Hope you guys don't mind, but since Kate is recovering from surgery (she wanted me to let you all know that it went well and she's alright and beginning the process of recovery)she asked me to get the next post started for discussion. No rush here, since I know there are people who are behind, and this discussion is really heavy.
We got a lot of new ground to cover with Ender's progress in the Battle School this time, and how he responds to leadership and life and death. He remembers his reason for coming to school with a message from Valentine, written at Graff's behalf, the life of the person he loves most back on earth, he trains a group to become unstoppable as a master leader, and he causes death. Then once again he is reminded of life and its beauty, when he goes back home and sees Valentine for the first time in years.
What I'd like to cover most is the contrasts between life and death that we see here, from the death of the Giant in the Giant's Drink game to the reminders of life on Earth, to the death of Bonzo in the bathroom, to Ender's own life or death struggles within the Fairyland realm of the mind game.
Also, on a separate note, let's compare Ender's methods of leadership to the leaders he's been exposed to since arriving at the school, such as Graff, Dap, Alai, Bonzo, and Rose the Nose, what he has learned from them, what he uses from them either consciously or unconsciously, and what the results end up being, particularly with Bean. Another factor here is how the game becomes skewed by the teachers as they strive to push Ender's capabilities, and how that affects him and his army.
As always, anything else you consider it pertinent to bring up is welcome. Kate requested that we cut the final section into two parts, so I'm thinking we should read through chapter 14, Ender's Teacher, and save the last chapter, Speaker for the Dead, for the finale. Discussion will open for this chapter next Saturday.
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3 comments:
Ender was cutting his leadership teeth as he conducted his unorthodox practice sessions. Now he has the chance to lead his own army. How cool is that name, Dragon Army? He continues to view the game through his quirky lens but what's more important, he allows his leaders to really use their own abilities. In this way Ender is a true leader, able to delegate authority effectively. His army succeeds because they trust him and they trust each other.
Another reason Ender was successful was that he was able to learn from everyone, even the really bad leaders he was forced to fight under. I suppose this is more of Ender's genius, that he was able to recognize the problems with the other leaders and was able to think of ways to accomplish more in a better way. This is somewhat surprising I think. Often children who have genius are unable to function very well socially but Ender not only doesn't have that problem, but he's able to figure out how to make friends.
Death is indeed a major theme in this book. Ender faces death in one way or another in every chapter of the book. Where we enter the story, at the beginning, Ender has been facing his own death at the hands of other kids or his own brother for some time. It's as if he was never really allowed to be innocent. Obviously he hates it but really has no choice. If he is going to survive Ender has to become a killer himself and so he becomes a master of every game.
Since it seems that we're all still a bit behind, I'm gonna leave this for another week, and give Kate some time to get back on her feet. This discussion will continue until the 27th.
Debra brings up a really neat observation: that death is touched on in every chapter. I hadn't realized that. And at the same time we know of his desire to survive, stay alive. Even when he felt he didn't stand a chance against Bonzo and his goons, he didn't just give up. He's very much a fighter.
I thought it was very interesting that he found himself isolating Bean from the beginnning and as such found himself doing something he hated having been done to himself. But it worked for Bean, just as it worked for him.
I loved how he was able to gain the respect and trust of his Army, and how there were one or two times when he allowed himself to be seen as human.
I thought it was very interesting how much the teachers pushed him and threw at him. It was pretty rough. The thing that gets me is that even thought the teachers had never prevented violence done to him in the past, why would he think that in the situation with Bonzo that they would be any different?
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