Rose Who Is a Better Leader? What if rabbits could talk? Well, in Watership Down, they can.

Watership Down is a book that children and adults alike have enjoyed since 1972. Richard Adams, the author of the book, created a place where a group of rabbits could talk to each other and have adventures together. This wonderful story takes place in south central England where a band of rabbits created a new home. However, who would be a better leader, kind, caring Hazel, or the strong, protective Bigwig? To begin with, Hazel could listen to others. He could take other rabbits ideas and treat them equally important to his own. When Fiver had a vision of the destruction of the warren they lived in, Hazel became worried, and he took his concerns to the Chief Rabbit of their warren, the Threarah. Hazel could make even the smallest, unnoticed rabbits idea into something that saved the day. For example, Blackberry thought up the idea of using a boat to escape from Efrafa, and his idea worked. Therefore, Hazel was open-minded making him a fair leader. Secondly, Hazel cared about the rabbits around him. Hazel wanted the best for every rabbit in the warren. He could care for others even when they didnt do what he said or werent kind. At the river at the beginning of their journey, Fiver and Pipkin were injured and some other rabbits had the idea of leaving them because they couldnt swim, and there was a dog coming near. However, Hazel stayed on Pipkin and Fivers side. These actions showed how caring and loving Hazel was. Therefore, Hazel displayed compassion and sympathy for his friends and family. On the contrary, Hazel could occasionally become jealous. Hazel sometimes wanted to do a heroic act so others didnt forget him. An example of this behavior is when Holly went on a pursuit to find Efrafa. Hazel thought that Holly could upstage him. As a result, Hazel left with

Pipkin for a short journey to Nuthanger Farm. This mindless action resulted in Hazel almost getting killed. Therefore, Hazels jealousy could become a problem in the future. On the other side of the argument, Bigwig had positives and negatives to consider. Bigwig displayed courage and bravery throughout the entire book. He exhibited persistence when he traveled to Efrafa and stayed there all alone. That proved that Bigwig was determined and could obey and fulfill the wishes of others. Therefore, Bigwig demonstrated fearlessness and strength of character in his everyday life Secondly, Bigwig was clearly familiar with the world outside his own warren. Not only had Bigwig been trained to identify the things around him, but he also knew how to deal with them. An illustration of these activities is when the rabbits stumbled upon an unknown road. Bigwig had the knowledge of the lane and he got the rabbits across the road before a tractor came. Therefore, Bigwig knew how to live in the outdoors. However, Bigwig could sometimes be bossy. If Bigwig had an idea of his own, almost nothing could stop him from doing just that. Bigwig knew exactly what he wanted and he knew how to achieve it. Sometimes, these actions made other rabbits around him irritated and that wouldnt make him a good leader for the group at all. Therefore, Bigwig was a tad bit dominant and pushy. In my view, I think that the leadership qualities in Hazel are stronger than Bigwigs. Hazel may have some miner drawbacks but, he is kind and he can pay attention to others. He has qualities that are admired by others. I believe that Hazel has what it takes to be a respectable leader. Therefore, Hazel has the potential to become the best leader for all the others.