Leading with love will set you right

The two most effective ways to lead are with love and fear. It is the people who decide which suits them best. The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a story about a group of boys who are stuck on an uninhabited island and must choose the leader that will ensure their survival. Either Jack, who leads with fear, or Ralph who leads with love. The second source is the movie Braveheart directed by Mel Gibson. It focuses on William Wallace, the leader of the Scottish in their fight against oppression at the hands of the British. Leadership is about using the responsibility given to make the best decisions for the people, therefore, leading with love is more effective as it puts the peoples’ needs first and one will gain the loyalty of their people.

A leader who uses love listens to their people and will work to achieve their interests. To make sure the people are heard, a leader may use democracy; Ralph from Lord of the Flies creates a democracy to keep order and to make sure everyones’ opinions are heard. When they come to a consensus he organizes and leads them. Ralph has influence but the power is in the hands of the people. Ralph doesn’t abuse his position but makes sure the people come first. For example, he puts the people first when he states, “The fire’s the most important thing. Without the fire we can’t be rescued. I’d like to put on war paint and be a savage. But we must keep the fire burning” (Golding, 156). Ralph has listened to the boys and they want to escape the island so he makes the fire top priority. He sacrifices his personal desires to do what the people need. He was chosen as the leader because he cares for the people he is in charge of and will do what they ask of him. William Wallace shares similar qualities with Ralph. William Wallace hears his people’s cry for freedom and he steps up to lead the people he loves. They fight for him because he fights for them and he shows his devotion to their cause. William Wallace gives everything for his people’s freedom. One of the best qualities within both these leaders is their selflessness; they put the people first and themselves second. They do this because of their love for the people.

A leader’s success depends on the people they lead. If the leader shows their people respect they will earn the people’s loyalty. William Wallace gains the loyalty and respect of the men because he leads through example; he is brave and fights with them. When he says, “They may take our lives, but they will never take our freedom” (Gibson). He stands by these words and gives his life for the cause, but he dies a free man as he does not give in. He becomes a martyr and his dream of a free Scotland comes true; the Scottish rally, inspired by
their leader and gain their freedom.William Wallace even gains the respect of the man who betrayed him, Robert the Bruce. Robert promises to help William but gives into the fear that they will fail in their rebellion. Robert loses his honour when he gives into fear. He later shows his respect for William when he says, “I have nothing. Men fight for me because if they do not, I throw them off my land and I starve their wives and their children. Those men who bled the ground red at Falkirk, they fought for William Wallace, and he fights for something that I never had.” (Gibson). Robert realizes that fear is not the way to lead as he is not truly free. Robert eventually regains his honour when he steps up to lead the Scottish and he leads with love as William did. All the men who fight with William realize while they have something to lose they have more to gain. They may be killed in their fight against the tyranny of Britain but at least they die as free men instead of living as peasants.

Leading with fear can certainly be effective as it is a powerful motivator. For example Jack uses the boys’ fear of the beast to get them to leave Ralph and join his tribe. While he is in charge he has authority and power so the boys will not go against his commands. Jack can do as he pleases because the boys have no voice. But that is the problem. Jack has no responsibility to the boys so he enforces his will onto the tribe instead of listening to what they want. It is alright for a leader to have power if they use it to help their people, but Jack abuses his power. He uses it against them such as using torture to keep fear in the boys. Jack gained his power as many dictators do. Dictators will make promises in return for power. Jack promised meat and protection if the boys joined him. The main reason they follow him is due to fear of the beast and if they had realized there is no beast then they would no longer need protection from Jack. That is the problem with using fear, the leader has to keep that fear within their subjects to stay in power. They will eventually show a sign of weakness or be unable to keep that fear and they will be overthrown.

In conclusion people will prefer a leader who uses love as they feel cared for and they can trust the leader will make the best decisions for them. Ralph and William Wallace lead with love and because of this they respect what the people want. They work for the people and thus gain their loyalty and trust. They are more likely to succeed in their goals as they are all working together towards a common goal that benefits everyone evenly. A leader who uses love is put in power for this exact reason: they are there to benefit the people and those who use fear lead so they can have power. Leading with love leads to a mutual trust and trust builds strength within a society.

My Citations

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Faber and Faber, 1954.

Gibson, Mel, director. Braveheart. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2011.

I’m proud of this essay as I believe I gave a compelling argument with plenty of evidence to back it up. I worked really hard and am happy with my results but there is room for improvement. I want to improve my quotes as I didn’t have as many as I should and the ones I had could have been stronger. The second thing I want to improve is using a variety of different sources. I used two and they were both fictional so I could have used more and found real life sources. Overall I feel like I did a good job and have improved in my writing.