Ender's+Game+Review+2

//Ender's Game: Do the Ends Justify the Means?//

 * Orson Scott Card. Ender's Game. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 1985.**

Andrew Wiggin, nicknamed Ender by the government, is not like the other kids at school. Some of his classmates mock him because he is a genius, but most pick on him because he is a Third, a third born child to his parents in a society that law limits two children to a household. Society frowns upon families with three or more children, and so from his very birth, he is viewed as an outsider. At school his peers call him things like "Turd the Third" and his jealous brother Peter is always reminding him of his poor social status.

Ender is also closely monitored by military officials who are in need of molding a commander to lead their troops against the buggers, an insect like alien species that previously came close to invading earth and ending the life of humanity not even a century before. They are feared across the globe and are the reason for the foundation of Battle School, where an elite group of children train to become military starship commanders.

When Ender is only six years old, Colonel Graff of the International Fleet convinces him to join Battle School. He reasons with Ender that his very existence as a Third is a encumbrance to the well-being of his family. When Ender says that he feels as if his father "didn't want me," Graff responds with "No one wants a Third anymore. You can't expect them to" (22). Graff reminds Ender that "Your brother hates you because you are living proof that he wasn't good enough. Your parents resent you because of all the past they are trying to evade" (23).

The unwarranted hate that Ender receives for simply being a Third raises a certain question of social values. Social values are always changing with time and so what was looked down upon 100 years ago, might now be acceptable to society today. This is apparent in history with things like the color of one's skin, as well as in one's sexual orientation. The fact that Ender is looked down upon for being a Third should make one take into consideration his or her own social values.

Graff warns Ender that there are no vacations in Battle School, breaking the unpleasant news that "Ender, if you come with me, you won't be back for a long time.There aren't any vacations from Battle School... you get your first leave, under curtain circumstances, when you're 12." (21) Battle School mandates a full course of training that lasts until the age of 16, for a total of ten years, in which students are not allowed to see any sort of family or visitors. In Battle School, Ender studies things like mathematics, computers, and military history. Above all else, an important emphasis placed on the Battle Room, where students are organized into armies and participate in mock battles where they learn and practice battle strategies. As students progress through school, they become squadron leaders and are in command of their fellow students inside and outside of the battle room. Mock battles are taken very seriously. Team statistics as well as individual statistics are maintained, and the Battle Room is usually the only interesting source for discussion among the students. Ender introduces new ways of thinking to the Battle Room; his innovative strategies revolutionize the game and so he soon graduates from Battle School, becoming the leader of Command School.

Ender first enters Battle School hoping to fit in and make friends, but Colonel Graff has other ideas for him. Graff quickly plans to isolate Ender from the others, "I'll have him completely separated from the rest of the boys by the time we get to the school" (27). As soon as Ender starts to make friends or get comfortable with his surroundings, he promptly gets promoted or relocated, never allowed to relax or fit in. His life seems to be only for the purpose of the officers and they do not care about Ender's feelings. They only care about making him become the best soldier possible as Colonel Graff is coined saying "My job isn't to be friends. My job is to produce the best soldiers in the world" (34). He ultimately makes Ender's life miserable, but justifies his actions by saying that it's for the greater good. Because after all, Ender is being molded to save the human race from the buggers.

This raises the question as to whether or not the ends may justify the means. Are there situations in which the ends might justify the means? Is it moral and justified for Graff to take away Ender's childhood and happiness for the sake of humanity? If one decides that this 'for the greater good' concept is acceptable, how does one decide where to draw the line when it comes to the treatment of an individual? Who should have the authority to make decisions that are classified as being made for the greater good? Ender acknowledges that the treatment of Graff made him a better soldier, but at what cost? "It made him a better soldier than he ever would have been otherwise. It also made him lonely, afraid, angry, untrusting" (118).

Orson Scott Card’s //Ender’s Game// is a great book to teach to young adults due to the acknowledgement of many teen issues such as bullying, sibling rivalry, and peer pressure. Many students may also enjoy reading about a hero that is young like them. Students tend to react well to books they can relate to, and to have a hero they can relate to will make the book that much more exciting for them. Ender, the young hero of the novel, can be a lesson to young students that age should never hold you back from achieving greatness.
 * Recommendations for Teachers**

A major issue facing young students in today’s society is the issue of bullying, rather than be physical bullying or cyber bullying. Ender, the main protagonist of the novel, faces bullying from his fellow students as well as his own brother, Peter. Teachers could have students journal about times when they have felt bullied, or when they themselves were the bully. General questions for journal writing could include:


 * *How did you feel when Ender was being bullied?
 * *Can you remember a time when you were being bullied? How did you react to your bullies?
 * *What could Ender do and what can you do to avoid bullying? What steps can a student take to deal with bullying?

The above journal questions can help students to identify with and possibly feel compassion for Ender. Students should not have to read their entries aloud because they may feel insecure in doing so, but at least they were able to express their ideas and opinions in their own way.

Another interesting issue brought up in //Ender’s Game// is sibling relationships. On one hand, Ender has a rivalry with his antagonist brother, Peter. On the other hand, Peter has a solid, strong relationship with his sister, Valentine. Most students have siblings and can identify to one of these relationships. Students can discuss in class how they deal with sibling rivalry, or how they appreciate their sibling and get along. Students can discuss or answer the following questions:


 * *Is your relationship with your sibling more along the lines of Ender’s relationship with Peter or Ender’s relationship with Valentine?
 * *If you are an only child, does reading a novel like this make you appreciate being an only child, or long for a brother or sister?
 * *How would you feel if your worst enemy/opponent was your own sibling? How would you react to this? How would you feel?

Students can discuss their own experiences with siblings and their unique sibling experiences.

Finally, students can discuss the idea of peer pressure and overall pressure to succeed. Ender is forced to lead an army at such a young age. Students are probably not leading armies, but they are faced with an enormous amount of school work on top of extracurricular activities and sometimes even jobs. Students often feel like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders, especially in high school and can therefore relate to Ender. Some great discussion questions could include:


 * *How do you deal with pressure from school and life in general? How do your pressures compare to Ender’s pressures?
 * *Can you relate to Ender in the sense of feeling overwhelmed? What is currently overwhelming you?
 * *What would you advise Ender to do in order to lessen his load? What would you do if you were Ender?

One final note: A film adaptation of //Ender’s Game// is set to be released in 2013. Having students watch the film and compare the film to the novel might be a great way to get students excited about the story. The students could even simply watch the trailer or clips online and then create their own cast list for each of the major characters in the novel. For example, who would you cast as Ender? As Peter? Then students can discuss why they chose that specific actor or actress. The students could also write a screenplay of their favorite scene and discuss the changes or stylistic direction they went with.

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The only materials in this novel that may be considered controversial are some of the war scenes which depict a degree of violence. Also some scenes and images may be intense for younger readers such as when Ender is attacked by wolves that resemble his own friends or when Ender sees his brother Peter’s reflection in the mirror with a bloody tail of a snake coming out of his mouth.

== Orson Scott Card was born on August 24, 1951 in the state of Washington. Card is a world-renowned American author, critic, writer of all types, and public speaker. Orson Scott Card is known best for his popular genre, Science Fiction. Although Science Fiction is his primary genre, he writes fantasies, thrillers, horrors, and historical fictions. He has written two novels that have won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, //Ender’s// Game (1985) and //Speaker for the Dead// (1986). These awards make Orson the only author to win both awards in back-to-back years.
 * About Name of Author**

Orson Scott Card is currently living in Greensboro, Virginia with his wife and daughter. He has taken a new job at Southern Virginia University as a writing and literature professor.

Orson Scott Card is well known for genres other than science fiction such as contemporary fantasy, biblical novels, American frontier fantasies, and poetry.


 * Well-known titles from multiple genres by Orson Scott Card**

Science Fiction **-** //Ender's Game// //Speaker for the Dead// //Ender's Shadow//

Contemporary Fantasy - //Magic Street// //Enchantment// //Lost Boys//

Biblical Novels - //Stone Tables// //Rachel and Leah//

American Frontier Fantasy //The Tales of Alvin Maker//

Poetry - //An Open Book//


 * Multimedia (Video or Audio)**

A short reading from Chapter 1 with comic illustrations media type="youtube" key="g4ng1vm3bw4" height="360" width="640"

A short video with Orson Scott Card talking about Ender's Game as a movie media type="youtube" key="hik-3WWanvs" height="360" width="640"

English Project by English students - They made the Battle Room using Halo's Forge feature on Xbox. (Having students draw what they picture the Battle Room or any item in the book is a great activity) media type="youtube" key="1CraS_qzbKU" height="360" width="480"


 * Additional Resources:**
 * Orson Scott Card's Official Website - An official website containing information about the author and his works.
 * Orson Scott Card's Summary of Ender's Game - Card's summary to interest readers of all ages in reading //Ender's Game.//
 * Interview with Orson Scott Card - Interview with Orson about his true sequel to the class after 23 years.
 * Stolen or Not? - Orson Scott Card's review about how Harry Potter's plot may have been stolen from //Ender's Game//.
 * Card's Magazine - Link to Orson Scott Card's magazine site for science fiction and fantasy.
 * Ender's Game Teaching - Teaching ideas submitted to Orson's website for Ender's Game.
 * Ender's Game as a Movie - Website that shows filming in progress as well as the cast.
 * Ender's Game as a Comic - Card previews his novel as a comic.
 * [|Ender's Trilogy] - Ender's Game is followed by nine sequels to complete a 10 piece trilogy. Here are the rest in the series in order.
 * Ender's Game Game? - Ender's Game may be turned into a video game for the console or PC. Here is an article saying so.

Ender's Game reviewed by Dann Bell Todd Bush Nathon Meulenberg Tim Simmons

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