Victor Huang D Block 12/4/14 Mr.Lee In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding a plane with a group of schoolboys crash lands on an island that has no signs of civilization meaning no rules. With no adults and rules to control them there is no reason to behave nicely. The sensible boy, Ralph, finds a conch on the beach and uses it to summon all of the remaining survivors. When they all gather he tells them that they need to form a community based on cooperation. Everyone would have a task to do and would do work to get them saved. But as time goes on this orderly system disappears as they get more irrational and self absorbed. Jack, the dominator finds that hunting for meat is more fun and useful than making a community, he also fails …show more content…
to keep his promise to maintain the signal fire. The signal fire was a sign of the boy’s hope of rescue, but it gradually withers away. It is not long before the nature of man takes over and the boys are forced into two different groups, the savage hunters and the remanence of a neat society. John Locke’s idea on the Native State of Man is proven wrong because of the way the boys behave on the island. Therefore Thomas Hobbes philosophy of Man’s Native state is emphasized more in the book Lord of the Flies. Soon after crash landing the boys form an assembly where they must decide on who they should pick as leader to rule them, this leads into Thomas Hobbes idea of two parties being unable to exist if they want the same thing unless one of them is forced to stop wanting it.
He expresses this idea when he writes, "two men [desiring] the same thing, which nevertheless they cannot both enjoy, they become enemies... endeavour to destroy and subdue one another" (Leviathan). We can see this in the book when Ralph believes that he should be picked as leader because he has the conch but Jack quickly disagrees saying, "’I ought to be chief because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp’” (Golding 22). This disagreement is directly related to Thomas Hobbes philosophy because it shows how there cannot be cooperation if they want the same role. Even though Jack and Ralph do not become enemies at this time, they still have different views on how to rule and a desire to rule all the boys. This battle between Ralph and Jack will eventually lead to Jack wanting to leave Ralph’s group to make his own which is why Jack says, “‘I’m not going to play any longer. Not with you.’” (127) By saying this Jack shows how Thomas Hobbes’s idea of two people wanting the same goal creates an inability to coexist is true in the Lord of the …show more content…
Flies. The boys finish their assembly by agreeing on Ralph becoming leader, with Ralph as leader he decides to build a community based on rules to help them get rescued, which is directly linked to Hobbes’s idea of a leader.
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
ruling was a bad one shows Hobbes’s theory of anyone being able to rely on their own power to become a leader in the Lord of the Flies I A recurring idea in The Lord of the Flies is the idea of resorting to violence because it is the only answer to settle something which links into Hobbes’s idea of disposing of one’s threats if necessary. Hobbes’s writes, "By force, or wiles, to master the persons of all men he can so long till he see no other power great enough to endanger him" (Leviathan). Hobbes’s believes that if this situation were ever to occur the smartest and strongest people will stop those who are in the way with fastest way possible for no reason other than their existence causing a potential threat. The Lord of the Flies shows this by having Jack become leader and trying to constantly destroy Ralph’s remaining community because he thinks that there is still a chance that Ralph could be re elected as leader again. The book shows us this when Ralph realizes that “They had smoked him out and set the island on fire.” (197). Jack’s need to kill Ralph pushed him so far that he would burn the entire island just so he could make sure he could have no one interfering with his plan to be a permanent leader. This action represents Hobbes idea of killing people that pose as threats to them. Although some claim the John Locke's philosophy of man being naturally good is correct because the boys decide to build a orderly community at first they are incorrect because it eventually falls apart making Hobbes’s philosophy on man being evil more correct. John Locke wrote that, “all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions” (Second Treatise). We can see this theory to be true in the beginning when the boys form a community, giving up their freedom to Ralph, the leader. Soon Jack begins to dislike the way Ralph rules and says“‘I’m going off by myself...Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too’”(127). Jack forms his own group that is constantly threatening Ralph’s group’s right to life. This disproves John Locke’s theory of natural rights being protected in exchange for freedom. In the Lord of the Flies Thomas Hobbes’s theory on man’s Native State is more correct. The reasons mentioned above prove that Thomas Hobbes’s theory on Man’s Native State is the Lord of the Flies. The way the boys behave on the island with out any rules
The conch shell changes color do to the fact that the group is not as united throught the whole book. At the beginning the conch was bright and powerful because it lead them but as the group started to separate the conch lost its power.(page78)
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.
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel about human nature and the functions of society. One of the main characters in this novel is Ralph, who is chosen to be the leader of a group of boys. He assigns tasks to the boys and tries to keep them accountable for it. However, the boys begin to slack because they can no longer see the point of these tasks and rules. As a result of the constant slacking the boys soon turned into savages. Ralph’s struggle to maintain order amongst the boys shows how without rules it is human nature to descend into savagery due to the avoidance of authority.
At the opening of the novel, Ralph and Jack get on extremely well. We are informed Jack, “shared his burden,” and there was an, “invisible light of friendship,” between the two boys. Jack changes considerably throughout this novel. At first he tells us, “I agree with Ralph we’ve got to have rules and obey them,” This shows us that at the beginning of the novel, just like Ralph, he wants to uphold a civilised society. We are also notified, “Most powerfully there was the conch.” As the conch represents democracy we can see that at the beginning of the novel the boys sustain a powerful democratic society.
When Ralph and Jack placed their own personal needs of being in control of the other boys, order on the island broke down. Ralph stated that he was chief and as long as he was voted chief, the boys would do as they were told to, as stated in the chapter, The Beast from the Water, ‘You voted me for chief. Now you do as I say’ (81). This quotation incorporates the fact that Ralph has grown aware of the fact that he has the power to make decisions that affect the rest of the boys deeply and that he has the top power on the island at that point. Becoming chief was not necessarily a personal need for Ralph at first, but as events occur, he became aware of the fact that he has ultimate authority and will do make sure the boys complete their tasks in order sustain order, even if it meant disciplining them. When Ralph held the meeting by the beach at night in chapter five, chaos ensued as a result of his personal need of being...
Golding uses the conch shell, which Ralph and Piggy find, to demonstrate a source of leadership and order within the civilization. As the conch becomes a source of authority and assembly, it “becomes no less than the basic challenge to the Tribe to choose between democracy and anarchy, civilization and savagery” (Gregor). As order decreases within the civilization the boys are forced to choose between Ralph, who symbolizes order, and Jack, who symbolizes savagery and chaos. The boys quickly join forces with Jack, which is their first step of their decline into savagery. One of their final falls into savagery was when Roger rolled the boulder into Piggy and “the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 181). By the conch breaking, order on the island was completely gone and the physical violence began to increase as chaos started to occur. In Kathleen Woodward’s article, “On Aggression: William Golding’s Lord of the Flies,” Woodward says that “children require strict supervision and constant discipline, for without these, they pose a serious threat to the adult world” (Woodward). As the rules for the adult world were made to keep order so were the rules and tasks that Ralph had assigned. Rules are cru...
Ralph shows that he has a better understanding of the boys than Jack. He knows that the boys need some sort of order on the island in order for them to survive. He starts a simple form of government and sets a few rules for them. Even though they don’t last very long, the fact that he tried to help the group is what makes him a better leader. Ralph’s wisdom and ability to look toward the future also has an advantage over Jack. He has a sense to keep his focus on getting off the island. When the fire goes out, Ralph gets upset because the chance to be rescued was gone as well. Ralph enforces his role of leadership as he gives the boys a sense of stability of an authority figure. He keeps the boys in pretty good order at the meeting by making a rule that they can only speak if they have the conch. Ralph knows that the littleuns are afraid and they need shelter to feel more secure. They work together for a while, but as the time goes on the smaller boys want to go play. They slowly lose all their help until Simon and Ralph are the only ones left to work on them. Ralph knows that this is a necessity and keeps bringing it up at the meetings. Jack, on the other hand, is doing nothing but causing chaos.
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.
At the meetings, a sense of order is instilled because the boys are not allowed to speak unless they have the conch. He knows that the boys “can’t have everybody talking at once.” (31) This is something that Ralph establishes very early in the novel in order to avoid chaos and remain civilized. So to make communication during a meeting easier he announces that they will “have to have ‘Hands up’ like at school” which he will follow up with handing the person the conch. (31) Ralph is able to keep the boys under control by holding meetings. Ralph doesn’t fear about others acknowledging his leadership in the same way as Jack. While Jack continuously strikes fear in others to keep his power, Ralph only confrontates when someone is going against what is good for the community. One such example is when the fire goes out and Piggy calls Jack out on failing to tend to the fire, Jack becomes enraged and punches Piggy and breaks his glasses. When this happens, Ralph stands up and scolds Jack for his behaviour, and later, his apology, saying that it was “a dirty trick.” (76) After Jack leaves their group and war breaks out, Jack attacks Piggy and takes his glasses. Ralph goes up to Jack and offers him that they both could have used Piggy’s glasses for fire. Ralph still attempts to take responsibility for everyone and is still trying to get everyone rescued. He attempts to sort out this problem with Jack by negotiating in a civilized manner rather than resorting to savage violence. Only Ralph and Piggy know the need for rescue. Ralph struggles to keep a shaky peace and prevent violence. His meeting with the Lord of the Flies teaches him about the darkness in a human’s heart, which he finally comes to understand when he is rescued by a naval
Under Jack's rule, the boys become uncivilized savages. They have no discipline. Ralph, however, keeps the boys under order through the meetings which he holds. At these meetings a sense of order is instilled because the boys have to wait until they hold the conch to speak. When Ralph says, "I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he's speaking." (Golding 36) he enforces his role of leader by making rules and gives the boys the stability of an authority figure, mainly himself. By doing this he wins the boys respect and confidence in his leadership abilities. Ralph uses his authority to try to improve the boys' society. By building shelters he demonstrates his knowledge of the boys' needs. When he says to Jack, "They talk and scream. The littluns.
He tries to keep a democracy, but Jack's aggressive nature does not allow it to last very long. Ralph is probably the most likable person in the book, because of his good nature and his handsome looks, "His size and attractive appearance". Ralph means "counsel" in the Anglo- Saxon language, and he's the one who calls all the meetings by blowing the conch, and he's chosen as the leader. The conch is seen as a powerful symbol, and he holds it. Ralph does not specialize in any area of human behaviour, except maybe for having common sense (building shelters, climbing the mountain to see if it is an island) and Jack can be seen as his opposite.
As the story opens, the boys are stranded on the island without any type of authority and must fend for themselves. A meeting is held and the chief, Ralph, is quickly named. A reader at once can notice there is already a power struggle between Jack and Ralph but this is overlooked when Jack says rational and sensible remarks about what should be done. The stability of civilization is still apparent when Jack says, “I agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things,” (Golding 42). The boys are still influenced by the restraints they learned from a controlled society. Joseph Conrad asserts that “there exists a certain ‘darkness of man’s heart’ that is suppressed by the light of civilization” (Introduction to Lord of the Flies 2). “Although Golding suggests the harmony of an ideal society, he does not indicate any faith in its creation” (Kennard 234). The more meetings that are held the more futile they become. “ ’We have lots of assemblies. Everybody enjoys speaking and being together. We decide things. But they don’t get done,’ ” (Golding 79). The boys realize that there are no punishments for what they do and disregard their priorities. “The idea that the absence of the restraints of civilization can lead to a subversion towards savagery” (Introduction to Lord of the Flies 2). The makeshift society that the boys have created is already starting to weaken.
While the boys are under Jack's control, they quickly went back into how they started when they first got there. However, Ralph was able to keep the boys under control by holding meetings. At the meetings, a sense of order is instilled because the boys are not allowed to speak unless they have the conch shell. "I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he's speaking." (p. 31) By making this rule, he gains respect from the boys and becomes for confident as a leader. Ralph uses his power to tries to make the boys better people. He shows his by building them shelters. "They talk and scream. The littuns. Even some of the others." (p. 53) Ralph is saying that the boys need the shelters because they are afraid and the shelters will help the boys feel more secure. This shows he has better knowledge of people making him a better leader than Jack who does not understand this. Jack does not realize that the boys need to feel secure and need someone in control.
The conch is gone,” to Ralph, explaining his position on being a leader. Unfortunately, his ideas only bring harm to his peers, a deep hopelessness that cannot be escaped amongst his rein. There is no order. There is no hope. Jack is a sadistic