Leadership is required in order for a group to succeed. In the book, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a group of British boys are left stranded on a tropical island. They are faced with many difficulties as the young boys must discover a way to survive until they are rescued. The boys quickly forget about social norms and disregard rules that their parents have taught them. Then a charismatic boy named, Ralph, is elected leader of the group and rules with a conch shell that he uses to call meetings. However, this presents a problem as the choirboys already have a leader named Jack. Jack feels as if he is more qualified to be leader and ultimately, Jack splits from Ralph's group. The two groups quarrel throughout the novel, but Ralph is …show more content…
Jack supplies the only source of meat for the boys on the island and is determined to kill a pig after his first attempt fizzled. He sets out on a hunt and “[he] cut the pig’s throat” (Golding 69). Jack and the choir boys are successful this time at hunting the pig, they march down the mountain fruitfully and carry the dead pig on a stake. However, this is a perfect example of how Jack makes feeble minded decisions as he chooses hunting the pig over tending the fire. Jack doesn’t focus on the long term goals of being rescued, and instead focuses his priorities on insignificant tasks. Ralph confronts Jack and says, “there was a ship. Out there. You said you’d keep the fire going and you let it out” (Golding 118). This irrational choice that Jack makes delays the rescue of the boys and entitles them to remain on the island until another form of rescue arrives. Another example of why Jack may be considered a better leader, is that he has more control of the boys and is able to get them to do the things he wants. When Ralph and Samneric go to “castle rock” to retrieve Piggy’s specs, they are confronted by Jack returning from the forest with another slain pig. Jack orders them to leave, but they do not listen so he orders his members to “tie [Samneric] up,” (Golding 179). Jack then turns to Ralph and speaks between his teeth, “see? They do what I want” (Golding 179). Jack has absolute power over his tribe members and they obey every command that he gives them, even if it means going against their former leader. Nevertheless, even if he has absolute power over his group members, his rule is dictatorial and gives his members no rights. Instead, Ralph has implemented a democratic system in which all the boys can be heard. During meetings Ralph establishes that “[they] can’t have everybody
Click here to unlock this and over one million essays
Show MoreLeadership is something that stands out in people; the ability to show courage, initiative, responsibility, and determination. Within a group, people tend to look for an individual with these traits to follow. The main protagonist in William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, Ralph who was immediately elected leader by a group of schoolboys who were stranded on the uninhabited island due to a plane crash, strives to recreate a civilized society to which he was accustomed to previously and apply it to the group of adolescents that accompany him. The qualities of leadership Ralph possess deemed him to be a fitted leader as they are demonstrated throughout the course of the novel by keeping order among the group, appearing confident in his leadership
express ones ideas or opinions (Golding 12). However, Ralph is not the only boy on the island who is looking to lead the boys, and he finds that out when Jack marches his band members in a militant style to the platform where Ralph is deciding what needs to be done for their survival (Golding 15-16). Jack quickly became a cruel and dominating person who tries to impose fear onto the boys in order to gain his own control. This is evident when he begins opposing Ralph’s ideas about building a fire and picking fruit, to make himself look bigger and somewhat tough (Golding 22). However, a vote is thought up by one of the boys and Ralph’s democratic and orderly style of leadership is elected and he becomes the leader of the group (Golding 19). Ralph begins by organizing the boys to branch off in-groups and work for their benefit, such as keeping the fire going, building huts and scanning the island for anything worthwhile (Golding 38). He believes that if everyone contributes by taking on one of the roles for survival, the entire group will benefit and hopefully be saved. Again, Jack opposes to the ideas of Ralph. He h...
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.
For years, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, has been a staple in college, high school, and even middle school classes. The eloquent story follows a group of young boys stranded on a jungle island. They are left thousands of miles away from civilization and are left to survive by themselves. Throughout the story, many insights in leadership are seen through the power struggle between Ralph and Jack. Both have extremely different styles of leadership with varying levels of success. Lord of the Flies teaches me about leadership in the initial selection of the leader, how they solve problems, and how they motivate others.
An individual by the name of Donald McGannon once said, “Leadership is an action, not a position.” In order for a leader to know what needs to be achieved and be able to relentlessly drive to complete it, they must exhibit different qualities and abilities that will be beneficial and vital to their success. This is important in view of the fact that it prompts and inspires others to be able to follow in their example. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, after a group of boys crash onto a deserted island, an example of this is seen through Ralph, who best exhibits good leadership qualities that will help bring the boys to safety and rescue. This is especially in comparison to the power-hungry Jack Merridew. The three main leadership qualities
In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, there are many leadership traits shown by two of the main characters, Jack and Ralph. Although they both have a role as some type of leader, they are not the same and have very different leadership views and styles. Ralph wants to do everything he can so that they can survive on the island, but Jack goes crazy and becomes a savage with a thirst for blood.
In Lord of the Flies, leadership is shown in a variety of ways. Ralph is your ideal leader, he’s a good person, looks out for others, is selfless, and always has a goal in mind. Jack is a power hungry leader, bound and determined to have the power for one person, himself. He doesn’t care what happens to the others around him as long as long as he himself is happy. Simon is the spiritual leader, being all knowing and guided by what he feels from his surroundings. Piggy is the smart leader, thinking logically and with reason to achieve his goals, whilst still minding the others out of respect. All these leaders can be great in their own way, but it begs the question; what kind of leader am I? If I had to change my name and be a character in the novel, which character would he write me as?
Jack finds a pig while hunting, yet he cannot kill it, his reason being, “because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting living flesh; because of the unbearable blood” (31). Because of the strictly regulated society Jack has grown up in, he finds it disturbing to kill an animal, even if he must do it to have food. Later in the story, changes can be seen in the boys from when they first arrived on the island. During an assembly, the boys discuss how to track the “beast” living on the island, and Jack speaks without holding the conch. After being reprimanded for that he says, “Conch! Conch!...We don't need the conch anymore… It's time some people knew they've got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us” (101). Jack’s disregard for the conch shows his growing distaste for laws and civilization. He also challenges Ralph's authority by implying he should be in charge of decisions taken for the group. After some time, Ralph is only left with Piggy, Samneric, and some littluns on his side of the island. These boys realize everyone else has become savage.
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.
In Chapter 8 Jack says “He’s like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn’t a proper chief.” He says this because Jack thinks his point of view is the right one, and it can only be the right one. This is similar to dictatorships in the past when people believe their right and anyone who doesn’t agree is the enemy. Later in the book Jack tries to get more followers by promising them psychological needs. Jack states “We’ve killed a pig and we’ve got meat. You can come and eat with us if you like.” Jack is trying to take away any of Ralph’s remaining supporters, so that Ralph is forced to follow him when all he has left is Piggy, Samneric, and a few clueless littluns. Later in this book Ralph is on his own a few hours after Piggy dies, he is considering joining Jack’s tribe because he will have food and protection. In the forest he thinks about the thought of eating fruit, and then remembering the feast and that maybe they would let him back. After that he realizes that the hunters killed Piggy and Simon, so they would kill him
Jack fails to realize that the boys need security, stability, and order on the island Jack was a leader of the choir before the boys landed on the island. These boys, who were in the choir, still want to follow Jack; however, they have no discipline at all. The only thing that is on Jack’s mind is hunting. He doesn’t care about anything else, except capturing and kill the pigs for some food.
Leaders are very important in life. They can and have shaped the world in many ways. All leaders have different morals and values, and some leaders have been considered monsters. However, no matter how “good” a leader is, they can only be effective if they are strong. The book Lord of the Flies by William Golding shows how weak leaders cause the chaos that is needed for a strong leader to rise.
When the boys are figuring out what happened and what to do, Jack's first idea is to hunt for “pigs”. “Jack broke in, all the same you need an army- for hunting. Hunting pigs-”(32). Jacks first thought is to make an army of hunters to have protein in the boys diets. The boys already have fruits they've seen and eaten on the island, but they will need a source of protein. Jack uses the word army which could suggest he really wants to kill something because he did stutter with saying what the army is for and what they would be hunting, but he does eventually say his goal is to get meat for the boys. Sidenote, the word pigs is also used to describe a traitor or enemy. As jack goes through the book he clearly becomes a little uncivilized and some might even say crazy, which brings up the next point that when Jack finally kills a pig he decides to cut its head off as a present for the beast. “Jack held up the head and jammed the soft throat down on to the pointed end of the stick which pierced through into the mouth…. Jack spoke loudly, This head is for the beast. It's a gift,”(137). Even though Jack may have also been frightened by the beast, he thought of a way they beast might leave them alone by leaving the beast a gift, a chopped off pigs head. By Jack cutting of the pigs head, even though he probably wasn't trying to show this, it showed the boys that Jack is willing to do what it takes to keep them safe. Jack did anything for his group of boys, including fighting his counter group, Ralph, Piggy, and SamnEric, to get fire. After the fighting that group, it reached a point of where Jack’s group was in full control. “He was chief now in truth; and he made stabbing motions with with his spear. From his left hand dangled Piggy's broken glasses,”(168).This quote, talking about Jack, demonstrates that Jack is going to do whatever he wants,
When the boys landed on the island, they would initially strive to have fun and enjoy themselves due to a lack of authority curtailing their liberties, and with the sanguine hope of being rescued. However, due to their predicament, two leaders would emerge, Jack and Ralph, leading to conflicting leaderships that would eventually lead to tension between the two boys. Jack would have a penchant for flouting the orders of Ralph, the elected leader, especially when he and his hunters were ordered to watch the fire which was at that time, their only hope of being rescued. The fire, like many, would die down, and Jack would return with a slaughtered pig, with the knowledge that he disobeyed the orders assigned to him. Ralph would express this to him, but he would be,¨vaguely irritated by his irrelevance but too happy to let it worry him.¨ (Golding 63).
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.