Preview

Lord of the Flies Paper Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
454 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Lord of the Flies Paper Essay Example
“Lord of the Flies” by William Golding

Working his way up Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Ralph a character in Lord of the Flies by William Golding achieves needs for self actualization. Based on Ralph’s behavior he fulfills each need of the lower level before going up, thus he supports Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Towards the end of the novel Ralph was hungry and knew his life was in grave danger because Jacks troops were hunting him. He sacrificed his safety for needs to get food, a basic physical need. Ralph approached Sam and Eric to gather information and hopefully receive some of the pig so that he could eat. “Ralph screamed, a scream of fright and anger and desperation…he swerved as a spear flew past and then was silent, running.” In that scene of the book Ralph was being chased by Jack and his hunters. This action supports Maslow’s Hierarchy because physical needs must be fulfilled before safety. Ralph risked his needs for safety in order to get food. All the younger boys look up to Ralph so he feels their love, affection and belongingness. After the boys were done building some of the shelters they asked “What should we do Ralph what should we do now?” On the island Ralph gained the other boys respect and was made to be chief. After Ralph knew all the boys were behind him and respected what he had to say he was able to move up to the next level on Maslow’s Hierarchy. Ralph gained self esteem in that he possessed the conch shell, thus helping him achieve self actualization or becoming the chief. Once all the boys were gathered on beach by the mighty blow of the conch, they wanted to vote for a chief and Ralph won unanimously. “Let him be chief with the trumpet thing. Ralph raised his hand for silence.” Right then Ralph had the respect of the boys. Achieving needs for esteem leading to self actualization in that he had become what he was chief. Ralph achieved Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs because he was “born to be” chief, supporting the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Of the many boys stuck on the island in Lord of the Flies, only one was the protagonist of the story. This boy was Ralph. In the first chapter, Ralph was the one who found the conch with Piggy and called an assembly to unite the boys and see who all was on the island. In this assembly, Ralph gets voted leader most likely because he just assumes the responsibility of the leader right off the bat and the fact that he has the conch. Ralph has several main things that are important to him that he tries to get the boys to do including building shelters and keeping the fire going. Jack has very opposing viewpoints to Ralph because Jack just wants to hunt and have fun.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Now that Jack has gained power Ralph is feeling helpless. Ralph has now realized how uncivilized him and the other boys are which causes him to feel powerless and unsure. Ralph is terrified of what the island is now becoming.…

    • 334 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    <br>Ralph's character plays a major part in the plot of ‘Lord of the Flies'. Ralph is the first character we meet in the novel and at first he seems to be very relaxed about the situation of being in unknown territory. The plot begins opens when Ralph and another boy, Piggy, discover each other and eventually decide through Piggy's constant persistence to blow through a conch shell to see if there are any other people around. It turns out that there are many other boys stranded on the island and they begin to form a small community, which is controlled by Ralph who becomes the leader. Throughout the novel Ralph tries to keep the boys in order and to preserve a civilised society by showing constant faith that if they work together they will be rescued. He does this by encouraging them to keep a fire burning, which represents that faith, and to organise themselves into a unit equipped to handle the unpredictable situation. However, Ralph finds this increasingly difficult as the story progresses. Ralph begins to long and daydream of his civilised and normal past. Gradually, he becomes confused and began to lose clarity in his thoughts and speeches. "Ralph was puzzled by the shutter that flickered in his brain. There was something he wanted to say; then the shutter had…

    • 1514 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ralph is the elected leader of the group. He continues throughout the whole book to try to keep the order in the book. He first understands that he needs to set up a structure of rules to allow for the group of boys to remain civilized. The first great leadership skill that Ralph has is that he compromises. Ralph is a compromiser. The smartest compromises makes is that he instead of having Jack be upset about not being elected leader he makes Jack be the leader of the hunters. This would allow Jack and Ralph to have a good relationship until the middle of the book where having Jack be the head hunter would cause a split in the…

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ralph represents orderliness and tranquility. He is the one who brings the boys together. When they vote for a chief, they elect Ralph, as he is in possession of the conch who brought them together; "There was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch." (Goulding 22). The conch has given Ralph authority and sets him apart from the other boys. As the novel progresses, he finds himself at competition for power-- with Jack. When the boys are tempted to engage in his savage…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of Ralph's first instincts was to maintain safety by searching and exploring the island with Jack and Simon for anything or anyone who could possibly pose a threat to their wellbeing while inhabiting the island. Also, Piggy and Ralph find a conch in the water on the island. The conch was blown as a signal to let the other lost boys know where they were, which refers to Maslow's need of safety because this would not have been done if the kids did not feel safe. If Ralph and Piggy…

    • 1482 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    • The boys on the island progress from well-behaved, orderly children longing for rescue to cruel, bloodthirsty hunters who have no desire to return to civilization, they lose the innocence that they had at the beginning of the novel. Ralph is the ‘voice of reason’, he is the character in the novel that brings safety and comfort to the littluns, and he is the only one whom keeps order and justice between the boys.…

    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Lord of the flies

    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the beginning of the novel, Ralph naturally took the leader position. Although not the strongest person on the island, Ralph demonstrates a great understanding of humans, much better than the other boys. This understanding of humans gives him important leadership qualities. Ralph demonstrates his leadership qualities by working towards making the boys’ society better. Ralph understands that the boys need stability and order to survive on the island. To achieve this order, Ralph creates rules and a simple form of government. “Shut up,” said Ralph absently. He lifted the conch. “Seems to me we ought to have a chief to decide things” (pg 22). In this scene the boys are arguing about what should be done in order to survive. Ralph demonstrates his leadership skills by quieting everyone and making it known that order has to be placed if they wish to survive. After this quote the group votes Ralph to be the chief. This is also where the conch is introduced. “And another thing. We can’t have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have ‘Hands up’ like at school” (pg 33).The conch represents order, where only one boy is allowed to speak so that everyone’s ideas can be heard. This rule placed on the children is to help them from becoming savages and rebels. At the meeting Ralph assigns Jack to be the hunter. While Jack is in charge of the food supply Ralph begins to build huts and thinks about ways to maximize the chance of survival for the boys. During this time the other boys are only…

    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of the novel, Ralph is confident that he and the boys will be rescued by his dad, but Piggy tells him that no one knows they are there, which makes Ralph feel unsure. Ralph is just like the other boys on the island, but he begins to change as the story progresses. Throughout the novel, as the theme turns from civilized to savage, the events Ralph experiences slowly change him emotionally, physically, and psychologically.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lord of the Flies

    • 412 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Lord of the Flies is a novel by author William Golding. Lord of the Flies story line is about a group of British boys stuck on an uninhabited island who try to govern themselves, with disastrous results. The setting takes place on an unnamed island, during a nuclear war. The book sets out their descent into brutality, left to them in an exquisite country, far from modern civilization, the well-educated children regress to a primitive state.…

    • 412 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abraham Maslow is a famous psychologist known for creating Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The sections of his hierarchy are divided up into five groups. These sections include: physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and self actualization. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be used to explain nearly all human behavior. Physiological needs, safety needs, and love and belonging needs are especially present in my everyday life.…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    His attempts to make the boys tougher made things get done on the island, and inspired them to do better. His stand on right and wrong gave the tribe a clean look at how they were acting, and keeping his word had a great start, but turned against him, and he the weight of his people were slowing him down, until he weeped at the realization of corruption among each young boys heart. Ralphs society would have worked well had they not been so afraid. This fear drove the children mad and some of the older ones hostile. The boys didn’t leave Ralph because he was a bad leader, they left because Jack promised to kill whatever was out there at any cost, and cover their fear in paint. Ralph was the only one who didn’t become like this because he is brave, smart, and loyal to himself. He doesn’t let anyone take these qualities away from him for the sake of goodness. This type of leader is one we should each try to find, because things that are worthwhile might actually get done. The greatest problems faced by society can be solved, and the world can be whole. The boys were lucky to find their leader, so let's see if the people here can find one just like…

    • 1876 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the Lord of the Flies William Golding has a group of schoolboys crash on an island and become barbaric. The reason why the boys turn wild is because of their innate primal instinct to hurt others. This innate behavior is inherited from early ancestors killing to stay alive. Mans innate tendency towards violence, how people take sides and divide into groups, and the struggle for power are three ways mans behavior will generally occur. Each of these suggests that violence is a key factor to getting what they want.…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lord Of The Flies

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Ralph represents leadership, the properly socialized and civilized young man. He is attractive, charismatic, and decently intelligent. He demonstrates obvious common sense. Ralph is the one who decides to create rules, the meeting place, the fire, and the huts. He applies Piggy's intellectualism, and he recognizes the fears and superstitions as barriers to their survival. He is a diplomat and a natural leader. Ralph is the primary representative of order, civilization, and productive leadership in the novel, while most of the other boys initially are concerned with playing, having fun, and avoiding work.…

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Maslow believes that people would not move on down this list to be motivated by the next set of needs until the previous set(s) had been satisfied. here’s a short video which illustrates Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs by drawing on clips from the…

    • 688 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays