Golding's Lord Of The Flies: What Makes A True Leader?

There are two types of leaders: those who are feared, and those who are loved. In order to decide which is superior, one first needs to understand what a “good” leader is, and is able to accomplish. Good leaders are able to maintain order, keep their position of power, and have the loyalty of his/her subjects. As clearly shown in Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, it is better to be feared as a leader than loved. This is proven in Lord of the Flies through Jack’s successful though chaotic rule, and Ralph’s unsuccessful experience as a leader.

In society, there are often people who acquire strong leadership qualities and understand what it means to be a favorable leader. Other times, there are people who have strong qualities to lead, but they do not understand how to be a favorable leader and create a safe and comfortable environment for those following them. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the characters of Ralph and Jack arise as two different leaders who bear strong characteristics and they both seek power on the island. The boys become leaders in their own ways, creating individual environments that prioritize different matters, all while trying to work towards their rescue off the island.

Over time there have been many leaders of countries, groups and societies that are believed to be the “best” or what someone could only dream of. However what if a perfect leader doesn’t exist? In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies Ralph’s sense of leadership declines throughout the novel. So what if he doesn’t actually possess the skills the boys had hoped he for.

In the Lord of the Flies, the boys are challenged when their plane crashes and they have to survive on a deserted island. To survive the boy’s find it necessary to establish a leader in the beginning. The boys face many of challenges throughout the whole book because of their lack of respect for their leader. Ralph, the stories leader, struggles to lead because of Jack, who opposes Ralph’s view of what needs to be in order to survive. Jack in turn, reverts to savagery and only wants to hunt and have fun. Whether the leader is good or evil, he or she needs to be assertive, be able to take action, and think about the “long-term”.

Humans are a sophisticated and advanced race, one which possess the ability to affect their environment, and one another, in significant and often destructive ways. War is a catastrophic event created by humans, who upon creating it neglect to comprehend its far-reaching effects. The novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, places a group of prepubescent males into one of these situations. After an evacuation aircraft crash-lands, the boys are left upon a deserted island to manage and fend for themselves. As Golding details the trials and tribulations of the young men on the island, it becomes increasingly apparent that the children respect authority and require an organized leadership. The failure to manifest such a system will result in a de-evolution into savagery.

“‘The rules!’ shouted Ralph. ‘You’re breaking the rules!’ ‘Who cares?’ Ralph summoned his wits: ‘Because the rules are the only thing we’ve got!’” (91). In Lord of the Flies, Ralph says this to Jack at one of their assemblies, after having berated the boys for neglecting the shelter building and the signal fires. Ralph’s leadership is built on these rules, and Jack’s breaking of them causes an ideological conflict between them which eventually leads to Ralph’s loss of power among the group. He tries to create a just and orderly society to fulfill their needs and allow them to be rescued, but the boys eventually find Jack’s churlish lethargy and excess to be more desirable. Desirable, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, can be

Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is set in the time of a war evaluation. A British plane crashes on or near an isolated island, which leaves only children to survive. An older boy named Ralph appears responsible for gathering all the survivors. The boys naturally follow him because he of his age, beauty, and temperament. Ralph has “a mildness about his mouth and eyes that claimed no devil” (Golding, 10). Thus, he is quickly elected "chief" by the boys. Without leadership skills, the boys may not have lasted on the island for the time that they did. Some of the skills shown by Ralph were initiative, engagement, and responsibility.

When people are afraid they tend to turn to a higher, stronger, leader. William Golding wrote a novel called The Lord of the Flies. In the middle of a war, a group of schoolboys crash land on an island, there are two leaders. One leader wants more power than the other, which he eventually gets using, fear, manipulation,deception, and violence.

A leader is one that takes control and leads people to unity. “We’ve got to have rules and obey the. After all, we’re not savages” (Golding 27). In the book Lord Of The Flies by William Golding there is a lot of confusion between Ralph and Jack . Both want people to follow them so they can lead them to survival. Ralph wants to lead people and enforce rules so there is some type of civilization. Jack has rules but doesn't think people should get punish as bad as Ralph thinks they should. In Lord Of The Flies by Golding the author shows leadership between the two main characters Ralph and Jack.

What qualities make an or break a good leader? History would define leaders by being decisive, passionate, approachable and courageous. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows that like in many civilized countries there is a need for a leader to make decisions that best represents the people. Even in the extreme case in Lord of the Flies being on a deserted island; democracy and a leader are necessary to survive. Ralph exhibits being wise and prudence as Ralph displays the innate characteristic of sensibility when he decides to build shelters for survival and create a signal fire on top of the mountain. Ralph establishes himself as the best leader as he is democratic opposite to his counterpart. He exhibits this when he declares the holding of the conch as the right to speak during their assemblies. Ralph demonstrates one of the most challenging qualities of being a good leader; courage. Ralph demonstrates the characteristic of being courageous when he and the “biguns” are searching for the “beastie” in Castle Rock. In the novel Lord of the Flies, there is a competitiveness for power, although one emerges as the best leader on the island. Ralph is the best leader as he demonstrates the following characteristics; he is sensible, democratic, and finally courageous.

What is a leader to you? Is it someone you trust? Is it someone you like? Well, I think a leader is intelligent, brave, and sacrificial. I also think that Odysseus is an example of a great leader.

Is a good leader made or born? Some people are born into having to be a good leader. Others are naturally great leaders. The real question here though is, was Ralph from William Golding’s novel Lord of The Flies born to be a leader? Or was he made to be? The novel by William Golding Lord of The Flies is a book about a group of boys stranded on an island from having their plane shot down by an enemy plane during WWII. Ralph from The Lord of The Flies is a good leader because of his appearance, actions, and thoughts.

Many people have many different views on what a leader is. Leaders vary from team captain to the President of the United States. Of course, the leadership skills a team captain have are much different from those of the President of the United States. In the book, Lord of the Flies, leadership skills show through many of the characters. Boys ages 6-12 years old are left to fight for their lives on an abandoned island after their plane crashes. At this age, some of the boys may think they deserve this position, but the boy with the best leadership skills needs obtain it for the good of the group. The characteristics of a leader in Lord of the Flies vary from being a good public speaker, to being brave and to being willing to listen to the others opinions.

The theme of the story is some times leaders don’t always have the power. In the book (Lord of the Flies) by William Golding, the boys are stranded, alone on an island because of a plane crash. A boy named Ralph, finds a conch. He stands on the beach, blows into it and the boys gather around him. They vote Ralph to be leader of the new tribe. The conch is an important symbol of how leaders don’t always have visible power. In the beginning, Jack and Ralph fight over the conch. In the next paragraph, the leader Ralph is losing control over the conch and his tribe. In the final body paragraph, the leader completely lost control and a new leader takes power. The conch means hardly anything to them now.

A well-researched knowledge-base is a necessity. Organization is also key to being a leader. A leader must plan thoroughly to properly direct the group. Even though careful planning is crucial, a leader must remain flexible when problems arise. Remaining humble is also important. Once a leader raises her/himself above the group, s/he will lose respect and will be seen as a ruler - and not a leader. A leader must see eye-to-eye with the group to retain an effective role. To manage the needs of the group, a leader must be trusting enough to allow others to help. If a leader makes all the decisions without the group’s input, or does not allow the group an active role, the group will no longer agree with the leader and will not feel valued. The leader’s effectiveness and respect form the group will the drop. The group must also trust the leader to make wise decisions. Despite the fact that these qualities are mostly seen when leading a cause, they can be extended to other roles of leadership.