Lotf essays

Defend and/or criticize Ralph’s actions as leader.

What were his motivations? Did he contribute to the tragedy in any way? Could he have acted to prevent any of the deaths? What would you have done differently in his situation?

2. Describe the religious imagery in Lord of the Flies: the forces of good and evil, a all from grace, a savior, and eventual redemption. How does Goldings depiction of the island compare to the Garden of Eden?

3. Some readers of Lord of the Flies have argued that each and every one of the boys’ actions is nothing more than an attempt to survive in difficult conditions.

Think about the mounting of the sows head, Simon’s ascent up the mountain, and the murder of Piggy in particular, as well as any other key scenes that stand out for you. Is it fair to say that the boys’ actions were merely the result of the human survival instinct? Why or why not? If so, can you use these examples to draw some general conclusions bout the human instinct to survive?

4. Support the argument that Simon is a “Christ Figure. ” Do you agree or disagree with the idea that Simon is a Christ Figure? Discuss the development of this character from the frail, shy, fainting kid to the well-developed character that faces the Lord of the Flies and the beast, eventually being sacrificed as a result.

5. The conch is an all-important symbol in the novel. It is almost a character in its own right. Trace the development of this symbol. How does Golding develop this shell into this symbol? Discuss what it means, and the effect it has on the group of oys, from the first assembly to its eventual destruction. You may want to include in your discussion its relation to characters like Ralph, Piggy, or even Jack.

6. Discuss the development of one of the major characters (Ralph, Piggy, Simon, Jack).

How do they change from beginning to end? Is the change a “good” change, or a “bad” one? Be sure to support you response with specific examples from the text, as well as information you learned from class discussions (Simon as Christ Figure, or Piggy as representative of knowledge, etc. )

7. Another topic that you feel strongly about – you have to prove a thesis using a upported argument, and your topic must be approved by me before you begin.

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Lord of the Flies and the Story of Creation

Satan, Prince of Darkness, Lucifer, Iblis; no matter what title he bears, the devil is the most recognizable and distinct representation of evil In existence. In the story of Adam and Eve, the devil’s wicked evilness takes the form of temptation. He uses temptation to stray Eve from the path of God, the path she was created to follow. In the disguises itself as temptation yet again. The boys are tempted by their persisting desires to leave their civilized morals behind and indulge in the vicious and untroubled ways of savagery.

Numerous parallel themes, in ddition to evil disguised as temptation, between Lord of the Flies and the story of Adam and Eve are present. Themes such as original purity, the spread of sin, chance for redemption and tainted innocence. When Adam was created by God from the “dust on the ground and the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7) and Eve from Adam’s rib, they were perfect, pure human beings and devoutly loyal to God. Similarly, when the boys first arrive on the island they are unwavering In their devotion to maintain civilized morals and disciplined behavior.

In chapter 2, Jack displays this devotion by nnouncing to the group, “We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything. ” In the beginning of both plots, the characters of the story are pure in their Innocence and loyalty to what they believe is right. Adam and Eve pure in their loyalty to God and the boys retain their innocence by maintaining civilized behavior. Jack and Eve have one clear thing in common; they both lead their companions in straying from the path of righteousness.

Eve by being the first to give into the evil temptation of eating the fruit nd Jack by glvlng In to the evil temptation of power and the “compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up. ” Subsequently after, the evil that engulfed Jack and Eve quickly spreads to their companions like a terribly contagious disease. Eve convinces Adam to eat the forbidden fruit as well, thus damning them both. Jack starts a new savage tribe that most of the members from the civilized tribe quickly Join.

Upon witnessing this conversion from good to evil Ralph remarks, “The world, that understandable and lawful world. was slipping away,” Later in the book. aces savage ways even begin to infect two of the most civilized boys left on the Island. During one of Jack’s feasts, Ralph and Piggy “found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society. They were glad to touch the brown backs of the fence that hemmed In the terror and made it governable. ” In continuance of his custom, God goes to visit Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

When they hear him coming they grow ashamed of their nakedness, something they had never noticed before, and try to cover themselves with leaves and hide from him. God, being all knowing, pretends to search for them. He does this in order to give Adam and Eve an opportunity to return to Him and acknowledge their sin. The British Naval offcer that arrives on the island in Lord of the Flies represents what was originally good and right in the eyes of the boys, as does God In the eyes of Adam and Eve.

When the boys come storming out of the burning forest to discover their saviors standing on the beach, they feel no Joy but shame. Shame for the uncivilized ways 1 OF2 tney nave conauctea tnemselves. In emoarrassment was only ampllTlea wnen the British Navvy Officer remarked, “l should have thought that a pack of British boys… ould have been able to put up a better show than that. ” This humiliation experienced by the boys is similar to that of Adam and Eve. In correspondence with God’s actions in the Garden of Eden, the Navvy officer “turned away to give them time to pull themselves together. In warning Adam and Eve of the dangers of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, God says, mfou may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. ” (Genesis 2:16-17) God’s warning proves itself very true. Upon eating the fruit, their spiritual death is immediate, Adam and Eve are spiritually separated from God and lose a part of themselves they will never truly regain. The boys in The Lord of the Flies lose something of great value as well; their innocence.

In realization of this, Ralph “wept for the end of innocence. ” Both the boys on the island and Adam and Eve permanently tainted their purity in falling victim to the temptations of evil. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ” “He is everywhere represented as the deceiver, ssuming false guises, and making false representations. ” (Peter 5:8) (Corinthians 2:14) Both Adam and Eve and the boys in Lord of the Flies were deceived by the false guises of the the devil’s evil.

The bible categorizes evil in two groups; evil against one another, such as murder, theft, and adultery and evil against God such as idolatry and blasphemy. The Devil tempted the characters in the two stories to commit both evil against one and another and evil against God. Adam and Eve committed evil against God by disobeying his orders and Eve committed evil against Adam by convincing him to eat the fruit. In Lord of the Flies the boys committed evil against one another in numerous ways. They murdered Simon, Piggy, and attempted to kill Ralph.

In the book, civilized behavior and morals represented God. They committed Evil against God/civilization by losing faith and worshipping symbols of their savagery (pig’s head and beast). In the world today, evil against God is very frequently committed because in most people’s eyes, it is not true evil. From the Connecticut shooting to domestic abuse, in society today it seems as if people are carelessly making no effort to resist the devil’s temptations to commit evil against one another.

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Lord of the Flies, Coral Island and the Role of Adults

It is known that to fully appreciate the novel “Lord of the Flies” (1954) by William Golding (1911-1993) it is necessary to have read Robert Michael Ballantyne’s (1825-1894) “Coral Island” (1858), or at least to understand its theme and treatment. And so, since it was Golding’s intention to set himself to write an island story that deliberately challenged Ballantyne’s model in “Coral Island” -by inverting its assumptions and values- we can explore multiple angles from which the two novels can be compared and studied.

An item which seems quite interesting when analysing both texts is that one related to civilization and its adult exponents. After a thorough reading and focusing on very clear and specific elements we happen to notice the differences -as well as some similarities- among the roles and the significance of these adult characters in each novel. We will first refer to Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”, in which there are various examples of the complexity of the adult figure. But we must first refer to Golding’s own experience at war in order to get a clearer picture of his position towards our central concern.

From the first years of his life, he faced the atrocities of war when he took part in the Second World War by joining the British Navy at 1940. The war, as a physical result, changed a lot Golding’s view of life. He could not believe in man’s innocence any longer. He found that even the children are not innocent. No one is innocent. The ideas of W. Golding’s view of human nature can be found in almost any of Golding’s books and particularly, in his first and most famous book, “Lord of the flies” 1. So, let us now focus on the novel itself.

At a moment of uncertainty-anguish the boys beg desperately for a signal from the world of grown-ups: (“Grown-ups know things” said Piggy. “They ain’t afraid of the dark. They’d meet and have tea and discuss. Then things ‘ud be all right—” “They wouldn’t set fire to the island. Or lose—-” “They’d build a ship—-“ The three boys stood in the darkness, striving unsuccessfully to convey the majesty of adult life. “They wouldn’t quarrel—-” […] “If only they could get a message to us,” cried Ralph desperately. “If only they could send us something grown-up… a sign or something. 2) In the next chapter what they get is a dead body of a man hanging from a parachute, a corpse which gets rotten as the story advances. Is this the adult figure they were waiting for? Or, should the question be: Does this ‘gift’ from air help them in any way to strengthen their boundaries with civilization? The answer seems to be ‘no’. On the contrary, it makes them panic, slowly driving them mad and irrational. It unleashes violence, leads them to sacrifices and murder, and takes them back to a primitive stage.

So up to now the adult figure does not seem to be associated with a positive role. However, there is another character in the novel who also becomes very important as regards our analysis of the adult figure. Finally, when on the last pages, Ralph is lying on the sand, ready to accept the blow which will kill him, and he hears the silence around him, and he looks up … up… , he can first see some emblems of power, some symbols of the grown ups’ world and also of his father authority, and only then he can see a man – a naval officer. This man happens to stop Ralph’s brutal chase just by chance. Grown-ups have been dropping bombs and planes, and it was an atomic war which had made the children’s evacuation necessary in the first place. Who have gone crazy and been having an atomic war but the grown-ups themselves? 3 Again, a new question should be made: Is this a real symbol of salvation? Or, How can an ambassador of an atomic war stand for the parental protection or even a mature model to be followed? The naval officer’s ignorance, his lack of understanding of what has been going on, is ironical. Furthermore, what Golding is trying to make clear at this instance is the decadent figure of the human adult, and by extension, of the whole human civilized world. Let us now turn to R. M. Ballantyne’s “Coral Island”. Here, the concern about civilization, seems to be very well defined as well as good and evil are so clearly separated that there cannot be any conflict between them. 5 In spite of this, when we come to a closer look we find a special complexity within a number of characters. Everything about Ballantyne’s boys, who are older by some years than Golding’s boys, is confident and positive.

The novel as a whole, pictures the assumptions and values of the Victorian period in affirming progress, imperialism, self-reliance, the Creator, the goodness of nature and of human nature- when Christianised at least 6 Actually, this is quite an interesting item to focus on. On the one hand there are the dark-skinned people referred to as “the savages”, who are in fact the native inhabitants from the neighbouring islands. They are a kind of primitive adults, constantly characterised as cruel, uncivilised inferior beings.

Their rituals, their form of life, the whole of their culture is described as barbarian and demoniac and Ralph, our young narrator, is deeply horrified at seeing them. They represented a menace to the boys, and they tried to escape from them or to stay in good – but distant- terms with them, so as to keep them away from their coral island. On the other hand there are the pirates, who, paradoxically, are –like the rest of the fair-skinned characters- superior ; their ways are civilised, their clothes being the main symbol of their superiority. What is interesting about these last ones is that they are at first described as representing a dangerous element –as had already been the shark or the very ocean. Nevertheless, as the novel goes on, we are made to think that this wandering adults who travel overseas, robbing ships, conquering all that they found at their pace and kidnapping people, are actually ‘not that bad’. Even the pirates are “better” than the natives, more intelligent, cleaner, etc.

But also, as we reach the end of the novel, we suddenly meet some educated peaceful missionaries who work a miracle when they get to the island the boys are captured in and manage to convert the wild savages into Christians and they embrace our Lord’s Gospel. It must be understood that the priest’s reason for being there is to abolish the beliefs of an entire human group and the pirates are traditionally thought of as being thieves, kidnappers and violent conquerors. But, somehow, this is not the image Ballantyne depicts towards the end of the novel. Given, thus, the complex nature of these beings, a new different question arises.

What is the true nature of adults-civilization for Ballantyne? How come that adults like the priest and the pirates can be representatives of good or salvation? Are the adults capable of completely changing their previous evil nature all of a sudden? Obviously, the answer seems to rely on the moral outlook, the Victorian ethos, which bathes the whole novel. The didactic intentions are clear. His intentions are to teach his readers, not only to inform them about the wonders and terrors of the Pacific Islands, but also to make them reflect on the power, goodness, glory of God and make them better people. As a result, by comparing and contrasting both novels from the opposed perspectives of the two authors , we identify the key elements inherent to each one as regards our main topic. Basically, while in Ballantyne’s “Coral Island” the prevalent view of man was that based on the confidence of the white man 9 in Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” the thesis is based on the man’s fallen nature myth, expressing through it his belief in man’s other nature, the dark and guilty nature. 0 Mainly, both Ballantyne and Golding’s perceptions about adulthood and civilization vary not only because of a completely divergent perception on the world -which derives from their personal experiences- but also because of the time when each novel was written and the totally different socio-political scenery in which they were developed. 1 Material obtained from http://www. geocities. com/Athens/Forum/6249/bio. htm 2 “The Lord of the Flies”, by William Golding (p. 117) Faber and Faber Limited (1954) 3 Notes provided by the teacher on “The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding. Notes provided by the teacher on “The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding. 5 Notes provided by the teacher on “The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding. 6 Notes provided by the teacher on “Coral Island” by R. M. Ballantyne. 7 Macmillan Master Guide, The Lord of the Flies, 1986 8 Notes provided by the teacher on “Coral Island” by R. M. Ballantyne. 9 Notes provided by the teacher on “Coral Island” by R. M. Ballantyne. 10 Notes provided by the teacher on “Coral Island” by R. M. Ballantyne. 11Macmillan Master Guide, The Lord of the Flies, 1986

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Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm

Percy Bysshe Shelley once said, “Power, like a desolating pestilence, pollutes what’er it touches. ” He meant that when somebody acquires a reasonable amount of control or power over others, that dominance will eventually corrupt them. The corruption can quickly get to the point of extreme savagery emerging over respectable leadership, causing the people who are being ruled to suffer great hardship. This is exemplified in the novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding and in the film, Animal Farm, directed by John Halas and Joy Batchelor.

In Lord of the Flies Jack begins as an innocent young choir boy who later on rises as a leader and turns into a vicious savage when the power goes to his head. Similarly in Animal Farm Napoleon initially promotes equality for all, but soon becomes corrupt and desires full power and control above all of the animals other after he gains authority. Both texts show that people will do almost anything to obtain and keep power whether it is fear or violence. In is originally elected as the leader of the island, this was due to Ralph summoning the rest of the boys using the conch.

The conch represents power, civilisation and order in the novel as it gives whoever is holding it the power of speech. As the boys became less civilised and more savage the conch started to deteriorate so did the boys society. Ralph led the boys with fairness, order and rules. He set jobs for the boys and listed goals he considered important to achieve. The main goal he set was to be rescued he considered a signal fire the best way to get the attention of a passing ship. Jack thought that gathering meat and hunting was the most important goal.

Jack became leader of the hunters this was his first step into gaining absolute power. On the first hunt Jack was unable to kill the pig. This shows that at this point Jack still had morals and was not yet corrupt. Eventually Jack was able to kill a pig this shows Jacks loss of innocence and the start of his corrupt behaviour. Jack’s power soon escalates he offers the other boys meat, which is deemed as important by nearly all of the boys except for Ralph and Piggy. Jack soon starts his own tribe all the boys, bar Ralph and Piggy join up.

This gives Jack what he had hoped for all along absolute power over the island. Jack and the boys now participates in daily hunts this shows Jacks corruption at its largest extent as after each hunt Jack becomes more and more savage and his power constantly grows along with it. Jack also uses fear of the beast to gain more power. Jack gave a sense of security and safety from the beast so the boys wouldn’t leave his tribe. Jack also controls the hunters who are the strongest and most savage on the island.

The other boys are too afraid to leave Jack’s tribe as they fear they will be hunted. In Animal Farm, Snowball is originally elected as leader after their evil human owner is overthrown. Snowball treats all the other animals equally. Snowball and the other animals write 7 rules which must be followed by all animals. The seventh and most important rule is “All animals are equal”. This is very similar to Golding’s use of the conch in Lord of the Flies as, the society starts to corrupt the pigs change to rules to keep up with their corrupt ways.

From the beginning of the film Napoleon one of the pigs wants to become sole leader of the farm, even though this would completely contradict the beliefs which all animals agreed on from the start. Showing that Napoleon is a power hungry character from the start, this resembles Jack and his need for power. Napoleon then uses a pack of trained dogs to kill Snowball after an argument. This is Napoleons first use of violence to gain power, this violence generates fear amongst the other animals giving him an easy rise to power.

This resembles Jack and his use of fear to gain power. This is also the beginning of Napoleons rise to complete power. He uses his superior intelligence to convince the other not so intelligent animals that Snowball was a liar and a thief without any proof. While Jack does not possess the intellectual superiority he is still able to convince most of the boys to join his tribe. Once Napoleon and the other pigs move into the old farm house things start to get much worse, as they enjoy the life of luxury the house offers.

They even go to the extent of changing one of the 7 rules from “No animal shall sleep in a bed” to “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets. This is clear abuse of power as Napoleon changes the agreed upon rules only benefiting himself and the other pigs. This is again similar to the conch as Jack shows complete disregard for the rule of the conch. That rule of course being, if somebody is holding the conch they talk and everybody else listens. Napoleon soon realises if he trades with people outside the farm then he will be able to gain even more power.

This similar to Jack as he realises that he will be able to generate more power if more people join his tribe. The pigs need the chicken’s eggs to meet their half of a deal, the chickens refuse as the whole point of the original rebellion was to make use the animals were not used again. This is similar to the way Piggy and Ralph act as they refuse to join Jack’s tribe because it goes against what they decided on at the beginning of the novel. The pigs then try to take the chickens eggs by force, but the chickens purposely break their own eggs.

This is another example of Napoleon abusing his power because he thinks because of his power he can do whatever he wants. This is similar to Jack taking Piggy’s glasses as the glasses provided a window to more power. Napoleon makes up a speech claiming the chickens are traitors and that they must be punished to death. This shows that Napoleons greed, corruption and thirst for power has grown to such an extent that he is willing to kill anybody who defies his orders. The animal now fear for their lives when they are told they will be used for trade nobody defies this order.

This closely mirrors Jacks way of leadership, however instead of killing them, Jack often orders them to be physically beaten. The pigs again change the rules reducing all seven into one single phrase “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”. This rule states what had been evident the whole time that the pigs are superior, or more equal, than any other animal who are all equally below the pigs. This resembles the conch, when the conch was broken it symbolised the death of democracy and thus showing the island was run as a pure dictatorship.

Meaning Jack was “more equal” than his counterparts. The pigs eventually become so powerful that they begin to resemble the humans they replaced, even wearing clothes and walking around on two legs. The pigs have made a full circle becoming as powerful and corrupt as the humans before them. The use of different film techniques also give the viewer the impression the pigs have power, several times a low shot is used looking up at the pigs. This is a textbook technique used to give power or dominance.

In addition there is the use of a high shot looking down at the other animals to show weakness and inferiority. Jack from Golding’s Lord of the Flies and Napoleon from Orwell’s Animal Farm each demonstrate the tormenting effects that positions of authority can cause, especially when asserted for the wrong reasons. In the case of these two characters, power fell into the wrong hands, and as a result, the subjects suffered under oppressive rule, while the leaders reaped the benefits with no mercy.

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What Can Lord of the Flies Teach Modern Society

Griffin Theriot Ms. Kevorkian Period 4 English 9 Honors June 4, 2012 Ethics Essay What is the foundation to the society in which we live in? Ethics. Ethics are a system of moral beliefs. Ethics are what can destroy a society or make it a better place. Usually everyone in a society has a different view on ethics, and view differently form what is right or wrong. What this means is that everyone does not have the same ethics because people view ethics differently. I contribute to the continuance of our free democratic- republic/society through my belief in honesty, hard working, and trustworthiness.

Honesty is one of the beliefs that I believe is a very important value that someone should have. I came to believe in this value because I see that people who are honest can fit into a well working democratic-republic/society. I contribute to society by using honesty is by being honest to everyone and not lying about who I am. “’ Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people. ”’ What I like about this quote is that it is showing what some people truly see honesty as, and that is not being true to other people.

In the beginning of Lord of the Flies, they have to create a set of rules in which they have to live under. “ We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything. ” This quote is showing that you have to be honest towards the rules or else society (or the group of children0 will become savage. Also throughout the book you see them slowly ignoring the rules, and while they do that they become more savage and savage. Overall I believe that honesty is a very important trait to have if your trying to function in society because it will help show who you really are as a person.

I think that being hardworking is one of the best traits that a person can have. When I came to believe that hard working is one of the best traits a person can have is when I studied our founding fathers. If they wouldn’t have been hardworking then we might not be here today. I contribute this trait to society by being the hardest working person I can be. ‘’’ A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work. ’’’ This quote is showing that with out hard work or determination dreams cannot be achieved.

It is also showing that if you have a dream, that magic wont help. Only hard work and determination will get you there. In the book Lord of the Flies, piggy is very hardworking person and contributes to the island. “ Piggy was… so full of pride in his contribution to the good society, that he helped to fetch wood. ” This quote shows that Piggy is a hard working person and there fore fitted into his society. Although people made fun of him he was still one of the harder working kids on the island, which shows his determination. In conclusion a hard working person can function in any kind of society.

Trustworthiness is a valued trait in any society. I came to believe in the value of trustworthiness is because I have always like people who I can trust. How is use trustworthiness in my everyday life is by having people put there trust into me. “’ Trust underlies the foundation of civilization. ”’ What this this quote is saying that trust is the basic foundation of our society. With out trust our society would not be the same it is today. In the beginning of Lord of the Flies the children selected ralph to be their leader. “ All this I meant to say. Now I’ve said it.

You voted me for chief. Now you do what I say. ” This quote is showing that the boys have put there trust in Ralph. I believe this because if they didn’t trust him then they wouldn’t have picked him for their leader. Also I believe that in every society we choose our leader because we have trust that he will make the right decisions. With out trust in our society we will have nothing to rely on. In conclusion a trustworthy person is always going to function in society. In order to function a society I believe you need to be honest, hard working, and trustworthy.

It seems our society is works very well. You may ask yourself why it works so good. The reason is people follow these common beliefs. I fit into our society because I view those three traits as the ethics on how to fit into a functioning society. Some people may portray the ethics of our society different from one to another. But I believe that if you folly my 3 traits you can function in any society you want. A honest, hard working, trustworthy person, is a person I would love to have in my society.

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Role Modle

David Burrell English 9 Mr. Kinrick 20 May 2012 Male Role Models, Do Boys Need Them or Not? Role models can influence young boys in good ways and in bad ways. Good role models can help young boys develop positive characteristics and bad role models can help young boys develop negative characteristics. In general, good role models help young boys set good goals, develop good values and make good decisions. It is interesting that sometimes, a bad role model can have a positive influence on a young boy. For example, a young boy can observe bad behavior and decide that he does not want to copy that bad behavior.

However, this is an exception. In general, young boys should seek to copy the behavior of good role models and avoid bad role models. As young boys grow into men, they develop their values and learn how to make decisions and how to choose right from wrong. Young boys need good male role models. In the four stories covered by this paper, are examples of boys following role models. Some follow good role models and some choose bad ones. In Old Man and the Sea, there is one boy, Manolin and one role model, the old man. The old man is a good role model and Manolin benefits and learn valuable lessons.

In Lord of the Flies, there are several boys and several role models, but the two main role models are Jack and Ralph. The boys learn how to do things the right way from Ralph, the good role model, and how to do things the wrong way from Jack, the bad role model. In Of Mice and Men, George, an intelligent and cynical man is the role model. Lennie, a man of limited abilities, is protected by his role model, George. George and Lenny are friends. Their relationship is beneficial to each of them because George is able to protect his friend, Lennie and, Lennie can avoid being abused by other people because he is protected by his role model.

In Hamlet, there is no obvious role model. Hamlet shows that people can make decisions without a role model. The role model situations for each of these stories are explained in the following paragraphs. In Old Man and the Sea, Manolin’s male role model is Santiago. Manolin wants to learn how to fish like Santiago. Manolin looks up to Santiago as a role model. Santiago accepts this ‘role model’ type role and tries to teach Manolin. Santiago also teaches Manolin right from wrong. Santiago points out to Manolin that he should pay for things instead of stealing them: “Two, ‘the old man agreed. “You didn’t steal them? I would, ‘the boy said”. “But I brought these. ” “Thank you,” the old man said. He was too simple to wonder when he had attained humility. But he knew he had attained it and he knew it was not disgraceful and it carried no loss of true pride” (Hemingway 3). At this point in the story, the old man felt a sense of pride. He had taught Manolin a useful life lesson, not to steal. He knew the Manolin did not yet understand what he had learned, but Santiago believed that Manolin would remember this lesson. The old man was Manolin’s role model, friend and companion. He taught him to have strength of character and to believe in the truth.

It was the job of the old man to teach and pass down what he learned in life so life would be easier for Manolin. Manolin’s friendship and respect for the old man made it easy for the boy to learn from his role model. This is similar to what happens in Lord of the Flies. In Lord of the Flies, Ralph and Jack, both have man like qualities to become men and do become men. In Lord of the Flies, Ralph and Jack become two different leaders of two very different groups. Jack’s group is the rebellious type. They do whatever they want. Ralph’s group always follows orders: Ralph counted. “I’m chief then”… “Jack’s in charge of the choir.

They can be—what do you want them to be? ” “Hunters. ” Jack and Ralph smiled at each other with shy liking. ” (Golding 23) Ralph being the chief shows that he has leadership qualities. When he blew on the Conch everyone responded and came running. By him doing that, that made everyone make him the chief. Boys learn to become men by looking up to other men. In this case, they are looking up to another boy who has the same qualities that other men have. Those qualities could be good or bad. Jack is the role model for those boys that have an adventurous nature. That is why Jack becomes the leader of the hunting party.

His adventurous nature allows him to not have fear when he is out hunting wild animals. Now after Lord of the Flies onto the third story Of Mice and Men. In Of Mice and Men, George is Lennie’s role model. The story does not discuss how George and Lennie formed their friendship, but it does mention that they have a shared dream to one day own their own piece of land. Lennie has mental limitations. He loves stroking soft things, like kittens, soft materials and other things. Lennie is dependent on George for protection and security. Lennie is not a leader. He is comfortable letting George lead and following George’s lead.

George is Lennie’s “protector” from people who want to harm him. George explains to Lennie how to defend himself: “Don’t let him pull you in—but—if the son-of-a-bitch socks you—let ‘im have it. ” “Let ‘im have what, George? ”(Steinbeck, 16). Unfortunately, even when George tries to protect Lennie, Lennie shows how helpless he is. Lennie still does not understand what “let ‘im have It” means. Lennie definitely needs a protector. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie is perfectly happy doing whatever George suggests. Fortunately for Lennie, George is a kind, caring and protecting type of role model.

Without George as a role model, Lennie would not survive very long. If George was a bad role model, Lennie would not make it past the first chapter of the story. Lennie definitely benefits from having a positive role model. This is not the case in Hamlet. In Hamlet, there are no role models. Hamlet does not have a role model. Hamlet uses his own values and makes his decisions without the benefit of a role model. Hamlet made up a play to find out if his uncle really did poison his dad and kill him: “I’ll have these players Play something like the murder of my father before mine uncle. I’ll observe his looks. I’ll tent him to the quick.

If’ a do blench, I know my course”… “I’ll have grounds More relative than this. The play’s the thing Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king. ” (Shakespeare lns. 535-546) Hamlet was not led by a role model and he did not follow anyone’s decision. Hamlet did what he thought was best. When Hamlet accidentally killed Polonius, Hamlet chose to be arrogant and to act like it was not an accident. This was a bad decision. Hamlet should have admitted that this was an accident. If he had done this he would not have caused Ophelia, his fiancee to dislike him. This story is an example that shows that people can make decision without a role model.

This suggests that role models are not needed. However, if we analyze Hamlet’s decisions, we can see that Hamlet made some bad decisions. If Hamlet had the benefit of a good male role model, he would have likely made better decisions. It is clear to see that role models influence the way young boys make their decisions. Positive role models like Santiago, in Old Man and the Sea, Ralph in Lord of the Flies and George Milton in Of Mice and Men had a strong positive and beneficial impact. Manolin learned how to fish, from a great fisherman. Manolin also learned not to steal. Boys who hose Ralph as their role model learned how to do the right thing, how to survive and how not to become savages. Lennie learned the value of having a role model and friend who cared for and protected him. On the other hand Hamlet made his own decisions without the help of a role model. While Hamlet was not influenced by a bad role model, which is a good thing, Hamlet could have made better decisions if he had a positive role model. If Manolin did not learn not to steal, he could have a life of crime as a thief instead of a successful life as a great fisherman. Young boys clearly need positive role models.

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Lord of the Flies- Leadership Analysis on Ralph

A leader is someone who directs or guides a group. However, good leadership is the ability to set priorities and accomplish what needs to be done with the feelings of the group in mind. In Lord of the Flies, Ralph demonstrates many traits that would be considered good leadership. At times he also lacks them, and if he had demonstrated them he could have helped the situation greatly. Ralph understands how people feel and has the ability to respect that and make decisions based off of people’s feelings. He also has the ability to be very serious, which is a good leadership trait if you want to accomplish something.

Ralph was also very wise and always made the decisions that he thought were best for the group. In addition, Ralph is very hard working, once he knows what needs to be done he will work very hard to accomplish that task. Throughout the book Ralph demonstrates he is empathetic towards other people’s feelings, he is serious towards his goal, he makes wise decisions, and he is hardworking towards the task at hand. In the book, Ralph was empathetic and showed understanding towards the boys’ feelings. “‘Trouble is, we haven’t got enough people for a fire. You got to treat Samneric as one turn.

They do everything together-’” (138) This shows that, even in a time of crisis, Ralph will consider everyone’s feelings before he acts. This trait also hinders Ralph because he does not realize how unproductive it would be to treat the twins as one boy until Piggy explains it to Ralph. This is an example of how he may understand the boy’s feelings, but he must use his wisdom to make the best decision for the whole group. Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “You do not lead by hitting people over the head — that’s assault, not leadership. ” This is a perfect example of the difference between Ralph and Jack.

Jack lacks the quality of empathy, which is what divides Ralph from Jack and leads Jack’s group to chaos while Ralph’s still holds onto some civilization. Ralph also cared about Jack’s feelings in the beginning because he felt bad that he had all the power so he told the boys, “‘Jack’s in charge of the choir. They can be- what do you want them to be? ’” (23) This shows that he is willing to share his power, while Jack will later want it all for himself. In the book Ralph is also very serious most of the time. Ralph is serious because he knows what must be done and how to accomplish it.

Ralph’s main goal is to keep the fire going and to get rescued. Ralph often sticks to this idea and prioritizes what they must do, while the other boys just focus on having fun. “‘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? ’ He spread his arms wide and turned to the whole triangle. ‘We’ve got to make smoke up there – or die. ’” (69) This shows that Ralph can be serious, while the other boys do not try to be. In being serious, Ralph is able to focus on the main task at hand and make practical decisions, which in turn makes him a good leader.

However, at first Ralph had fun with Jack and Simon when they all went to see if the island they were on was truly an island. This shows that he may have developed leadership qualities once he needed to. Being serious did not always help Ralph, the other boys joined Jack’s group because they thought it would be more fun. Had Ralph been able to have fun while trying to accomplish his important tasks (like keeping the fire going), he may have been able to have more boys stay with him. At the beginning of the book Ralph says, “‘This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grown-ups come to fetch us we’ll have fun. ” (33) While Ralph was more open to fun, the group of boys held together tighter; the more and more Ralph tries to keep the fire going the more and more nobody listens. Ralph is also very wise for his age. He knows what needs to be a priority for the group, he says, “‘The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going? ’” (80) and he continues on to say that they should die before they let the fire go out because Ralph knows that if the fire goes out they are as good as dead, and have no hopes for ever being rescued.

He was always wise to try to keep order because he knew if it was lost there would be no way to regain it, he always insisted on sticking to the rules and everyone doing an equal part. Also, once order was almost lost Ralph knew not to call the boys back to the meeting, when they went with Jack, because he knew if he blew the conch then and it failed the power of it would be lost forever to the boys on the island. In the beginning of the book Ralph also knew that building huts should have been the priority over hunting. Ralph says, “‘If it rains like when we dropped in we’ll need shelters all right.

And then another thing. We need shelters because of the-’” (52) At the end of the quote Ralph is referring to the beast all of the children are afraid of. This shows he is wise because he knows what needs to be the group’s priorities. Throughout the book, Ralph was also hardworking. He always knew what had to be done and was willing to put in the work to do it. He knew that it was more necessary to build the huts rather than to hunt and he worked hard, with only Simon’s help, to complete the shelters. Ralph says in an argument with Jack, “‘People don’t help much… Simon. He helps. He pointed at the shelters. ‘All the rest rushed off. He’s done as much as I have. ’” (54) This shows that even with very little help from the rest Ralph will work hard to accomplish his goal, even if it makes him angry to do so. Ralph also works hard on trying to get the boys to make sure the fire keeps going. He insists on multiple occasions that it is the priority and tries very hard to get that idea ingrained into the boys’ heads. However, towards the beginning and the end of the book Ralph is not as hard working because he doesn’t have the goal of keeping the fire going.

Towards the end of the book he gets confused and slightly confused by the savagery, which causes him to forget about the fire at times. Ralph says to the group of children, “‘The fire’s the most important thing. Without the fire we can’t be rescued. I’d like to put on war-paint and be a savage, But we must keep the fire burning. The fire’s the most important thing on the island, because, because-’” (142) Towards the end of Ralph’s speech he starts to forget the main importance of the fire. He doesn’t recall until Piggy reminds him.

Towards the beginning of the book Ralph says, “This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grown-ups come to fetch us we’ll have fun. ” (33) This shows that Ralph is not as hardworking at first towards the goal of being rescued and takes the idea of being rescued for granted. He does not realize how hard he actually has to work to be rescued until he stayed on the island for longer and realized they must keep the fire going and cannot just rely on luck. Ralph demonstrated many leadership qualities throughout the course of the book.

However, in some cases he lacks some of the same traits that would be necessary towards the situation. Throughout the course of the book his leadership skills develop because, at first, the only reason he was leader was because he found the conch. He had to develop some of his leadership traits afterwards to rise to the occasion. He was also not hungry for power; he developed the idea to remain leader once he was elected. Jack wanted the power to begin with and came with most of the traits he displayed throughout the book, while Ralph develops a lot throughout the course of it.

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