<p>The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the two novels by focusing</p><p>on leadership and group dynamics. First, I explain some general terms like</p><p>primary and secondary groups, leader and leadership, and five different</p><p>leadership styles (autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, task-motivated and</p><p>relationship-motivated leader), and then I apply the terms to the novels. In the</p><p>analysis I examine how some followers and group constellations react to different</p><p>kinds of leadership, and how the three leaders choose to approach their roles and</p><p>why they become successful or not.</p><p>The effect the democratic leadership has on both leaders and followers differs</p><p>between the novels. Homer in Tomorrow, When the War Began trusts his leadership</p><p>skills and gets appreciation from the primary group of friends he leads, while</p><p>Ralph in Lord of the Flies is disobeyed and challenged by his secondary group.</p><p>The group of teenagers grows stronger together, while the island boys disband as a</p><p>result of the power struggle between Ralph and Jack. The latter trusts his charisma</p><p>and threatens and punishes the boys in order to keep them under control. Jack</p><p>seems successful as an autocratic leader, since his followers carry out his orders</p><p>and let him be the unquestioned leader, but he is in the final analysis unsuccessful</p><p>since he fails to put the needs of his followers before his own strong desire for</p><p>power. Both Homer and Jack are strong leaders of their own primary group, and</p><p>one argument why they are more successful than Ralph is the loyalty they receive</p><p>from their followers. However, the reason for their faithfulness differs. In</p><p>Homer’s case it is friendship, and in Jack’s case it is fear of what he will do to</p><p>them if they defy him.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA/oai:DiVA.org:kau-4875 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Olofsson, Christina |
| Publisher | Karlstad University, Division for Culture and Communication |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, text |
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