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Symbolism essays
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Through out history, leadership has been a very important part in civilization. Leaders help organize others into systems that are beneficial to the whole of society. The group of people, or society, need leaders to help guide them to a better way of living life. Also, even though it may seem strange, leaders need the people in the society. Without people to lead, a leader cannot lead. This can be shown in the novel The Lord of the Flies. The main characters, Jack and Ralph, both are natural leaders but have different ideas of running their society. As the novel progresses the leader changes because the boys choose to follow Jack and abandon Ralph. By observing each of the main characters leadership characteristics, the boys choose the leader …show more content…
He has fair hair, is thin, and seems like the perfect person to be a chief. When Ralph brought all the boys together by blowing into a conch, he showed himself as a leader to the other boys. Also, he reassures the boys that they will be rescued by saying, “My father’s in the Navy. He said there are not any unknown islands left. He says the queen has a big room full of maps and all the islands in the world are drawn there, So the Queen’s got a picture of this island” (Golding 37). Here the reader can infer that Ralph has some leadership because his father is in the navy. Ralph also stays positive throughout the novel. This positivity makes him more friendly and more like a natural leader than Jack. When Ralph states that the boys are not on an unknown island, the boys smile because they have hope that they might be found soon. The characteristics that Ralph shows as chief, are great leadership …show more content…
Piggy’s bad characteristic is being too dependent. Piggy, as the reader knows well, is Ralph’s second in command. Piggy gives his ideas to Ralph, but will not do anything unless is given the “okay” by Ralph. The following quotation is an example of this. “Piggy touched Ralph’s wrist. ‘Come away. There’s going to be trouble. And we’ve had our meat’ ”(Golding 151). Here the reader can see that Piggy is advising Ralph to leave the discussion that Ralph is having with Jack. Ralph does not listen to Piggy, who is the voice of reason. Piggy understands that the discussion will soon lead to a fight and someone will be harmed, but Piggy will not leave if Ralph will not leave. This is a grave mistake because right after their discussion, all of the boys accidentally kill Simon. Piggy, who knew something bad was going to happen, did not leave because he is dependent on Ralph. Another example of his dependency is when Jack takes Piggy’s glasses. Piggy only goes to retrieve his specs if Ralph goes with him. Even though it is good to be sometimes dependent on others, a good leader should mostly rely on his skills and characteristics. They should be mostly independent for others are dependent of
According to Peter Drucker, he claims, “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” Leadership is a commitment that is meant to be kept and done accurately. Leading a group or a society can lead to dreadful obstacles, but it’s your responsibility to have a solution to end. Ralph and Jack as a leader cause a majority of downhill for the boys. Affecting themselves and their surroundings to abruptly fall into pieces. Which lead to a mass destruction of the island, Lord of the Flies. The devastating events on this island lead to the massive chaos of Lord of the Flies, blaming Ralph and Jack for denial, lack of cooperation and inefficient leadership.
There are two different types of leaders: one who is loved by the people while acts responsibly and one who is feared by the people while being respected. These forms of leadership are shown throughout Lord of the Flies with Ralph and Jack. Niccolò Machiavelli uses The Prince to discuss how a leader should act and what leadership style is the most effective. Machiavelli clearly illustrates the types of leaders Ralph and Jack are by providing examples from ancient history.
In contrast to Merridew, Ralph is a character with a much more promising mindset. When he was elected chief, he already knew of the situation they’re in, and said, “ Listen, everybody. I’ve got to have time to things out… if this isn’t an island we might be rescued… we’ve got to decide if this is an island..”(pg23). Based on this quote, Ralph knew what actions he must make if they were to be saved, and this mentality is suited to be an effective leader. He did what every great commander would do, to analyze and seek for a solution towards an apprehensive problem. Furthermore, when the group of boys consternated about the beast, Ralph told them, “ My father’s in the navy… and sooner or later a ship will put in here… we shall be rescued.”(pg37).
Ralph wants to be a good leader and be a good honest leader to his best ability, doing what is best for the entire group, not just the older boys and not just the younger ones. Ralph shows and proves that he cares about everyone's survival and wellbeing rather than just himself or a select few, on multiple occasions unlike Jack. Jack is just very hungry for power and meat, and seeks to be chief so he has power and can lead and do as he pleases. Jack's attitude toward the other boys and the rules reveals him to be self-centered and only concerned with his own plans and
Ralph is a natural born leader and keeps his head pointed in the right direction making sure he and the others will be able to get saved. In a society, Ralph tries his best to keep it together. Piggy knows how to use his full brain to think through any issue, even in the hardest situations. Although Piggy is not a leader, he knows what it takes to be one, and tries his best to keep the society in place, and together. Jack is not able to make decisions with thought, he just aims for control with every decision he makes. In a society, Jack would do anything he can to get control, and if he doesn’t he will tear it apart. In conclusion, “the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or
To begin with, Ralph demonstrates a hero among all the other boys on the island. Physically Ralph has size and age on his side, therefore the boys choose him to become leader of the group. Ralph contains leadership qualities, but he doesn’t need his appearance to prove that. As stated in the novel, “My father’s in the Navy… now respected him” (Golding 29-30). The quote describes how Ralph’s father is in the Navy which coincides with how Ralph pertained the role of a leader. He obtained the qualities from his father who was a Commander as well.
In the book the Lord of the Flies there are two people that lead the group of kids on the island. One of the leaders in the Lord of the Flies is Ralph, Ralph is kind and he thinks of the well being of everyone in his group of people. The other leader in the Lord of the Flies is Jack, Jack is more of a mean leader and he wants to be more powerful and have all of the power for himself. At the beginning of the story Jack and Ralph compete on who will be in charge of the whole group. on page (22) Roger said ¨ Let's have a vote¨, So they decided to have a vote on who should be leader between Jack and Ralph, everyone in the choir voted for Jack because Jack was the leader of the choir and everyone else voted for Ralph, and I think that they all voted
Ralph focuses on building shelters, even when he only has Simon to help him, since all the others are hunting or chose not to help (Golding). This shows how Ralph represents the most responsible and most resourceful boy on the island. Ralph, the chief, embodies the Ego the most out of all the boys, and it is this personality of reality first that lets him survive the island
When proposed, the people that come forward are those who want to be, or have been, chief of their respective backgrounds. These so-called commanders gravitate toward one of two categories that they make up; authoritative leaders who take charge and solely control the group, or collaborative leaders who take the input of others and do what is best for the group. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, authoritative leaders(Jack) are profoundly more of an effective guiding hand to the survival and rescue of the boys
The very first time Ralph is introduced to the reader, one can see his sense of observation even in the first sentence that he says: "This is an island, at least I think it's an island. That's a reef out in the sea. Perhaps there aren't any grownups anywhere." As everyone knows, a good sense of observation is essential for a leader. He was chosen as a leader by the other boys, which shows the civilized instinct with humans. Ralph represents order and discipline in this chaotic world without grownups, which is shown by his character and composure during the first meeting. He almost defines himself with his first speech, "Listen everybody. I've got to have time to think things out. I can't decide what to do straight off. If this isn't an island, we might be rescued straight away. So we've got to decide if this is an island or not. Everybody must stay around here and wait and not go away. Three of us-if we take more, we'd get all mixed, and lose each other-three of us will go on an expedition and find out. I'll go, and Jack, and, and...." (p.23-24) Ralph wastes no time in bringing order to the group. He shows intelligence and self-control by not jumping into conclusions and by wanting "time to think things out." That displays to the reader he is cautious . Surely the other boys recognized this also, for he had earned the title, chief.
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 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.
Ralph symbolizes a civil leader. He repetitively calls meeting to attempt to restore order and to figure out a way to get rescued. An example of Ralph’s leadership is when he says "this meeting must not be fun, but business" (Pg. 76); this shows leadership because he is urgent to get rescued instead of having only fun and no organization and order. Another example of a civil leader is when Ralph says to explore the island. This is seen when Ralph says "if this isn't an island we might be rescued straight away. So we've got to decide if this is an island" (Pg. 23). This shows Ralph’s civil leadership because he is exploring the island to prepare himself and the others for the future, and to make it more efficient to live on and to get a higher chance of rescue. Ralph suggests building a fire on top of the mountain so passing ships can see its smoke. This is seen when he says "We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain" (Pg. 38). Building a fire helps signal rescue. Ralph is a complex character because although he often struggles between atavism and civility, his leadership qualities always shine through.
Although Ralph may seem like the ideal leader, he lacks in many characteristics; the main one being intelligence. Throughout the novel Ralph has to depend on Piggy for ideas.
From the first chapter of William Golding’s 1954 novel Lord of the Flies, Jack stands out as a strong leader. While Ralph struggles to maintain his crumbling civilization, Jack manages to keep complete control over his hunters. Although as the novel progresses Jack gradually descends further and further into savagery, his savagery is what allows him to employ many effective though immoral leadership techniques. Jack is the more effective leader because he has no morals to stop him from using the boys’ innate savagery to unite them under one primitive and violent mind.