Response to post 29: Population control is something that the world will one day have to face. The world can only hold so many people, especially when we waste the fertile crop lands in the world the way we are now. China already has a one child policy that has efectively stunted it's growth. In a world where the weaker babies are able to be saved by doctors, it is becoming apparent that one day, assuming no great break through in tech. or scape colonization, we will all have to limit the number of children we have. --Chris Wood
Post 34
In this post I am going to continue the discussion already started concerning the main character's in Ender's Game. The main characters in this novel are children and very intelligent children at that. I'm not sure about the intellectual aspects concerning the children, but the social hierarchy and process of thinking is very real and very clever for a writer to portray. I have always been drawn to entertainment that portrays youth in a very intelligent and sometimes disturbing manner. Lets take the case of the animated film Akira, based off of the comic series of the same title. This story revolves around a group of 15 year old students engulfed in a saturated futuristic landscape. In this story young (gifted) children- I'd say around 6 or so are depicted to have mental experiments completed on them because of their already highly psychological abilities. I feel a real sense of parallel worlds in both of these works- Akira and Ender's Game. Both of which I rate very highly and would recommend to anyone who enjoys science fiction. --Jason Durbin
Response to Post 25
Response to Post 25: While reading this book I forget that the main characters are under the age of twelve. I could not believe what these little children were being put through. I don't know if the government will start to stand up for themselves are not. Maybe there is a reason that they are using children. Maybe during the wars with the Buggers, the population got reduced and a lot of the older men died. That is the only thing I can think of to justify the use of children for war. But using children to fight battles is awful. --Michelle Snoke
Response to Post 29
Response to post 29: In response to Ryan's post regarding Ender's Game: I figured that the reason the government only allowed two children per family was population control (master of the obvious). This being the case, such action for real may be warranted in the future. I'm the first to shy away from the government infringing upon personal liberties, but the world (the U.S. included), really does need to address overpopulation. Back in the 70's, when the world's population was only 4 billion, Isaac Asimov asserted that the earth could only sustain, with a margin of comfort and reserve, 1 billion people. Today, population grows by over 80 million per year. Now there are 5.5 billion of us. It is estimated that, given a massive crop failure, food reserves would be depleted in under 50 days (an all-time low). If drastic, world-wide measures aren't taken soon, nature might reap even more drastic consequences. Population control vs. massive famine / starvation. We may eventually have to choose between the lesser of the two evils. --Erick Hubbard
Response to Post 25
In response to Jennifer Hakes' post on Ender's Game, I agree that Card developed an interesting plot by making the war almost revolve around the children. The children in the novel acted like adults and had to think like adults. The fact that Ender killed at the age of six is startling. The whole time the adults almost forget that these children are in fact children. I thought it added a lot of startling emotion to an already spectacular book!! --Deidra Dame
Response to Post 25
In response to Jenny Hakes' post about children in the book Ender's Game (Post 25), I agree that it makes the book more interesting. Using children in this novel evokes sympathy in the reader, for the children, the parents, other family members etc. Also, using the element that a third child is only allowed if they can be used by the government, and that possibility is available at any time makes the reader even more sympathetic. I also think that everyone can relate to children, because they too have been children and understand their feelings. Also, using child geniuses does raise interesting issues. For example, in this future world, what are the child labor laws? Obviously, they do not exist. But, we can ask questions such as these since Card chooses to use children. I personally think that he uses children also because he has five of his own, and therefore have great insight into the mind of a child. For whatever the reason, I think that the use of children in the novel makes it even more interesting, which says alot because this was my favorite book we have read so far!!!! --Misty Dillow
Response to Post x
In response to Caroline's post about why she did not care for Startide Rising, I couln't agree more. As someone who did a novel presentation on this book, I can attest that upon trying to find a deeper meaning within the hundreds of pages of opaque prose, one is bound to find themselves at a loss. There were far too many characters to even begin to get a good image of the traits of any of them. Also, the way it always changed narrators was extremely confusing. Having to read the long book in such little time may have added to my inability to appreciate it, but I think it would take at least a month for even a fast reader to fully understand it.--Liegh Pyle
Post 35
I would say, that out of all of the novels we have read so far, Ender's Game is the one that I would suggest to others as a good book for all audiences. I liked the way that it stayed in one perspective (as opposed to Startide Rising) because the narrator's personality was clearly established. It made for interesting reading because I liked the narrator, and I wanted to know what would happen to him next (as opposed to Startide, where I did not care about any of the characters). I felt that it was also an adequate length for the alloted amount of time given to read it. I felt that the character development really made this book.--Leigh Pyle
Post 36
In Ender's Game, I felt that the child's perspective combined with the adult-like intelligence made for an appealing read. As a reader, I was able to relate both with the child-like sensitivity that Ender and his siblings possessed, but was also intrigued by the lack of naivity that they showed. They did not allow their minds to be controlled, even if their actions were. I felt that these characters, although unrealistic, did not make the book seem too imaginary, because all of the other characters were very realistic. All of the other children at the training center were children, and all of the adults were stereotypical. I felt, all in all, that the imagery used was realistic and vivid.--Leigh Pyle
Response to Post 33
In response to Deidra's post (no. 33). It wasn't very sporting of the military to swipe a six year-old from his parents. Ethically, it was a crime. However, as you pointed out, he was engineered for that purpose. This, too, is morally bankrupt. Furthermore, the war they bred him to wage was, more or less, a sham. The Buggers weren't coming back, and, if I remember right, the book mentioned that the high command knew this. But what if the government really believed that the Buggers were launching a third attack? Or what if the Buggers were planning on coming back? Would it have been ok to spoil the lives of relatively few people, mere kids, to preserve the human race? These kids may be brainwashed and kidnaped at a tender age, but if they were not, and nobody else was capable of saving the world, they'd be dead anyway. The key to the whole equation lies in whether or not the reasons for a war are just, and this has always been a bastard of a question. It's never actually as cut and dry as the book has it. The British had to be repelled to forge our country. Hitler had to be stopped, as did Kaiser Willie before him. But did the Indian Wars have to be fought? The Spanish American War? Korea? Viet Nam? Hmmmmmmm. - E Hubbard
