After reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding,two different types of leaders emerged. A plane crashed onto an abandoned island, stranding a large group of boys,with no adults to help them. Two groups meet together and decide on a leader based on the fact that Ralph found a conch. The conch symbolizes order and good leadership because it calls meetings for important issues and whoever holds it is allowed to speak without interruption. In the novel Lord of the Flies,William Golding suggests that although a leader might fit the right criteria,such as being able to find a solution to a problem and impacting everyone in a good way the environment and setting could change how they act and think in leadership of others. It impacted both leaders,no …show more content…
“When his party was about ten yards from the platform he shouted an order and they halted,gasping,sweating,swaying in the fierce light.”(20) When the younger boys saw the choir they immediately noticed everyone dressed the same and listened to him,which means he was a good leader and could keep them in order.As the story continues,we see a change in Jack. Hes starts caring more about the pig and face paint than about survival and rescue. He lets the kids play hunting and that is part of what causes them to start following him. “I’d like to put on war-paint and be savage…..And the hunting and all that,being savages I mean - it must be jolly good fun.”(142) Ralph is talking to the rest of the followers about what Jack does with his people. He lets them be kids instead of trying to make them more mature,like Ralph. He turns almost full savage by the end of the book. His followers and him killed Simon and he doesn't seem to care. While Ralph is trying to talk to Jack peacefully,he “Viciously,with full intention,he hurled his spear at Ralph”.(181) This is happening to Jack because he see’s an opportunity to take care of others and be a leader, but the island is dangerous and everyone is terrified and they need to find ways of …show more content…
“...Ralph planned his toilet. He would like to have a pair of scissors and cut his hair- he flung the mass back-cut his filthy hair right back to half an inch. He would like to have a bath, a proper wallow with soap. He passed his tongue experimentally over his teeth and decided that a toothbrush would come in handy. Then there were his nails-”.(109) Ralph,unlike the rest of them, cares for the small details. He is the only one that is thinking of his personal hygiene,like a normal human,while the rest like being filthy and acting like little children. “But we must keep the fire burning. The fire’s the most important thing on the island,because,because-’ He paused again and the silence became full of doubt and wonder.Piggy whispered urgently.’Rescue.’ ’Oh yes. Without the fire we can’t be rescued. So we must stay by the fire and make smoke.’When he stopped no one said anything. After the many brilliant speeches that had been made on this very spot Ralph’s remark seemed lame, even to the littluns.”(142) Ralph started out as a good leader. He could give speeches that would convince you of anything. He made good points and used good wording,but as he stayed longer on the island, he stopped caring about the fire because there were no adults there and he could be a kid once
There is an unknown perfect science to being a leader. Some say that this is something you can attain over time with training or guidance, and others say it's a talent you must be born with. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, one of the main characters Ralph, is elected the leader. The reason he is elected the leader isn't boldly laid out for the reader, but what is noticed, is that Ralph carries the true essence of a leader. Ralph can be seen as a great leader by the way he has everyone's best interest in mind, by the way he sets certain rules to maintain a civil society, and how he calls assemblies to address the issues that he has become most concerned with.
Society is based off of hierarchy which is the basis for the change people have in society. Sometimes it’s good and other times…. Well it’s not so good. In most respects, leadership defines the outcome of a certain society. A good leader with good intentions, leading society in good directions is bound to be beneficial and maintain an ethos that will carry with them for the rest of their lives. But then there are others that are too ignorant and become less and less what they had hoped to be. Lord of the flies by William Golding is a great example of this. Golding argues that where there is a gain in power with bad leadership, that there is a loss of identity. In Lord of the Flies, A few boys arrive on a plane after it had crashed because of a war that was taken place at the time of the plane crashing. The basic synopsis is that they are trying to be rescued. The boys recollect after being separated. There are no adults on the island either. During the period they were on the island, Lots of the boys had changed. Particularly Jack… He is a choir boy who wanted to be leader. His drastic change from choir boy to savage sets the stage for loss of identity. Rogers’s morals to his change in identity are drastic when he throws rocks at the littleuns. Finally we have Percival who’s Innocence and lack of understanding in the cruel world is destroying him mentally.
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.
The idea is that if you have a ruler who is not successful, the society will fall into chaos. "If there be no power erected, or not great enough for our security's, every man will and may lawfully rely on his own strength and art for caution against all other men” (Leviathan). Lord of the Flies presents this by showing how the community that Ralph forms with the conch able to maintain order and balance at first. Soon after the conch begins to lose power over the boys and Jack sees this as a chance to exploit how badly Ralph rules, using these exploits he runs off to form his own group where he is the leader. After saying this he runs off to form his own community where the only job is to hunt. In the end Ralph’s community fell apart and when everyone was separated the conch no longer had control over them. “‘Call an assembly?’ Ralph laughed sharply as he said the word and Piggy frowned” (156). The fact that Ralph laughs at the idea of calling an assembly proves that even he believes that he can is not the leader anymore and that the conch no longer has its original power. With Ralph not having power anymore Jack now controls all the boys and no one follows Ralph’s rules anymore. Jack taking over the position of ruler because he thought Ralph’s method of
For centuries, humans have tried to identify the personality traits that should belong to a successful leader. When Niccolo Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 1532, he addressed this issue. William Golding did the same in Lord of the Flies by illustrating Jack and Ralph’s grapple for power over the boys on the island. Jack’s generally violent and cruel disposition, as well as his lack of concern for the other boys and the island itself, makes it seem strange when he becomes chief. However, in Lord of the Flies, Machiavellian teachings can be used to explain Jack’s personality and rise to leadership on the island, as well as his creation of a totalitarian government.
Vacant and windswept, the island sees various displays of leadership as the marooned boys attempt to create a civilization. Predictably, the boys began setting up their own form of government as soon as possible; humanity has an essential need for civilization. Two characters in particular exhibit instances of leadership while constructing a state and after. For example, Jack is controlling and does not consider the opinions of others; the boy is a paradigm autocratic leader. When starting his own tribe, Jack pronounces, “I’m going to be chief” (Golding 133), and doesn’t care what the others have to say. In contrast, Ralph promotes voting from the start, and continues to be a democratic leader until society falls apart. Even though Ralph seems
A good leader is someone that can take responsibility, and be in charge of who they are leading; this doesn’t mean that these ideas have to be right and moral. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, some critics argue that Jack is a better leader than Ralph, while others believe that Ralph has the upper hand on leading over Jack. Even though many readers feel that Ralph is the best leader, it is clearly shown through evidence that Jack is the more superior leader.
Leadership is required in order for a group to succeed. In the book, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a group of British boys are left stranded on a tropical island. They are faced with many difficulties as the young boys must discover a way to survive until they are rescued. The boys quickly forget about social norms and disregard rules that their parents have taught them. Then a charismatic boy named, Ralph, is elected leader of the group and rules with a conch shell that he uses to call meetings. However, this presents a problem as the choirboys already have a leader named Jack. Jack feels as if he is more qualified to be leader and ultimately, Jack splits from Ralph's group. The two groups quarrel throughout the novel, but Ralph is
Throughout the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding creates his stance on fascist leadership and how it can negatively affect others who are inferior to their leader. Jack Merridew is a teenage boy who had been a leader of a school choir when the plane crashed down on the island. This left many teenage boys stranded without adult supervision during the bombings of World War II. After a few days, all of the boys spread out on the island meet up for the very first time. The meeting is signalled by a conch shell and during this meeting, they all vote for a leader. The majority of the boys vote for his peer Ralph, a good looking boy of similar age but has clear better leadership skills than Jack. Throughout the book, Jack tries to gain power
Since Ralph was leader of over a dozen boys, he had a lot of responsibilities which was to make sure certain tasks were carried out and follow certain rules and he provided shelter for everyone. To explain, “Ralph! Ralph! Let him be chief with the trumpet thing” (Golding, 22). Ralph was chosen to be the leader of the group of boys. Being the leader means giving everyone, or a group of people certain responsibilities or tasks to handle, make and set rules, make and provide shelter and hold meetings to assign new responsibilities and tasks to do, and go over important things to help them get rescued. In essence, Ralph is what made the society of boys stay sane and help them or find hope for surviving and getting
What is the reasoning behind him doing this? Probably for his want to get off the island. Ralph thinks he is able to help himself and the other boys find a way to get themselves a temporary shelter until they are able to get rescued. In one of the first scenes, the boys have a vote deciding who will be leader (chief), Ralph or Jack Merridew. Ralph says “who wants me?” “Every hand outside the choir’s except Piggy’s was raised immediately. Then piggy too raised his hand grudgingly into the air” (Golding 15). Ralph was chosen as chief because he had the conch and the conch signifies that. The boys think the conch is almighty power and whoever has is the key man. Leadership is also seen in Ralph when the boys hunt for the beast. Knowing he is leader, he has to have courage but, is scared. “He pushed on, staggering sometimes with his weariness but never stopping ... He found his legs were weak and his tongue gave him pain all the time” (Golding 130). Ralph is taking one for the team and actually going in for the kill. Again you see Leadership in Ralph during their rescue when he tells the officer he is boss and makes the decisions for the whole group. “Whos boss here?” “I am.” (Golding 182). Ralph has excellent leadership skills but, they don’t come so much in handy during the moments that clearly demonstrate his
Leadership; Leadership is a manner of persuasion in which rulers prompt others to shadow his or her objectives or intentions. In order to be a great leader one must possess certain attributes and qualities. Throughout the course of the novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, Simon, Ralph, Piggy, and Jack all exhibit certain attributes of a leader as the story progresses. Each of the characters morals affects their actions and behaviors. Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development classifies people into three diverse levels of moral reasoning with two sub stages. Golding incorporates Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development
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.
In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, there are many leadership traits shown by two of the main characters, Jack and Ralph. Although they both have a role as some type of leader, they are not the same and have very different leadership views and styles. Ralph wants to do everything he can so that they can survive on the island, but Jack goes crazy and becomes a savage with a thirst for blood.
There are always people who, in a group, come out with better qualities to be a leader than others. The strongest people however, become the greater influences which the others decide to follow. However, sometimes the strongest person is not the best choice. Authors often show how humans select this stronger person to give an understanding of the different powers that people can posses over others.