Lord Of The Flies Jack Vs Ralph Essay

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Have you ever seen two leaders who have different opinions, but are both right? In The Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, Jack and Ralph were selected as leaders. Ralph was a knowledgeable, caring, and trustworthy leader. He wanted what was best for the boys, so they all survived. Jack, on the other hand, was selfish, outgoing, and fearless. He did what he had to do to survive, even if it meant someone got hurt. The boys looked at Jack for protection and fun. Ralph was looked at for knowledge and care. Jack and Ralph are very different, but both are determined, wanting to survive, and are striving for one major goal of power. Jack and Ralph may be different, but are both determined. Ralph states, “‘There was a ship. Out there. …show more content…

Jack said, “‘Now listen. We might go later to Castle Rock. But now I’m going to get more of the biguns aways from the conch and all that. We’ll kill a pig and give a feast’” (Golding 133). Jack just wanted to have fun on the island. There were no parents or adults there to stop him. He was more focused on being selfish and making sure he survived. Jack didn’t care about the other boys, they were just there to help him. Jack used the boys so he would be able to survive. This is why he killed two boys for his safety. He cared more about himself than the others. Ralph claimed, “‘If it rains like when we dropped in, we’ll need shelters all right’” (Golding 52). Unlike Jack, Ralph made sure everyone was alright. He created rules and a government for the boys to follow, so they would have a better chance of getting along and surviving together. Ralph wanted to make sure everyone was healthy and in good shape all the time. He was never selfish, and he even made sure everyone ate before he even took his portion of food. Ralph and Jack had two completely different mindsets when it came to …show more content…

Ralph claimed, “‘Where’s Bill and Roger?’ Piggy leaned forward and put a fragment of wood on the fire. ‘I expect they’ve gone. I expect they won’t play either’” (Golding 131). Ralph wanted to remain in power because he knew he wouldn’t do stupid things and kill people. He knew once Jack convinced the boys to join his tribe to have fun, his leader role was gone. In fact, this didn’t stop Ralph from trying to have a say in Jack’s actions. Ralph always wanted to do what was best for the boys. Even if the boys didn’t see it because they wanted to have fun like Jack. The book explains, “None of the boys could have found a good reason for this; what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy, while the most obvious leader was Jack” (Golding 22). Jack believed he should’ve been in power from the beginning. Jack did everything he could to claim his crown. He convinced the boys his tribe was fun and there were no rules. Jack bribed them with food and told them he would protect them from the beast. He knew this would persuade the boys to join his tribe, even if what he promised them wasn’t true. Jack knew from the start he was the greatest there, so he was going to do whatever it took to be the chief of the