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Comparing jack and ralph from lord of the flies
Critical analysis of William Golding's Lord of the Flies
Ralphs point of view in lord of the flies
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According to Sir William Golding, in the Lord of the Flies, Ralph should be the superior leader of the other boys because in his old English life, parents are the rulers of their lives and the most parental on the island would be Ralph. Ralph shows that he’s the best fit leader when all the boys go and explore the “castle”, because they believe that's where the beast is, “Something deep in Ralph spoke for him. ‘I'm chief. I'll go. Don't argue’” (Golding, 104). Ralph’s a great leader in this situation since he believes that it's his responsibility to go alone and look for the beast, since he’s chief. Therefore Ralph has bravery, and bravery is a trait for a leader since a person with it is not afraid to take risks for a greater reward. Ralph’s proving he has …show more content…
Ralph also gets bossy about the fire since he wants it to stay lit, so to keep it lit he bosses the boys around to get wood and keep the fire going. This leads to prove that Ralph has grit since he never gave up on the fire since he knew he needed it to have a chance of getting off of the island. Ralph’s posses a form of bossy grit in this situation, and he does since he doesn't want to give up till he gets what he wants. Lastly, Piggy shows that Ralph is the best leader when he says “‘Which is better –to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is?’” to the boys in Jack's tribe (164). By saying this Piggy’s telling the boys that Ralph’s mature and knowledgeable, unlike the other boys who are immature savages. Therefore saying Jack should have never become a leader since he became so much of a savage to the extent where he even went as far as to killing Simon and Piggy. Finally, Ralph is the superior leader on the island since he possesses all the qualities of a well rounded leader, unlike the savage
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 of keeping 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 as an authority figure.
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.
At the beginning, clearly Ralph feels that Jack is an ally, a companion; not a rival for leadership, "Ralph found himself alone on a limb with Jack and they grinned at each other ... that strange invisible light of friendship". The chosen leader of the group, Ralph tried to lead the stranded boys into some kind of order. The authority of Jack and the sensibility of Piggy easily sway him. When Ralph first meets Piggy, he sees him as a lower person who should be ridiculed. He starts off by asking for his name and he is told that people used to make fun of
Throughout the story, Ralph remains constant. This means that he does not evolve as the other boys do, for he tries to keep order and maintain traditions and habits of England. He believes that they “’ought to have a chief to decide things.’” (15) He views this situation as just a bridge they have to cross, and in order to cross it, organization needs to be put into place by a leader. Ralph is organized and responsible, but he thinks that all the other boys think believe in his way of thinking. “Several boys in the group emerge as leaders. Ralph is a smart, handsome boy with a good grasp of morality. Jack is another potential leader but one who prefers fun and excitement over societal ethics” ("Lord of the Flies."). The other boys originally follow what is familiar, which is represented by Ralph, “’him with the shell,’” (15). However, they eventually fall under Jack’s leadership when they see that he is having more fun. Ralph does not evolve as Jack does, for he still cares for other human beings and maintains the same values he used to possess. The reader sees clear evidence of this when Ralph tells Piggy, “’That was murder.’” (139) Ralph is the only child who is willing to admit they just brutally murdered one of their friends. However, Ralph maintains his responsible trait throughout the whole novel, for when the officer states, “’who’s boss here?’” Ralph replies, “’I am,’”
In the book Lord of the Flies, there is a major conflict in who should and who does have the leadership role. Jack and Ralph the two main characters have a constant fight at who is the leader which in turn causes major problems for them and the other kids survival. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the main character, Ralph’s leadership qualities at the beginning of the book are created by the symbolism of the conch shell which indirectly gave him the leadership role throughout the book and in the end once the conch lost its power, it’s dignity, and it’s sign of peace, hope, and freedom, Ralph did too.
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. He carries this position until Jack and his fellow hunters break away from the group. Ralph makes it his job to set out the rules to organize a society. Ralph always thinks of what is best for everyone and how they will all benefit from his decisions. 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.
In Lord of the Flies, Ralph is elected chief of the island and symbolizes a democratic, fair leader. Ralph wants what is best for all the children on the island and sets up goals that will lead to long term success. Ralph becomes a person that the other children on the island look up to. Ralph’s role on the island symbolizes a popular and liked democratic leader who wants the best for the society they are leading. For example, Ralph recognizes that they, “want to have fun,” but also that they “want to be rescued” (Golding 37). Although Ralph is a popularly elected leader, his contrast Jack challenges his methods of leadership. Jack is “the boy who controlled [them]” (Golding 19). Jack becomes captivated with leading the choir boys to hunt a pig, especially after his first encounter when he misses his opportunity to kill the pig but, he promises that, “next time there would be no mercy” (Golding 31). As the protagonist, Ralph is the representative of productivity and long-term success. Jack represents savagery and violence among the boys on the island. Both demonstrate a struggle to become the most powerful leader in their newfound world. Throughout the novel, Jack’s tendency toward hunting and killing took precedence to Ralph’s goal of helping others long-term. To Jack power is all he cares about, “... his mind was crowded with memories; memories of knowledge that come to [the boys]
In the novel, Lord of the Flies, there’s a plane crash which leaves a group of young boys stranded on a deserted island. There’s a continous pattern of leadership versus rebellion, following the rules and anarchy, life and death. The few main characters we know the names of here are Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, Roger, Sam, Eric, Johnny, Bill, Maurice, and the Lord of the Flies himself. The book is a rollercoaster of fighting to get off of this island whether you’re dead or alive.
People are privileged to live in an advanced stage of development known as civilization. In a civilization, one’s life is bound by rules that are meant to tame its savage natures. A humans possesses better qualities because the laws that we must follow instill order and stability within society. This observation, made by William Golding, dictates itself as one of the most important themes of Lord of the Flies. The novel demonstrates the great need for civilization ion in life because without it, people revert back to animalistic natures.
Everyone is held up by God’s hand over an abyss that falls straight into hell; they all deserve to fall in. God is furious at the people that have done wrong, but God made a promise to Mankind that he would hold them up. Hell is waiting for God to give up on Mankind and drop them in, so Hell can devour Mankind in a fiery hellhole. God is becoming more and more enraged at Mankind and is now considering if he should give up on Mankind and just let them fall into the darkness that is about to consume them. The evil within a person is what is bringing him/her down towards hell, until he/she sinks to the point of no return. Similar to a boat that has a leak, the small leak is slowly weighing the boat down. As more water leaks into the boat the
Depending on the point of view of the reader, William Golding has opinions on man and
From the beginning of the book, Ralph is assumed leader once he blows the conch. Once Ralph begins his new found leadership, he learns quickly that he must be a polite leader. For example, when Ralph decides that a fire would be beneficial to the group, he first takes Piggy’s glasses, but later in the
“Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.” (Golding 202). This quote found in the Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding is one of the reasons why the Nobel Literature Prize was awarded to him in 1983. He won the Nobel prize for not only writing many successful selling books, such as, Lord of the Flies and Rites of Passage, but in the words of the Nobel committee, he won because “for his novels which, with the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality of myth, illuminate the human condition in the world of today". In simpler terms, this quote is saying that his books showed human nature in terms where it is very
Ralph is a take charge kind of guy (20-21) and I find him to be very suitable for the leadership role bestowed upon him (22). Ralph applies logical thinking to situation to try and keep all the boys on the island alive. He thinks about the necessities for survival, just like any good leader. “‘So you see,’ said Ralph ’we need hunters to get us meat’” (33). One very admirable thing about Ralph is how he tries to be a peacemaker with the other boys and make sure everyone is pleased, to a certain extent. “Even the choir applauded; and the freckles on Jack’s face disappeared, under a blush of mortification… ‘The choir belongs to Jack of course’” (23) Throughout the book, we see Ralph trying to resist temptations on the island. Ralph also keeps everyone on the island on task, when he is in charge, and makes sure they have everything they need to survive. “Stay here? And be cramped into this bit of island, always on the lookout? How should we get our food? And what about the fire?” (101). As the story goes on, not only do we see Ralph lose his cool and go dark at times, but, we see him getting very attached to his power. “Something deep in Ralph spoke for him, ‘I’m the chief. I’ll go. Don’t argue!’” (104). As the novel progresses, we are able to see Ralph slowly drifting away from his previous good and civil state and into a darker realm of his mind. While it is obvious Ralph would like to
A leader is someone who has the ability to take control of a group. In the book “Lord of the flies” by William Golding, Ralph displays many qualities of what you would call a good leader. Ralph took the step forward to guide, manage, and provide assistance to all the boys on the island. As soon as they arrived on the island Ralph, above all the others sought to get a community going and set up a camp to be able to survive, knowing that help might not be coming for a while. In the following paragraphs I will express my opinion on how Ralph is a good leader for the boys, and how he will continue to lead them through the tough times they are having.