Lord of The Flies Essay
In the novel Lord of The Flies, by William Golding, the reader is taken to a place on an island, where several young boys are faced with hardships.The many characters displayed have certain roles. The main role being portrayed is the chief.The question to be asked is who’s the better leader? Ralph and Jack decide they both want to play the role of being chief.Jack decides he’s going to try his hardest to be chief so one by one he lures the boys from civility (Cliffsnotes). Through dirty battles and conflicts,the reader is able to view the true colors of each character.The fight for chief becomes the most intense battle.They both shared their fair spots of leading.All the others involved in their votes felt very confused.Ralph
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is a better leader because he shows better leadership, he takes responsibility, and he shows that he cares about the group. As the story begins,there’s a conch that starts the whole rivalry.The conch is used as a talking stick(Shmoop).Ralph was with Piggy when they found it and as Ralph blew into the conch others on the island came to them.In order for the others to believe and stay working with them,there was an explanation to be given.When they heard the sound of the conch they were expecting to see a ship,instead they saw Ralph and Piggy.The disappointment that was put on their faces was hard to keep calm.Once the explanation was given as to why they wanted a meeting everything was cleared up.They wanted to be aware of how many others lived on the island.So once they met up and discussed everything,that’s when rivalry began.The others believed Ralph should be a chief since he was the one with the conch.Jack was also there he strongly believed the role was meant for him,all because he was in charge of the hunters already.As ralph was the ending result the rivalry began.
Both boys portrayed great characteristics that showed leadership. They were very feisty towards one another.Often fights broke out during meetings.It was hard to stop the conflict based on their different …show more content…
views. When Ralph was first given the role as chief he was very confused.The thoughts that went through his mind to own up to the responsibility included,“what would grown ups do?”As the days went on he really understood what a true chief meant.He would involve everyone when others wouldn’t help he would feel defeated. The meetings he called together were always to improve their rescue plan and focus on the fastest way to be saved. There were rules to be set, followed, and to benefit all. Ralph was not able to help everyone without any rules or respect from the little ones. He took on full responsibility whether it was good or bad. The motivation he had was not to be taken by others. Ralph was scared to ever disappoint the others. He only did what his mind knew was right ( ). Meeting new people was always a challenge. The awkwardness wouldn’t break for awhile when really all they needed was to interact with each other. Once they grew on each other, everything seemed better. The times spent became special moments to cherish. The little ones loved playing in the water and running around the fire. Even though the little ones had a whole bunch of energy, they also loved participating. Building fires became a team sport. The fire building is where they connected the most. They connected most at the fires because, they believed the smoke from the fire would be seen above. Fires sometimes were the worst of times. The fires sometimes would go out making them furious. The importance of the smoke being seen above was if a plane were to fly by they’d know people were on the island. The older ones had higher responsibilities and were in charge of building shelter, scoping out the island, hunting, keeping the fire going, and looking for the beast. The little ones liked to think they were older. When it came to scoping out the island and picking who was to go,the little ones were the first to want to explore. All the little ones really wanted was acceptance from the others. Younger ones were viewed as irresponsible, energetic, and soft spoken. As the little ones watched the others they began to look up to them; portraying their judgement. Challenges became a daily obstacle because When all they did was call group meetings.
Others didn’t get along as well. They didn’t all put in enough effort. There came a point when it was complete chaos. Day by day it got worse; they all wanted change. The meetings dragged on later than usual, until they decided to let it be. Some meetings went better than others, but this is where they began to split. Jack and Ralph began to fight everyday, driving the others crazy. During a meeting one evening Jack decided he “wasn’t going to play the game anymore” so he got up and made his hunters leave with him. Jack felt since he was on the island with these hunters they had to leave. He had no idea how they would survive. He knew they would have barely enough for food, no shelter, or a fire to stay warm. Jack was very bossy towards the hunters, but they listened having fear of Jack. Little battles began to break
out. Ralph being leader was always what they planned was best for them, his main focus was to be rescued. The little ones looked up to him being in charge. He showed responsibility, maturity, and strong spoken as a leader. His morals weren’t self centered, unlike Jack. Ralph was so concerned about being rescued from the island. He made sure everyone play a part in the rescue. Through all the hardships they faced, he still cared for them all. Even when during a fight between Jack being chief, when Jack took his people away. There were a set of twins Sam and Eric that he really appreciated and he said to them “won’t you come with me? Three of us we’d stand a chance.” That shows his characteristics aren’t to give up on anyone. Jack was very different he wanted everything his way always. When one thing didn’t go his way he turned on everyone, except his hunters. jack was able to steal, and even kill others he used to call his allies. Jack didn’t care too much about what happened to others. He viewed things as if they weren’t done his way they were going to be wrong. Ralph and Jack may not be the best of friends, they may not see eye to eye, have different morals, all in all it came down to who got them rescued. Ralph was hunted about to lose his life when, they were faced with being rescued the main purpose. Jack leaned toward being self centered, while on the other hand Ralph had goals. Ralph had the goal to be rescued and he accomplished it. From a reader’s perspective Ralph lead everyone the best. He had ambition, sportsmanship, and was going in with a motive. If Ralph wasn’t there, then the whole story could’ve taken a different route. The moral would be chose the leader you believe has good intentions and your best interest at heart. Work Cited "Lord of the Flesi." : Book Summary & Study Guide. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. Shmoop Editorial Team. "Lord of the Flies Summary." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
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.
Leadership is something that stands out in people. In a group, people tend to look to the strongest person to follow. However, the strongest person may not be the best choice to follow. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph and Jack each have leadership qualities. Jack is probably the stronger of the two; however, Ralph is a better leader. He has a better understanding for the boys. He also has more common sense and treats the boys better than Jack.
At first the meetings were the things that brought them together. Meeting had rules and order in them. Jack was the boy that started the unraveling of civility. He wanted to be the chief and ended up being in charge of the hunters. He resented the power that Ralph had.
In the novel, The Lord of the Flies, leadership is one of the main important qualities. If I had to choose between Jack and Ralph to follow in the story, I would choose Ralph. Although he ended up struggling near the end of the story, I still found him to be a good leader.
“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others” (Welch). Leadership is inspiring others to learn more, do more, and become more. Ineffective fail to possess certain characteristics which effective leaders do. Willingness to help others, selflessness, and strictness; these are the qualities of a both good and effective leader. Without these qualities, leadership would fail and being a leader would mean nothing.
In William Golding’s novel, the Lord of the Flies, even though Ralph became chief of the stranded boys, Jack eventually rose to power through scare tactics, confidence, determination, and control. When Jack demonstrated his leadership skills, it was evident that he was superior to Ralph and would use his sense of Social Darwinism (survival of the fittest) and his oratory skills to surpass and isolate Ralph completely. Regardless of Ralph’s strengths, such as his conch, democratic maneuvers, firm motives, and kind demeanor, Jack’s mere presence ousted Ralph’s chances of taking effective leadership. By using propaganda against Ralph, gaining support from his partisan tribe members, and overpowering Ralph through his persuasive techniques and appearance, Jack clearly demonstrated how his leadership of the island was inevitable.
The political system that they had on the island was corrupt. It wasn't the system but the individuals who were responsible for corruption in society. At first they had a leader, Ralph. He made rules, held meetings and tried to keep things in order. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored and questioned. Jack was too concerned with hunting, to worry about the other things that can keep them alive, like the signal fire that would get them rescued, Madness came into his eyes. "I thought I might kill." "But you haven't yet (51)." Soon, Jack decides he's had enough of Ralph, "I'm not going to be part of Ralph's lot. I'm going by myself. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come (127)." He lures the other boys away and makes a tribe. Ralph's community deteriorates. Jack is responsible for the corruption of their society.
Golding establishes the power and potential of government and its vulnerability to outside affairs. In “Lord of the Flies,” each of the older boys strive for power and authority. Their views and beliefs are all dissimilar, resulting in each boys to possess different elucidation on how the island should function. These representations of government are apparent in Ralph, Jack, and Piggy, and prompt the social unrest and inability to compensate for their own needs. The way in which a leader governs determines the path that he/she sets upon his
Throughout William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies there is an ever-present conflict between two characters. Ralph's character combines common sense with a strong desire for civilized life. Jack, however, is an antagonist with savage instincts, which he cannot control. Ralph's goals to achieve a team unit with organization are destroyed by Jack's actions and words that are openly displayed to the boys. The two leaders try to convince the boys that their way of survival is correct.
In William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies Ralph though not the stronger person, demonstrates a better understanding of people than Jack which gives him better leadership qualities. Ralph displays these useful human qualities as a leader by working towards the betterment of the boys' society. He knows the boys need stability and order if they are to survive on the island. He creates rules and a simple form of government to achieve this order. Jack does not treat the boys with dignity as Ralph does. Ralph understands that the boys, particularly Piggy, have to be given respect and must be treated as equals. This makes Ralph a better leader as he is able to acknowledge that he was not superior to any of the other boys. Ralph's wisdom and ability to look to the future also make him a superior leader. Ralph has the sense to keep his focus on getting off the island. He insists on keeping the fire burning as a distress signal. Ralph's leadership provides peace and order to the island while Jack's leadership makes chaos.
For years, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, has been a staple in college, high school, and even middle school classes. The eloquent story follows a group of young boys stranded on a jungle island. They are left thousands of miles away from civilization and are left to survive by themselves. Throughout the story, many insights in leadership are seen through the power struggle between Ralph and Jack. Both have extremely different styles of leadership with varying levels of success. Lord of the Flies teaches me about leadership in the initial selection of the leader, how they solve problems, and how they motivate others.
In a group, there are always people who prove to have better leadership skills then others. The strongest of these people can often influence the weaker people into following them. However, the strongest person is not necessarily the best leader as it is proven in William Golding's book, The Lord of the Flies. Although Ralph is the weaker person, he is still able to show a better understanding of people than Jack who is stronger. Ralph demonstrates his excellent leadership skills throughout the book by keeping the group in line, treating everyone with respect, and staying focused on getting rescued.
Contrasting Ralph and Jack in Lord of the Flies & nbsp;& nbsp; & nbsp; Ralph and Jack are both powerful and meaningful characters in William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies. Ralph is an excellent leader; responsible, and stands for all that is good. Jack is a destructive hunter, selfish, and represents evil. These two main characters can be compared by the actions they take as leaders, their personalities, and what they symbolize in the story. & nbsp; Ralph first takes on the position as leader at the beginning of the story, when the rest of the boys vote him in as chief.&nbs Rules and standards are set when Ralph is the chief. He orders the group to build the basic necessities of civilization, shelters, and most importantly to keep the fire going, in hope that they will be rescued and return to humanity. " But I tell you that smoke is more important than the pig, however often you kill one" (Golding 75). Jack, on the other hand, takes on the idea of every man for himself. He does not care about making homes, only about hunting. When Jack is the leader, evil takes over and all good is destroyed. Under Jack's power both Simon and Piggy are killed. & nbsp; Not only do the two character's decisions clash so do their personalities. Ralph is caring and considerate, being kinder to Piggy, making friends with him and constantly confid Ralph represents law, order, organized society and moral integrity. Throughout the novel he is constantly making common-sense rules for the boys to follow. Unlike Ralph, Jack is unkind, caring about no one
Lord of the Flies is a novel about power. This is because of the conflict between Ralph and Jack for leadership of the boys. Ralph symbolizes civilization and democracy. Jack symbolizes savagery and dictatorship. For instance, in the begin...
The first major problem on the island in Golding’s novel “Lord of the Flies” was that there were no adults on the island. The boys voted at the beginning of the story to elect a leader among them. They chose the oldest boy among them, Ralph at the age of twelve. Even at this young of an age, Ralph was elected to govern the boys younger than him. Even if there would have been one adult on the island with them, the boys would not have fought and divided. Jack would not have compared nor had a completion with an adult leader as he did with Ralp...