Lord of the Flies - Ralph vs. Jack Essay Example
“Whose boss here?”
Throughout the novel, Lord of the Flies, there are two competing tribes headed by two competing chiefs, Ralph and Jack, with two polar-opposite leadership styles. Ralph’s being democratic, with Jack’s being autocratic.
Ralph is the boys’ first chief. He is elected into leadership by means of an informal voting, where majority of the group votes for Ralph. Ralph prevails in this election because he was the one who called them all together for the first time using the conch. Chapter 1, page 30 states: “and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch.” Ironically Piggy is actually the one that spots and recognises the conch for what it is, whereas Ralph only sees it as “interesting”, “pretty” and a “worthy plaything”
Ralph immediately shows leadership qualities when he assigns certain boys with certain jobs according to their strengths. Chapter 1, page 33 states: “Now go back, Piggy, and take names. That’s your job.” This shows his intellectual thinking. Ralph tries to create a democratic society. Abraham Lincoln defined a democracy as: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Ralph tries to build a civilized society by implementing rules and maintaining order. One of these rules is that they must use the rocks beyond the bathing-pool as the designated lavatory as stated in chapter 5, page 100. Ralph would discuss these rules with the boys in assemblies. In the assemblies anyone holding the conch has the right to speak and be heard.
Ralph bases all of his actions on the need to be rescued. Chapter 5, page 101 states: “We’ve got to make smoke up there–or die.” He constructs shelters to keep the boys safe and tries to maintain a signal fire for passing ships to see.
Keeping the boys united is essential to Ralph. He often does this by compromising, like in chapter 1, page 31 when Ralph assures Jack that he is leader of the choir boys, even though he isn’t chief.
However, Ralph does not do all of this on
Throughout the novel, Lord of the Flies, there are two competing tribes headed by two competing chiefs, Ralph and Jack, with two polar-opposite leadership styles. Ralph’s being democratic, with Jack’s being autocratic.
Ralph is the boys’ first chief. He is elected into leadership by means of an informal voting, where majority of the group votes for Ralph. Ralph prevails in this election because he was the one who called them all together for the first time using the conch. Chapter 1, page 30 states: “and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch.” Ironically Piggy is actually the one that spots and recognises the conch for what it is, whereas Ralph only sees it as “interesting”, “pretty” and a “worthy plaything”
Ralph immediately shows leadership qualities when he assigns certain boys with certain jobs according to their strengths. Chapter 1, page 33 states: “Now go back, Piggy, and take names. That’s your job.” This shows his intellectual thinking. Ralph tries to create a democratic society. Abraham Lincoln defined a democracy as: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Ralph tries to build a civilized society by implementing rules and maintaining order. One of these rules is that they must use the rocks beyond the bathing-pool as the designated lavatory as stated in chapter 5, page 100. Ralph would discuss these rules with the boys in assemblies. In the assemblies anyone holding the conch has the right to speak and be heard.
Ralph bases all of his actions on the need to be rescued. Chapter 5, page 101 states: “We’ve got to make smoke up there–or die.” He constructs shelters to keep the boys safe and tries to maintain a signal fire for passing ships to see.
Keeping the boys united is essential to Ralph. He often does this by compromising, like in chapter 1, page 31 when Ralph assures Jack that he is leader of the choir boys, even though he isn’t chief.
However, Ralph does not do all of this on