Was Ralph a good leader?

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English coursework

When thinking about whether or not Ralph was a good leader, we have to look at his ideals and how he achieved them. However, we must remember that Ralph’s leadership was hindered by the opinions firstly of Jack, who rivaled him throughout the stay on the island, and those of the boys. Because if Ralph could not persuade the boys that his ideas were commendable and worthwhile, he would not have been a very successful group leader. In my opinion, regardless of whether he was accepted by some of the group, he was a better leader than Jack was. This was because he had many key skills that are required in order to maintain control and respect. In saying this, I feel that Jack was a bad leader. Where as Ralph had all the boys best interests at heart, was intent on surviving in a civilized manner and getting rescued as soon as possible, Jack became obsessed with power, the joys of hunting, and having as much fun and wreaking as much havoc, as possible.

At first, Ralph was as excited by the prospect of no adults and no rules as the other boys: offence offense

“The delight of a realised ambition came over him’...’He stood on his head and grinned.”

But as time went on, marked by the increasingly long hair of the boys, he became increasingly concerned with the welfare of others, and realised that someone needed to keep the others behaving well. As he matured, Jack moved closer and closer to the savage image that Simon alone feared was inside every one of them at that moment. This made Ralph try harder, a skill of a leader. The following are reasons why Ralph was an admirable leader.

Firstly Ralph has the ability to get the boys to listen to him and he speaks clearly and concisely to them about issues that are not only important to him, but also which will benefit the entire group. We can see that the boys for a long time would instantly answer his meeting call of blowing on the conch, and they would form a circle around him, follow his guidelines, and try to please him. It is not that Ralph became any less important to the boys or that his ideas were any less worthwhile, it is just that the boys became tired of waiting and working, and so Jack with his policy of hunting and fun was a welcome distraction. At times, the boys would still listen to what their old leader had to say, with the exception of Roger and Jack, but it became too difficult to try to side with the “enemy” and be considered as “one of Ralph’s lot.”

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Another reason why Ralph made such a good leader was his ability to understand the boys. He was a likeable boy from the start and “There was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil”. He was calm and patient most of the time, and the boys did not find it difficult to trust and admire him. He was quietly confident and when the boys first meet for the first time and Jack comes up to the large group, he is an obvious choice for the role. However, Ralph, who does not promote himself or even ...

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