The Chocolate War Essay

"Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is
defined by results not attributes" (Drucker). The novel The Chocolate War by Robert
Cormier is about these boys at a private school that are part of a secret group that is
totally off the radar. Archie is the leader of this group and is not necessarily liked by
everyone. He is pretty bossy and he has a sort of unorthodox way of running things;
however, he always finds a way of getting things done. Archie and I are similar because
we are leaders, logical, and are social.
In the novel The Chocolate War, Archie, one of the main characters, is a leader.
He is a very bossy leader but he always finds a way to get the job done. He is physically
a leader because he is

the leader of the secret group at the school called the Vigils. In
chapter 5 Archie is intimidating Goober but that is just his way of being a leader.

While
they are talking about Goober’s mission he tells Archie, “‘Yes, yes sir.’ Swallow”
(Cormier 33). I am not a bossy leader like Archie but I am still a leader. I am an
upperclassmen this year on the baseball team so I feel like I need to help the younger
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guys and get them motivated to do their best to help the team. I have been used to just
following but now I feel like it is my turn to lead.
Another trait that Archie and I share is being logical. To be able to set up and run
the secret group called the vigils would be pretty tough. Archie had to think everything
through to make sure it all goes as planned. He would have needed to make up the
rules, make backup plans, and recruit those that he trusted. Just finding the right people
would be pretty difficult and would take tons of thought. I have never set up a secret
group myself I am still a logical person. I like math and it is pretty easy but it takes a lot
of thinking and it forces you to use your brain a lot more. I can also think things through
and decide what is the best option even if I don’t always choose the best option.
Archie and I are both social as well. Archie talks to every single person at

their
school. He isn’t scared of anyone and will say anything he wants too. Archie has to be
social though because he is the leader of their secret group so it is just second nature
for him to be social. He knows where to find anyone because he has his connections
with the faculty and is in charge of some of them. I am not social because I need to be
like it is my job or anything but I still am. I am not afraid to talk to anyone but it isn’t my
favorite thing in the world to meet new people. I work better in groups and it is easy for
me to talk to new people for the most part.
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Archie and I are very different but we have some similarities as we are both
leaders, logical and social. Archie is a bossy leader and likes to tell people what to do
while I am a leader by my actions on the field. I am more logical in school and Archie
uses his logic to help him lead. He is also social because he is so bossy but I am social
because I don’t mind talking to people. This book was kinda confusing but when you
connect with the characters it makes a lot more sense and helps you remember.