Lord of the Flies Essay - Leadership

1 In society there are leaders for examples Presidents and Prime Ministers. These leaders need to have certain characteristics, which include respect, maintaining order, and to protect the people. When these leaders start to ignore their responsibilities the society starts to get uncontrollable and mistakes will happen. For an example when leaders ignore protection and safety their actions undermine the groups ability to function, also when leaders ignore respect their actions undermine the groups ability to function. All of this happens in the story written by William Golding Lord of the Flies. All in all when leaders ignore their responsibilities their actions undermine the groups ability to function. To begin, when leaders ignore respect their actions undermine the groups ability to function. When Ralph gets assigned Chief by a vote he makes the rules where some of Jacks choir boys will go hunting and some watch the fire so it does not go out. When Ralph and Jack got into a fight about how Jack does not help out the group with their hunting, and how they are just wasting time because they barely catch a pig or any food for the group he disrespects them:

“Boys armed with sticks.” (Golding,127)

This shows that Ralph does not really care for them and their skills that they seem to have according to Jack. After Ralph had said this Jack left the group and asked anybody who wanted to join him could do so if they wanted to. After Jack left with his group him and Ralph are always fighting now but one occasion it gets a little out of hand:

“You’re a beast and a swine you bloody, bloody thief!” (Golding,177)

After Ralph said this it made Jack furious he stole Piggys glasses for fire for themselves instead of asking for it he just took it. After this was said Jack also killed Piggy. Ralph being leader and ignoring respect undermines the groups ability to function. As leader, Jack also fails to respect people and keep peace. Jack disobeys Ralphs orders to have to choir boys watch the fire because Jack feels that they need the men to hunt and not get rescued. When the fire went out it could of saved them in that time frame as a symbol of help but he decides to disrespect Ralph and not listen to his orders:

“We had to have them in the hunt.” (Golding,69)

After Ralph confronted Jack about the fire going out he refused that he was wrong although he knew he disobeyed Ralphs orders, which in the end could of resulted in getting rescued by the boat that drove by. Now Jack in his own group decided that they need to attack Ralphs camp and steal Piggys specs so they can have fire instead of just asking him: “Ralph remember what we came for. The fire. My specs.” (Golding,161)

Jack invaded Ralphs camp here to steal Piggys glasses to have fire. As Jack said that he came for fire and that the specs were his, although the specs are Piggys. Piggy even asked Jack to give back his glasses but he refused and killed Piggy. Jack is just disrespecting Piggy and Ralph here not listening to them at all. Jack refusal to have respect undermines the groups ability to function. Both boys, clearly fail in their responsibility to have respect. Ralph being voted leader should have respect for others and enforce it instead of ignoring it, having thee problems caused the group to fall apart. Jack on the other intentionally disrespected everybody in the group to get what he wanted . In both cases, however, when leaders ignore respect, their actions undermine the groups ability to function.

To begin, when leaders ignore protection and safety their actions undermine ability to function. Ralph being the leader of the group tries to keep it safe for everyone to live so he decides that they need to make shelters for the group. Ralph is trying to make the shelters for everyone but no one will help him except Simon because he failed to maintain order from everyone:

“But you like it!…You want to hunt! While I-” (Golding,125)

Ralph is clearly upset here with Jack of how he wont help them make the shelters while they go out and hunt for pigs. Ralph not being able to control the group early on had failed him now, since no one will listen to him they have a lack of safety due to them not have shelters for them sleep in. Also at camp the boys have to sleep in the dark one night when the fire burned out:

“We cant get any more wood Ralph not in the dark not at night” (Golding, 125)

As shown here there is a lack of protection due to not having the fire at night because it resembles hope. That night they had no hope they had fear. The fear of darkness was scaring the littluns and some others to go in the forest to get wood to keep the fire burning. Jack also fails in his responsibility to keep it safe and protected. During the storm when everybody was dancing, Simon was walking to all the boys and Jack thought he was the beast and went to attack him:

“Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!” (Golding,141)

Jack is not having safety for the group because he is getting them to kill a human who they think is the beast which is not. After they killed Simon they realised how small the beast was and the found out that it was Simon. Jack saying “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!” got the group all hyped up and not paying attention who or what the beast was and they just acted and attacked it. After Jack killed Piggy and killed the conch, he attacked Ralph and saying he is the new chief:

“See? See? There isn’t a tribe anymore! The conch is gone… Im Chief” (Golding, 181)

Jack is furious here just after he killed Piggy he threatened Ralph that he would do the same. Jack is totally ignoring safety and protection is actually doing the complete opposite ignoring it a killing other people in his tribe. When Jack ignored his responsibility to maintain protection and safety it undermines the groups ability to function. Both boys, clearly fail in keeping the island safe and protected. Ralph tried to protect the group but since he joked around when he was first chief no one took him serious when he needed them to help. Jack totally ignored safety and did the opposite he tortured people, and also killed people. In both cases, however, when leaders ignore their responsibilities to maintain safety and protection it undermines the groups ability to function.

In conclusion, when leaders ignore their responsibilities their actions undermine the groups ability to function. When leaders ignore protection and safety their actions undermine the groups ability to function, also when leaders ignore respect their actions undermine the groups ability to function. If all of this happened in our life, we would all become epic fails, just like how everyone did in this book.

Golding, William “ Lord of the Flies ”