Leadership Essays + Lord Of The Flies

However at this stage of the novel the beast is quite insubstantial as it is only a “thing”.As the boys fear of the beast grows so to does the beast itself until it has manifested into the devil – the ultimate and most powerful evil.The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a novel in which the theme of savagery versus civilisation is explored.

The theme of savagery versus civilisation is first introduced to us through the symbol of the conch shell which we associate with Ralph as he is the person who first uses it and becomes the elected leader of the boys. At the first assembly Ralph says “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak…he won’t be interrupted”.

This suggests civilisation as Ralph is allowing each boy to have an equal say and opinion.

Choose a novel in which an important theme is explored.

Explain how the author develops this theme throughout the novel.

In any group of children, it’s a given that some will be popular and powerful while others will be teased and rejected.

In the real world, adults use their authority to control these divisions and maintain a balanced group dynamic.In Lord of the Flies, however, children must fend for themselves and elect their own leader—and Piggy, wise but scorned, is never seriously considered.Though Piggy is intelligent, rational, and innovative, he lacks the charisma and facility with language that both Ralph and Jack possess, traits that the book suggests play crucial roles in establishing their authority.Piggy’s total lack of success in a leadership role suggests that there are significant differences between a “leader” and a “thinker.” Ralph has an aura of poise and capability that wins him trust.His authority is rooted in personality rather than innovation—he relies on Piggy for that—and he understands the importance of rhetoric in winning followers.Piggy’s glasses provide the spark for the signal fire, metaphorically demonstrating how intellect can spark great progress.The scholarly, sensible Piggy is a born administrator, one who understands how to categorize and effectively utilize information.Ralph and Jack intuitively know how to rally followers, while Piggy seems to repel them relentlessly.Piggy is so unsuccessful, in fact, that he ultimately dies in the act of trying to lead: He is crushed while waving the conch, fruitlessly ordering others to listen to him.Piggy may have the tactical smarts to be a good leader, but because he cannot convincingly act the role, he would not be able to marshal the boys if given the chance.Although his contributions often go unappreciated, Piggy comes up with some of the most important innovations on the island.