Ralph And Jack's Leadership In Lord Of The Flies

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Without a brilliant, strong, and considerate leader, society will crumble. In William Golding’s allegorical novel, Lord of the Flies, a group of young schoolboys are left stranded on a deserted island after their plane is shot down. Almost immediately, the boys elect the charismatic Ralph to lead, and Jack, a choirmaster, to be the lead hunter. Ralph and Jack constantly battle for power of the island, and ultimately, two separate tribes form. Leading a clan of savages, Jack barbarically kills and tortures others to achieve his goals, while Ralph uses sensible rationale to help his group survive. With his strong authority and intelligence, Ralph is the most suitable boy to lead the island.
Ralph is focused on helping every boy on the island survive, and his main priority is setting a signal fire. He knows that the boys will never be saved unless they set a fire because “‘the fire is the most …show more content…

Courage, integrity, modesty, and focus are all important qualities that a leader must have in order to be successful (Tracy). Ralph stands up to Jack and his savage tribe, strives to make the most humane decisions, sacrifices himself to keep others safe, asks for help when he needs it, and concentrates on his goals. However, Jack is selfish, egotistical, and disorganized, does not possess vital leadership qualities, and only acts in the interest of himself. To show his dominance, Jack decides who is given pig meat to eat at feasts. He does not give Piggy, a young, overweight intelectual, food in attempt to assert his authority and prove the power he holds over others. (Golding 74). Instead of trying to better society and help the boys thrive, Jack acts narcissitically by holding back food from the hungry Piggy. While Ralph works to improve the quality of life on the island, Jack’s goal is to make others suffer. He does not have good intentions, and his actions do not benefit

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