The Attack
The mutineers’ assault intensifies; the stockade is defended by Smollett, Livesey, and the loyal crew; Jim and the doctor coordinate a defense under siege.
22 Council of War (implicit in the sequence)
The cabin crew and the mutineers negotiate, plan, and recalibrate; the mutineers split their forces while the loyalists consolidate their defenses.
Key concepts
The stockade as a physical and morale stronghold; discipline under fire vs. mutiny’s disorganization.
The mutineers’ internal politics converge toward a bid for control of treasure and ship.
Notable numbers and details
The mutineers’ force is numerically superior to the loyalists; casualty counts begin to accumulate as the battle unfolds; the balance of power shifts multiple times during the siege.
PART FIVE — My Sea Adventure
22 How My Sea Adventure Began
Jim narrates his time aboard the HISPANIOLA, the mutineers’ plans, and the cautious, strategic maneuvers to secure the island’s treasure while remaining alive.
23 The Black Spot Again
The mutineers confront the Black Spot’s ominous implications again; the moral weight of leadership and accountability is tested.
24 The Cruise of the Coracle
Jim’s wanderings in a coracle; his survival instincts and navigational skills play a central role in avoiding capture and learning Silver’s plans.
25 I Strike the Jolly Roger
Jim’s daring actions against mutineers aboard the island; the mutineers’ inner circle tightens as one of their own is killed.
26 Israel Hands
Hands is a key mutineer; he attempts to manipulate events and tries to corner Jim; Hands’s downfall comes through Robb’s cunning and Jim’s decisive actions.
27 Pieces of Eight
The mutineers reveal their greed and internal tensions; the gold and the ship’s fates become a focal point for suspicions and power plays.
28 Ben Gunn (Ben Gunn’s backstory unfolds)
Gunn reveals the treasure’s hidden location and explains how Flint’s crew buried it; Gunn’s ruse and knowledge become critical to the eventual outcomes.
29 The Black Spot Again (reprise)
The mutineers confront renewed tension around the Black Spot and leadership, with Ben Gunn and Gunn’s hidden loyalties affecting the balance of power.
30 On Parole
A fragile political détente emerges; Dr. Livesey and Jim navigate the mutineers’ shifting loyalties and plan a final push toward the treasure.
31 The Treasure-hunt—Flint’s Pointer
Flint’s Pointer (the map bearing) becomes a catalyst for a final treasure hunt; the mutineers’ plan to secure treasure collides with the loyalists’ strategy to recover it.
32 The Treasure-hunt—The Voice Among the Trees
The mutineers misread Benn Gunn’s presence and face a renewed confrontation with their past; a voice (Flint’s) from the trees unsettles the mutineers and shifts momentum.
Key concepts
The coracle episodes highlight Jim’s ingenuity and survival, leading to a counter-purchase of mutineer plans.
Ben Gunn as a pivotal ally with intimate knowledge of Flint’s treasure and Captain Kidd’s lore; his “gifts” to the protagonists change the balance of power.
The “tall tree” bearing plus the map’s red crosses become literal and symbolic beacons guiding the escape and the eventual treasure’s recovery.
Notable numbers and details
Flint’s treasure is described as seven hundred thousand pounds in gold (the treasure’s total value becomes a recurring obsession for all characters: 700{,}000 pounds).
The mutineers kill or wound several loyalists; the battle’s casualties and the eventual betrayal shape the final outcome.
PART SIX — Captain Silver
33 The Fall of a Chieftain
The mutineers’ leadership (Silver) faces a moral crisis when treasure is found to be depleted; Morgan and Merry challenge Silver’s authority.
34 And Last
The survivors’ fates unfold; the wealth and the ship’s fate hinge on a final, brutal showdown, with Silver’s cunning and manipulation tested against Jim Hawkins’ courage and Livesey’s leadership.
35 The End (epilogue)
The survivors return to Bristol with a portion of treasure; Ben Gunn’s fortune remains modest; the mutineers’ fates are sealed; the HISPANIOLA’s voyage ends, and the island’s legend closes.
Key concepts
The mutineers’ power war culminates in a balancing act between greed, loyalty, and survival; Silver’s moral ambiguity drives much of the action.
The final transformation of the crew (from mutineers to a more stable order) hinges on the captured or recovered treasure and the chain of loyalties.
Notable numbers and details
Seven hundred thousand pounds worth of treasure located in Flint’s cache; the mutineers’ scheme to steal it collapses when the cache is found empty (the “Walrus” and Flint’s legacy face a final reckoning).
SUMMARY OF KEY CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS
Jim Hawkins (narrator, protagonist): boy-turned-sailor who observes, learns, and acts; his observations guide the plan and reveal mutiny’s inner workings.
Long John Silver: one-legged, charismatic leader with practical ruthlessness; capable of both generosity and brutal treachery; his loyalty shifts with convenience and opportunity.
Captain Smollett: capable, prudent captain who advocates discipline and prudent plans; his leadership contrasts with mutineers’ cunning.
Dr. Livesey: rational, moral center; physician, magistrate; provides medical care and keeps the ship’s moral compass intact.
Squire Trelawney: wealthy landlord who funds the voyage; eager and outspoken, but sometimes rash; a staunch ally to Livesey and Smollett.
Ben Gunn: marooned on Treasure Island for three years; eccentric but highly knowledgeable about Flint’s treasure and the island’s geography; crucial ally.
Billy Bones: the dead seaman whose chest and papers trigger the treasure hunt; his death catalyzes the story’s core conflict.
Pew (the Blind Beggar): silent but deadly presence; representative of Flint’s old crew and a symbol of mutineer’s reach on the island.
Black Dog: a dark agent of mutiny; a knife’s edge of threat who marks the island’s violent past.
O’Brien: mutineer; Hands’s ally; killed during the final confrontations; his death signals the mutineers’ unraveling.
THEMES AND SIGNIFICANT IDEAS
Mutiny and leadership: the interplay between a captain’s authority and mutineers’ greed.
Treachery and loyalty: characters’ loyalties shift; trust is scarce; betrayals are frequent, often tied to treasure and survival.
Treasure as moral test: wealth tempts even the most steadfast; the mutineers’ greed eventually leads to their downfall, while some loyalists survive and redeem themselves in various ways.
Isolation and community: Treasure Island’s geography creates a siege mentality; a small community must rally to survive.
Ethics of power: the mutineers’ use of force versus the loyalists’ insistence on law and order (Livesey, Smollett).
Real-world relevance: themes of leadership, trust, moral choice under pressure, and the human cost of greed remain pertinent in business, politics, and personal life.
NUMERICAL REFERENCE SUMMARY (LaTeX-formatted)
15: number of men on the dead man’s chest (famous refrain) — a symbolic count of mutineers’ ferocity.
17: lives the voyage costs; the final tally of mutineers’ deaths on the island at the end (as noted in the closing pages).
200: ship tonnage (HISPANIOLA described as nearly two hundred tons in the voyage description).
9 imes 5: island dimensions (roughly nine miles long and five miles across).
700{,}000: approximate total pounds of Flint’s treasure, the vast sum pursued by all sides.
10: o’clock reference in the mutineer’s planning and in scenes of confrontation; time cues drive actions.
1: Long John Silver’s prosthetic leg (one leg); symbolizes a pirate’s identity and the social dynamics aboard the ship.
3: red crosses on the map that indicate hidden treasure bearings (Flint’s own coded notes).
3 imes 7? The text references a variety of numbers tied to ship’s crew and treasure; the most central, standardized figures above are the primary ones.
CONNECTIONS TO PREVIOUS LECTURES AND REAL-WORLD RELEVANCE
Intertextual echoes: Stevenson’s Treasure Island connects to earlier maritime adventure tradition (Buccaneers, piracy lore, and map-driven treasure quests) while updating it with psychological depth (mutiny, leadership, loyalty).
Foundational principles: power dynamics, ethical leadership, and the perils of greed mirror foundational discussions in leadership studies, economics, and political theory.
Real-world relevance: themes of mutiny, trust, and strategic planning apply to modern corporate governance, military history, and risk management; Ben Gunn’s unconventional knowledge demonstrates the value of diverse perspectives in problem-solving.
LOGIC AND STRATEGY NOTES (FOR EXAM PREP)
Key turning points to remember:
The map’s bearing clues and Flint’s Crosses: the central plot device that motivates the voyage and mutiny.
Black Spot episodes: moral reckoning moments that reveal loyalties and leadership quality.
The stockade siege: tests the crew’s discipline; the balance of power shifts between the loyalists and mutineers.
Ben Gunn’s revelation: his knowledge of Flint’s treasure becomes a pivot that tilts the outcome toward a cautious, legal recovery of treasure and ship.
Core outcomes:
The mutineers’ plans crumble under a combination of internal betrayal (Silver’s shifting loyalties), external pressure (Livesey, Smollett, and the loyal crew), and Ben Gunn’s strategic interventions.
Treasure ultimately changes hands in ways that reveal the true cost of greed; the island’s curse lingers as a moral reminder of what was risked and what was saved.
FORMULAS AND CONVERSIONS (EXAMPLE)
Coordinate conversion example (lat-long to decimal):
Given a coordinate in degrees, minutes, seconds: ext{Decimal degrees} = ext{degrees} + rac{ ext{minutes}}{60} + rac{ ext{seconds}}{3600}
This can be used to interpret entries like 62^ ext{o} ext{ }17' ext{ }20'' or similar bearings appearing in map-like notes within the text.
Treasure value aggregation (conceptual): if there are multiple currencies in the treasure, total value could be represented as V{ ext{total}}=igr( ext{sum over all coins}igl) vi, where each $v_i$ is the value of an individual coin type in pounds.
Notes end here. The aim is to provide a compact, comprehensive, and exam-ready map of the Treasure Island transcript with clear sections, major/minor points, and essential numeric references in LaTeX format.