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Lord Of The Flies Power Quotes

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People are overly ambitious in wanting to take power from the person who has the most of it. In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding a group of boys, none who are older than 13, are deserted on an island after their plane crashes. The boys make a sort of government and elect a leader, they create rules and have fun. This was in the beginning though over time the boys start to become more savage and brutal they start to lose their once civilized nature and end up killing some of the other boys. In the Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, power corrupts people by limiting others without power, searching for more power, and losing yourself for power. Power can make you lose control of yourself. Although some people may think that …show more content…

For instance, “ And still Ralph was silent…no one, not even Jack, would ask him to move”(Golding 73). This quote shows Ralph’s chieftainship and that he was limiting those around him by making Jack and the rest of the boys move the fire pile somewhere else. Nobody wanted to ask Ralph to move because he was chief and was very agitated they were probably a little nervous. Another example is when Ralph and Piggy try to reason with the savages. “Now Jack was yelling too and Ralph could no longer be heard” (Golding 180). Jack was limiting Ralph's power by completely ignoring him and yelling over him. Jack shows that Ralph no longer has any power and is not chief anymore and can’t do anything about …show more content…

Jack has always been a natural-born leader, in the beginning, he was in control of the hunters and thought he would be elected chief. But since Ralph had the conch he didn’t become chief so ever since then Jack has tried to do things that a chief would do he wasn’t allowed because he wasn’t the chief. For example, “Jack stood up, scowling in gloom and held out his hands… But you’ve talked and talked… Jack sat down grumbling”(Golding 81-82). Jack tries to say something but because he didn’t have the conch Ralph told him to sit back down. Another example is, when Jack says, “He isn’t a proper chief… He’s a coward himself (Golding 126). Jack is trying to convince the rest of the boy's Ralph is a coward and doesn’t deserve to be chief. Jack is trying to take Ralph's power by making the boys think he is like Piggy and just says things and doesn’t actually do

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680 Words | 3 Pages

He had not got the conch and thus spoke against the rules; but nobody minded.” This shows the savagery of Jack by him breaking the rules. Later on in the story Golding states, “Fear, beasts, no general agreement that the fire was all-important: and when one tried to get the thing straight the argument sheared off, bringing up fresh,unpleasant matter.” (pg.125). People were being disrespectful to the leader and they started speaking at once

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556 Words | 3 Pages

For example, when Ralph and Piggy were discussing what to do after the murder of Simon, Piggy suggests Ralph blow the conch where Ralph then “sharply” (Golding 156) laughed in response. This quote shows the audience that since the boys are not taking the conch seriously anymore it's beginning to lose power. Secondly when Jack begins to form his own alliance he starts to become more aware that he is now in control as he has always wanted to be. When Jack states “we shall take fire from the others.

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811 Words | 4 Pages

While Jack takes the rule as a dictator and Ralph wants a democracy, Jack’s ruling worked out better for him in the long run. Ralph did not have any power as the book progressed because the boys were not scared of him. He did not take initiative and reprimand them so they did not have any motivation to do what they were told. Jack did not take this approach. He was very hard on the boys which they may not have liked, but it worked in the long run.

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359 Words | 2 Pages

This quote portrayed Jack’s horror in embarrassment that the majority of the kids prefered a different leader and he was not going to have power . Yet, Ralph understood his humiliation and offered a leading position to Jack. Golding wrote, “‘Jack’s in charge of the choir. They can be—what do you want them to be?’ ‘Hunters.’

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587 Words | 3 Pages

, After Ralph suggests that they should elect a leader, “‘I ought to be chief’ said Jack with simple arrogance” (Golding 22). Jack’s arrogance leads him to the conclusion that every person agrees with him and he should be chief. As a result, the boys sit in silence, shocked by his proposal. Eventually, Ralph is elected leader and Jack becomes enraged. He then holds a grudge on Ralph for acquiring the position of chief, leading to an unhealthy relationship between him and Ralph.

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953 Words | 4 Pages

The two leaders, Jack and Ralph, were once friends and allies, however some relationships never last. Jack’s evasion of his responsibilities and Ralph’s strictness create a rift between them that can’t be

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1050 Words | 5 Pages

Michael Kuchar Mrs. Hollmier English II Honors Pre-AP 17 May 2023 A quote on power, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Dalberg). In society, there is a great struggle to gain power and keep power. In the book, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, there are characters in the book who are granted the ability to have power. When these characters are granted power other characters grow jealous and think they deserve to lead. There is also a boy in the book who struggles against the boys with power.

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1041 Words | 5 Pages

Jack telling Piggy to “shut up” conveys the difference in power between Piggy and Jack because Jack can openly dictate what he can say without any backlash from the other boys. Jack routinely interrupts the person with the conch. Jack interrupting Piggy, as he holds the conch, and having no punishment can suggest that he is growing in power. Jack's power being equal to Ralphs would elucidate that Jack is also the leader. In the progression of the story Jack and Ralph split up and they both have their own separate groups.

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843 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the novel, Jack consistently demonstrates a disregard for rules and a desire for dominance and power. When he leads the boys in hunting and violence, he taps into their savage and primal instincts - including Ralph’s. As Jack proclaims, "The conch doesn't count at this end of the island" (Golding, 150) it becomes evident that he prioritizes dominance and power over order, authority, and the established rules on the island. In the midst of their destructive rivalry, Jack’s failures teach Ralph important lessons. Witnessing Jack’s inability to maintain the signal fire makes Ralph recognize the value of collaboration, communication, and planning for survival.

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743 Words | 3 Pages

Ralph does not tell them to help. And later, after Jack lets Ralph down by failing to do what he promised at a critical moment, Ralph calls a meeting,

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813 Words | 4 Pages

After the boys catch their first glimpse at what they imagined was the beast, Jack calls his own assembly to address the issue. As Jack leads his own meeting instead of Ralph, he immediately exerts this new authority in an attempt to overthrow Ralph as chief, exclaiming, “He’s like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn 't a proper chief,” (Golding 92).

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1085 Words | 5 Pages

Jack heavily disagreed with the way Ralph led with fairness and had only the desire for killing and power rather than leaving the island as shown by him letting the fire die out. As Ralph was scolding him for letting the fire go out when a ship went by, Jack exclaimed, "You should have seen the blood!".(Golding 70) At the end of the story it is shown that Jack used the little power that Ralph had given him and used it to gain power over everyone. He led a tribe of savages to hunt Ralph like he was a pig. When the naval officer showed up, someone with authority, Jack stopped in his tracks and could not even say anything to him while Ralph still was able to tell him that he was the leader even though the leadership had switched to Jack until that moment.

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848 Words | 4 Pages

Ralph, as the chief, afraid to lose power was speaking up for himself. They both were very confident and thought that they had more power but Ralph was beginning to lose power. The conflict between them has grown bigger and the hate toward each other is clear and obvious. They are not afraid to show how much they hate each other because there are no adults and they hold the most power so no one is going to punish them for being rude to friends. With the ability to hunt, Jack is now more welcomed and has more authority compared to Ralph.

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496 Words | 2 Pages

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).

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524 Words | 3 Pages

For example, he tries to undermine Ralph's authority and create a separate group of boys who will follow his lead. This ambition is seen in the following quote: "I ought to be chief, said Jack with simple arrogance because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp" (Golding, 22). This quote demonstrates how Jack believes that he is more qualified to be the leader than

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