Lord of the Flies Final Debate

Warning: If you haven't finished reading Lord of the Flies and don't want any spoilers, stop reading this!

This week was debate week on Lord of the Flies. We had to discuss our opinion on two topics:

1. Jack is an effective leader.

2. The kids on the island didn't become bad; they were bad from the beginning.

We had to say whether or not we agree with each statement, and provide a ton of evidence why. I completely agree with these statements.

Topic #1: Yes, Jack is an effective leader.

You see, there's a difference between a good person and a good leader. There's also a difference between a good leader and an effective leader. I think we can all agree that Jack was a pretty selfish, arrogant, and unkind person. He constantly bragged about himself being choir leader and the most fit person on the team, and he made fun of Piggy whenever there was a chance to. He insulted the littluns as well. Jack didn't have any qualities of being a good leader, but he had every quality of being an effective leader.

An effective leader is one who gets the job done.

A good leader is one who gets the job done and keeps everyone happy.

Jack is an effective leader, not a good one.

Here's one such example:

In the chapter "Beast from Water", when Ralph called for an assembly, many of the kids laughed and even shouted over Ralph while he was talking. No one took him seriously. However, when Jack took over the assembly, the children were mostly quiet. He spoke so assertively and slammed words down on everyone and successfully got to his point.

Another example is shown in "Cry of the Hunters", where Jack managed to get nearly every kid on the island (except Ralph) to join his tribe and fulfill the roles he assigned. Sam, Eric, and Roger were all part of Jack's tribe, and they listened to him with utmost loyalty - something Ralph wasn't able to fully achieve back in his tribe.

Basically, no one ever really liked Jack, but he was the only one able to get the job done. Ralph had tried to do this, but things were a bit flimsy for him. No one ever took Ralph seriously, but they did to Jack.

I put this in a post a long time ago, but I think it suits this one too, in a way.

Jack is more of a boss than a leader, but either way, he's still effective.

Onward!

Topic #2: Yes, the kids were always bad from the beginning.

Okay, here's the thing. The way I interpret this, "bad" essentially means not innocent. It doesn't necessarily mean monstrous. In my opinion, they were never innocent to begin with - everyone except Piggy, that is. I'll be referring to "everyone" as everyone besides Piggy here.

Think about it. When everyone got together on the island, one of the first things they thought of was how to eat. They weren't afraid of slaying the life of a little piglet. Jack actually had a small knife with him! No innocent kid would think about slaying an animal for food so casually, let alone have a weapon on him. At least, I wouldn't. The fact that they all had that dark, violent thought in them shows that they aren't good kids. If you think that hunting for meat is okay to think about given the circumstances, then think again. We all know Piggy is a pure kid. Did he think about hunting for food at first? No. He ate fruit. Sure, they were poisonous, but the fact he decided to eat fruit instead of looking for a source of meat shows that he's the innocent one and everyone else weren't.

Honestly, when you think about it, no one was really afraid of the situation in the beginning of the book. If I was stranded on an island, I would be freaking out! My first thought would be as to how in the world am I going to go home? There's no one to help me. What am I going to do?! It fills me up with fear just thinking about that. Instead, these kids just focused on having fun, Ralph especially. Jack just wanted to show off and hunt. These kids aren't taking anything seriously.

I will say this, though. Their time spent on the island definitely amplified their lack of innocence, gradually shaping them into monsters. It's only natural. I mean, they've been there for so long without proper authority and joyful resources. Their frustration eventually became corruption. But Piggy had always been the same, pure, logical kid. It just goes to show that he was the only good kid on the island from the start, meanwhile everyone was always bad. The island just made it worse.

Okay, I'm done rambling my thoughts. Wow, this is a long post... I wanted to say all this at the debate in class, but it got steered in so many directions that I didn't have a chance to strike. I really felt like going back in time and doing it all over again, but I guess it's okay. I probably would've messed it up anyway, given my fear of speaking in front of people. It's just not my department. Anyway, I'm glad to have read Lord of the Flies. I always knew what it took to be a good leader, given the shows I watch and the games I play, but this book was thought-provoking in a lot of enjoyable ways.