Monday, March 25, 2013

What is a summary of chapter 5 in The Twenty-One Balloons?

The chapter begins with the Professor being "gently awakened" after four or five hours of sleep. The man insists that the Professor get out of the sun. The Professor has no idea what is happening. He knows that the man isn't a native, and the professor doesn't believe he is a fellow explorer either. It turns out this man is Mr. F, and he confirms for the Professor that he did indeed crash on Krakatoa. Mr. F is excited to know that the Professor believed the island to be uninhabited, because that is by design by the people living on the island.

"This is Krakatoa, all right," he said. "And we who live here are most pleased that the rest of the world is still convinced that Krakatoa is uninhabited. Hurry up, put on your clothes."

Mr. F is quite excited to have a guest on the island, and he quickly ushers the Professor into his tour of the mountain and the mines. The island quakes with magma movement, and the Professor is amazed that anybody can actually live there. He is even more amazed by the diamond mines. As the chapter nears its conclusion, Mr. F admits that he planned to shoot down the Professor's balloon in order to keep Krakatoa's inhabitants a secret. Now that the Professor knows the truth, Mr. F says that he will have to stay on the island forever; however, it shouldn't be a problem after the Professor learns of all of the wonders on the island.

"You have seen our diamond mines, that is, you have seen one of them; there are many other unexplored plots of ground around the base of the mountain where the earth doesn't ever move. Do you understand now why you will have to remain our permanent guest?"


At the beginning of Chapter five, The Professor is awakened by a queerly-dressed gentleman who is kneeling over him. The Professor has a nasty sunburn, and the strange gentleman, Mr. F., offers him a suit similar to his own. It turns out The Professor is now on Krakatoa, an island that he had thought to be uninhabited. Mr. F is glad to hear this belief and tells The Professor that the residents of the island intentionally surrounded their beautiful city with plant growth and underbrush in order to give the illusion to passing ships that nobody lives on the island.
The two men travel to the volcano, which, as it turns out, contains a large number of diamond mines. Mr. F. reveals that he was sent with a handgun to ensure that The Professor landed on the island, and now that The Professor has seen the secrets of the diamond mines, he is no longer allowed to leave. Mr. F. continues to tell The Professor about the island, claiming that the diamonds are so valuable that they are essentially worthless, and if they were to be sold abroad, the entire diamond market would crash due to the sheer volume of diamonds.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Summarize the major research findings of "Toward an experimental ecology of human development."

Based on findings of prior research, the author, Bronfenbrenner proposes that methods for natural observation research have been applied in ...