With absolute power comes absolute corruption, but with limited power comes limited corruption. In the novel Lord of the Flies, the arbitrary need for a leader brings forward strife and competition between characters that desire power. Ralph with his old democratic leadership style clashes with Jack’s unethical style to rule. In the book Lord of the Flies, we learn that eagerness for power is strong enough to break the boys’ fragile civilization, which is demonstrated by the characters Ralph, Piggy and Jack. Ralph displays characteristic of a good democratic leader, demonstrating initiative, courage, determination and responsibility which greatly helped the boys survive on the island. In the book Lord of the Flies, Ralph shows immense amounts of initiative and responsibility as the …show more content…
A character who uses fear as his biggest strength shows the boys he is the most dangerous amongst the others on the island. “ See? See? That’s what you’ll get! There isn’t a tribe for you anymore! The conch is gone-[Golding, 201]. In this quote, Jack is taking responsibility for Roger’s actions of being Piggy’s murder. By doing so Jack now seems more powerful to the other boys, therefore resulting in a more feared leader. Along with being power hungry, Jack has a more democratic leading style. He constantly brainwashes the little uns, by telling his that Ralph is boring and wrong and he only hunts and has fun.” [Ralph] is like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn’t a proper chief”[ Golding, 138]. By saying this, Jack is showing the other boys that to survive you need to hunt and be strong, not use your brain. This paints a negative image in the little boys and about Ralph and Piggy, resulting in Jack looking like the best. A forceful, intimidating and violent leader, who is obsessed with hunting and killing is the most accurate way to describe
"I got the conch" Said Piggy indignantly. " You let me speak!" " The conch doesn't count on top of the mountain" Said Jack," So you shut up (pg 42). " This quotation provides a start to Jack’s dictator like attitude. “Kill the pig, cut her throat, spill the blood.(pg 69)”
In the novel Lord of the Flies, there are various types of leaderships evident. Ralph and Jack are two of the main characters in the book, who both show a great sense of leadership on the island and towards the boys. Ralph being a democratic leadership, and Jack being a dictatorial leadership. First the fact that Ralph was a democratic leader will be discussed and proven with evidence.
After ralph and piggy journey to the other tribe they are met by hostile savages who wouldn't listen to reason. “ Jack backed against the tribe and they were a solid mass of menace. ”(pg.180). The author shows how jack now has complete control of the boys and how they are backing him up and wont go with the side of reason. At this point in the book Jacks power is at its height and he has made all the boys sever their own ties to being civilized.”
They chose a leader who calamitously failed. A leader who was favored by society. A leader who the stranded boys put their trust in. If only the boys ignored social standards, their situation could have been exceptionally different. William Golding’s, Lord of the Flies, reveals that leadership is not limited to those who are popular; other factors, aside from social status, should be considered, as demonstrated through the archetype of the characters, the author’s point of view, and the resolution of the story.
In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, there are many possible leaders. Ralph’s adversary on the Island had been Jack, who had been pushing to take over as leader. This caused a lot of controversy among the common people on who is the more powerful leader, rather than the most effective. Throughout the book Ralph has proven to be the better leader in two ways; he’s civilized and organized.
Ralph "A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the quality of his actions and the integrity of his intent”(Commentary: Leadership in Quotations). In the book Lord of the Flies one of the main characters is named Ralph. Ralph is a born leader who tries to lead the boys to get back home from a deserted island.
“Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” This quote is said by Peter Drucker. The more effort leaders put in the more effort they are going to get out from the people they are leading. The leader might be dis-liked, but being liked isn’t in the job description. Being a leader might not be that hard, but just because they are a leader doesn’t mean they are good.
David Schwer McCallon-5 ERWC 4 October 2014 Activity #1 Lord of the Flies, written by, William Golding, is a story about a group of schoolboys struggling for survival after a plane crash has left them stranded on an island. As the struggling continues, tempers flare and the group splits on each other. One side has a boy named Jack as their leader, who’s
In “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, Ralph, Jack, Piggy, as well as the other boys destroyed their society as the Lord of the Flies decayed. They are stranded on a coral island in the World War ІІ era. Ralph is the leader of their group; though, Jack desires the chief position and wishes to create his own tribe in his quest for power. Piggy is an overweight, shortsighted boy with asthma who is bullied by Jack and his followers. He is taking for granted; on the other hand, he possesses the most wisdom out of all the boys.
In Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows the progression of absolute power, and how ambition can take over one's mind. Stranded on an island after their plane crashed, the boys create their own democracy with one absolute ruler, just like many other governments throughout history. The boys voted Ralph as their ruler, but Jack slowly starts to take some of Ralph’s power, and eventually usurps him as their chief. Lord of the Flies suggests that absolute power is corrupt, and that humans are overly ambitious in wanting to take power from the person who has the most of it. Just like any large group of people, the boys decide that they “ought to have a chief to decide things” (Golding 22).
Democratic power can be used to control a society, as well as establish a closeness as civilians. To lose sight of this can mean the corruption of a civilization caused by the lack of order. One’s choice of independence in order to better the chances of their survival requires complete dedication and willingness to risk. 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 initial and chronic independence and inability to compete with Jack’s followers, accounted for mainly by fear.
Leadership―an ability characterized by a person's capability to command, organize a plan of action, and recruit followers who will undertake these tasks. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, author William Golding illustrates this trait using two distinct characters with starkly different approaches to leadership: Ralph and Jack. When a plane crashed onto the island, a group of school-aged boys were found stranded, amid the destruction of war above. At first, there is a sense of concordance on how the island was to be run, as the wielder of the conch, Ralph was democratically elected. Ralph executes his orders with the objective of survival; he puts the boys on the island to work, making huts, scavenging the new territory, and hunting for food.
Leadership Abuse in Lord of the Flies The famous 17th century poet Jean de la Fontaine once said “Anyone entrusted with power will abuse it if not also animated with the love of truth and virtue, no matter whether he be a prince, or one of the people.” When the children in Lord of the Flies find themselves stranded on a distant island with no adults to be found, they encounter many forms of power, hence encountering many forms of abuse of power as well. This power abuse can be organized by the two leaders who each ruled the island during their own periods. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding utilizes these leaders, Ralph and Jack, to illustrate how people in positions of power will abuse their power for personal gain when given the opportunity.
Quotes and tie together Truths in Lord of the Flies from Historical Events Humans are known to make mistakes every once in awhile, but they can choose to learn from their mistakes or repeat them. In William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies, Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, and a multitude of other young boys are deserted on an uninhabited island of paradise. They argued and fought each other, while not taking their situation as seriously as it was. Corruption formed between the opposing figures of authority, Jack and Ralph, and it resulted in most of the boys becoming brutal and relentless savages.
A group of people needs a leader to keep order. Whether this leader would be good or bad, they are who the group revolves around. A good leader must keep order and lead their group to success. Keep in mind that no leaders are perfect. Each will have their strengths and weaknesses.