Lord Of The Flies Leadership Analysis

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In most groups of individuals put together to do something, one person will emerge as the leader. They may become the leader naturally over time, by vote or by force. However this leader, once assuming the position of leadership, will often begin to enjoy the power of leadership, and may develop greed for this power. This is illustrated in the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding. In this case, there are two characters, Ralph and Jack, who are both fighting for the role of primary leader. Both of these characters obtain this role at various points in the book, and they both start to rely on it. The single trait that Ralph and Jack share is greed, particularly greed for power. The first character who demonstrates a greed for power is Ralph. Ralph is the original…show more content…
Ralph's greed for power is best illustrated when he refuses Piggy’s request to join the exploration. Although he is somewhat kind and respectful when rejecting Piggy’s addition to the exploration group, Ralph is specific: “You're no good on a job like this.” (Lord of the Flies 24) This shows that Ralph believes that he is in charge and that his decisions are final. Ralph takes full advantage of his leadership role in the second meeting as well. He starts to form rules around himself, particularly when he says “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he's speaking…. And he won’t be interrupted. Except by me.” (Lord of the Flies 33) This shows that Ralph is using his power to apply rules to the group that don’t apply to him. Ralph continues to get things done on the island, and is angered when others don’t do the same. One example is when Ralph becomes angry at Jack and his hunters when they let the fire go out and possibly, but
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