* entry of your choice: Is there any scene in this novel that reminds you of any place you have ever been or visited too?
When Ender first comes to the Battle School, he notices that the walls are sloped or not normal and that the gravity can be changed. This scene reminded me of a place that my family and I visited to a very long time ago. It was a museum and they had this room that made you feel disoriented. The walls were all sloped and jagged and the floor was slanted. It made you fall over because it felt like you should be standing on the wall instead of the floor. I can connect with Ender through the same kind of gravity sensation that he had. Not having the normal atmosphere or same kind gravity can through you off, it can totally confuse you and make you dizzy. Therefore, through this scene when Ender first comes to the Battle School, I was reminded of the disoriented room in the museum that my family and I visited many years ago.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Question 7: Ender's Game
* are there are any current situations in the world that relate to the novel? what are they, and how do they relate? does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved or "fixed"?
Right now the Americans are still at war with Iraq. I think this situation could relate to the one in the book, Ender's Game. President George Bush has made some pretty bad decisions, but above all he has not rectified them by taking his army out of Iraq. He has killed many innocent civilians and has caused great disorder and hatred in Iraq. War is a horrible thing and like Ender I think President Bush will feel regret and compassion for the Iraqi citizens. This situation does not have to end like the one in Enders Game. It can simply end by President Bush realizing what is the right thing to do in a situation like this and that is to make peace with Iraq. The difference in these two wars is that Ender did not know what he was doing, but President Bush has a very clear idea of the destruction and hatred he is creating and yet he does not stop it.
Right now the Americans are still at war with Iraq. I think this situation could relate to the one in the book, Ender's Game. President George Bush has made some pretty bad decisions, but above all he has not rectified them by taking his army out of Iraq. He has killed many innocent civilians and has caused great disorder and hatred in Iraq. War is a horrible thing and like Ender I think President Bush will feel regret and compassion for the Iraqi citizens. This situation does not have to end like the one in Enders Game. It can simply end by President Bush realizing what is the right thing to do in a situation like this and that is to make peace with Iraq. The difference in these two wars is that Ender did not know what he was doing, but President Bush has a very clear idea of the destruction and hatred he is creating and yet he does not stop it.
Question 6: Ender's Game
* what is the mood of this novel? do you find this novel saddens you in any way? why?
The mood of this novel is complicated. It contains elements of regret, remorse, death, and despair. These components may make the novel seem dark and dreary but there is always a certain hope or happiness that resurfaces. The mood is witty and swift throughout the book during the battle and strategy games. The author, Orson Scott Card, wastes little time in explaining and capturing Ender's feelings and moods throughout this novel, and this is what shapes the novel.
I was sad when Ender is tricked into killing the Buggers. He knew that if he didn't kill them, they would kill him, but there is still remorse for the lose of lives. I the scene touching when Ender finds the Queen larva and decides to give it a chance at new life. I felt saddness towards Ender because all the people who had made him to be who he was, was not really what he wanted to be. They molded him into a "perfect soldier" but in fact they were making him into something he hated and at times could not control. In these parts of the book I felt sad, towards the Buggers and towards Ender.
The mood of this novel is complicated. It contains elements of regret, remorse, death, and despair. These components may make the novel seem dark and dreary but there is always a certain hope or happiness that resurfaces. The mood is witty and swift throughout the book during the battle and strategy games. The author, Orson Scott Card, wastes little time in explaining and capturing Ender's feelings and moods throughout this novel, and this is what shapes the novel.
I was sad when Ender is tricked into killing the Buggers. He knew that if he didn't kill them, they would kill him, but there is still remorse for the lose of lives. I the scene touching when Ender finds the Queen larva and decides to give it a chance at new life. I felt saddness towards Ender because all the people who had made him to be who he was, was not really what he wanted to be. They molded him into a "perfect soldier" but in fact they were making him into something he hated and at times could not control. In these parts of the book I felt sad, towards the Buggers and towards Ender.
Question 5: Ender's Game
* what is the major theme of this novel? why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?
The major theme of this novel is, the value of life and compassion. Compassion is what is constantly running through Ender's life. If it were not for his compassion he would have turned into a killing machine or a power hungry person like Peter. Also, Ender starts a new beginning for the buggers. Ender had compassion for the buggers and was able to make up for destroying them by giving them new life. The characters that were not allowed to show compassion end up showing compassion in the end and "becoming human." The buggers demonstrate compassion to Ender, and this convinces him that he must make it his mission to see that their queen is found a safe home to start over. Compassion provides hope for the future.
This theme is important for a teenager living in 2007 because it shows us that through all things we need to have and show compassion. We may be pushed to our limits and go through hardships but during those times compassion is all around us waiting to take hold of us, we just don't see it at the time and later look back on those memories and regret our mistakes.
The major theme of this novel is, the value of life and compassion. Compassion is what is constantly running through Ender's life. If it were not for his compassion he would have turned into a killing machine or a power hungry person like Peter. Also, Ender starts a new beginning for the buggers. Ender had compassion for the buggers and was able to make up for destroying them by giving them new life. The characters that were not allowed to show compassion end up showing compassion in the end and "becoming human." The buggers demonstrate compassion to Ender, and this convinces him that he must make it his mission to see that their queen is found a safe home to start over. Compassion provides hope for the future.
This theme is important for a teenager living in 2007 because it shows us that through all things we need to have and show compassion. We may be pushed to our limits and go through hardships but during those times compassion is all around us waiting to take hold of us, we just don't see it at the time and later look back on those memories and regret our mistakes.
Question 4: Ender's Game
* who are the main characters in the novel? do you like them? why or why not? what is special about them? what do they reveal about the universal human experience?
The main characters in this novel are Ender Wiggin, Colonel Graff, Valentine Wiggin, Peter Wiggin, Petra, Bean, Alai, and Shen. I like all of these characters very much except for Peter Wiggin and Colonel Graff. I don't like them because they are horribly cruel and take life to seriously. They both calculate every move they are about to make and only think about themselfs, as if the world revolves around them alone. I like Ender, Petra, Valentine, Bean, Alai, and Shen for all the opposite reasons. They are humans who have feelings and personalities. They can love one another even when they get mad, and they can also work together as a team. Their friendship is loyal and trustworthy. I feel comforted knowing that when Ender went into battle he had his best friends by his side. They were characters that I would want to be friends with. I can connect with some of them on different levels and you grow to love them through their personalities and behaviours. I came to really respect Petra and Alai in this novel as well. It may have been because they were leaders and bold, but I liked how they were "real" and weren't afraid to show who they really were. That is a very admerable thing. Each character represents a part of the world. Most people face different challenges and so do these characters. I don't think one person could represent the world but this group of friends could. Each character has a distinct characteristic about them and together they form a bond so strong, nothing can brake it.
The main characters in this novel are Ender Wiggin, Colonel Graff, Valentine Wiggin, Peter Wiggin, Petra, Bean, Alai, and Shen. I like all of these characters very much except for Peter Wiggin and Colonel Graff. I don't like them because they are horribly cruel and take life to seriously. They both calculate every move they are about to make and only think about themselfs, as if the world revolves around them alone. I like Ender, Petra, Valentine, Bean, Alai, and Shen for all the opposite reasons. They are humans who have feelings and personalities. They can love one another even when they get mad, and they can also work together as a team. Their friendship is loyal and trustworthy. I feel comforted knowing that when Ender went into battle he had his best friends by his side. They were characters that I would want to be friends with. I can connect with some of them on different levels and you grow to love them through their personalities and behaviours. I came to really respect Petra and Alai in this novel as well. It may have been because they were leaders and bold, but I liked how they were "real" and weren't afraid to show who they really were. That is a very admerable thing. Each character represents a part of the world. Most people face different challenges and so do these characters. I don't think one person could represent the world but this group of friends could. Each character has a distinct characteristic about them and together they form a bond so strong, nothing can brake it.
Question 3: Ender's Game
* what is the climax of this novel? what happens? how do the events of this novel make you feel?
I think the climax of this novel is the part in which Ender refuses to go to the Command School and stays at the location by the lake for two months. The climax of the book is when he decides to go to the Command School and become everything "they" want him to be, and more. Right before the climax, Ender is visited by his sister, Valentine. They have not seen each other for many years. Valentine was sent to Ender to try to convince him to go to Command School and after this he does, because that is what Valentine wanted him to do.
The events in this novel are very climatic and exciting, you never want to put the book down. I felt many different feelings through all the different events in this book. Feelings like hate, anger, nervousness, excited, frustrated, annoyed, caring, loving, and many more.
I think the climax of this novel is the part in which Ender refuses to go to the Command School and stays at the location by the lake for two months. The climax of the book is when he decides to go to the Command School and become everything "they" want him to be, and more. Right before the climax, Ender is visited by his sister, Valentine. They have not seen each other for many years. Valentine was sent to Ender to try to convince him to go to Command School and after this he does, because that is what Valentine wanted him to do.
The events in this novel are very climatic and exciting, you never want to put the book down. I felt many different feelings through all the different events in this book. Feelings like hate, anger, nervousness, excited, frustrated, annoyed, caring, loving, and many more.
Question 2: Ender's Game
* please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you. why is this passage meaningful? Please type it into one of your entries and comment on what you think about the passage.
Pg 151, "He hated them and all their games. Hated them so badly that he cried, reading Val's empty asked-for letter again. The other boys in Phoenix Army noticed and looked away. Ender Wiggin crying? That was disturbing. Something terrible was going on. The best soldier in any army, lying on his bunk crying. The silence in the room was deep."
I find this passage meaningful because even though I am not a boy, I can still relate and have felt like this before. Not exactly like this because of course I have not gone to battle school and left my family but, I have experienced pain that has hurt so much you cry uncontrollably. It may not even be pain, but anger or hurt or frustration. I like this passage because it shows that Ender wasn't weary of being himself when hard struggles came along. Even though most boys never cried, Ender had no fear or regret that he did. This exposes him to be a "actual human-being". I personally have gone through hardships that have made me cry all through the night, but through these times where I have cried I have been happier with myself and have come to relize what is most important. So, I can connect with Ender through this passage in the book.
Pg 151, "He hated them and all their games. Hated them so badly that he cried, reading Val's empty asked-for letter again. The other boys in Phoenix Army noticed and looked away. Ender Wiggin crying? That was disturbing. Something terrible was going on. The best soldier in any army, lying on his bunk crying. The silence in the room was deep."
I find this passage meaningful because even though I am not a boy, I can still relate and have felt like this before. Not exactly like this because of course I have not gone to battle school and left my family but, I have experienced pain that has hurt so much you cry uncontrollably. It may not even be pain, but anger or hurt or frustration. I like this passage because it shows that Ender wasn't weary of being himself when hard struggles came along. Even though most boys never cried, Ender had no fear or regret that he did. This exposes him to be a "actual human-being". I personally have gone through hardships that have made me cry all through the night, but through these times where I have cried I have been happier with myself and have come to relize what is most important. So, I can connect with Ender through this passage in the book.
Question 1: Ender's Game
* are there any settings in this novel which you have found to be beautiful? or disturbing? or memorable? describe these settings and comment on why they were meaningful to you.
Towards the end of the novel, Ender stumbles upon a world that the buggers have made for him as a way to try to communicate. In this scene there is an a giant overgrown with grass and weeds, there is also a playground and a forest, but what I like most about this scene is the Tower/Castle. What I don't understand is why the "End of the World" is in the castle. A castle is where rules, laws, and new understandings come from, not where things end or stop. I found it beatiful but dangerous, like a Prince going into an enemy's castle, so did Ender venture into the the buggers castle. I thought that in perticular when he climbs into the tower and faces the fack snake, is a beautiful relization. I found this scene to be a true act of love that we should try to put into our lifes as well. Through this setting I felt compassion for the buggers because they put a lot of time and effort into trying to communicate with Ender their feelings and perspectives. I felt comforted knowing that the buggers were not as vicous creatures and that the longed to also understand humans and for them to understand them as well. This setting was exactly what I was looking for in this book, it was touching and moving. Through all of these things this setting was beautiful and memorable.
Towards the end of the novel, Ender stumbles upon a world that the buggers have made for him as a way to try to communicate. In this scene there is an a giant overgrown with grass and weeds, there is also a playground and a forest, but what I like most about this scene is the Tower/Castle. What I don't understand is why the "End of the World" is in the castle. A castle is where rules, laws, and new understandings come from, not where things end or stop. I found it beatiful but dangerous, like a Prince going into an enemy's castle, so did Ender venture into the the buggers castle. I thought that in perticular when he climbs into the tower and faces the fack snake, is a beautiful relization. I found this scene to be a true act of love that we should try to put into our lifes as well. Through this setting I felt compassion for the buggers because they put a lot of time and effort into trying to communicate with Ender their feelings and perspectives. I felt comforted knowing that the buggers were not as vicous creatures and that the longed to also understand humans and for them to understand them as well. This setting was exactly what I was looking for in this book, it was touching and moving. Through all of these things this setting was beautiful and memorable.
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