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. Right from the start it is seen how level-headed Ralph is. There are many things he does throughout just the first five chapters that can be seen as how he genuinely cares for the others on the island. He sets rules in regards for the safety of his peers. Ralph …show more content…
says, “We ought to have more rules.” (Golding 49). This is during the scene where chaos begins to arise on top of the mountain, and in better interest of his people he decides that he needs to reinforce the idea of rules. Ralph wants to keep everyone safe, and that's a larger part of why he is such a great leader. To be a good leader you must be able to direct your people, to be a great leader you must care about the people you lead, and Ralph's actions comply with that statement. Ralph not only sets rules because he has best interest at mind for his peers, he also sets rules because that is what a good leader does. People, especially adolescent ones, need direction. They need reinforcement to maintain a civil society so that it doesn't deteriorate on them. Ralph recognizes this necessity and addresses it right away by applying one of his first rules. He begins by saying, “And another thing. We can't have everybody talking at once. We'll have to have 'Hands up' like at school.” (Golding 37). Ralph then incorporates the rule of the conch shell by saying, “Then I'll give him the conch...I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he's speaking.” (Golding 37). It's Ralph's implementation of rules like these that hold together their society. The fact that Ralph was quick to realize rules are what they needed, shows how great of a leader he really is. The most outstanding factor that gives Ralph the image of a strong leader is the way he addresses problems. In chapter five it's seen how determined he his to address and fix issues he's most concerned with. He calls an assembly right away, not caring about the time of day, just knowing one needed to be called. He collects his thoughts briefly before, to ensure he gets all of his points across directly. By this method it's seen how he has good strategy when talking to his people. At this meeting he addresses five problems he believes are the most important to their situation. He addresses one of the most important issues, the fire. “The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don't keep a fire going? Is a fire too much for us to make?” (Golding 94). In this instance, Ralph is desperately trying to convey to his people the most important things that hold them together, and the things that give them the best opportunity for rescue. Being concerned with issues like these and addressing them is what makes Ralph a good leader. One might say that Jack has more leadership qualities than Ralph does, and that he is better at directing people and making them do as he says.
Hostile demand is not what makes a great leader. Jack doesn't understand priority, and it's seen in chapter four after a ship passes the island and there is no fire to create smoke as a signal. Ralph says, “You let the fire go out.” (Golding 80). Jack's unprioritized guilty mind is noticed here in this quote, “He flushed, conscious of a fault. "The fire's only been out an hour or two. We can light up again--" He noticed Ralph's scarred nakedness, and the sombre silence of all four of them” (Golding 81). This is why it's unreasonable to say that Jack would be a better leader. He is unable to prioritize the needs of their society and of his peers because he doesn't fully understand what it means to be a leader and look at the bigger picture. Jack is the definition of chaos, and with him as a leader, the society would deteriorate quickly without the proper structure that Ralph
implements. Many of the things that are required of a great leader, Ralph has. He very effectively establishes rules to create a more stable society, he assembles his people to address issues, and he does all of these good things simply because he cares for his peers and fears chaos and deterioration of their civil society. These are the qualities that make Ralph a good leader.
Eventually, due to Ralph’s and Jack’s abilities of being a leader, it has conducted a failure on society. According to Drucker, leadership should not be imprudent, but taken solemnly. Being a leader is tough; you face many challenges as you go through your way to success. With that being said, leadership depends on integrity and can result as a success and failure. Lastly, facing society with major conflicts can trigger your anger and stress, but if you do not listen to the voices of your group or be as unite, that concludes the end of society.
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.
Ralph gives everyone on the island equal rights and freedoms. Ralph makes everyone feel worthy but Jack makes almost everyone feel useless. Firstly, Ralph lets everyone on the island have a say. They can express their opinion or idea as long as they have the conch. “ I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak,” (Golding 31) says Ralph during an assembly. He is giving everyone an equal chance to talk. On the other hand, Jack just wants the “important” people to talk. Jack says to piggy, ” Who cares about what you believe-fatty,” (97). This shows that Jack doesn’t want Piggy to talk and that is not fair. Nextly, Ralph also assigns everyone equal work and does a lot of work himself. Ralph builds the huts with Simon and he also assigned different people times to watch the fire. Ralph is also very caring towards the lilun’s. He gives them positive motivation towards getting rescued while Jack just ignores them. Therefore, Ralph makes everyone feel worthy by listening to their opinions and assigning equal work among the boys unlike Jack.
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.
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
The author, William Golding uses the main characters of Ralph, Jack, and Simon in The Lord of the Flies to portray how their desire for leadership, combined with lack of compromise leads to the fall of their society. This desire for leadership and compromise led to the fall of their society just like multiple countries during times of wars.
The classic novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding is an exciting adventure deep into the nether regions of the mind. The part of the brain that is suppressed by the mundane tasks of modern society. It is a struggle between Ralph and Jack, the boys and the Beast, good and evil.
Ralph, the leader of the boys throughout most of Golding’s novel, sets up a prime example of what benevolence a human being can have; however, this is a result of the conditioning that he endured, not as a quality he was born with. In Fire on the Mountain, the boys are discussing the courses of action that need to be taken to ensure the group’s survival. During this time, Ralph proposes that “[the boys] must make a fire [so they] can help [ships] find them” (38). The mere action of Ralph considering building a fire to get the boys rescued is one that defies any trace of evil. Moreover, the fact that this action is not only benefiting him, but rather the entire group, portrays some sort of empathetic side of Ralph as opposed to the narcissist side that Golding would attempt to show if Ralph were to be evil. The reason why Ralph has not turned into a conceited individual would be a result of his training from the neutral “state of nature.” Before arriving on the island, it is probable that Ralph’s life was controlled by his parents’ rules over right and wrong. Because he cannot differentiate the two, he was unknowingly conditioned to perform good deeds instead of bad. Thus, when Ralph suggests to build a fire, he does not know that he is performing an amiable action because it is part of his regular routine. Ralph was born into a neutr...
Throughout the novel, Ralph has a strong understanding of himself. He knows that being chief comes with great responsibilities that as a leader he must fulfill. Ralph handles himself well through thick and thin as he sticks to goal of being rescued and having a fire constantly going. Ralph knows that they need a fire going at all times if they ever wanted to be rescued. In chapter 2, Jack takes some boys to go hunting against Ralph’s orders to make a signal. Despite the ignorance of Jack, Ralph does not show weakness as he says, “A fire! Make a fire!” (Golding 37). As a hero and a leader, Ralph must not show weakness to keep order. By staying to his orders of a fire, it shows to all the other boys that by doing as Jack did, it will not affect the way Ralph runs the island. The composure Ralph possesses is only one of the many qualities of leadership that is exhibited throughout Lord of the Flies.
In the beginning of the novel, Ralph, is a pure child, who is “turning handsprings of joy upon finding an island free of adult supervision” (Oldsey 3). He is a typical boy with average capacities and desires for rescue and enjoyment. Therefore, Ralph is the standard representation of order, leadership, and civilization. Hence, after landing on the island, he does what civilization has taught him to do, using diplomatic means and intelligence to create a democratic leadership that will help the boys attain rescue. For instance, Ralph calls for an assembly with the conch, a representation of civilization’s order and rules, which helps him be the “strong conscience, the one to bar against savagery and instill civilization” (Anjum 5). Furthermore, his urge for a fire to be made for rescue, huts for safety, and a division of power to gain all survival necessities are other ways Ralph hoped to further civilize the boys. Therefore, Ralph’s determination to keep civilization in the boys’ life is what makes Ralph the better leader than the power-driven Jack ...
... Ralph has proven to have a much better understanding of people and their needs and this makes him a much better leader than Jack. With Ralph's understanding of the need for order and rules, he improves the condition where the boys are living in. Jack's condition was horrible. Also, Jack treated the boys very badly and like he better. Ralph, on the other hand treated the boys all equally and with respect. Ralph's priority to get off the island shows his wisdom and ability to make good decisions. Although Jack was popular on the island for the short amount of time the boys were there, he would not have been popular for much longer. He does not have any of the qualities that a good leader should have and turned himself and the rest of the boys into complete losers. Jack's plan would have soon faded but if Ralph had become leader, his wisdom would last much longer.
However, this is mainly because of the authoritarian stance on leadership that Jack takes, as opposed to Ralph’s more democratic, warm but firm stance. According to Peter Economy, “The very best leaders are a source of positive energy”. The boys heed Jack’s commands because he’s a force to be reckoned with, not someone they respect. For instance, Jack yells at the choir to raise their hands, and “with dreary obedience” they do so (Golding 23). The boys respond to Jack’s commands, but they do so in fear, afraid of what Jack may do otherwise. On the other hand, you have Ralph, someone who the boys respect on a personal level and as a leader. When Ralph states that the group is going to eventually be rescued, “The simple statement, unbacked by any proof but the weight of Ralph’s new authority, brought light and happiness” (Golding 37). When Ralph makes a statement, the boys feel a sense of comfort emanating from it because they respect him on a personal level. While the boys may respond to Jack’s style of leadership, it may not be as effective as Ralph’s, as when the boys respond to Jack they only do so out of
“If we have a signal going, they’ll come, and take us off. We ought to have rules. Where the conch is that a meeting. The same up here as down there” (golding 42). In Lord of the flies this demonstrate Ralph’s capable of true leadership, because he has the capability to keep society stable compared to Jack’s savages. Making sure that the boys are not up to any mischief. Ralph knows whats it means to have a functional society unlike Jack. Ralph display more initiative as a leader. Ralph is one who assembling the meeting and covering over the flaws in the society, and also using piggy intellectual and agree with piggy ideas towards the island. His commitment helps the boys be on task.
In the novel Lord of the Flies, the author William Golding shows the ideas of how outside forces impact human choices. Golding uses the conflicts in the book to present the ideas
Lord of The Flies, by William Golding, is a novel about a group of British schoolboys who crash on an uninhabited island during the beginning of WWII and have no adults to help their survival. The oldest of the children is at the age of 12 and he is voted the chief of the group. His name is Ralph. Ralph is the first child introduced. He is depicted as a fun loving kid that enjoys life, but also takes things serious. He knows that others are stuck on this abandoned island and decides to find them. To do this he and another child Piggy blow into a conch in order to locate the other missing children. This is a success and leads the other schoolboys down by the beach where Ralph and Piggy are to be found. Jack is also another important character.