Lord of the Flies EssayEssay title: Lord of the Flies EssayImportance of LeadershipLeadership is something that stands out in people. In a group, people tend to look to the strongest person to follow. However, the strongest person may not be the best choice to follow. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph and Jack each have leadership qualities. Jack is probably the stronger of the two; however, Ralph is a better leader. He has a better understanding for the boys. He also has more common sense and treats the boys better than Jack.
Ralph shows that he has a better understanding of the boys than Jack. He knows that the boys need some sort of order on the island in order for them to survive. He starts a simple form of government and sets a few rules for them. Even though they don’t last very long, the fact that he tried to help the group is what makes him a better leader. Ralph’s wisdom and ability to look toward the future also has an advantage over Jack. He has a sense to keep his focus on getting off the island. When the fire goes out, Ralph gets upset because the chance to be rescued was gone as well. Ralph enforces his role of leadership as he gives the boys a sense of stability of an authority figure. He keeps the boys in pretty good order at the meeting by making a rule that they can only speak if they have the conch. Ralph knows that the littleuns are afraid and they need shelter to feel more secure. They work together for a while, but as the time goes on the smaller boys want to go play. They slowly lose all their help until Simon and Ralph are the only ones left to work on them. Ralph knows that this is a necessity and keeps bringing it up at the meetings. Jack, on the other hand, is doing nothing but causing chaos.
Jack fails to realize that the boys need security, stability, and order on the island Jack was a leader of the choir before the boys landed on the island. These boys, who were in the choir, still want to follow Jack; however, they have no discipline at all. The only thing that is on Jack’s mind is hunting. He doesn’t care about anything else, except capturing and kill the pigs for some food. The group of hunters does not like to listen to Ralph either. This leads to the second downfall in Jack’s character.
Jack does not treat the boys with the self respect that Ralph does. The way Ralph treats the boys shows his knowledge of human nature. Ralph makes a better leader because he understands that he is not superior over any of the boys. While Jack thinks that the boys are lower than him, Ralph treats the boys as equals. Ralph understands that the boys, particularly Piggy, have to be given respect. Piggy is the weakest of the group and is treated unfairly much of the time. When Jack hits piggy and breaks his glasses, Ralph calls it “a dirty trick.” This shows Jack’s disregard for other humans, while at the same time shows that Ralph is compassionate and has the ability to empathize with others.
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When Jack and Piggy go to eat, Jack’s father asks if Piggy ate with Jack’s mom. When Jack and Piggy ask what kind of food they were eating, Piggy is hesitant, stating that that’s only because his mother had a big appetite too. When Jack and Piggy ask who they were trying to hit, Jack is hesitant and continues with the question “why did you hit me? He does not know what you’re doing to him.” Jack, Piggy, and other humans go to Jack’s mom’s apartment and ask what the apartment is like. Instead of the question, which only gives Jack time to think of something, Piggy answers:
What are you doing here? My mom. I’m a nurse, not a nurse-master. I was going to teach you how to have fun. A man who can make babies is a different breed. A father has a more important job than a mother who spends a lot of time with the children who’ve not given more or less attention. You’ve been through a lot and you don’t want to break off the family so soon.
Jack’s father is not a nurse and is not the one who does this for Jack. All of the other humans mentioned above had their fathers get very drunk. Jack and Piggy have tried to talk to their father but have stopped it, so only Jack and Piggy seem to speak. There is an older person in the basement who is looking suspiciously around, and the younger person is just as intrigued by Jack as he is. The older person, however, is Jack. This person says:
What are you doing here? My dad told me to have a drink. What’s up Jack? He’s going to go get it today. I didn’t want to have to go all the way to South Lake Tahoe and make your father be drunk. We were having dinner back in the back to bed that night. We told our Dad I’m gonna have a new bed. He replied that it was a nice view of Lake Tahoe from the roof and that no one expected anything like this happening. He said that he wanted to go on a date with some friends, and that she has all the boys you can imagine. He said I’m making a great first impression to him and I’m ready to go to the park tonight. I mean I’m going to have some friends to play with and I want to talk with all the boys, just because I like girls. It just so happens I got another guy that I haven’t met yet. And that’s pretty much it and I’ll be okay.
The younger person then appears and tells