In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, it explores the ideas of power and leadership. During the novel, Golding uses the characters Jack and Ralph to portray the fact that humans have a desire for both power and leadership. In the novel, Jack represents the need for power and Ralph symbolises leadership.
The terms of power and leadership are far different from each other, “power” is defined as ‘the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events.’ Jack begins to try change the boys into what he would like however, this is not the correct influence or direction the young boys should be taking. As the group of boys were founded Jack said “I ought to be the chief.” (Page 29) “Leadership”
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Ralph blows the conch shell, as he blew the shell the guards tell them to leave and began to throw rocks. Jack’s group suddenly appeared from the forest carrying a dead pig along the sand. This again shows how Jacks group have turned to savagery. Ralph has now demanded that Jack give piggy’s glasses back. Doing this Jack begins to fight Ralph. As the boys fight as total savages a rock is pushed off the mountain and strikes Piggy and destroys the conch shell. As the conch was the only direct remainder of civilisation it was unlikely that after this civilisation would remain. As Piggy dies Jack throws a spear towards Ralph. The other boys join in on this attempt to kill Ralph as well. By this time in the novel all signs of civilisation are now gone. Jack was the new leader and most powerful boy on the island however, did Jack deserve the respect he was being shown?
Although Jack had turned into a complete savage, Ralph had not. Even though Ralph was not completely civilised as he was when he first landed on the island, he kept some of the morals and standards that he had when he first arrived. Jack’s morals had not remained nor did his civility. Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel which portrays how the desire for leadership and power is shown through Golding’s use of literacy techniques and the characters of Jack and
“The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.” (Golding, 181). Jack was the first boy to challenge the power of the conch when he talked out of turn and Ralph scolded him for doing so. Roger pushed a huge rock from the top of Castle Rock onto Piggy and killed him along with the conch he was holding. Golding described the death of the conch as if it was never there to begin with to show that the conch was gone forever and there was nothing the boys could do about it.
The conch is gone-[Golding, 201]. In this quote, Jack is taking responsibility for Roger’s actions of being Piggy’s murder. By doing so Jack now seems more powerful to the other boys, therefore resulting in a more feared leader. Along with being power hungry, Jack has a more democratic leading style. He constantly brainwashes the little uns, by telling his that Ralph is boring and wrong and he only hunts and has fun.”
At the end of the book, Jack has become a beast at heart who lusts for blood and blood alone. Jack and Ralph get into an argument for the right to use Piggy's glasses to cook the meat that they hunt. Jack starts to get violent and they start fighting each other for the glasses. In an act of trying to stop the fight, piggy grabs the conch shell to get the attention of everyone and tell them to stop fighting. Soon after the hunters notice Piggy, they push a boulder off a mountain to kill piggy.
In the novel Lord of the Flies, Golding uses many quotes and Imagery to represent nature of mankind and society. Golding uses lots of analogies to try to foreshadow you about the real life. Throughout the book Golding uses many of the character and the setting to really make the point go across the whole story. As the story is told you begin to think humans are inherently good but nature and other people can turn you evil. In the beginning of the story jack is trying to get the group together to form so type of group which really means they are trying to set up a government.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is a novel that revolves around the concept of civilization versus savagery. The boys argue about points that eventually split the boys amongst themselves. These disputes come up multiple times over the course of the novel. One of which being the fight over the leader of the boys. Some believed the leader should be Jack while others believed it should be Ralph.
Rhetorical Device Analysis The book Lord of the Flies is an amazing novel written by William Golding about a group of boys who have to survive alone on an island due to a plane crash. The boys gather on the island and make a plan to be rescued. They establish rules and vote for a chief, Ralph, one of the older boys on the island, wins to the other candidate Jack. After weeks of being on the island, the boys start becoming unproductive and miss the chance of being saved by a ship.
Although Jack was the most natural leader and Piggy was probably the smartest of the group, the boys voted Ralph as their chief. Jack’s jealousy is evident after Ralph is chosen as chief when he “disappeared under a blush of mortification” (Golding 23). In the first days and weeks on the
Jack was angry and started fighting Ralph. When Piggy tries to talk about starting a fire using his glasses, Roger, one of Jack’s members, uses a lever to roll a massive rock down a hill and smash Piggy. The conch broke into millions of pieces. Knowing that there is not a conch anymore, Ralph and Jack fight again, “Viciously, with full intention, he hurled his spear at Ralph. The point tore the skin and flesh over Ralph’s ribs, then sheared off and fell in the water” (Golding 181).
In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, leadership is an important element. Without it, everything would be chaotic and unorthodox. Jack, as a leader, helps everyone to take care of the problems they are facing in the moment; and that is why I would follow him over anyone else in the novel. His actions resemble what coaches would look for in their athletes, but less extensive. For instance, a football coach focuses on the week they are on instead of thinking about finals.
The character that is the most responsible for the trials the group faces is Jack. Over the course of the novel ‘The Lord Of The Flies’ by William Golding, there are multiple trials and conflicts that move the plot along. Let it be known that Jack is at the root of these problems ninety-nine percent of the time. For example, his hunger for power is so extreme and real that it directly impacts the entire group. On many occasions earlier in the novel, he makes his opinion of Ralph’s leadership known by using indirect, clouded statements: “Why should choosing make any difference?
How Absolutely does Absolute Power Corrupt? Stranded, alone, no adults in sight. The boys in Lord of the Flies by William Golding were being evacuated from their school during the war, when their plane crashed on a small, uninhabited island. All adults were lost in the crash, only boys of various ages between twelve and six survived. Someone needs to be in charge, right?
Leadership Abuse in Lord of the Flies The famous 17th century poet Jean de la Fontaine once said “Anyone entrusted with power will abuse it if not also animated with the love of truth and virtue, no matter whether he be a prince, or one of the people.” When the children in Lord of the Flies find themselves stranded on a distant island with no adults to be found, they encounter many forms of power, hence encountering many forms of abuse of power as well. This power abuse can be organized by the two leaders who each ruled the island during their own periods. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding utilizes these leaders, Ralph and Jack, to illustrate how people in positions of power will abuse their power for personal gain when given the opportunity.
In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph and Jack compete to have the title of chief, this illustrates Golding's message that in society dictatorship can be more successful than democracy. Characters in this novel resemble people in WWII. Jack is a symbol of dictatorship and Ralph is a symbol of democracy. Though in the beginning of the novel Ralph had control, Jacks dictatorship caused him to take total control. Between the two boys Jack is the more successful leader.
The Peer Pressure Factor of Lord of the Flies William Golding’s Lord of the Flies paints two stark and opposing images of reality. On the one hand, the novel suggests that certain characters have venerable attitudes, making them seem like the protagonists, like Simon or Piggy. This can be seen from the motivating forces behind Simon’s decisions, or by the civilized behavior portrayed by Piggy. On the other hand, the novel also suggests that a deep built-in mechanism exists in every human being, one that prioritizes survival over morality. Just by observation, the novel demonstrates Jack’s exercise of hunting instincts, his combat of the social recourse from Ralph, his influence on everyone else to join him, and his eventual takeover of the
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.