The Respective leader ship qualities of Ralph, Piggy, Jack and Simon Essay Example for Free

The Respective leader ship qualities of Ralph, Piggy, Jack and Simon Essay On the island, all four candidates possess different leadership qualities. Although the group elected Ralph as leader, he may not be the ideal boy for the job. The fact that Ralph was holding the conch was one of the main reasons why the group chose him. They had no idea what he would be like as a leader. At first Ralph seems just like any other eleven or twelve year old, just out to have fun. He is excited by the fact that there are no grown-ups on the island, and is not bothered by it at all. Another example of his childish side is where he repeatedly cries Piggy, if only to annoy Piggy. Until Piggy correctly informed him, Ralph was oblivious to the fact that the plane they were in had crashed. This is perhaps a sign that Ralph is not as clever or as alert as other people on the island are. Soon after he is told about the plane crash, Ralph is happily and joyfully interpreting the noise of a fighter plane as it glides through the sky, shooting down its opposition. At first, Ralph is not bothered about how they will be rescued, and claims that his dad (commander in the army) will undoubtedly come and rescue them. However, Piggy soon proves Ralph wrong, and suddenly Ralph feels very uneasy and vulnerable about the situation their in. Its at this point that we see a small element of leadership in Ralph, when he orders Piggy to get his clothes for him. Like piggy, Ralph came up with some good ideas that may help them towards being rescued. He was the one who suggested they build a fire on the mountaintop. The intention was that passing boats, or even aircraft, might see the smoke rising from the island. When Ralph and Piggy found the conch in the sand, Ralph just wanted to play with it happily. He didnt realise that it could be used to round up all the people on the island. When piggy and himself gather everyone on the island together, the topic of being rescued becomes even more important. Ralph became much more concerned and less fun loving. In terms of appearance, Ralph is physically quite strong and energetic, which is a worthwhile quality for leadership. Straight away, it gained him a fair amount of respect and authority within the group, which in turn gave him more control over the group. Piggy, straight away appears a sensible and somewhat mature child. He doesnt possess the element of carelessness that exists in Ralph. Quote: searching out safe lodgements for his feet, My auntie told me not to run on account of my asthma. When most people would have run ridiculously through the creepers, Piggy takes his time and thinks about his actions. Piggy is very persisting which is a good leadership skill. He asks the same question to Ralph twice. Quote: How does he know were here? Then Piggy persists in hammering it in to Ralph, that they wont be rescued very soon. Piggy was also clever enough to realise that their had been a plane crash, and that the remains had been washed out to sea. This shows how alert Piggy is, which is another important leadership quality. In fact during the novel, Piggy is nearly always alert and responsive. It soon becomes clear that Piggy is very friendly and sociable, and he is quick to ask Ralph his name. He congratulates Ralph on his unique ability to swim. Quote: You cant half swim well. This quality is in some ways a good leadership quality, because the group will feel warmed towards him. However, if Piggy was the leader, the group might end up treating him more like a friend than a leader, and might start disobeying his orders. Because Piggy is so kind and caring, he might be a bit reluctant to stand up to people and argue with them. This is perhaps one quality that would make a poor leader. In fact, Piggy rarely gets aggressive and argumentative in the book. He is very shy, and appears afraid of the older and more dominant members in the group. In fact, throughout the book Piggy is very involved with the younger members of the group. Even so, Piggy is very clever and does come up with some good ideas. He was the one who suggested they use the conch to call everyone together. He also realised the impossibility of Ralphs dad coming to rescue them. Although, later on in the book Piggys confidence is slashed greatly and he struggles to impress the group with his ideas. Piggy is also good at judging peoples character. Straight away, Piggy was very unsure about Jack, and his immediate domination in the group. This is perhaps another good leadership quality, especially in terms of being able to understand the feelings of the group, especially the younger ones. In some parts of the book we see a slightly braver side to Piggy. Firstly, where he goes against one of his aunties rules. He goes paddling in the sea, even though his auntie told him not to because of his asthma. Another time, is when he stands up to the older members of the group, criticising them and their actions on the island. Piggys physical appearance is perhaps the main reason why he is not respected by the rest of the group, and consequently why the group doesnt see him as the leader. He is rather fat, and physically weak and unfit. He wears glasses, and couldnt survive without them, and of course he has asthma which severely ruins his physical capabilities. However, physical qualities are not always important in finding a leader and are often just a bonus. When the conch is sounded for the first time, and everyone on the island comes together, we see the arrival of another prospective leader, Jack. Instantly we become aware that Jack is very arrogant and boastful. He automatically believes he should be the leader and he becomes very dominant in the group. Quote: I ought to be chief, because Im chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp. Its very clear then, that Jack wants to be the leader of the group. He constantly gives orders out to members of the choir, and they obey him grudgingly, yet responsively. Once the whole group was together for the first time, he immediately sprung into action and commissioned himself a high authority. He announced, Weve got to decide about being rescued. When Ralph came up with the idea of building a fire on the mountaintop, the group followed Jack up the mountain, and not Ralph. Jacks ability to grab peoples attention and willingly give out orders, is a quality possessed by all good leaders. However, he can be very bossy and arrogant, and in some respects selfish, which is not appreciated by the group greatly. Respectively, his personality wouldnt make him the ideal leader, especially in terms of building a firm relationship with the group. Jack could also be described as a bit of a show off and also a bit of a know it all. During the groups first ever meeting, Jack suddenly took out a knife from behind him and through it into a tree. All this in an attempt to kill a flying insect resting on the tree trunk that he missed. Again, I think this essence of his personality doesnt make him a good leader. I think when the group is working as a team, Jack would try and do everything himself, rather than take part in a joint effort. Once Ralph is chosen as the leader by the group, simply because he was holding the conch, Jack decided he would be in charge of hunting. This is a large responsibility for a child, especially when it comes to wilfully destroying a living organism. In fact, when Jack is first faced with having to slice through the flesh of an innocent pig, he looses his bottle. It appears that Jack is not as mentally strong as he first appeared. Here we see a more caring side of Jack, which is probably very rarely seen. Jack is effected by his actions in a big way, and commits himself further to hunting. A second failure later on in the book sparks even more frustration. This time Jack throws a spear and misses the pig by far. By now Jack is very anxious to hunt down a pig, and it is on his mind night and day. When he does actually kill a pig, he fills his mind with self-achievement, honour and success. This devotion and dedication is a again a good quality for a leader to have. However, because Jack spent all his time hunting, he ended up slightly neglecting the rest of the group. He didnt help with the building of the shelters at all, and as a result the shelters were a failure. As I see it a good leader would attempt to be involved in as many activities as possible. Not only to gain control of the situation, but also to motivate the group and fill them with confidence. If Jack were a quality leader, he would have taken it upon himself to get involved with all of the groups actions. Having said that, Jacks devotion to hunting did pay off in the end, but there were still other problems on the island that needed Jacks assistance. Such as shelters and organising the group to work efficiently and successfully. Simon is probably the smallest of the four, and possibly the youngest. His first involvement with Jack and Ralph, was when they went to find out if they were on an island or not. Quote: If Simon walks in the middle of us, then we could talk over his head. This shows how Simon is smaller than Jack and Ralph. Plus, it also indicates that Simon is considered as an unimportant member of the group. They make him walk in the middle so they can talk over his head, as if Simon didnt exist. It would seem that Simon is primarily a follower, for this early part of the book. Simon automatically nodded his head to whatever Ralph or Jack said. This is probably not a good quality for a leader, especially in terms of controlling the group. I think Simon feels small compared to Ralph and Jack, and because of this, and his quiet personality, he would rarely try to dominate the group. Additionally, whilst the three were together on their exploration of the island, Simon was the first to let out that he was hungry. Although any child his age would have done the same, compared with Jack, Ralph and Piggy, he would be the weakest and most vulnerable leader. Simon is very imaginative, again like any child his age. When on the exploration with Ralph and Jack, he spots some bushes, which had candle like buds. Quote: Simon spoke first. Like candles. Candle bushes. Candles buds. This also indicates that Simon is quite intelligent and is constantly mulling over ideas in his head. Another occasion where Simon has an idea is again on the exploration trip. Ralph states that they need to draw a map of the island. Simon pops up and suggests they scratch marks on bark, and fill it with black stuff. Whether they used this idea or not, it shows that Simon is trying to be helpful, and wants to be of assistance. Another example of where Simon is trying to be helpful, is where he helps Ralph with the construction of the shelters. Simon is undoubtedly dedicated to helping the group, which is a good leadership skill. He puts in a lot of effort and works hard, even if the achievement is sometimes small. Overall, I think that all four members of the group have good and bad leadership qualities. All four of them combined would make an excellent leadership combination. However, if I had to choose one of them to be leader I would select Ralph. He is dedicated to the group. He has the ability to think of new ideas. He is physically stronger than other members of the group are. The group has a lot of respect for him, which makes controlling the group much easier for Ralph. I think Jack is just too arrogant, and he would just take advantage of leadership, which wouldnt benefit the group. Piggy would make a great leader if he was able to control the group, but his physical appearance is stopping him from doing this. Lastly, Simon is just too small and weak for leadership, and I think it would be unfair for him to take on such an important and demanding role.