Cook's Power conversation

Eric Cook
4th hour
5-2-2010
Who Is The Best Leader?
This is a conversation on who is a better leader. It will take place between Jack (Lord of the Flies), Ralph (Lord of the Flies), and George (Of Mice and Men).

George: Power is a very dangerous thing, only certain people can be good leaders.
Ralph: Ya, that’s why I took the lead from the first day we landed on the island,
Jack: You didn’t take really take charge most people just voted for you to be the leader because you found the shell. We made that our symbol of power.
Ralph: But everyone voted for me, they didn’t vote for you.
Jack: That’s because they didn’t get to see how good I would be until later.
George: From what I saw neither of you were good leaders.
Ralph: I had to take care of the entire island. I had to control all the littluns, I had to control Jack and the hunters, and I had to make decisions that affected everyone on the whole island.
Jack: You never had to control me and my choir.
Ralph: You guys were crazy; I should have controlled you more you were the reason that I lost power over everyone. All you ever thought about was hunting; it turned you into savages.
Jack: We always had to think about hunting because you never did. We knew it was important to eat and you never wanted to hunt.
Ralph: I did think it was important to hunt I just didn’t think it was the most important. I thought it was more important to set up huts and build a signal fire so we could get off the island as quick as possible.
Jack: We needed to eat other wise we wouldn’t have been able to build huts or signal fires.
Ralph: We had other stuff to eat we didn’t need to eat a pig right away; other stuff was more important that eating meat.
George: I agree with Ralph if you have other sources of food you don’t need to eat meat right away. It would be more of a luxury after you have all the important things done; like building shelters, or setting up a fire for help.
Jack: The signal fire wasn’t a good idea with everyone around because the first night we had it one of the littluns disappeared. He was pushed in the fire and no one realized it. At least no one ever died when I was running the island.
Ralph: That wasn’t my fault it was you and your choir getting out of control.
George: Jack you never thought of the future you always thought what was good for you or what sounded good to you right now. Like me and Lennie we had a goal we were working and raising all that money to buy that house we wanted.
Jack: Ya that’s easy for you to say because you only had to care for one person me and Ralph had to think what was best for the whole island.
George: Ya but it ain’t easy deciding what is best for Lennie, he was always getting me in trouble that’s why we had to switch jobs so much. It’s hard to keep control of and make the right decision for a guy like Lennie. He is dumb son of a bitch; always getting us in trouble.
Ralph: We had to think about what is best for an entire island; all you had to do was think about what’s best for you and Lennie.
George: I had to do all the thinking for me and Lennie; all he ever cared about was those damn rabbits. Let me tell ya it ain’t easy making decisions for a man who is double your size and strong as an ox. Like I told him to stay away from that Curley’s wife; next thing I know he gone and broke her neck. Trust me it would be a lot easier to care for an island of children than Lennie.
Ralph: The whole island was full of kids who didn’t want to listen to anything I said. I told them to build shelters and next thing I know half of them are off hunting, while the other half is relaxing and swimming. They don’t listen to a word you say.
George: If you would have been a good leader though you would have been able to control all them because they would have liked you so they would have wanted to listen to what you had to say. Like me wherever I went people liked me and listened to what I had to say.
Jack: If you were such a good leader then why did Lennie keep doing stuff you told him not to? If you would have been a good leader Lennie wouldn’t have messed up and you wouldn’t have had to shoot him.
George: I shot him because what Curley was going to do to him was going to be way worse. Lennie wasn’t smart enough to get along without me. Jack if you would have been a good leader you wouldn’t have had to try to kill Ralph.
Jack: He wasn’t listening to me and so the easiest way was just to get rid of him.
Ralph: You never listened to me you always did whatever you wanted and I never tried to kill you.
Jack: Lucky for us that I did try to kill you. The reason we got saved is because I set fire to the whole forest and that built a big enough smoke signal in the sky that we got saved.
George: It was only by luck did you get saved from that. What would have happened if the plane wasn’t flying by at that point? You would have been with out any wood for another signal or cooking fire; and you would have killed off all the other life on the island so you wouldn’t be able to hunt anymore. If that plane hadn’t been flying by when you burnt the forest you all would have died very quickly.
Ralph: Like we said Jack you never thought about the future. You wanted me dead but you didn’t think that burning the whole forest down would eventually kill everyone on the island.
Jack: It worked though, didn’t it? Because I burned the forest down we got saved. I saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and I took the chance and it worked out. With Ralph being leader we never would have gotten off that island.
George: I don’t think either of you would make great leaders. Neither of you could keep control of the kids for long, Jack you were too aggressive, and Ralph you were too soft.
Jack: You guys can think whatever you want but the only reason we are off that island is because of me; so I know I’m the best leader.
George: I don’t think this is getting us anywhere no matter what we say we aren’t going to change anyone’s mind. We all think we are the best leader, and that isn’t going to change. So we might as well agree to disagree and go our separate ways.
Jack: Sounds good to me. See ya.
Ralph: Yup see you around.