In the story Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of boys are stranded after a crash and a boy by the name of Ralph becomes leader merely because of the fact that he is holding a conch. Even though they just picked Ralph because he was holding the conch, their choice made it so that they would be better chance on the island. Though he hasn’t had experience being a leader, he is able to do it well and lead the lost group of boys to a better chance at survival. Ralph overtime grows to be more like the adult of the island because he is maturing faster than the rest, which makes him more attentive to the needs of others and himself. He is also a very determined person, unwilling to give up until he has done the best that he can. Ralph’s physical appearance also resembles that of what a leader would look like; he has broad shoulders like a boxer. ` Ralph is a excellent boy to be elected as a leader because he keeps his priorities straight and is more focused than the rest. Ralph is the best possible option for a civilized leader, because of how organized, mature and determined.
A trait that makes Ralph a good leader is the fact that he is maturing faster than all the other boys. Being mature also makes Ralph feel and act more responsible. An example is when they are leaving to go hunt and he says, “Someone’s got to look after the littluns”. This shows that he know that they need to be looked after, because they can’t do it themselves. Ralph, in being mature is also very civilized, and he likes things kept in order. He wants thing done, and he wants everyone to help and contribute to what needs to be done. He also like himself to be in order, “cut this filthy hair right back to half an inch. He would like to have a ...
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...guys ask who is the leader Ralph still tells the man he is, though Jack had obviously won the power struggle. Ralph is very determined especially for his age, which catches up to him sometimes.
Without Ralph the group of boys would have quickly fallen apart and become savages, never getting rescued and dying on the island. Ralph gives everyone like Piggy, Simon and littluns the best chance that they have, and if he weren’t there they might have been killed, died or cast out. This is mostly because of how he thinks of things, like what should be done in order to survive. Since he thinks of survival first he does things like make a fire to get them rescued and building shelter so they are protected from the weather. He is able to pursue what he wants to because he's respected as a leader, and he is respected as leaders because he is organized, mature and determined.
On the Keirsey Temperament’s website, it listed some personality traits of a Supervisor, “Supervisors like to take charge of groups and are comfortable issuing orders” (Keirsey.com). Ralph has been able to establish the meeting spot, the huts and the fire with little to no help from anybody else. His main goal is to keep the boys focused on the hope of rescue and he will work vigilantly to do so. After the whole group was chaotically speaking over one another, Ralph established another rule when he said, “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking” (Golding 33). Once Ralph says this, the boys begin to get very excited over the thought of rules, “Whee-oh!..Wacco!..Bong!..Doink!” (Golding 33). Everybody, even Jack at this point, have accepted Ralph as the trusting leader and they look up to him as a diplomat. Though, later on in the novel, he begins to lose his power to Jack. Yet, this occasion does not stop Ralph from the goal of rescue because he then demonstrates his skills of a conceptual thinker when in a group by himself. After nearly avoiding death by savages, Ralph ends up running into a naval officer who asks, “Who’s boss here?” (Golding 201), when Ralph proudly responds, “I am” (Golding 201). The fact that three people have been killed under his watch and his whole group have turned into wild
What was wrong with Ralph too was that jack ignores everything and try’s to do his own thing the whole time instead of working together with everyone. All Jack wants is his
Ralph is the character who always tried the orderly approach. Throughout the film, he tried to care for the others and be the leader that the younger children needed.
One way he had trouble was showing his innocence and not being naive. Ralph being himself not know which step to take closer to civilization fell, tripping over himself by one action “lugged off his shorts and pants and stood there naked” (Golding 10). This shows immaturity because his clothes symbolized all the laws and rules he followed and breaking away from them; Now Ralph is completely free and uncontrolled. This was a bad move on Ralph’s part because that shows the other boys they can break away and do their own thing. Very much the same as when Jack tore away from the rest of the group when he wanted a dictatorship instead of a democracy. The immaturity was spreading on the island like a disease because of the unlawfully savage of a leader, Ralph. In perspective Piggy should have been leader because he was the only one to still believe in the world they once lived in because he kept his clothes
Firstly, a notable trait that distinguishes Ralph from the other children on the island is his ability to think more rationally. As the boys become influenced by Jack’s rule, they regress into uncivilized savages that lack discipline. Whereas, Ralph is wisely able to keep the boys under order, which is particularly apparent through the meetings that he regularly holds. It is in those meetings that circumstances can be confronted with rationality and equanimity. For example, Ralph instructs the boys with, “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking,” (Golding 36). By saying this, Ralph enforces his role of a leader by making rules for the boys on the island to
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
In a group, there are always people who prove to have better leadership skills then others. The strongest of these people can often influence the weaker people into following them. However, the strongest person is not necessarily the best leader as it is proven in William Golding's book, The Lord of the Flies. Although Ralph is the weaker person, he is still able to show a better understanding of people than Jack who is stronger. Ralph demonstrates his excellent leadership skills throughout the book by keeping the group in line, treating everyone with respect, and staying focused on getting rescued.
Ralph is enthusiastic and energetic; he frequently grins, stands on his head, and says 'wizard' when excited. He is also a good leader; he listens to everyone's opinions during island meetings, prioritizes the needs of the tribe (a signal fire, shelter, enforcement of lavatory rocks), and tries to be diplomatic with the other boys (giving the hunters to Jack). Even after Jack has created a violent band of the island's boys and become enemies with Ralph, Ralph still tries to reason with him. He goes to Jack to ask for Piggy's glasses back peacefully and only becomes violent when he is left with no other option. Ralph serves as the chief of the first tribe formed on the island, the only true friend of Piggy, a voice of reason for the island, a source of animosity for power-hungry Jack, and a homesick boy stranded on an island. The quote that best reveals Ralph's character is from chapter
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.
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.
Ralph has several positive characteristics but he also has several crucial weaknesses that prevent him from being the perfect leader. In chapter one the boys decide who they want to be leader. The boys decide on Ralph, “”Vote for a chief!”…every hand outside the choir except Piggy’s was raised immediately. Then Piggy, too, raised his hand grudgingly into the air.” (Golding 18-19). From the very beginning Ralph is seen as the leader. He becomes the one the boys look up to and depend on to make decisions in their best interest. Ralph has natural leadership skills. Landing on the island with no adults to take control, the boys chose to follow the one boy who seems to be doing something productive, Ralph. An example of Ralph being purposeful and productive is when he blows the conch to get the attention of all the boys on the island and bring them together for a meeting. When Jack and his choir find the other boys gathered he asks where the man with the trumpet is, Ralph replies, “There’s no man with a trumpet. We’re having a meeting. Want to join?” (Golding 16). Ralph asks Jack and the choir boys to join the meeting because he wants all the boys to work together so they can be rescued as soon as possible. Other than his leadership and purposeful qualities, Ralph is also hard working. When tasks are given out to the boys, such as building shelters, hunting, gathering food, the hard work of most boys turns into play and exploration leaving Ralph to do most of the work by himself with little help from others. When the other boys gave up on their tasks Ralph continued working, this proves his hard work. Leadership, purposeful, and hard working are all positive qualities that helped Ralph succeed in the novel, but Ralph also had some majo...
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel about a group of schoolboys crash landing on an uninhabited island. One of the boys must step up to become the leader, Ralph was voted to be chief because he has shown the boys qualities that should be found in a leader. A leader should be persistent, have initiative, and show
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.
However, at the end of the book, he simply stood for a common human being. In the beginning of the story, before a formal introduction, Ralph was described simply as “a fair boy.” This already sets him out in a favorable light. Then it further describes how he is apparently good-looking and has the natural air of leadership. Of course, the conch played a big role when the kids voted him for leader, but his appearance played a large role as well. For the good first part of the book, Ralph has always symbolized leadership. As the story progresses and the kids became more and more distant from the idea of civilization, Ralph became more like a representation of common sense. Golding wrote, “‘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 the fire-’ He turned away, silent for a moment. Then his voice came again on a peak of feeling. ‘There was a ship-’” At this part, Ralph criticized Jack for not doing the necessary civilized things in favor of quenching his thirst for a hunt. As more and more of the kids become more and more uncivilized, Ralph became one of the last voices of common sense. When Simon and Piggy died, Ralph was the last one who retained that common sense and yearned for civilization. He had no leadership powers left anymore, and he stood for nothing more than a
and he is the person who first tries to create an order on the island. In some ways Ralph's motivation for being a good, powerful leader is his longing for home. Ralph's relationship with another boy on the island, Jack is very important also. From the beginning of the book Ralph takes charge over his newly acquainted companion Piggy. When he calls the other boys together he takes control over the entire group and