Part 1; Question 2

 One of the main points of this book is to look at the effects of authority, or the lack of authority, on people. The "society" that the boys created eventually begins to fall apart; do you think this is because of the leaders they chose (Ralph and Jack), or because of the situation they were in (meaning who their leaders were didn't matter)?

               I believe that the  moral of the book is  that a society is based upon the leader's ethics and not upon a situation or how political, and logical, the society is.
              Ralph was more of a "thinker" and always thought about keeping a signal fire going so passing ships would come and rescue them. On page 80 in my book, Ralph had called an assembly to discuss what work was not being done. ( For example, using different spots as the bathroom, not filling the coconuts with water, not helping build shelters, and letting the signal fire burn out.) Ralph said, "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?....Look at us! How many are we? And yet we can't keep a fire going to make smoke. Don't you understand? Can't you see we ought to--ought to die before we let the fire out?"  Ralph was one of the few boys that realizes how important the fire is. Also, he tried to set a civilized society by letting whoever had the conch shell be the only one who was allowed to talk. He didn't want all of the other boys just yelling out and becoming out of hand.
            Jack was more of a "doer" and cared more about having fun and feasting on the pigs he killed, rather, than being rescued. On page 126 in my book,  the boys were all called to a meeting to discuss the "beast" that lived on the island. Jack made a few comments about the beast, but then, changed the subject by saying what Ralph thought of his hunters. "Yes. The beast is a hunter. Only--Shut up! The next thing is we couldn't kill it. And the next thing is that Ralph said my hunters are no good." Towards the end of the book when Jack decided to have his own little society on the end of the island, he turned the boys into savages. He had them all painted and spent most of his time hunting. He wasn't worried about being rescued as much as he was about just simply wanting to have fun. Worst of all, Jack's hunters went from hunting pigs, to hunting the boys from the other side of the Island.(Ralph,Piggy,Simon,Samneric) I think that if Jack had acted a little more civilized, the other boys would have been more civilized too. Jack was really acting as the "parental" figure of his society, which played a part in the other boy's change in thoughts, and more importantly, actions.