In the Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a group of British boys are stranded on an uninhabited island and try to govern themselves. The leader of the group is Ralph, the main representative of order, civilization, and productive leadership. Ralph exhibits the traits of an excellent leader throughout the novel by being kind, responsible, and determined. Because of the aforementioned traits, the boys feel safe and even hopeful about being rescued.
A leader to one may not be a leader to all, but a respected leader is recognized as the best. A group of boys stranded on an island starts the tale of Lord of Flies by William Golding leading to an adventurous tale. This takes place in World War II surrounding the life of young British Boys. The boys on the island vote to decide on a chief among themselves and Ralph comes out victorious. Although Ralph is not the oldest or strongest, the little ones follow him endlessly through the well-earned respect that shines in his leadership.
Have you ever noticed the tension between Tom and Jerry that was unspoken on but acted on ? Lord of the Flies , written by William Golding was written during The Cold War when revival bobbing started children where moved to rural areas to protect future generations of citizens . Ralph was a character from Lord of the Flies , he was approximately 12 years old and was the chief of the group . Britain tried to avoid a war with Germany ; Hitler broke the treaty agreement and war was set in motion around 3.5 million people were relocated . Ralph believes in order , uses his aggression to manipulate piggy , and controls things around him with common sense without the input of anyone else .
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).
“The Word, that understandable and lawful Word, was slipping away.” (Golding 82). Ralph, the original leader of the boys in the Lord of The Flies, is initially a great leader and person. Ralph soon becomes pulled by his desires, a recurring theme of human nature seen frequently. Ralph experiences a man vs. societal conflict due to Jack’s influence but is resolved through the arrival of the long-awaited Naval officer.
If I were to be in Lord of the Flies, and I had to pick someone to lead, it would’ve been Ralph. Ralph may have not been the strongest, or most ready to kill, but he still showed other strong qualities of leadership. He naturally steps up as the group’s leader, and despite not being the best leader, he still shows good qualities of a good leader. In the book, everybody has already chosen Ralph as their leader.
Power is regularly a wellspring of savagery in Lord of the Flies. The longing for it separates the limits set by guidelines and request, causes conflict and rivalry, and oversees the activities of large portions of the boys on the island. Once accomplished, power can either enhance or degenerate its holder. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the characters Ralph, Jack, and Piggy have influenced the group, some more than others. Their influences are both negative and positive; some even changed the others personality or perspectives entirely.
What would you do if you were a leader of a clan and had to make hard choices for your people? The Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding during WW2. In order to save the future generations from death, civilians, particularly children were moved to rural areas. Ralph, a major character in the novel, allegorically represents a leader and a smart person when he wants to be. [ Ralph believes that the fire is the most important thing that he doesn’t even care about the meat that all the boys would need to survive, powerful leader that enjoys the boys being on his side and honoring him as there “master”, and recognizes himself as the chief and thinks he is the smartest and knows all.
In Lord of the Flies we see many forms of leadership, the most prominent being the leadership styles between Ralph and Jack. Some leaders prefer to plan and look at the bigger picture and some leaders like to rule from day-to-day. The contrasting leadership styles of Jack and Ralph shape the plot of the story and the fates of the boys on the island. Ralph was the strongest leader amongst the boys in Lord of the Flies, his leading power seemed to fall into his hands, or stemmed from Piggy’s good ideas. Ralph leads with the idea of a big picture, making sure that the boys on the island get rescued.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, and become more, you are a leader.” In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, school boys find themselves fighting for power and survival on an abandoned island. Among these boys, two stand out as leaders, Jack and Ralph. Both of these boys have unique leadership qualities and styles. Throughout the majority of the book, they fight to be the leader.
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.
Ralph possesses those certain qualities that allow him to be the best fit leader. Ralph has succor for all the boys on the island, including the outcasts such as Piggy, the voice of reason, Simon, the spiritual figure, and all the young children. When Piggy, Ralph’s closest friend on the island, was complaining about Jack, saying, “I know about me. And him. He can’t hurt you: but if you stand out of the way he’d hurt the next think.
“Lord of the flies” by William Golding, a plane had crashed on an unknown island and a group of young boys survived the plane crash and got stranded on the island. Among the groups of boys, one of them was named Ralph and he got chosen to be the leader of the boys. He was chosen because he demonstrated how he's a suitable leader by enforcing rules on the boys, but will succumb to peer pressure at the end of the story. He has to overcome his fear and learn to fight on his own. The novel reflects on human nature and on society because it’s able to teach us not to always rely on people and not to always trust everyone you think is your friend.
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.
The desire for power is one of the strongest human drives. In Lord of The Flies by William Golding there is a constant struggle for power between the main characters, Ralph, Jack, and Piggy. Ralph has power because he was voted chief and uses his power in an ugly way. Jack is struggling to get out of Ralph's power and gain his own power. The boys’ struggle for power is an ugly struggle and the author uses this to demonstrate the ugly struggle for power that is human nature.
