leadership and major characters
What is leadership in Lord of the Flies?
In class we discussed the different attributes of a leader. Jack, Ralph, Piggy and Simon each exhibited attributes of a leader.
On this page, demonstrate your understanding of the leadership qualities demonstrated by at least three major characters and why people did/did not follow them.
On this page, demonstrate your understanding of the leadership qualities demonstrated by at least three major characters and why people did/did not follow them.
This page is going to demonstrate about the characteristics of the four main characters in the book Ralph, Jack, Piggy and Simon. Showing the qualities of being a leader. Why did the other boys follow or not follow them?
First of all, we are going to talk about certain qualities on what is a good leader.
Here’s a list where I’ve researched about what is a good leader and what are his/her qualities to be qualified as a leader. :
# 1: A good leader must be responsible for the group that he’s in charged and for him.
#2: A good leader must be proactive and not reactive for every situation that he and the group will be facing.
#3: A good leader must be open-minded for every opinion of his fellow group mates.
#4: A good leader must have a noble character in order to prevent choleric situations that can lead to conflict inside the group.
#5: A good leader must have ears to listen attentively to his fellow group mates.
#6: A good leader must use his authority or power in the right way.
During one of our discussions about leadership in Lord of the flies, we distinguished the major strengths and weaknesses of each main character, Ralph, Jack and Piggy.
First of all, we are going to talk about certain qualities on what is a good leader.
Here’s a list where I’ve researched about what is a good leader and what are his/her qualities to be qualified as a leader. :
# 1: A good leader must be responsible for the group that he’s in charged and for him.
#2: A good leader must be proactive and not reactive for every situation that he and the group will be facing.
#3: A good leader must be open-minded for every opinion of his fellow group mates.
#4: A good leader must have a noble character in order to prevent choleric situations that can lead to conflict inside the group.
#5: A good leader must have ears to listen attentively to his fellow group mates.
#6: A good leader must use his authority or power in the right way.
During one of our discussions about leadership in Lord of the flies, we distinguished the major strengths and weaknesses of each main character, Ralph, Jack and Piggy.
candidates as leaders:
ralph
|
Jack |
Piggy |
Ralph is one of the candidates of being leader in the group of boys that got stranded in the deserted tropical island. As the voting began, most of the boys chose Ralph to become their leader.
These are guiding questions about Ralph’s character; this may also apply for the other candidates, Jack and Piggy. 1.Why did they choose Ralph as their leader in the first place? 2.What were Ralph’s characteristics that attracted the other boys to vote for him as the leader of the group? 3.Why did the other boys flee from his group in the next few chapters? To begin with, the character of Ralph in the book has developed as the chapters went by. Let’s start off from his physical descriptions, Ralph was described as having a blonde or fair hair, which we can find in the book that stated, “The boy with fair hair…” (Ch. 1 Pg. 3). Ralph was twelve years of age, also stated on the book that, “He was old enough, twelve years and a few months.” (Ch. 1. Pg. 10). These evidences from the book are talking about the brief physical appearance of Ralph. Voted as leader by the majority of the group, Ralph had his own strengths and weaknesses just as any leaders. Just what I’ve told you earlier, we had a little research about the strengths and weaknesses of each character as a leader in one of our classes. Let’s start from Ralph’s weaknesses as a leader. First of all, Ralph showed us the spirit of giving up his role as the leader due to having an eventful life on the island. In our short research in the book, we found out that Ralph thought about giving up his role as a leader when Jack was leading most of the group and the only people who remained was Piggy, Simon and him. This tells us that Ralph also has his owns limits about the things that’s he’s been facing while stuck on that island. Another example of Ralph’s weaknesses that was mentioned in the book was that, “ When the meeting was over, they’d work for five minutes, then wander off or go hunting.” – (Ch. 3. Pg. 51) In this case, we can infer that Ralph’s leadership in this situation more likely became less mature and civilized because it shows us that after being organized, we’re all still going to mess up and end up in chaos. Ralph doesn’t just have weaknesses but also strengths as a leader. The first evidence from the book that shows us Ralph’s strength as being the leader is, “Ralph as he sat that marked him out… and most obviously yet most powerfully, there was the conch.” –( Ch. 1. Pg. 8) This statement from the author basically means that Ralph has the authority over all the boys that were in the island also and that he had power because he was the who’s holding the conch. Another strength that Ralph has a leader is that, Ralph has a very positive and organized way of thinking, he was the one who shared the prospect about having rules and regulations while they’re stuck in the island without adult supervision. We can see the evidence from the book wherein Ralph said that, “Because the rules are the only thing that we’ve got.” –(Ch. 5 Pg. 91), this quote represents Ralph as a leader who promotes civilization to the group that’s in chaos. So we’ve covered Ralph’s physical descriptions and his strengths and weaknesses as a leader in the book. Now, we’re going to talk about and answer the questions above with evidences from the book. 1st question: Why did they choose Ralph as their leader in the first place? In the first chapter of the book, the boys decided to vote for a chief. One of the boys named Roger shouted Ralph’s name by saying, “Him with the shell.” -- (Ch. 1 Pg. 22). The boy with the shell was Ralph. And another boy raised his voice by saying, “Let him be chief with the trumpet thing.” – (Ch. 1 Pg. 22) The boys voted for Ralph because… We’re going to talk about that in the next question. 2nd question: What were Ralph’s characteristics that attracted the other boys to vote for him as the leader of the group? Just as what the author stated in the book, there were several examples why the boys decided to vote for Ralph as their chief. First, he was holding the conch shell, which represented authority. Second, they saw the humbleness of Ralph during the election of leaders compared to his opposition, Jack. We can find these in the book, the author stated that, “ But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerful, there was the conch.”—(Ch. 1 Pg. 22). Another evidence from the book about Ralph’s humbleness was that he even asked the boys if who wants Jack as their chief, “Ralph raised a hand for silence.” –(Ch. 1 Pg. 22), “All right. Who wants Jack for chief?” --(Ch. 1 Pg. 23) 3rd question: Why did the other boys flee from his group in the next few chapters? Most of the boys who were left were convinced by Jack to join his tribe. The cause of this split leaving Ralph, Piggy and the twins Samneric only, was that they were persuaded by Jack’s propaganda. Jack’s persuasion to the other boys was about having fun and doing the things they like and want and there’s no need in following rules. This idea contradicts Ralph’s style in leadership because Ralph represented and showed civilization throughout the book. After the boys were convinced by Jack, the day after they did the party and did some bizarre rituals which led to the death of Simon. There are various evidences from the book on how some of the boys decided to make Jack as their chief. The author stated that, “He’s not a hunter. He’d never got us meat. He isn’t a prefect and we don’t know anything about him. He just gives us orders and expects people to obey for nothing. All this talk--” (Ch. 8 Pg. 126). In this quote, Jack persuaded the other boys and now they were influenced by what Jack has told them leaving Ralph and Piggy alone. |
Jack Merridew is one of the candidates to becoming the leader of the stranded group. Jack represents savagery in the book and we’re going to talk about how his character developed throughout the whole book.
These are guiding questions about Ralph’s character; this may also apply for the other candidates, Jack and Piggy. 1. What were the things that Jack possessed that would qualify him as the leader? 2. How did Jack’s character show the readers that he was representing savagery in the book? 3. Why did the other boys follow or not follow him? We are going to talk about Jack’s physical description just as what we did at Ralph’s corner. And also we’re going to discuss about how Jack became that “savage” representative in the book. Let’s start! Jack Merridew, the author described him as, “He was tall, thin, and bony. And his hair was red. His face was crumpled and freckled ugly without silliness. His eyes were blue… “ – (Ch. 1 Pg. 20). We can see Jack having this “fierce” look which made him look like he can really be a good leader and we’re going to talk about that in depth later on… Now, let’s discuss about Jack’s strength and weaknesses as a leader. Jack knows what the boys want and that gives them what they want. He stated in the book that, “We needed meat… Do a bit for you.” – (Ch. 4 Pg. 71). Also Jack showed us that he’s really determined in what he is doing, but what he’s doing perceives the prospects about savagery just as hunting pigs and has the desire to kill. Jack stated that, “This head is for the beast. It’s a gift.” – (Ch. 8 Pg. 137). This was when Jack and the other hunters killed another swine during their expedition. This attitude of Jack shows us, the readers, that he has the urge to kill and that he’s even proud of it. Proving that Jack represents savagery throughout the book. These are Jack’s strengths as a leader in the book, he was always determined in everything he does and that he gives what his tribe wants and also fulfilling what he desires. Jack also has his weaknesses as a leader. He has a short-temper. An example from the book was that when he hit Piggy violently. “He took a step, and able at last to hit someone, stuck his fist to Piggy’s stomach..” -- (Ch. 8 Pg. 71) . Jack’s actions were becoming more violent and hysterical toward his fellow group mates. Now you’ve successfully learned about Jack’s character throughout the book, his physical description, strengths and weaknesses. No it’s time for us to answer the questions about Jack above. 1st question: What were the things that Jack possessed that would qualify him as the leader? Jack had the charisma and the bravery that would qualify him as the leader of the group. He even had the confidence to nominate himself as the chief of the group. He said that, “I ought to be chief,…” – (Ch. 1 Pg. 22). Jack said this statement full of arrogance and confidence. Also the author described him as the most obvious leader due to his experience as being the choir leader. “… While the most obvious leader was Jack.” –(Ch. 1 Pg. 22) Jack possessed few things that can qualify him as a good leader, he had the confidence and the experience to lead the group. But the boys still voted Ralph as their chief. 2nd question: How did Jack’s character show the readers that he was representing savagery in the book? As Jack’s character became thirsty for hunting and always had the desire to kill. He even declared a saying after catching a swine, “Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in.” – (Ch. 4 Pg. 75). Jack lived his life in the island with this saying. This tells us that Jack is representing the violence or savagery that’s happening to the boys in the island. 3rd question: Why did the other boys follow or not follow him? The other boys that were stuck on the island decided to not follow at first. But, as time passed by, Jack had a propaganda that he would give them and let them do what they want but not what they need. This made the other boys follow the Jack after Ralph failed to meet the standards of the other boys. |
Piggy is one of the most influential characters in the book especially to Ralph and to some of the littluns. He gives Ralphs advices and helps encourage Ralph about the situation their facing. Do you think Piggy has the qualities of being a good leader? Let’s see about the research and look at Piggy’s strengths and weaknesses just as what we did to the other candidate, Ralph and Jack.
These are guiding questions about Piggy’s character; this may also apply for the other candidates, Jack and Ralph. 1. Why did the other boys follow or not follow him? Let’s start from Piggy’s physical description. Piggy was described by having a chubby body shape by the author, “He was shorter than the fairer boy and very fat.” -- (Ch. 1 Pg. 7). Another physical description of Piggy was that he was sickly, “My auntie told me… asthma.” -- (Ch. 1 Pg. 9). Piggy has sickness and suffers from asthma. Also Piggy wore specs even before the plane they’ve ridden crashed on the island, “He put on his glasses... foliage.” -- (Ch. 1 Pg. 9). These are brief physical descriptions about Piggy. Firstly, let’s talk about Piggy’s weaknesses as a leader in the book. When we read the book, we can sense Piggy’s personality being worried or frightened about what’s going to happen to them in the island. Piggy stated that, “I’m scared of him,…” – (Ch. 5 Pg. 93). As we can see, Piggy is scared of Jack in this part of the book. Another weakness of Piggy’s character was that, he is offended easily by what other people tell him. In chapter 1, Piggy told Ralph not to call him “Piggy” because it doesn’t make him feel comfortable due to some reasons. Ralph said, “Piggy! Piggy!” So then Piggy replied and got offended by Ralph by calling him Piggy, “Ralph—please!” These are Piggy’s weaknesses of being a leader. Of course we’re going to talk about his strengths as a leader in the book. Piggy was an intelligent kid. He often backs up his sayings with scientific evidence. An example from the book,” Is scientific, that’s what it is.”-- (Ch.5 Pg. 84). Piggy also tells and helps Ralph what he needs to which shows us that Piggy is a very helpful person/leader. “Blow the conch, Ralph.”-- (Ch. 1 Pg. 11). With Piggy’s intellectual sayings and ideas, he does possess some of a good leader’s attributes. 1st question: Why did the other boys follow or not follow him? As what we have seen in the previous passages, Piggy showed some intellectual and brilliant ideas to the group. Even Ralph followed some of his advices. Most of the littluns obeyed Piggy also for having that little authority over them. |
conclusion
Ralph: Leader that has showed order and civilization; leader that only wants what’s good for his fellow group mates:
Jack: Leader that was brave but represented savagery; leader that only does what his members wants but can lead them to danger
Piggy:Leader that has the brain but doesn’t act it out; lacked confidence
Now it's your turn to vote the candidate who represents great leadership in the book:
Jack: Leader that was brave but represented savagery; leader that only does what his members wants but can lead them to danger
Piggy:Leader that has the brain but doesn’t act it out; lacked confidence
Now it's your turn to vote the candidate who represents great leadership in the book: