Fantastic Mr Fox - Chapter 8

Summary

In a tense standoff, Mr. Fox and his family are trapped in their home by three farmers, Bogis, Bunce, and Bean, who are armed and ready to catch the cunning fox. As the foxes starve, the farmers taunt them with food, hoping to lure them out. The farmers devise a plan to surround the hill with 108 men, making escape impossible. The situation escalates as Mr. Fox must find a way to outsmart his adversaries and secure food for his famished family.

Takeaways

• 🎪 Three tents are set up by the farmers at the top of the hill, one for each farmer, Bogis, Bunce, and Bean.
• 🍗 Bogis entices Mr. Fox with the aroma of boiled chicken, hoping to lure him out of his home.
• 🍩 Bunce has six doughnuts filled with goose liver paste, and Bean has two gallons of cider, all while keeping their guns close by.
• 🔦 The farmers use powerful headlamps on their tractors to shine light into the fox's hole, indicating their determination to catch Mr. Fox.
• 👀 The farmers take turns keeping watch, showing their persistence and lack of sleep in their pursuit of Mr. Fox.
• 🏞️ Mr. Fox's family is starving, and the children express their hunger and desperation for food.
• 🚜 The farmers plan to surround the hill with their workers, each armed with a weapon, to prevent Mr. Fox from escaping.
• 🔒 This creates a tight ring of armed men around the hill, making it nearly impossible for any animal to escape.
• 🕵️‍♂️ The farmers continue their watch, sitting silently with their guns, waiting for Mr. Fox to make a move.
• 🌪️ Mr. Fox occasionally creeps closer to the tunnel's mouth to sniff and confirm the presence of the farmers, showing his cautious nature.
• 👃 Mr. Fox's keen sense of smell is highlighted, as he can detect the distinct stench of Bean from a mile away.

Q & A

What is the situation that the foxes are facing in the beginning of the script?

The foxes are beginning to starve, indicating a lack of food and a dire situation for the family.

What are the three tents set up for and who are they for?

The three tents are set up by the three farmers, Bogis, Bunce, and Bean, for their own use, with one for Bogis, one for Bunce, and one for Bean.

What are the farmers eating for their supper, and what does this imply?

Bogis is eating boiled chicken with dumplings, Bunce has doughnuts filled with goose liver paste, and Bean has two gallons of cider. This implies they are enjoying a feast while the foxes are starving, highlighting the contrast between the two groups.

Why do the farmers keep their guns beside them?

The farmers keep their guns beside them as a precaution and a threat to Mr. Fox, indicating their intent to capture or kill him.

What is the farmers' plan to capture Mr. Fox?

The farmers plan to surround the hill with their workers, each armed with a weapon, to prevent Mr. Fox from escaping.

What is the significance of the powerful headlamps used by Bunce and Bean?

The powerful headlamps are used to illuminate the fox's hole, making it difficult for Mr. Fox to hide and increasing the chances of capturing him.

How do the farmers plan to keep watch over Mr. Fox's hole?

Bunce and Bean plan to take turns keeping watch over the fox's hole, with one watching while the other sleeps, ensuring constant surveillance.

What is the concern raised by Bunce about Mr. Fox potentially digging a hole through the hill?

Bunce raises the concern that Mr. Fox might dig a tunnel through the hill and escape on the other side, which would make their efforts to capture him futile.

How does Bean respond to the concern about Mr. Fox escaping through the hill?

Bean dismisses the concern by asking how many men are working on the farm, implying that they have enough manpower to surround the hill and prevent escape.

What does Mr. Fox do to check if the coast is clear?

Mr. Fox occasionally creeps closer to the mouth of the tunnel to take a sniff and then retreats back, indicating he is checking for the presence of the farmers.

How does Mrs. Fox react to the children's plea for food?

Mrs. Fox does not answer the children's plea for food, as there is no solution or immediate answer to their hunger, reflecting the desperate situation.

Outlines

00:00

🍗 Fox Family's Hunger and Farmers' Strategy

The script describes the beginning of a chapter where the foxes are starving, and the farmers set up tents near Mr. Fox's home, taunting him with food. The farmers, Buns, Bean, and Bogis, each have their meals, with Bogis holding a chicken near the fox's home. The foxes are tempted but are warned by Mrs. Fox about the danger of falling into the farmers' trap. The farmers plan to surround the hill with their workers, armed with various weapons, to prevent Mr. Fox from escaping. The next day, the farmers continue their watch, expecting Mr. Fox to attempt an escape, but he confirms their presence by their distinct smell.

Keywords

💡Starve

To 'starve' means to suffer from a lack of food, experiencing extreme hunger. In the context of the video, the foxes are beginning to starve, indicating a critical situation that sets the stage for the conflict in the story. The script mentions 'the foxes begin to starve,' highlighting the desperation that drives the characters' actions.

💡Tents

Tents are portable shelters made of fabric or other materials, typically used for camping or temporary accommodation. In the script, three tents are put up by the farmers, symbolizing their determination to outlast Mr. Fox and his family. The tents also serve as a physical barrier, creating a sense of entrapment for the foxes.

💡Farmers

Farmers are individuals who cultivate land and raise crops or livestock. In the video, the three farmers—Bun, Bunsen, and Bean—are the antagonists, opposing Mr. Fox and his family. They are characterized by their relentless pursuit to capture Mr. Fox, as seen when they set up tents and surround the hill with armed men.

💡Chicken

Chicken refers to the domestic fowl, Gallus gallus domesticus, and is also used to describe its meat as a food. In the script, the scent of boiled chicken is used as a temptation by the farmers to lure Mr. Fox out of hiding, illustrating the cunning tactics employed against the fox family.

💡Dumplings

Dumplings are a type of food made from dough wrapped around a filling, which can be boiled, steamed, or fried. The script mentions 'boiled chicken smothered in dumplings,' which not only adds to the sensory description of the meal but also serves as a cultural reference, emphasizing the farmers' indulgence and contrast to the foxes' hunger.

💡Doughnuts

Doughnuts are a type of fried or baked dough, often sweetened and sometimes filled with various ingredients. In the script, Buns has 'six doughnuts filled with disgusting goose liver paste,' which not only provides a vivid image of the character's meal but also hints at the farmers' wealth and the stark difference from the foxes' plight.

💡Cider

Cider is a fermented beverage made from the juice of apples. Bean's consumption of 'two gallons of cider' in the script serves to highlight the farmers' leisure and abundance in the face of the foxes' dire situation, further emphasizing the contrast between the two groups.

💡Guns

Guns are firearms designed to launch projectiles through a controlled explosion. The script mentions that the farmers keep their guns beside them, indicating their readiness to confront Mr. Fox and symbolizing the threat and danger posed to the fox family.

💡Surround

To 'surround' means to enclose something on all sides. In the video, the farmers order their workers to 'surround the hill,' creating a tight ring of armed men to prevent Mr. Fox's escape. This action illustrates the strategic and collective effort to capture Mr. Fox.

💡Watch

To 'watch' in this context means to keep a close observation or guard over something. The script describes how the farmers take turns 'to keep watch' on the fox's hole, showing their persistence and vigilance in their attempt to capture Mr. Fox.

💡Stinks

To 'stink' means to have an unpleasant smell. Mr. Fox's ability to 'smell that being a mile away' because he 'stinks' is used humorously in the script to emphasize the fox's heightened senses and the farmers' distinctive odor, which could be a disadvantage for them.

Highlights

The foxes begin to starve, leading to a desperate situation.

Three tents are set up by the farmers near the fox's home.

The farmers eat supper near the fox's home, taunting Mr. Fox with the smell of food.

Mr. Fox is tempted by the smell of chicken but is warned by Mrs. Fox about the danger.

The small foxes express their hunger and desire for food.

The farmers plan to trap Mr. Fox by surrounding the hill with armed men.

The farmers use powerful headlamps and tractors to search for the foxes.

The farmers discuss the possibility of Mr. Fox escaping through a tunnel.

Mr. Fox's distinctive smell is mentioned as a way to track him.

The farmers take turns keeping watch over the fox's hole.

The farmers are well-prepared with various weapons to capture Mr. Fox.

The situation becomes increasingly dire for the foxes as they are surrounded and unable to escape.

Mr. Fox cautiously approaches the tunnel's mouth to check the farmers' presence.

The farmers' relentless watching and waiting continue, indicating a prolonged standoff.

The small foxes' hunger and the parents' inability to provide food highlight the family's struggle.

The farmers' strategy and Mr. Fox's cunning are central to the conflict in the story.

Transcripts

chapter a the foxes begin to starve that

evening three tents were put up from the

crater on the hill one for a bogus one

for buns and one for being the tent

surmounted mr. Fox's home and the three

farmers sat outside their tents eating

their supper

but this had three boiled chicken

smothered in dumplings buns had six

doughnuts filled with disgusting goose

liver paste and bean had two gallons of

cider all three of them kept their guns

beside them but this picked up a

steaming chicken and held it close to

the fox's home can you smell this mr.

Fox he shouted lovely tender chicken why

don't you come up and get it the rich

scent of chicken wafted down the tunnel

to where the Foxes were crouching

alright dad I said one of the small

foxes

couldn't we just sneak up and snatch it

out of his hand

don't you dare said mrs. Fox that's just

what they want you to do but we're sorry

hungry they cried how long will it be

till we get something to eat their

mother didn't answer them nor did their

father

there was no answer to give as darkness

fell Bunsen being switched on the

powerful headlamps

of the two tractors and shown them onto

the hole now sippy we'll take it in turn

to keep watch one watches while to sleep

and so on

all through the night buck I said what

if the Fox digs a hole right through the

hill and comes out on the other side you

didn't think of that one did you

of course I did said beam pretending he

had come on then tell us the answer said

for this beam picked something small and

black out of his ear and flicked it away

how many men have you got working in

your farm he asked thirty-five father

said I've got 36 Bunsen and I've got 37

bean said that makes 108 men all

together we must order them to surround

the hill each man will have a gun and a

flashlight

there will be no Excite then for mr. Fox

so the order went down to the farms and

that night

the Neyman formed a tight ring around

the bottom of the hill they were armed

with sticks and guns and hatches and

pistols and all sorts of other horrible

weapons this made it quite impossible

for a fox or indeed for any other animal

to escape from the hill the next day

then watching and waiting went on but

listen Bunsen beam sat upon small

schools staring at the fox's hole they

didn't talk much they just sat there

with their guns on their laps every so

often mr. Fox would creep a little

closer towards the mouth of the tunnel

and take a sniff then he would creep

back again and say they're still there

are you quite sure mrs. Fox would ask

positive send mr. Fox

I can smell that being a mile away he

stinks