SUPPLEMENTARY TASK 3: Ralph

In the beginning of the book Ralph is very calm and wants to try to get everybody organized. When the question of who should be “chief” comes up, Jack says, “I ought to be chief” pg 18 but when they have a vote Ralph is more favored and therefore becomes elected to be chief. At this point in the book he wants to get everybody organized and he sets the groups main goal, which is to get off the island safely. In chapter two he starts to take more advantage of his power as chief and sets down some more rules. For example “ We can’t have everybody talking at once. We’ll have to have ‘Hands up’ like at school.’ ” pg 31. Another rule that was made was that Ralph was the only one who was aloud to interrupt, “ ‘And he won’t be interrupted. Except by me.’ ”. I believe that Ralph starts to use his authority more in the following chapters because he sees that things may not get done if rules are not set down and if they don’t have someone to lead. In chapter three Simon and Ralph are constructing huts but Ralph complains that none of the other boys are helping them. “All day I have been working with Simon. No one else.” Pg 51. Jack once again argues with Ralph that hunting is much more important than building huts. In the forth chapter Jack and his choir capture and kill the pig but meanwhile Ralph and the others are swimming in the bathing pool and they see smoke coming from a ship off in the distance. At this time Ralph becomes very upset with Jack and the choir because they were told to instead of hunting the pig stay and tend to the fire so they could be seen and rescued. “ ‘There was a ship. Out there. You said you’d keep the fire going and you let it out!’ ”. Once again in chapter 5, Ralph calls another meeting and really tries to emphasize that keeping the fire going should be their number one priority. “The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going?” And finally in chapter 6, Ralph seems to be eager to press on after finding nothing at Castle Rock.