Have you ever met someone who is a natural leader? In the Lord of the Flies by William Golding, British boys are sent to an island to keep them safe from a war. The boys are without any adults and must use what’s around them and what they know to survive. Ralph (one of the older boys) is a leader and tried his best to maintain peace and help the group survive. I believe Ralph doesn’t have a distinct character flaw.
Ralph woke up on the island and found a conch and a boy named Piggy. Piggy tells Ralph to blow into the conch and suddenly all of the other boys begin to emerge from the growth on the island. After agreeing that they are without adults the boys become concerned. Piggy says, “That’s why Ralph made a meeting. So as we can decide what to do.” (Golding, 21) A little later, the boys vote on Ralph to be chief. As chief Ralph wisely decided that there needed to be rules on the island. “We can’t have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have ‘Hands up’ like at school.” He held the conch before his face and glanced round the mouth. “Then I’ll give him the conch.” (Golding, 33)
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“Listen, everybody. I’ve got to have time to think things out. I can’t decide what to do straight off. If this isn’t an island we might be rescued straight away. So we’ve got to decide if this is an island. Everybody must stay round here and wait and not go away. Three of us-if we take more we’d get all mixed, and lose each other-three of us will go on an expedition and find out. I’ll go, and Jack, and Simon.” (Golding, 24) The boys find that they are indeed on an island using Ralph’s intuition. “There’s no village smoke, and no boats,” said Ralph wisely. “We’ll make sure later; but I think it’s uninhabited.” (Golding, 30) Ralph concludes that they are alone on the island. Again we see Ralph using his leadership qualities to help the group
Ralph starts out making the island seem fun, that this is a grand adventure they’re on. But he also believes that they need rules and order, so they don’t become savages and forget who they are. This is why he uses the conch to create order and a system of rules. Ralph becomes leader and starts giving people jobs and making a fire become the most important thing. He wants to be rescued and is trying to get them off the island as fast as possible. “While we’re waiting we can have a good time on this island… It’s like a book.” Ralph is trying to make light of a bad situation and making the island seem like a utopia that the boys can explore. In life people do this all the time, they sugar coat the truth to make it seem like it’s better that it is or fun when in
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 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.
When Ralph first arrives on the island, he is a civilized leader. When he learns that no adults inhabit the island, “the delight of the realization overcame him” (2). He admires the beauty and laughs as he swims in the salt water. Almost immediately, he draws the boys on the island to him by the use of a conch and the group elects him their leader as a result of his fair appearance and possession of the conch. After exploring the island, he tells the boys that “This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grownups come to fetch us, we’ll have fun” (27). It is apparent that Ralph wants to have civilization on the island as he starts
In the allegorical novel,"Lord of the Flies", by William Golding, the protagonist, Ralph, is chosen as the leader by a group of boys who are stranded on a deserted island. As a leader, Ralph had motivations that influenced his decisions, as well as contributed to shaping up the rest of the story. Because of Ralph's leadership qualities and choices, I feel as though he did contribute to the tragedy, but may not have been able to prevent some of the deaths for many reasons.
Ralph shuddered; the chant still rang in his mind, over and over. Images ran through his mind. He watched Piggy falling from the cliff and Simon crying out as the other boys in Jack's tribe encircled him, trapping him before… he didn't finish the thought. In the corner of the room a conch shell glistened, he'd picked it up on the beach as they walked towards the boat. He had clutched it to his chest, much like Piggy had. The officers on the ship had shown him to his room and he hadn't left since, he had just sat on the bed, silent and still. Jack and the others were talking to the staff but Ralph hadn't said a word since he had first met the officer on the beach. He spent his time thinking about Piggy and Simon, what were they going to tell their families? How could they explain? He regretted everything that happened on the island. Their deaths were his fault. If he had just kept everyone together, none of this would have happened.
When left to themselves without laws or consequences for their actions, humans reveal an ugly and chaotic side of themselves. This horrid side of humans is ultimately lead by Sigmund Freud’s concept of the human ID, which describes the evil and twisted side of the human mind. This concept of inevitable anarchy due to a lack of laws is exhibited in William Golding’s novel, Lord of The Flies. Through notable characters such as Jack, Roger, Ralph, and Piggy, Golding elucidates how even once civilized, people can immediately change based on their environment. The lack of a strong government and strict laws leads these boys into an ultimate anarchic war which threatens their survival and their chances of getting rescued from the island. Multiple characters such as Piggy, get killed due to this lack and inability of the boys to follow 18th century philosopher, Cesare Beccaria’s, belief of a strong judicial system to hold people accountable for their actions. The boys responsible for Piggy’s death (Roger and other hunters) are simply let go without any punishments or consequences. Eventually, this barbarous and savage war almost leads to the island being devastated by a fire created by Jack’s tribe to capture Ralph for simply trying to bring back law to the island. Fortunately, the boys are saved by a naval officer who was able to spot the large bonfire. Although the boys try their best to implement Cesare Beccaria’s idea of a strong judicial system to have effective consequences
When Ralph finds the conch shell in the coral reef bordering the island, Piggy identifies it and explains to Ralph how to use it. When Ralph examines the item at first he does not know what it is, he has no idea how to use it, or if he can use it to his benefit. Piggy then tells him it is a conch shell and to blow in it to make a loud noise. He did this in attempts to attract other boys that might be on the island with them. Piggy also uses his intelligence to bring the boys’ attention to the fact that “ Nobody knows where [they] are ” (Goulding 34). Piggy is using his knowledge to make the boys realize that they will have to survive on their own. Because of Piggy's intellect, he is able to give the boys a sort of reality check which is a good trait for a
characterization refers to how an author reveals a characters personality through description of appearance, behavior and relationships with others. the main characters are ralph, jack, piggy and simon. the group of boys encounter a lot of problems during their time stranded on the island, resulting in multiple problems between them. William Golding's lord of the flies is about evil and it recounts a quest for order between the disorder that evil causes. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. in lord of the flies, the characters and their behavior is the most important part of the book.
Once the children realized that they were stranded with no adults and no rules, Ralph immediately stepped up to the plate as a leader. “A few people quickly comprehend the reality of the new situation, accept that they could die but don’t panic, and take action to increase their chances of surviving”, (Siebert, The Survivor Personality). Ralph is one of the few people that has the capacity to understand and handle the severity of the situation, “We’re on an island. We’ve been on the mountaintop and seen water all round. We saw no houses, no smoke, no footprints, no boats, no people. We’re on an uninhabited island with no other people on it” (Golding 32).
There are certain ways of been a good leader and make good decision. In Lord of The Flies by William Golding, Ralph is elected for the leader of the group of boys in a island, Jack is only focusing on hunting while, Ralph is focusing on been rescued. Ralph traits that make him a good leader are, he thinks and recognize others person thinking he also is prioritizing on been rescued and keep the fire going, he also has a good personality he is not mean and ask, and give what he ask for back.
Lord of the Flies Character Essay Lord of the Flies displays the fall of society and savagery inside humans. There are four main characters throughout the entire story: These characters are Jack, Ralph, Simon, and Piggy. In the beginning, the boys choose Ralph as leader by majority vote. Although the group votes Ralph, he is not the best-fit leader. Out of the four main characters, piggy, is the best fit for leader on the island.
Ralph is one of the many main characters in William Golding’s novel titled “Lord of the flies.” Ralph is a young twelve year old boy that is stuck on an island with a group of boys around his age and younger after their plane crashes. His father is a commander in the navy while the occupation of his mother is never mentioned throughout the novel. For the duration of his stay on the Island there are several character traits that he easily encompasses. Ralph is realistic, protective and childlike.
Tom Francis Neale was a New Zealander who spent sixteen years of his life living alone on a deserted island. Not alone, a young boy named Ralph, in the novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, has to lead a young group of boys and take responsibility. Ralph uses a conch shell to gather the group of boys together and assemble rules and priorities due everyday on the island. A good leader may need to control others to maintain order in the society.. However, being told what to do by a boy that is around the same age as you can’t last long. Golding uses the main character Ralph to demonstrate that a good leader must be in control and know how to be in charge of others.
What would you do if you happened to be stranded on an unfamiliar island with people you didn’t know? Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding , is a novel that is based in WWII. Ralph is a main character in this story. Ralph, a 12 year old boy, ends up taking the role of chief. Ralph takes the lead role by finding a conch shell and establishing that whoever has the conch has the right to speak. Naturally people begin to look up to him and they gain respect for their “chief.” Ralph believes in getting rescued, takes pride in the fact that others see him as a leader, and manages the pressure of being chief while not letting his ego get too big which effects the novel positively.