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Interpretation
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Dr.Phil once said, “When you choose your behaviour, you choose your consequences.” Responsibility is a crucial quality in leaders, especially during a crisis such as the one shown in Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding. Not only do they have to provide adequate survival tools, as well as ensure the well-being of each victim, but they must also accept the blame for whatever happens on the island while on their watch. Due to the mass destruction caused on the island, someone must be held accountable, that person being none other than the story’s main antagonist, Jack Merridew. His cruel personality, mixed with his rebellious tendencies and impulsiveness, make him ultimately responsible for the damage caused. To begin, Jack Merridew …show more content…
Jack, being used to having things go his way, became envious of Ralph. First, he deemed Ralph unfit as Chief because he had no prior experience as a leader nor was he the oldest, unlike Jack who was Head Boy of the choir. This is shown when Jack says, “ ‘I ought to be chief,’ said Jack with simple arrogance, ‘because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp.’” (Golding 23). This proves that he felt that he was deserving of the position, instead of Ralph. This implies that he felt as though Ralph was already inferior to him and by Ralph being chosen over him, that he was suddenly less competent than a boy with fair looks. Next, Jack has wanted to, on several occasions, to ignore Ralph’s orders and prove to everyone else that he knows better. This is shown when Jack calls out Ralph publicly saying, “He’s a coward himself.” (Golding 139). This proves that he finds Ralph to be incapable of leading a tribe and chooses to hunt (instead of maintaining the fire) to showcase his authority. In conclusion, he chose to follow himself and walk away from the group, offering the other boys the option of amusement, rather than admitting his own
The Lord of the Flies is a gruesome story about young boys stranded on an island, who underwent a transformation from polite British choir boys to savage hooligans. One of the main difficulties the boys face during their adventures upon the island, is their method of government, they either follow the path of Ralph, the democratic leader whose main focus is to escape the despairing island; or Jack a power-hungry monarchical leader who won't ever take no for an answer. The two boys are constantly bickering and arguing over who deserves the leader-position. We all understand Ralph wants to be leader so that he can ensure that the boys will return back home, but in Jack's case, it is a constant mystery to us about why he wants power over the other children. But we do get much small hints from the author, William Golding, that Jack's biggest fear among the other children on the island is public humiliation. This becomes more and more evident the farther on into the book, and his fear seems to be what persuades him to reach for a powerful position.
With such rigid and different identities, Jack and Ralph have very different priorities, making it challenging for them to work together. Ralph’s identity is threatened when Jack lets the fire burn out to go hunting, so he lashes out at him, accusing him, “I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you can’t even build huts-then you go off hunting and let out the fire-”(70, 71). By ignoring what Ralph told him to do, Jack threatens numerous aspects of Ralph’s identity. Ralph identifies with being elected Chief based on his plan to get rescued, so Jack’s insubordination threatens Ralph. Meanwhile,
Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, has four very important dynamic characters. A dynamic character is a character that develops and grows during the course of the story. Ralph, Jack, Piggy, and Simon are four dynamic characters in Lord of the Flies that adapt to their new lifestyles in different ways. Jack is a very important dynamic character in Lord of the Flies because he goes through the most changes during the novel. While on the island, Jack has many life experiences that change him forever. Jack never thought he would live his life the way he is living his life in the island. Jack’s authoritative figure, savage-like/instinctual behavior, and violence are three qualities that make Jack a dynamic character.
A plane abruptly crashes into an abandoned island, risking the passengers in the plane. Luckily, the boys in the plane survive this devastating event. These boys, isolated from the supervision of adults, cooperate for rescue. A particular boy, encouraged that he can lead the boys successfully, instructs the others. Unfortunately, this responsible boy disguises himself with a mask, which brings a major transformation. For this boy, Jack, a major character in William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, his desire for power is greater than his hope for rescue. By Jack putting on the mask, Golding displays a responsible British boy, who focuses on survival, transform to an irresponsible, aggressive human being who is consumed by violence.
Jack, William Golding’s antagonist in Lord of the Flies, reveals through his experience on the island that it is an individual’s assertiveness, manipulative abilities, and charisma which dictate who commandeers power and privilege over others, and that possessing these traits often negatively impacts the lives of the people leaders seek to control.
Responsibility is a lot of different things and has many different parts. One part of responsibility is social responsibility. Social responsibility is being responsible to people, for the actions of people, and for actions that affect people. Social responsibility is about holding a group, organization or company accountable for its effect on the people around it. When you do the wrong thing many people pay for it, especially everyone that you know. When you do the wrong things your family will be ashamed of you. You will have the feeling that you have disappointed them and they have the feeling that they have disappointed you. It doesn't make sense but they feel like they have let you down. They will think to themselves that they could have been more strict and that haven't been disciplining you hard enough. Most of the time that is true because if someone knew that if they did something wrong and they were going to get severely disciplined, they will not do it.
Which is why he had gotten treated the way he did by Jack and the choir. The author writes, “ Jack made a rush and stabbed Ralph’s chest with his spear.” (Golding 177.) Even though Ralph is technically chief, Jack will stop at nothing to become chief. Ralph had been teasing Jack for being a thief, and that had pushed Jack over the edge, causing him to lunge towards Ralph. Jack does not have a high tolerance for Ralph’s actions, and Ralph obviously has a high tolerance for pain. William Golding states, “ ‘The chief and Roger.. They hate you, Ralph. They are going to do you.’ ‘They are going to hunt you tomorrow.’ ‘... Roger sharpened a stick at both ends.’ ” (188) As you, the reader, can probably tell, Jack certainly does not like Ralph. He only likes the faction that obeys and follows him. Those who do not obey Jack, he wants to kill. This island has really gotten to Jack, he is just pure evil now, and poor Ralph and every other character has had to deal with his
On the dystopian island of Lord of the Flies, authored by William Golding, one can observe the boy's’ descent into madness. When a group of young children were abandoned on an island without adult supervision, chaos rampaged. This loss civility is most clearly demonstrated by Jack and his effect on others. The text illustrates how quickly he succumbed to the savagery, the way his thirst for power and his dire situation brought him to barbarity, and how the boys followed suit, losing all their humanity.
Jack says,“Ralph is like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn't a proper chief”(Golding 159). Ralph is obviously jealous, and also thinks that being smart is near to nothing in comparison to strength and ability to hunt when it comes to anything. Jack also says,"Come on! Follow me!"(Golding 20). This little quote shows that Jack is acting like the main leader and he thinks everything he wants is the best for the tribe. Jack states, "And you shut up! Who are you, anyway? Sitting there telling people what to do. You can't hunt, you can't sing—"(Golding 91). This again shows that Jack thinks the best quality to have is hunting and even singing is important to Jack. Singing is important to Jack because he was the leader of the choir. Being controlling and forceful. Anybody would list controlling and forceful as characteristics for a
His face was red as he marched away… The sound of the inexpertly blown conch interrupted them… Jack went on blowing till the shelters were astir and the hunters crept to the platform and the luttluns whimpered” (Golding 125). This clearly explains that Jack's temper and mind has reduced from being able to deal with some criticism to being so irritated by the slightest comment that he blows the conch at its loudest pitch that it pains some boys. His action demonstrates his inability to cope with differing opinions. Another example of Jack’s changing mind would be described when he was not voted the new tribe leader. Jack has an adverse reaction to the other boys’ decision on who should become chief, ”How many think-’ ‘His voice trailed off... ‘I’m not going to play any longer. Not with you.’... ‘I’m
When Ralph blows the conch, Jack is introduced to the reader for the first time. He is represented as an audacious and selfish boy who likes to order others around when he says "I ought to be chief, because I'm chapter chorister and head boy"(Goldberg p.22). It also confirms his hunger for power and wanting control over everything. His choleric and petulant personality can be seen when he says "Shut up, Fatty."(p.23), also revealing that he is rude and inconsiderate of others. Despite his obnoxious personality, his conscious of civilization keeps him from killing the first pig they see. He even recommends that the boys should have rules to keep things in order.
When Jack loses the election to become chief to Ralph, it becomes apparent that Jack is schismatic and wholeheartedly intends to act against Ralph’s actions and decisions. From small nuances such as churlish remarks to fights, it is obvious that Jack intends to eventually either dethrone Ralph or form his own tribe. In one instance, Ralph assigns Jack a very simplistic task of watching the fire on the mountain, yet Jack decides that his appetence for blood and meat is more important than fulfilling his duty to the fire. Disobeying Ralph’s orders, Jack defects from his post to hunt and does not attempt to have another person tend the fire in his absence. Because of Jack’s actions, Ralph verbally scolds Jack and states to Jack, “You talk. But you can’t even build hut...
When it comes to Jack’s fear of not being chief, it brings out the worst in him and it has an effect on others. For instance, when the boys are deciding on who should be the chief, Ralph wins by a landslide. “Even the choir applauded; and the freckles on Jack’s face disappeared under a blush of mortification” (Golding 19). That is the first physical evidence of Jack being humiliated by Ralph and judging by Jack’s personality, he is not used to failure so it has a big impact on him. This motivates him to destroy Ralph and the rivalry between the two begins. Another point is that Jack uses fear and threats to control the boys. For example, when Robert tells Roger “’He’s going to beat Wilfred.’ ‘What for?’ Robert shook his head doubtfully” (Golding 176) it shows that Jack is violent and is using his...
Writer Steven James said, “The true nature of man left to himself without restraint is not nobility but savagery.” This quote can be used to accurately describe Jack Merridew, one of the young boys who becomes stranded on an unknown island in the Pacific. Lord of the Flies was written by William Golding; the novel explores the dark side of humanity and the underlying savagery in even the most civilized person. The novel opens on a group of British boys between ages six and twelve stranded on a tropical island without adult supervision. The boys elect a leader in an attempt to form a civilized society; however, their peaceful island descends into chaos as Ralph and Jack continuously argue over who should be the leader of the island. From the beginning of the novel, Jack is seen as power hungry, envious, and manipulative to further his own agenda, the anti-thesis to Ralph’s concern with social order and their future.
Although Jack appears relatively normal at the beginning but he does show flaws that will eventually lead to decline. Jack can follow rules he listens to Ralph the leader and contributes the the tribe as a whole.”Ralph-ill split up the choir-my hunters, that is-into groups, and we’ll be responsible for keeping the fire going” (Golding 42). He obeys Ralph and delligates jobs out to his