8 November 2018
Not just anybody can be a leader, it involves having all the right skills. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph had many strengths and few weaknesses as a leader. Throughout the novel, there was a struggle for power between Ralph and Jack. The two boys both had different views on what made a good leader, Ralph however was the superior leader. Ralph believed that in order to be a good leader, there needed to be order and priorities. He provided order to the boys by setting rules, holding meetings, and assigning jobs. Ralph had many of the qualities needed to be an effective team leader.
Being a good leader involves having knowledge and good ideas. There are many key things that would need to be done in order to survive on an island. According to Surviving on a Deserted Island :“Building a fire not only keeps you warm, but it will help to signal any rescue planes that are flying overhead”(text 6, 3). Essentially, this is saying that a crucial step to getting off the island is to construct a fire. The fire will keep the stranded people warm and signal any incoming planes or boats. Ralph had similar ideas and stated, “ We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they might not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire”(Golding, 38). Ralph made his idea clear that they must build a fire, and made sure they understood why they needed to build the fire. When he said “them” he was referring to the rescue planes/boats that he knew would be looking for them. This showed that Ralph was very knowledgeable because building a fire was a crucial step for getting rescued. Ralph had this brilliant idea while he was in leadership and this benefited the group as whole. Ralph was able to contribute his knowledge to the group, and apply his clever ideas to various situations throughout the novel.
A quality leader should have their priorities straight. When leading a group, the leader should have clear opinions and complete trust from the group. “Leadership and the Fear Factor”states “ The leader should be clear about his values so that people know what to expect from him. He should not be afraid to communicate hard truths”(Text 2, 2). This is saying that leaders should have strong values and an ability to communicate hard truths to the people of the group. The priorities the leader has should be conveyed in a way that people know what to expect from him. The most important thing to Ralph was the fire. Ralph became evidently frustrated when people around the camp were not fulfilling their fire duties. Jack and the hunters ditched the signal fire to go hunting(Golding, 68). This showed that Ralph was not clear enough on what his priorities were. Ralph asserted his power soon after by calling an assembly to address what had been happening around their camp lately. Ralph says, “You hunters! You can laugh! But I tell you smoke is more important than the pig, however often you kill one. Do all of you see?”(Golding, 81). He established that fire is much more important than hunting, and made sure that it was communicated to the boys. Ralph puts emphasis on the “You hunters” which showed that he was furious with them. He then continues on to show the hunters, and the rest of the group, how much he prioritized maintaining of the signal fire over the task of hunting. He called this meeting and stated this to ensure that the boys knew what to expect from him, and to make sure they were on task. Ralph made his priority of the signal fire clear to the boys in this meeting.
An orderly leader always attempts to maintain civilization within the group. Ralph was the one to find the conch, he later blew into it and called an assembly. During the assembly he stated “There aren’t any grownups. We shall have to look after ourselves… I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when when he’s speaking”(Golding, 33). Since the boys didn’t have any adults to set rules or tell the boys when it is their turn to talk, Ralph put the conch as the decider for who speaks. This showed that Ralph was focused on order and civilization. The conch symbolizes civilization and order in the assemblies. This prevented chaos within the meetings, and brought some type of civilization to the boys. Also, Ralph is making clear to the boys that he was in charge and decided who spoke. He acted like the adult in this situation and took control.
Ralph was a quality leader to the boys, however, there were a few instances where he was not demonstrating enough power. Ralph often lost control of the boys. Demonstrating control is essential when being a leader. A leader should “Demonstrate control (When things are happening quickly, no one may have control, but a leader can assume control)” (Text 3, 2). This means that a leader should be able to keep control over their group, even when things are chaotic. When fear about the beast takes over the boys, there is a shift from civilization to savagery (Golding, 108). This caused Ralph’s control over the group, to diminish from that point on. However, Ralph proved to have other skills that made up for him losing control. Compared to the other group, his group was much more civilized and well guided. Ralph was a good leader to the boys and his leadership tactics tended to be effective.
Ralph had many of the qualities needed to be an effective team leader. Ralphs ability to maintain order, set priorities and come up with beneficial ideas contributed to the group's success of getting rescued. Ralph was a good leader to the boys, and everything he was determined to do benefited the group.