Is Ralph A Good Leader In Lord Of The Flies

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When considering what makes a suitable leader, what comes to mind? A good leader might be someone who leads as a good example or gives someone else an arm to lean on. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph is the leader of many british schoolboys stranded on an island. Ralph is the best picked leader for the boys and his rival, Jack, would never be able to fill his shoes. Once the boys crash landed on the island, they needed someone to lead them in this new, strange territory. A suitable leader for this type of situation needs to be the best example for the whole group. They considered Jack for their leader “[b]ut there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out” (Golding 22). This shows that even though Jack showed …show more content…
When the boys were discussing how to be rescued off of the dreadful island, Ralph had a plan. He told the group, “‘If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us… We must make a fire”’ (Golding 38). This shows that Ralph doesn’t just talk about a better way to live on the island but he plans on doing everything in his power to follow through with it. Ralph is planning for a long-term benefit for the whole group so they can survive as one. Since the boys are on a stranded island, they don’t have the accommodations of everyday life. In order to prove this, the great leader Ralph tells everyone, “‘We’ll need those shelters then… We chose those rocks right beyond the bathing pool as a lavatory… The fire is the most important thing’” (Golding 80). Ralph has a plan for survival on the island and he plans to follow through with it. He puts his trust in all of the boys to pitch in so in the future, they will be living well. Not only does Ralph have plans, but they will benefit everyone now and in the future. Overall, Ralph is a great leader for the stranded boys on the island. Ralph is caring, able to look at everything in a larger perspective, and can plan for the future. With all of these traits, Ralph was a well elected leader for the situation. If Ralph was able to stay the leader throughout the whole stay on the island, they would have survived in a well-thriving

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