An influential government requires a strong group of leaders and equality for all its citizens. In William Golding 's Lord of the Flies, a group of British school boys find themselves stranded on island, with no adults or provisions to help themselves. They form a “government” which lacks both these crucial traits of a successful government. The boys on the island fail to govern themselves due to the lack of two essential components of an effective government; equality and strong leadership.
One of the reasons that the boys fail to effectively govern themselves is due to their lack of equality, which Rousseau argues is a necessity. Since this component is missing from the island, the result is that the citizens are unsatisfied with the leadership.
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(Biographical Briefing on Jean-Jacques Rosseau). This agrees with Ralph’s outspoken behavior as leader on the island; he takes advantage of his position as leader and gives no equality to any of his “citizens.” To this point, Ralph wrongly uses his power as leader and calls meetings to, as he says, discuss topics though in the end, it is his idea that is enforced as the rule. In this chapter of Lord of the Flies Ralph calls an assembly to address important matters to the others. The assembly was getting out of hand and too keep thing in order Ralph says, " 'Now I say this and make it a rule, because I am chief. We won 't have a fire anywhere but on the mountain. Ever '" (Golding 81). When Ralph says “now I say this” he firmly gets the boys’ attention and states his argument. He is getting very frustrated at this point so he secures his stand. Ralph stating that "I am chief" tells the assembly that his point will not waver for any of their reasons. He was chief and they were going to do what he says. At the end of the quote Ralph says firmly "ever" as to enforce the rule and say that it will never change. At this point of the assembly many boys have already left, doubting his …show more content…
As the leader, Ralph ignores any concerns of the citizens of the society and withholds equality. He also neglects the most logical boy on the island, Piggy, due to his lack of strength as a leader. One of the main variables that causes the downfall of the government in Lord of the Flies is fear. Fear takes over the group of boys and even kills some of them. Fear today in our society also makes people do actions they do not want to. This terror takes over the minds of many people and they lose sight of what is really
Leadership 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
The Lord of the Flies is a gruesome story about young boys stranded on an island, who underwent a transformation from polite British choir boys to savage hooligans. One of the main difficulties the boys face during their adventures upon the island, is their method of government, they either follow the path of Ralph, the democratic leader whose main focus is to escape the despairing island; or Jack a power-hungry monarchical leader who won't ever take no for an answer. The two boys are constantly bickering and arguing over who deserves the leader-position. We all understand Ralph wants to be leader so that he can ensure that the boys will return back home, but in Jack's case, it is a constant mystery to us about why he wants power over the other children. But we do get much small hints from the author, William Golding, that Jack's biggest fear among the other children on the island is public humiliation. This becomes more and more evident the farther on into the book, and his fear seems to be what persuades him to reach for a powerful position.
In the book The Lord Of The Flies , the characters all have a need for approval, recognition. Alot comes into play when it comes to seeking approval or at least know that they have somewhat of a big role on the island. Ralph is someone who naturally has leadership qualities but doesn’t expect respect, and recognition. Ralph was the one who always had the conch and called assembly's and set rules. In part of the book Ralph gets fed up with all the littluns not listening to the rules so he calls an assembly, and starts talking about the rules after he finishes his speech ¨the circle of boys broke into applause¨( Golding 23).After the boys broke into applause Ralph felt a breeze of pride he also felt importance because “ we all have what we may call the desire for reputation or prestige, recognition,attention, importance or attention”( Maslow 6).
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a story much like the true events of the totalitarian Soviet Union. The original leader in Lord of the Flies introduces himself simply as “Ralph”(Golding 8). Althought his priorities are good, his way of governing is certainly harsh: “ ‘You voted me chief. Now you do what I say ’ ”(115). Later in the book, power is switched to another leader of the group, Jack Merridew. Golding shows his style of rule as also very forceful. “‘There isn’t a tribe for you anymore… I’m chief!’” (261) Jack states. Although both of the leaders are very commanding, Ralph was elected, like a democracy, and Jack forced his way into power through false hope. The result ended up more like a dictatorship.
In “Lord of the Flies” Ralph has the goal of getting himself and the rest of the tribe off the island. His plan to execute it is by making a signal fire that a passing ship or boat will see to rescue them. Ralph realizes that maintaining order within their tribe is crucial to their survival and chance of being saved. As chief of their group, he assigns Jack the leader of the hunters. He then puts them in charge of keeping the signal fire lit. During this process, Jack and his boys get distracted from keeping it lit as they attempt to kill a pig. After a couple of hunts, Jack and his boys finally kill a pig and return in cheers. As they get back, Ralph gets mad at Jack saying “You and your blood Jack Merridew! You and your hunting! We might have gone home” (70). Ralph is angry with Jack because he realizes as leader that he has to make sure everyone understands their main goal, and are able to focus on that by blocking out distractions. These actions that Ralph show display why he is successful as a leader and why they accomplish the goal of getting
Ralph is the protagonist of The Lord of The Flies. He was elected leader at the beginning of the novel and is the main representation of order and civilization on the island. At the very beginning, when Ralph finds the conch shell he lifts it up and says “'Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things' (pg.228). To Ralph, a chief is someone who is elected leader and makes important decisions for a group, as he thinks, "if you [are] a chief, you [have] to think, you [have] to be wise... you [have] to grab at a decision" (pg. 10). Being a chief to Ralph means leading people. It does not mean triumph, power, and arrogance; it's about making sure that all the needs of the group as
In the Lord of the Flies there are many themes that stand out. After reading Fredrick Douglass’ speech, “If I had a Country, I Should be a Patriot,” the theme that Goldings’ book that is most relatable to me is the lack of democracy and equal rights. Jack reminded me of a southern slave master and his primary focus that had no regard for others’ rights. In conclusion, in The Lord of the Flies, the rivalry between democracy and dictatorship is evident in Jack and Ralph’s relationship and relates back to the North versus the South rivalry for democracy for the
In the book, Ralph is not known to be the strongest boy on the island, but he shows a better understanding of people than Jack, which is a very important trait for a leader to have. Ralph applies these useful qualities by working towards the problems that need to be solved. He knows that the boys need order and an organized plan if they want to survive on the island. With this in mind, he creates something like a government, with rules and him voted as leader by the boys on the island. Ralph knows that in order for things to work and for the boys to follow him, he needs to show them respect and must treat them all equally. This makes him a good leader and proves that he is able to ...
Earlier this year, I became the government. Everyday, for the next few days, I woke up before the sun rose and filled my hotel room with light. In business professional attire, I would walk down the halls of the California State Capitol and into the Assembly Chambers. I experienced firsthand how the administration of our society works. There came a day, a cloudy day with rain falling momentarily, in which a protest was gathered in the streets. A man spoke, asking for the government to remove its mask. I failed to understand. What did this man want? Deep in my gut, I knew a life of terror, a life a darkness, and a life of despair could only be the outcome of the absence of government. This ideal is explained by the classic novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, which explores the universal theme that civilization is significant, regarding its role in securing that man does not return to his primitive nature of savagery.
Golding establishes the power and potential of government and its vulnerability to outside affairs. In “Lord of the Flies,” each of the older boys strive for power and authority. Their views and beliefs are all dissimilar, resulting in each boys to possess different elucidation on how the island should function. These representations of government are apparent in Ralph, Jack, and Piggy, and prompt the social unrest and inability to compensate for their own needs. The way in which a leader governs determines the path that he/she sets upon his
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.
In Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the protagonist, Ralph, is faced with the difficulty of establishing law and order as he tries his best to create a civil lifestyle on the island until
Leadership encourages hope within the doubtful group of kids headed by Ralph in the novel, Lord of the Flies. Ralph's leadership brings the boys together by giving them a common goal to survive. By giving the boys a common goal they respect one other and have a sense of togetherness to complete their goal to survive. Also their respect for each other brings peace and happiness for a little while on the island. Through Ralph's leadership, hope is obtainable for all those who live on the island.
Democratic power can be used to control a society, as well as to establish a closeness among civilians. To lose sight of this can mean the corruption of a civilization caused by the lack of order. One’s choice of independence over the reliance on others in order to better the chances of their survival requires complete dedication and willingness to take risks. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Ralph loses his democratic power due to his failure to ensure survival and protect the boys as a leader. Ralph’s failure to lead the group is due to his inability to compete with Jack and gain followers, mostly because of Jack’s reign of fear. Ralph’s integrity enables a growing confidence in his ability to avoid reliance on leadership power in
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.