Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies: In-class Expository Essay

Use proper essay writing (5 paragraph essay), to answer the following question:

"Which person in the movie Lord of the Flies demonstrates that he was the most just leader?"

Criteria for a well planned and written essay:

1. What is your definition of just? And just leadership?
2. Why was ______ the most just leader?
3. Why wasn't________ the most just leader?

Although we ran short on time, we began to discuss the following aspects of Ralph and Jack's leadership qualities:

-There are always people who, in a group, come out with better qualities to be a leader than others    however, sometimes the strongest person is not the best leader

- In William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies Ralph though not the stronger person, demonstrates a better understanding of people than Jack which gives him better leadership qualities

- Ralph displays these useful human qualities as a leader by working towards the betterment of the boys' society  

- He creates rules and a simple form of government to achieve this order

-Jack does not treat the boys with dignity as Ralph does

-Ralph understands that the boys, particularly Piggy, have to be given respect and must be treated as equals

-This makes Ralph a better leader as he is able to acknowledge that he was not superior to any of the other boys

-Ralph's wisdom and ability to look to the future also make him a superior leader.  Ralph has the sense to keep his focus on getting off the island.  He insists on keeping the fire burning as a distress signal.  Ralph's leadership provides peace and order to the island while Jack's leadership makes chaos.

 -Under Jack's rule, the boys become uncivilized savages where theyhave no discipline.  

 - Ralph's treatment of the boys also demonstrates his knowledge of human nature.  While Jack considers the boys inferior to himself, Ralph treats the boys as equals.  Ralph's superior leadership qualities are reflected in his constant defence of Piggy. 

-Ralph's common sense and ability to recognize what is best for the group as a whole further demonstrates his superior leadership skills.   

-When the boys join Jack's tribe; Jack only satisfies their short term wants and needs, such as the desire for meat. 

It's now time for you to organize your thoughts and ideas into a well-written expository essay. Make sure you spend considerable time on the writing process: brainstorming, planning, 1st draft and final draft.  Considerable marks will be deducted if you do not have efficient evidence of all the stages of writing.  Good luck and remember you have 2 hours to complete this essay.