In what chapter and pages does Ralph show leadership skills?

I am referencing a pdf version of the text. If you use a different text, please refer to the chapter numbers I've provided.
Ralph’s leadership qualities begin in the first chapter, and his natural charisma and confidence are noticed enough by the other boys that he’s voted into the newly-formed office of “chief” (17). Ralph quickly realizes he doesn’t know what he’s doing, and while he seems a leader in the first few chapters, his ability to lead the boys deteriorates along with their patience for the rules of civilization. His first effort to lead comes in his attempts to gather all the young boys together by blowing on the conch shell (13). He delegates tasks to other boys, like instructing Piggy to play secretary and take the names of the boys in the group (18). He explores the island with Jack and Simon in the first chapter to get the lay of the land, and instructs the boys to construct the signal fire in the second chapter (29).
This is a wonderful start to Ralph’s administration, but by Chapter Five, we can see that his efficacy as a leader is severely diminished. Mirroring his efforts in the first chapter, he calls an assembly and finds that he spends most of his time reprimanding the boys for failing to take their survival seriously, for making camp unsanitary, and for refusing to help with the construction of shelters. Ralph is undermined by Jack and fails to hold onto his role as chief, losing his footing more and more as the novel goes on and the boys become more wild.


Ralph showcases leadership skills right from the beginning. In chapter one, he sets about exploring the dense jungle on the island upon which the children find themselves marooned. Later in chapter one, the majority of the boys vote Ralph to be their leader.
In chapter two, Ralph lays down rules for order in terms of communication, stating that a boy can only talk in meetings if he is holding the conch shell. He also provides reassurance, as a good leader would, telling the boys that they will be rescued, as the British government has mapped out every island in the world.
Another example of Ralph's leadership abilities is shown in chapter five, when he brings the boys together to discuss possible solutions for the issues facing them, such as shelter, sanitation, and the need to keep the fire going.


There are several places where Ralph demonstrates his leadership skills throughout the text. A few of them are listed below.
In chapter 1, Ralph is the first one to decide that the boys should hold a meeting. He takes the conch from Piggy and learns how to blow it, saying, "We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting" (Golding, 10). When he is elected leader at the same meeting, the text says that the boys couldn't quite describe what made them pick him, but "there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance, and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch" (Golding, 15). Right after being elected, Ralph immediately comes up with a plan. He tells the others, "we've got to decide if this is an island. Everybody must stay round here and wait and not go away. Three of us . . . will go on an expedition and find out" (Golding, 16).
Coming back from the expedition, Ralph is the one who summarizes what happened for the other boys, makes the rules, and lays out problems. In chapter 2, he tells everyone, "we can't have everybody talking at once. We'll have to have 'Hands up' like at school" (Golding, 25). By chapter 2, most of the boys seem to have completely accepted Ralph as the leader. Ralph makes an announcement, and the text says, "the simple statement, unbacked by any proof but the weight of Ralph's new authority, brought light and happiness" (Golding, 29) and "they liked and now respected him" (Golding, 29). Ralph is also the one who decides that they must light a signal fire so that they can be rescued (Golding, 30).

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