ipl-logo

Powerful Leaders In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

577 Words3 Pages

Lord of the Flies: Powerful Leaders
Jurisdiction over people takes courage and strength; most importantly, it takes power. This leadership is a valuable tool. People who can be authoritative, can take control, and grasp the task at hand, generally become leaders. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies reveals that people are naturally drawn to powerful people regardless of morals.
Sometimes, leaders will be chosen based on a powerful object rather than their personal characteristics. Ralph, the first leader of the boys, is chosen based on his importance, not his skill; therefore, they root his authority to the conch. It seems that:
“None of the boys could have found good reason for this; what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy, while the most obvious leader was Jack. But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch” (Golding 22).
This quote tells that Ralph is not really a leader, but since there is …show more content…

He gives off an aura of savagery and authority. His, “Power lay in the brown swell of his forearms: Authority sat on his shoulder and chattered in his ear like an ape.” (Golding 150). This is what draws the other boys to follow his lead. His strength and authority cause them to believe that he is a better leader; likewise, he is more of a dictator. Jack stands up against Ralph by himself, showing the other boys that he is dominant and courageous. Ralph begins to notice boys sneaking off to join Jack as, “He looked round. Then for the first time he saw how few biguns there were and understood why the work had been so hard.” (Golding 131). Power and dominance caused the boys to choose their leader based on strength and not morals. Jack has savage ways, but he has power; consequently, his power allows him to be a

Show More
Related
1016 Words | 5 Pages

Lord of the Flies Double Entry Journal #1 Conch “But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out; there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely there, yet most powerfully there was the conch” (22). While voting for a leader, Ralph is singled out and chosen due to the presence of the conch. The conch is a symbol of power—as well as a representation of law and democracy. When Ralph is found blowing the conch by the other boys, he is seen as the most capable and right leader.

Read More
959 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More
636 Words | 3 Pages

The boys could have easily chosen Jack instead of Ralph, especially given the fact that Jack had previous experience as a leader; he is first seen surrounded by a group of faithful followers, his choir group, that continue to obey him on the island. Even Piggy, who showed support towards Ralph from the beginning, is intimidated by Jack's authoritative demeanor. However, Jack is missing that key characteristic that made Ralph so appealing: the symbol of power and strength. Any sense of leadership that Jack held was overshadowed by the image of Ralph standing confidently with the conch shell in hand. Ultimately, the young boys identified Ralph as their leader based on the power they believed he symbolized.

Read More
877 Words | 4 Pages

So even tho jack made promises of meat, safety, and a place to have fun, his power is still being threatened by a stronger more feared

Read More
755 Words | 4 Pages

He had the generic qualities of a leader. This is how leadership is not limited to those who are admired in society. The author tells the story of the boys as if he himself is watching the events unfold. This point of view allows the readers to experience the character’s actions and feelings.

Read More
1511 Words | 7 Pages

The democratic power type also provides a contrast for Jack’s government ideals later in the story. The conch has the power to grant the boys the right to speak. Later in the novel the power of the conch is decreased when Piggy and Ralph visit Jack’s pig roast. When Ralph and Piggy attempt to speak with the shell’s authority Jack says, “... And the conch doesn’t count at this end of the island-” (150).

Read More
1951 Words | 8 Pages

In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses items and people to symbolize many different things. These symbolic things include Piggy’s glasses, Simon’s epilepsy, the Lord of the Flies, and arguably the most important symbol, the conch shell. The conch shell was first found in the water by Piggy, who then comes up with the idea of using the conch as a blow horn to call for meetings. Throughout Lord of the Flies, the conch shell becomes not only associated with Ralph and his leadership, but with Piggy and his intuitive and wise ideas and Jack and his dictator-like, irresponsible authority. The conch shell, representing law and order, assisted in the election of Ralph as chief and ultimately determines the future of the island.

Read More
1088 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
434 Words | 2 Pages

Although Jack expresses strong desire to become chief, the boys elect Ralph as a leader, suggesting an air of charisma that made him worthy of his position. He believes a leader has to “think, be wise… grab at a decision”, someone who can look after others and keep the group in

Read More
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).

Read More
758 Words | 4 Pages

Or that Ralph really communicates with the boys, and he is confident and dedicated to being the leader. To begin with, Ralph is a better leader than Jack because he has a clear vision and goal to be rescued. A clear vision, according to the text titled “The Traits of Good and Bad Leaders” means “vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on what success looks like and how to achieve it.” Ralph knows where he wants to go, and that is being rescued.

Read More
1702 Words | 7 Pages

Power and manipulation takes over people’s minds and turns us into egotistical people without even knowing and the sense of having control or authority can brainwash us into the people who we despise. William Golding fabricates his ideas around the time period 1933 after he received his English degree where he mostly wrote poems. Golding’s world consists of writing novels, pulling ideas from the real world into his own creative words on paper, this is where he developed his most famous book, Lord of the Flies, throughout 1954. The perspective of Lord of the Flies is through the eyes of the Second World War and since he was in this war, his point of view on violence changed and gave him a different outlook on society. In the Lord of the Flies

Read More
1397 Words | 6 Pages

Ralph is first introduced as the fair boy who is a natural born leader. He applies Piggy’s intelligence to think of a way to summon the other survivors on the island. Ralph follows through with Piggy’s idea and uses the conch which emits a loud sound that can be hear through the island. The sound eventually lures the group of boys towards them. His leader instincts are best portrayed when he’s able to side with Jack after offering to share his power: “The suffusion drained away from Jack’s face.

Read More
2103 Words | 9 Pages

Quotes Analysis Further reflection “By the time Ralph finished blowing the conch the platform was crowded… before him small children squatted in the Grass. Silence now. Ralph lifted the cream and pink shell to his knees and a sudden breeze scattered light over the platform.” “‘we can't have everybody talking at once… He held the conch before his face and glanced round the mouth. '

Read More
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).

Read More

More about Powerful Leaders In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

Related Topics

Open Document