Preview

Ralph Lord Of The Flies Leadership Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
522 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Ralph Lord Of The Flies Leadership Analysis
In the novel “The Lord of the Flies”, the initial leader was Ralph. He created rules and tried to base is society off of the need for survival. Contrastingly, Jack seems to care more about entertaining himself by hunting and spilling blood, and ultimate control of the boys. As the novel progresses the two boys divergent personalities clash and the Ralphs leadership steadily decreases, while Jack rises to power. The hierarchy of boys also adjusts as the leadership evolves on the island. At the beginning of the novel Ralph is elected to be the leader of their tribe by majority vote. His main objective is to get the boys rescued as soon as possible, such as when he is suggest a signal fire so passing ships will see them. His leadership position also gives him the authority to summon the boys for meeting by blowing into the conch shell. But although he has the ability to call the boys, and he furnishes several intelligent and practical ideas on how to survive on this island, he does not have the power to enforce their participation. He says, “I bet if I blew the conch this minute, they’d come running…When the meeting was over they’d work for five minutes, then wander off or go hunting.” This was a very influential factor in the power steadily being given to Jack. Ralph sees Jack as a threat to his current chief position because he draws the savage out of the boys by taking them hunting. Jack is infatuated with killing and hunting, and …show more content…
At the beginning Ralph is of course at the top, close to equality with Jack, and the littluns at the bottom. The littluns were responsible for conjuring the monster, which was a very important part of the book. Piggy talks for the littlun and he quotes for him, “He says the beastie came in the dark.” Golding also placed the littluns in the book so they can reflect the evolving morals and hatred of the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Throughout the novel, Ralph is aware that Jack is constantly challenging him to be the leader. At first, he is calm and reserved by letting Jack lead the hunters. In the quote “Why do you hate me?” (Golding) as said by Ralph, this is the first time that Ralph openly questions and shows distaste in how Jack is trying to obtain the leadership position. The significance is great as it starts to develop an open rivalry between the two and the boys start to take sides. Ralph also starts to lose his leadership when they go as group on a hunting expedition, and Jack is the center of attention as the leader of the hunters as well as when he gets cut by the boar and makes a big deal out of it.…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The novel, Lord of the Flies draws in realistic political views in relation to the author, William Golding’s concept. Golding adopts contrasting views of leadership and quarrels between leaders to attempt to properly represent the national government leadership. The United States government leader, President Obama once said “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek” (Brain Quotes 1). He instilled a concept of self production, hands-on leadership and not to wait for change. The exact same concept was expressed in depth in Lord of the Flies, the author William Golding uses a deep inner character contrast in order to reveal their individual style of governing. The author customizes his writing to show the power within Ralph and Jack which are driven by inner moral and reasoning for Ralph, and for Jack a sense of dictatorship and holding utter control. All in all, Golding approaches the concept of leadership from an angle perceived by the reader to be an honorable way of living--Ralph and an unfit…

    • 1260 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel, “Lord of the Flies”, by William Golding, he tells the story of a group of boys stranded on an island. During World War II, a plane filled with young boys got shot down which led the young survivals on a deserted island without any adults. The young boys decide to have a leader who can willingly lead the group to survival. Ralph is chosen to be the leader, yet after a series of events maybe Ralph wasn't a good choice after all. I believe Ralph is the reason of the development of their savage society. Ralph takes responsibility for the island’s decline because his poor leadership skills result in nothing getting done and the young boys breaking into groups rather than cooperating like they should have been…

    • 296 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of the many boys stuck on the island in Lord of the Flies, only one was the protagonist of the story. This boy was Ralph. In the first chapter, Ralph was the one who found the conch with Piggy and called an assembly to unite the boys and see who all was on the island. In this assembly, Ralph gets voted leader most likely because he just assumes the responsibility of the leader right off the bat and the fact that he has the conch. Ralph has several main things that are important to him that he tries to get the boys to do including building shelters and keeping the fire going. Jack has very opposing viewpoints to Ralph because Jack just wants to hunt and have fun.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Power is often a source of violence in Lord of the Flies. The desire for power breaks down the boundaries set by rules and order, causes strife and competition, and governs the actions of many of the boys on the island. Once achieved, power has the ability to either improve or corrupt its holder. Ralph, the more noble of the two leaders on the island, is bettered by his position as chief; whereas Jack, the usurper, abuses his…

    • 1617 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies', a group of schoolboys find themselves on a deserted island alone after a plane crash. They attempt to form a society and elect a 'chief', however this fades and the boys begin to destroy the island and each other. Ralph, the main character and 'chief' of the society the boys initially form, is a character who drastically changes throughout the narrative.…

    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jack is the most effective leader in Lord of the Flies because he has gotten the most results when following through with plans. The boys on the island listen to him and do what he says without question, even if it is harsh. He isn’t afraid to be blunt with the boys and believes he is the strongest one there, even though he was not voted chief. Jack’s arrogant and hostile personality makes the other boys feel intimidated to follow his commands. This is apparent when Jack orders the boys to start collecting leaves, sticks, and dried wood to help create the fire: “All at once the crowd swayed toward the island and was gone--- following Jack. Even the tiny children went and did their best among the leaves and broken branches” (Golding 38). In…

    • 184 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the very beginning of the book Lord of the Flies Jack wants power and control over the other boys on the island. “I ought to be chief-because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp.” (Golding 22) This shows the pride within Jack and how views himself higher than the other boys. Also when Jack lets the fire go out to kill a pig for meat that the group really didn't need and the boys missed a ship because of this. “that was a ship. Out there. You said you'd keep the fire going and you let it out! - We needed meat.” (Golding 70) It is at this moment that the reader and the group of boys realize that Jack thinks as an individual and only cares for his wants and not the needs of the group. Unlike Jack who only cares for himself, Ralph does his best to look after and care for the boys of the…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What is a leader, you may ask. It is a person you can depend on to lead and make the right decisions for your group’s ultimate survival. In the book The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of boys crash land onto a deserted island. They elect Ralph to be their leader to ensure order on the island, but the boy’s civilization on the island is slowly falling apart. Ralph is losing control of everyone and the island is becoming extremely chaotic. I believe that Piggy would be better suited as a leader than any other boy on the island, including Ralph. Piggy is intelligent, caring, mature and civilized, which are qualities every great leader must have for the survival of a group in a time of crisis.…

    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    He completely disregards respect and yells at Ralph: “And you shut up! Who are you anyway?” He is not upholding civility by being rude and insulting the elected chief in front of the rest of the group: “You can’t hunt, you can’t sing –” Ralph tries to be a good leader, he prioritizes a signal fire over meat, something that Jack immensely disagrees with. However Ralph’s main focus is to try and keep everyone in the group alive, which Jack does not recognize. Instead of recognizing Ralph’s efforts and being appreciative, Jack is discourteous and is not upholding any respect in the group. Society begins to break down because of Jack’s failure to uphold respect. Jack is a model for the hunters and for some of the younger kids. Seeing him being disrespectful to Ralph gives the others the impression that they can do so as well. As some point, everyone begins to ignore and mistreat Ralph. Everything has gotten to the point where the groups disobeys Ralph, and Ralph even thinks that no one will respond to the…

    • 1454 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Lord of the flies

    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The book, “Lord of the Flies”, by William Golding, contains many characters that each symbolize something, one of them being Ralph who symbolizes structure and government. In the beginning of the book, Ralph was leader and everything was organized. Once Ralph’s position declines and Jack’s’ position rises, the children begin to become savages. Ralph is the most important character because once structure and government is lost, humans become savages and beasts.…

    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    When life throws scary and dire situations at you, some believe it is a test to see a person's true colors, and how that person reacts under extreme pressure and conflict. In situations like these, leaders are born. In The Lord of the Flies, Ralph becomes a frontrunner as the “chief”, or leader in the story. Ralph struggles to maintain a civil relationship between all the boys, but still remains the more appropriate leader, including his civility, his conflicts, and his purpose.…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In William Golding's, ‘Lord of the Flies’ there is a constant leadership struggle between Ralph and Jack. Ralph has proven himself to be the better leader of the two, by keeping his focus on keeping the signal fire going and building shelter, and maintaining some type of society and rule. Jack’s leadership style was militaristic, making others follow him by making them fear him. He was much more preoccupied with hunting and “The Beast” rather than getting rescued.…

    • 371 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In many situations, distinct individuals emerge from ordinary people to become leaders as their supremacy rises and lead people towards their goal. In order for effective leaders to rule wisely and civilly, leaders must embody qualities that aid them while they have the role of being a leader. In Lord of the Flies, a young-adult fiction book by William Golding, Ralph the protagonist, comprises the true qualities of being a competent ruler. He is a sophisticated, mature leader who works for the common good; although, Jack is more confident in himself and is more assertive as a leader.…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the important quotes from lord of flies is partly because Ralph blew it and he was big enough to be in link to the adult world of authority. What Ralph represents in front of boys was more meaningful to the boys than his actual skill which he lakes in leadership. As time passes the start to have regret on their decision. They don’t find the qualities of good leadership in him. Even they don’t know what qualities should a leader posses to run the society or the world. Every boy fantastic role in making government in utopian area with utopian government. In lord of flies jack by name, character rearranged everything by own every boy was with him for his food. As he was the owner and others were the citizen in participating in labor work…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays