A good leader is one who knows how to lead with control and has strong leader characteristics. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, some readers support the fact that Jack was a better leader than Ralph, but others feel that Ralph was the better leader. Although many supporters feel that Ralph is the best leader, it is evident that Jack is the better leader because he can effortlessly control the group on the island. It is clear that Jack is a better leader than Ralph because he is more of a demanding, manipulative person. From the time the boys landed on the island, Jack was in control of the choir. “The other boys, led by Jack, run off in disorganized excitement to light the signal fire”(Reilly, 3). This quote shows …show more content…
This quote illustrates that the boys respect and listen to Ralph, and the possession of the conch cements the idea of Ralph keeping the boys sane. Later on, Ralph becomes extremely emotional when the boys were rescued. “Ralph, weeping for the end of innocence and the darkness of man’s heart, is weeping for all men, the officer and his crew included” (Reilly, 10). This quote supports the fact that numerous contradicting emotions go through his head, once the group is rescued. To clarify, Jack is a better leader than Ralph, but some people can argue that this is not a true statement. Even though many supporters suggest that Ralph is a great leader, it is obvious that Jack is the best leader on the island. Since the boys set foot on the island, Jack was honest, and he never hesitated to express his feelings. “Human nature cannot be so irremediably bad if the arrival of one adult can immediately put everything to rights” (Reilly,10). This quote explains that when Jack was introduced on the island he was a great leader, and this made the boys realize they each have individual responsibilities in order to contribute to the group. While being honest, Jack demanded the group to do what he wanted, and the boys would obey him. “Jack at first demands to be called as at school, Merridew, the surname his mark of superior age and authority”(Oldsey 4). This quote illustrates that Jack immediately separated himself from the other boys on the island.
Jack is trying to help but he somehow makes a mess of what he is doing as shown here, “A fire! Make a fire! At once half the boys were on their feet, Jack clamored among them, the conch forgotten. Come on! Follow me! The space under the palm trees was full of noise and movement. Ralph was on his feet too, shouting for quiet, but none heard him. All at once the crowd swayed toward the island and was gone-following Jack.”(Golding, 17) Whenever Jack feels like he has something to do, he gets too anxious and tries to complete it without giving it a full thought while Ralph on the other hand is always giving it another thought so what they do won’t kill any of them. Jack acts very childish in this quote which makes full sense of why he was not leader and Ralph is. Jack shows very childish behavior which does not make him a good leader for society in this 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, 16) Jack shows arrogance while trying to be chief which shows that Jack can easily ruin the society with quick and easy remarks that are not thought through. Jack is proving that he is not worthy of becoming a leader to the tribe. As shown by the quotes, Jack is going to ruin society with his arrogance and Ralph is just going to make things more civilized so they can keep civilization inside of them instead of
When it comes to leadership Jack and Ralph have very few similarities, and many differences. Jack seeks to take control and be the leader in every situation. When Ralph was elected leader, Jack interjected and elected himself as leader of his choir. He is very forceful when it comes to doing things his way. For example, this quote from
“ “Shut up,” said Ralph absently. He lifted the couch. “Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things around here.” (Chapter 1, Page 22) Ralph immediately notices the boys need some leadership his natural choice is to help guide these boys. He, however, lacks this responsibility. He doesn't continue to command respect from the boys. Ralph grows up faster in the book due to Jack. Later Jack breaks the tribe apart with his appealingly savage ways. Jack ended up establishing a hunting tribe. Once the tribe breaks Ralph tries to bring it back together, but since he didn’t have solid leadership skills even though he might have developed some compassion. He tries to convince Jack that he is still in charge and has power over the boys. The changes Ralph undergoes, from self-centered to group centered, doesn't reflect the island as a whole. They are all too elated to abandon the trappings of society.
Jack also gains power over Ralph in that he can supply meat. He gets more followers by enticing the boys with the promise of meat. Due to this, most of Ralph’s “followers” desert him and flock to Jack and his food. As their leader, Jack acts very immaturely, saying that they will hunt, and won’t do anything to try to get off the island. The other boys quite like this, as they are also immature and do not want to work, they just want
Both Jack and Ralph were struggling for power. At first, Jack and Ralph had similar goals for what they should do on the island. They quickly retreated when Jack became obsessed with hunting for pigs on the island. Ralph thought that they should keep the signal fire going at all times. Jack started to see that he did not want to leave the island he like that there were no rules. Ralph on the other hand felt that they could not be here forever. Ralph wanted to be rescued from the island. They're very different opinion forces Jack to leave Ralph's group and start his own. Jack toke most of the other boys with him leaving Ralph with very few people. From all of this Ralph started to realize that leading a group of people was not easy. There would always be people like Jack that would disagree. Jack left feeling insulted from Ralph insulting his hunting he felt that Ralph had undermined him as a result Jack turned mean and
Jack Merridew is presented as the indifferent, older character of the novel. He is the antagonist and could be seen as a devil figure in the story. Jack is the hunter, the dictator and, throughout the story, is at constant battle with Ralph for his leadership. Jack wants to be in control of the island and the kids but the type of leadership that he offers is brutal and similar to that of a dictatorship and communism. Jack also believes that the group should have fun and stuff oneself with the food they hunt. He is not very concerned with the future of being rescued. On the other hand, Ralph wants order and work and is much more concern with being rescued.
Jack and Ralph have different leadership style from each other. Ralph cares about other people he is selfless, like a leader he helps the team to procced with their task. Ralph also cares about other people opinion in the group as he has an open mind about opinions, he does not use fear to get power over the group. Ralph is trying hard to keep the group civilized in the book by setting rules. “And another thing .We ought to have more rules” (Golding 42). This quote shows that Ralph is trying to control the group as there is no order in the group, and that everyone is goofing around. Unlike Jack who has militaristic type of leadership he is also the leader of the hunters. He doesn’t value other people’s opinion and he wants things to go his way. Also he uses fear to enforce order in his own group of hunters. “‘He’s terror. And the chief –they’re both-terrors”” (Golding 189). This quote shows that Jack with the help of Roger they both
Ralph wanted to establish a sort of civilization for the boys, while Jack only cared about hunting and killing. Being a leader means putting someone's need before your own sometimes. Ralph knew the boys needed to be protected and needed to have that comfort zone, he tried to establish
In the beginning when Jack was moral he was commonly overlooked by the other boys because they looked up to Ralph, but once Jack started to use violence and persuasion he gained followers. “You gotta go because it's not safe - they made us - they hurt us.” (Golding,188) Ralph, a moral leader had followers and their respect, but not their loyalty. When it came to them choosing Ralph or Jack they chose Jack because they would choose saving themselves over fighting to stay with Ralph. Jack asserted his power on many occasions to make a point that he will cross lines to create fear among his followers so they won't disobey him.
Ralph displays useful human qualities as a leader by helping the boys’ society. Ralph believes that in order to stay civilized , they need order and stability. For example, Ralph says to the boys, “ Shut Up! Wait! Listen!” (38). This text evidence shows how Ralph is taking charge of the society and is trying to figure out the best solution to getting off the island and getting rescued. Ralph also keeps his whole focus on getting off the island unlike Jack. Ralph's leadership allows peace and charge on the island which makes him a better leader than Jack.
This statement is further evident in the quote from the novel: “I work all day with nothing but Simon and you come back and don’t even notice the huts”(Golding 54). This furthermore develops the Idea that Ralph is a much more powerful and strong leader because of the fact that Ralph has more mature and better set morals and priorities, while jack, has a more childish perspective. As shown, Ralph makes the huts and shelters all day with little help from his friends and companions, and none from Jack and his group. This is a certainly evident example as shown through the book, Jack and his group always want to become a more savage and childish perception of the situation that they have found themselves in. This can also show just how bad of a leader Jack is in the sense that he does not change from his childish self that he is bound to.
However, the little governing that gets done on the island shows leadership is “a job for people with thick skins and the stomachs of goats. A good person will oftentimes not make a good leader. So if we want strong leadership, we need to be more sophisticated in recognizing the mix of noble and dangerous personality traits that you’ll see in most effective leaders” (Asghar). Jack is shown to be extraordinarily noble, while Ralph’s persistent griping for a fire got him and his group notoriously nowhere. Having more justified morals alone does not define a leader, and in Ralph’s case on the island, actually makes the boys attracted to the more noble Jack’s
Golding used multiple examples to foreshadow the atrophy of Ralph’s leadership over the other individuals as the book progressed. The main reasoning behind that was Jack’s ability to take control of the young island inhabitants through his proficient usage of minority influence reinforcing his impulsive decision-making, which proved to be desirable to the simple-minded children. It was under the right ambiance of being on the island that Jack’s behavioral style, his ability to beget doubt, and his similarities to the coterie around him that made it significantly easier for him to persuade a majority to adopt his views. However, it’s his egocentric views that appealed most to the boys because they were not old enough nor mature enough to fathom the situation that arose by being stranded on the island. Through Jack’s leadership the egocentric thinking was brought out in everyone; As a result, the inhabitants on the island made idiotic decisions that resulted in the deaths of multiple characters.
Jack’s position as leader of the stranded boys came about when the boys grew tired of Ralph’s demands to remain disciplined and hard working. “ ‘I ought to be chief,’ said Jack with simple arrogance, ‘because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp.” (P. 18) The boys just wanted to have fun. To summarize, when the boys were first stranded on the island they formed themselves into a democratic like group under the leadership of Ralph. “Ralph is in many ways a symbol of civilization and order, the boy who insists on doing the rational things,
Anybody who has read the book “The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding has asked the question, who is a better leader, Jack or Ralph? Jack and Ralph are both great leaders. Each leader has his own characteristic on why he is a better leader. It honestly depends on the reader’s personality. Does the reader prefer a more savage, straight to the point leader, or does the reader prefer a leader who is soft going, is respectful, and overall a better human being. Many people would agree that Jack would overall be a better leader. Jack’s savagery would influence the boys to become more savage, and stay alive during this crisis. Jack cuts straight to the point without sugar coating anything, and is harsher on the boys. Also , due to the fact that