The Fall Of A Great Leader There are two types of leaders, those who are strategic and work well with
others and those who are commanding and unable to compromise. However all great
leaders are effective and can adapt to change. Fierce qualities such as strength,
confidence, and intelligence are all characteristics of a great leader. On a uninhabited
island, the fight for power can lead to a shift in popularity. Although a leader can have
others best interests in mind, it is easy to lose focus as time progresses. A leader who
was once great can be persuaded to conform to an uncivilized society. In William
Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the Protagonist, Ralph, is the most dynamic leader who
slowly loses popularity amongst the
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As the boys quest for survival on the island continues, Ralph’s leadership is
questioned by others as his sense of power diminishes. As a leader, Ralph prioritized
his morals and values when he demands, “we must make smoke on top of the
mountain. We must make a fire” (37). In a crisis, Ralph knew that their only hope for a
successful rescue was to create a fire that would lead to smoke in the open air.
Fire and smoke is later used as an attempt to suffocate Ralph but is ironically the
reason they are rescued. Eventually, Ralph changes his focus to the beastie issue
in which he states, “we’ve got to talk about this fear and decide theres nothing in it”(89).
In this instance, Ralph is beginning to lose sight of his major priorities and is turning to
the fear of the unknown. He is consumed with the thought of the beastie and makes it
his number one priority rather than the irony of being stranded on a deserted island. The
dynamic of Ralph’s leadership changes from the need to be saved in order to
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While initially Ralph disagrees with the importance of
hunting, he soon “sunned himself in their new respect and felt that hunting was good
after all”(124). Ralph is skeptical of the necessity of hunting, however later contradicts
himself by contributing to the act of hunting a pig with the other boys. The attempt to
take the life of an animal shows the transition of Ralph’s character. Furthermore, during
a brawl at night, “Ralph began to pound the mouth below him, using his clenched fist as
a hammer”(185). This act of violence reveals Ralph’s total submit to savagery.
Golding uses the signal fire as symbolism in order to highlight the ways some people fight against darkness and others allow it to control them. The signal fire illustrates the theme by showing the boys eager effort to build the fire, in hope of humanity. When thinking of ways to potentially be rescued, Ralph states, “We can help them to find us...we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire” (Golding 38). The boys are anxious to keep the fire going because to them rescue is right around the corner. They use this
This is the turning point for Ralph, not only as a person, but as a character in the book. Ralph goes from a somewhat flat character, to a round character, and with this transformation, he completes his dream, a dream which he had with him the whole time. Not only has he come to peace with himself and his accomplishments, he has come to peace with those around him, “Ralph watched the water fight with sadness in his heart, never guessing the scene would one day hearten him, as it did now.” (p296). Some may say that Ralph never achieved his dream. I say that he achieved his dream about half way through the book, he just didn’t realize all he had, and all he could lose until it was almost gone.
their heads and began to wonder why Ralph was in such a hurry as he
With such rigid and different identities, Jack and Ralph have very different priorities, making it challenging for them to work together. Ralph’s identity is threatened when Jack lets the fire burn out to go hunting, so he lashes out at him, accusing him, “I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you can’t even build huts-then you go off hunting and let out the fire-”(70, 71). By ignoring what Ralph told him to do, Jack threatens numerous aspects of Ralph’s identity. Ralph identifies with being elected Chief based on his plan to get rescued, so Jack’s insubordination threatens Ralph. Meanwhile,
The boys Ralph, Jack, and Simon go off to explore the island and see what it has on it. Upon returning from walking around the island Ralph makes a decision that they need to build a fire. He thinks that the smoke from the fire will catch the attention of other planes flying over the island. They decide to try and start a fire by using dead wood that has been dried out and reflecting the sun out of Peggy’s glasses. They were successful in...
His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, 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, 290).
Ralph’s power at the beginning is secure but as the group succumbs to their savage instincts, Ralph’s influence declines as Jack’s rises. This is due mainly to the cruelty and violence that goes on in the story. This cruelty reveals that Ralph’s commitment to civilization and being rescued is so strong that he will not allow himself to change his morals and become cruel like the others. The cruelty in this novel also shows that Ralph is a very intelligent character. His intelligence can be proven because there was a point in the novel when he hunts a boar for the first time and he experiences the thrill of bloodlust. He also attends one of Jack’s feast where he is swept away by the frenzy and participates in the killing of Simon. This is a very tragic moment for Ralph because this is when he realizes the evil that lives within himself and every human being. It is the cruel acts that happen in this novel that reveals Ralph’s character of being intelligent and being able to think deeply about human experiences. He even weeps when getting saved because of his knowledge about the human capacity for
First, Ralph represents order, and civil attitude in the world. Ralph shows his efforts for civil behavior through his repeated attempts at reminding the group that they need to keep order in the group. After they arrived on the island they had taken a vote to elect Ralph as chief. The boys began to get riled up and make a commotion. “"All this I meant to say. Now I've said it. You voted me for chief. Now you do what I say." They quieted, slowly, and at last were seated again. Ralph dropped down and spoke in his ordinary voice.” (58-59) This evidence clearly shows that Ralph knows as leader it is his job to keep everyone under control. Ralph raising his voice demonstrates his authority, but how fast he returned to his normal volume represents he only wants to be civilized. As the novel goes on the power of human instincts take over the order. Ralph has been focused on rescue, and wants everyone to only think of that. “’Cos the smoke’s a signal and we can’t be rescued if we don’t have smoke.” (73) When they talk about the smoke they refer to the fire. Ralph stresses the importance of the fire, and reminds everyone that it is key to survival and rescue. Unfortunately, these reminders and slowly forgotten due to Ralph’s polar opposite Jack.
Ralph shows what the boys need by the way he handles the then. Jack considers the boys lower to him, meanwhile, Ralph treats...
"'A fire! Make a fire!" At once the boys were on their feet'(William Golding pg 38). The boys wanted to make a fire because fire is the best chance at getting rescued. If they make a fire and it creates a bunch of smoke someone is liable to see it and come to see what is on fire. Golding portrays the fire as a sign of hot burning hope. The very first after thought of Ralph is to make a fire and once he mentions it to the other boys they all go wild. They think if they build a fire, they will be rescued soon. The boys all rush together to make it because they all have to stick together if they want to get off of the island safe and the only way to do that is to keep hope and have faith in each other and will. If it is willed for them to get off of the island someone will come and get them. Until then all of the boys
There are always people who, in a group, come out with better qualities to be a leader than others. The strongest people however, become the greater influences which the others decide to follow. However, sometimes the strongest person is not the best choice. Authors often show how humans select this stronger person to give an understanding of the different powers that people can posses over others.
Ralph spends some time contemplating over what must be said and done in the assembly because he knows that “thought was valuable” maturing from his inadequacy as a leader for allowing the group to become disorganized as it is. Ralph blows the conch to do as he has a plan and call the boys for an assembly. He intends it to be serious after the mishap of letting the fire go out which may have ruined their hope of getting rescued. He begins by telling the group that this particular assembly must not be for fun and games but to “put things straight”. He addresses the water with no one bothering to retrieve it in the coconut shells, the shelter that fell to ruins because few people worked on them, the whole island being used as a lavatory which is unsanitary and the importance of not letting the fire go out.
" This shows Ralph's passion for their rescue, for his home and for the fire. Ralph's longing for home is important because it is from this that he bases his decisions on and it's his decisions that get the boys home. We all have a craving for love, warmth and home, but it is not until we are without these that it becomes obvious.
In Raymond Carver’s short story, “Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?” the protagonist, Ralph Wyman faces the hard decision of leaving or staying with his wife after his wife confesses to having an affair with a family friend (Carver 237). However, instead of making a decision right away, Ralph embarks on a journey which leads to four specific episodes: he goes to a bar called “Blake’s,” then he goes to “Jim Oysters House,” he gets into a fight and is knocked out, and then he returns home (Carver 238-247). Each of these episodes holds significance and influences his decision at the end of the story (which is to stay with his wife), but the episode where he is beaten up is the most ambiguous of the events, and it also the event which suggests a turning point for Ralph. He realizes he is not the young man he once was. He is no longer “Jackson,” the young man in college. He is Ralph Wyman. However, it is not until he returns home that he resolves his conflict with his wife, Marian.