Ender’s Game Heroism Essay Is it okay to commit genocide and come out guiltless? Well, Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, follows the journey of a young boy, Ender, who has the fate of humanity on his shoulders. This book is set in a future era; there are spaceships, colonization of planets, and battles with the infamous buggers. The buggers were considered a threat to the humans and their colonization. As a result, when Ender had been the commander of the troops that wiped them out, humans rejoiced. However, the catch is that Ender had been manipulated into committing this act of genocide. He did not even know he was killing the buggers; however, people like John Kessel want to blame him. John Kessel wrote the article, “Creating the Innocent Killer,” which talks about how Ender committed genocide and came out not only hands clean, but also a hero. Kessel also …show more content…
Card, himself, said, “My future sister-in-law, Laura Dene Low (she soon married my older brother, Bill), had urged me to read Asimov's Foundation trilogy, which blew me away. I found myself wanting to come up with a futuristic story myself.” Card wrote the book because he wanted to use his imagination to write something awesome. As a result, when Kessel argues that the novel was created based on “... ethics under which Ender can kill without being guilty” (13), it cannot be correct. First of all, Ender felt an immense amount of guilt saying, “I didn’t want to kill anybody! I’m not a killer!” (297). Ender also fought out of defense because all of his aggressors attacked him. Plus, how can authors create entertaining and intriguing books if their imaginations were limited. Millions of popular books have heroes who have killed: Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, or Harry from Harry Potter. As a result, why can Card not write about someone who kills? In addition, do we now limit what authors can write
From a young boy who loved playing games and went to school turned into an aggressive little boy with the intelligence to defeat an alien species. By going to battle school, Ender has been influenced by learning many tactics and using them to hurt the fellow members of his battle school. “I am crazy, but I think I’m OK, I decided that when you were about to kill me, and I decided to kill you first, I guess I am just a killer to the core” (303). Ender utilizes his force to bring down individuals from his own group.
HE never wanted to kill the buggers he wanted to see if the war was a mistake or misunderstanding. He wanted to talk to the buggers and figure them out. Ender’s ability to see patterns as shown through his ability to reorient his gravitational angle, his great ability to think like the enemy and see from the enemy’s perspective,through his ability to innovate unique battle strategies.
Card works hard to generate copious amounts of pity and empathy for Ender throughout the beginning of the book, and then proceeds to reveal what Ender has actually been doing throughout the story. That’s okay though, because Ender is actually innocent and the victim. The entire plot consists of Ender is unknowingly committing murder, abuse, and
And Ender hated himself.” () Virtually identical to the emotional consequence Ender formerly suffered from Stilson, delineates his sentiments regarding Bernard; Card not developing on his idea in the slightest, keeping Ender’s own hatred of himself and the potential individual he apparently mocks
Ender knows what has to be done in order to prevent further, possibly fatal, attacks and demonstrates that he is willing to attack on the helpless to do so. (add more?) good Chapter 2. “It was not a question of winning… here in their flat, the game would start mean, and the bugger couldn’t just go empty and quit the way buggers did in the real wars. The bugger
On Earth there was a bully named, Stilson. Ender found himself getting physically abused by him daily and when he finally got his opportunity, he made sure he was never bullied again. In battle school, there was a commander named, Bonzo that threatened to kill him; then, in the same scenario Ender decided to make sure that he would win the war and erase all future battles. In argument with Major Anderson, Graff states, “Ender’s not a killer. He just wins--thoroughly” (226).
Also, Enders fear of his actions, causes him to repay for them. Ender takes the position of fleet commander for humans against the Bugger army. Ender kills all the Buggers and the planet. Ender did not kill them intentionally; the simulations were actual fighters in real battles. Because of this, Enders emotions flood him and he feels regret and deep sadness.
In an essay entitled “Ender and Hitler: Sympathy for the Superman,” Elaine Radford, using these vengeful images and other clues, claims that Orson Scott Card wrote Ender as metaphor to Hitler. Both Ender and Hitler were the third child of their family. Both suffer abuse by adults. Both attempted genocide (Radford 2).
In Orson Scott Card’s book Ender’s Game, Ender is continually set up against impossible odds by the International Fleet, which is part of a plan to train Ender to fight in the Third Invasion and end the bugger wars forever. Ender’s trials are portrayed more convincingly in the book, as the book shows him struggling with the expectations placed upon him more so than in the movie. An important theme in Ender’s Game is that Ender is continually kept in the dark about the events happening around him. This theme is prevalent throughout the book, and sets the stage for the book’s climax, the Third Invasion.
However, the majority of the battles he fights are constructed and orchestrated and controlled by the Adults. Ender lives in a military archetype which assumes humans are compliant, flexible, controllable pawns, tool to be used for the benefit of others. Ender’s insecurities,doubts and fears, as to why he is so isolated, how he is becoming more like petter, how he is an ostracized genius, all that sets him apart– make him diligent, sympathetic, preservant, resilient, flexible, and above all pliable, impressionable, malleable, qualities far more common in children. Supporting quote: “‘So what do we do now?’ asked Alai.
Books are the ideal way to introduce a reader to the many morals of the human society. In the novel Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, Ender, is drafted by the international fleet to lead multiple fleets of ships in combat against an alien species, but he does not realize that he was drafted for that purpose. Ender is sent to Battle School, where he becomes a true archetypal leader, and he gains many valuable friends that help him along the way. At a hidden asteroid, Ender begins what he believes are simulations, but really is the Third Invasion.
Scott Macarthy Mr. Werley English III 22 September 2014 The Destruction of Ender A utopia is supposed to be a perfect world, yet there are rarely any true utopias. Ender’s Game begins with a utopic society, where the government pits Earth against the nasty and evil buggers. Throughout Ender 's Game, written by Orson Scott Card, the reader follows the main protagonist, Ender, from his journey as a young boy on Earth to the hopes of being the next great commander in the fight against the buggers.
Calculating Judgments For someone so young, Ender is exceptionally calculating. In almost the very beginning of the novel, the author shows Ender being bullied by Stilson and his gang. Ender realizes that he must thoroughly beat Stilson so the rest of the gang wouldn’t pick on Ender ever
Passion & Aggression Ender once said, “To learn how to truly fight in war, I must show passion and aggression.” During the story of the Ender’s Game, Ender feels like he’s stuck in between love and war. As the story of Ender’s journey goes on, he’s known to fight with so much aggression which makes him feel bad because he makes people not want to ever fight him again. In several parts of the story, Ender feels terrible after showing his aggression to someone because of his passionate side.
A Hero’s Quest for Immortality Gilgamesh, just like any other heroes, receives a vision from the gods pertaining to his fate, “The father of the gods has given you kingship, such is your destiny, everlasting life is not your destiny.” It makes no sense at first but as the story progress, we found out that Gilgamesh was never meant to live eternal life. The quest for immortality is a common theme in mythologies. Heroes undergo challenges against gods and supernatural creatures in order to get the desired item that would restore one’s youth.