Jack and Ralph are two very different leaders Jack and Ralph are two very different leaders. What do you think of their leadership styles and how does Golding present this in the novel? Exemplar introductory and concluding paragraphs

A* opening The conflicting leadership styles of Ralph and Jack are central to the plot of the novel. It is this conflicting style of leadership that Golding uses to explore the many aspects of human nature that feature in the novel. A strong opening with a clear, bold statement stating exactly what the candidate’s approach to the question is; candidate recognises the importance of leadership conflict – this should be developed in the main body of the essay.

Well-chosen quotation, embedded in the sentence Conflict between Ralph and Jack arises as soon as the two boys meet. Ralph has the initial advantage, as he has already established himself as an important person to the younger boys: ‘More and more of them came … they sat down on fallen palm trunks and waited.’ The boys came to him because Ralph blows the conch. They arrive and sit patiently as though they are in a school assembly, showing Ralph’s leadership qualities immediately. Sees the link between old life and the new

Picking out points the writer merely hints at is better than simply recounting an obvious event. Writes in a detached way e.g. ‘the reader’ and good use of embedded quotes and reading between the lines to see Jack’s thoughts. Jack arrives at the head of the choir. The way he controls them, ‘When his party was about ten yards from the platform he shouted an order and they halted’ shows that Jack is already the leader of one section of the boys. The reader immediately suspects that this will lead to trouble between Ralph and Jack, and when Jack’s first words are the confrontational ‘Where’s the man with the trumpet?’ it is clear that he does not recognise Ralph as the natural leader of the whole group.

Conclusion Clear statement that goes beyond summing up events. Sense of a deeper message and a clear final statement about the warning to society The conflict between the two would-be leaders is the central plot device of the novel. It is the catalyst for the violence that takes place and for the resulting breakdown in social order. Golding uses the conflict to show that in the right circumstances even normal people can become violent, savage monsters. The novel serves as a warning to us all about the excesses of human behaviour.