How is leadership defined? Is it the ability to achieve followers, or the ability to make the right decisions? Some lead out of fear, others out of logic and reasoning. Although very different, both can be effective types of leaders. Peter Drucker, a famous leader, once said, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” In the book, Lord of the Flies, Ralph constantly puts the important tasks first and does what is right in order to be rescued from the island. Although Jack has more followers in the end, he obtained them from all the wrong reasons. Jack and Ralph are very different leaders and have conflicting interpretations of leadership; but they are both somewhat effective leaders. Apposed to Jack’s aggressive
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On page 37 he says, “Now we come to the most important thing…we want to be rescued…We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire” (Golding 38). First off, he explains that their survival is the top priority and he will make sure it stays that way. In order to do this, he decides it would be best to create a fire. This sort of logical thinking is crucial to their rescue, and it is all thanks to Ralph. Ralph’s ability to make decisions and prioritize is extremely beneficial on the island, rather than Jack’s impulsiveness. He makes spontaneous decisions, which destroy the order Ralph has created. His primary objective is to build a fire in order to be rescued; however Jack is fixed on meat and only cares about how he is going to obtain it, which should not be their first priority. Ralph is constantly working towards the boys’ survival. He tells Jack, “All day I’ve been working with Simon…Besides, the rest of your hunters came back hours ago. They’ve been swimming” (Golding 51). As Ralph is working and trying to make shelters for everyone, Jack does not help out at all; he fails to even keep the hunters focused. Ralph continues to work, pursing the goal of being rescued, with everyone’s best interest at heart; he is being productive with the time he has. He truly cares about the well …show more content…
When Jack decides to break off from the group and asks the others to join him, he destroys the order that Jack has created and leads his tribe in a whole different style of leadership. He leads savagely and aggressively, the exact opposite of Ralph. His aggressive behavior even seems to rub off on the other boys, “’He’s going to beat Wilfred.’ ‘What for?’ Robert shook his head doubtfully. ‘I don’t know. He didn’t say. He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up. He’s been’ -he giggled excitedly- ‘he’s been tied for hours, waiting-‘” (Golding 159). Jack has turned his tribe into savages, tying up another boy and “giggling excitedly” about it. He is perfidious— he uses violence to intimidate the boys into doing what he wants; he is not a true leader. On the other hand, Ralph is well mannered and civil, while still taking the role of an authoritative figure. He is not intimidating, but rather leads by example. An example of this is on page 72 when Jack let the fire die out, “’All right. Light the fire.’ With some positive action before them, a little of the tension died. Ralph said no more, did nothing, stood looking at the ashes round his feet” (Golding 72). Unlike Jack, Ralph can act a certain way, and the group will follow because they respect him. This is his way of maintaining order, by showing the boys what to do. Another example of
On page 37 he says, “Now we come to the most important thing…we want to be rescued…We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire” (Golding 38). First off, he explains that their survival is the top priority and he will make sure it stays that way. In order to do this, he decides it would be best to create a fire. This sort of logical thinking is crucial to their rescue, and it is all thanks to Ralph. Ralph’s ability to make decisions and prioritize is extremely beneficial on the island, rather than Jack’s impulsiveness. He makes spontaneous decisions, which destroy the order Ralph has created. His primary objective is to build a fire in order to be rescued; however Jack is fixed on meat and only cares about how he is going to obtain it, which should not be their first priority. Ralph is constantly working towards the boys’ survival. He tells Jack, “All day I’ve been working with Simon…Besides, the rest of your hunters came back hours ago. They’ve been swimming” (Golding 51). As Ralph is working and trying to make shelters for everyone, Jack does not help out at all; he fails to even keep the hunters focused. Ralph continues to work, pursing the goal of being rescued, with everyone’s best interest at heart; he is being productive with the time he has. He truly cares about the well …show more content…
When Jack decides to break off from the group and asks the others to join him, he destroys the order that Jack has created and leads his tribe in a whole different style of leadership. He leads savagely and aggressively, the exact opposite of Ralph. His aggressive behavior even seems to rub off on the other boys, “’He’s going to beat Wilfred.’ ‘What for?’ Robert shook his head doubtfully. ‘I don’t know. He didn’t say. He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up. He’s been’ -he giggled excitedly- ‘he’s been tied for hours, waiting-‘” (Golding 159). Jack has turned his tribe into savages, tying up another boy and “giggling excitedly” about it. He is perfidious— he uses violence to intimidate the boys into doing what he wants; he is not a true leader. On the other hand, Ralph is well mannered and civil, while still taking the role of an authoritative figure. He is not intimidating, but rather leads by example. An example of this is on page 72 when Jack let the fire die out, “’All right. Light the fire.’ With some positive action before them, a little of the tension died. Ralph said no more, did nothing, stood looking at the ashes round his feet” (Golding 72). Unlike Jack, Ralph can act a certain way, and the group will follow because they respect him. This is his way of maintaining order, by showing the boys what to do. Another example of