After reading my original responses to the Ender's Game
anticipation guide statements, I am surprised because most of my
opinions only changed slightly, but some I agree with now more than before. For most of the
statements about violence my opinion that violence is not preferable,
but acceptable in certain situations, did not change. For statements
relating to more general ideas, there were more changes.
Lying is justifiable if it's for the greater good.
I
had at first ranked this as a 4, because I thought that the statement
was true most of the time. My opinion on that has not really changed,
because many people in Ender’s Game
lie because they want to save the world from the buggers. For example,
when Ender kills his peers such as Bonzo or Stilson when fighting them,
the adults don’t tell him because they know it would ruin him. If he had
found out earlier than he did, he wouldn’t have been able to be a
successful commander. As an adult says “At least they had the good sense
not to tell Ender that the boy died” (226). They are hiding the truth
for the benefit of the general people.
Sometimes violence is the only way to solve a problem.
I
ranked this one as a 4 also, but now I think that it is more of a 3.
Although it still seems true, and there are situations where violence
has to be a part, I think it is awful how true this is after seeing to
what extent violence can go. When I originally read this, I thought that
the statement was referencing being punched in the face or kicked in
the shin, not one kid killing another in the bathroom. Also, there were
places in the book that Ender hurt others where he didn’t need to, such
as when he hurt all of the mean boys ganging up on him and his friends
in the battle room. It is described “Ender threw the boy with the
bleeding nose at one of them; they entangled, and Ender’s leg came free”
(116). Those kids couldn't have done anything that bad to him so he
shouldn’t have hurt them like that. I still agree with this statement,
but only to a certain extent.
It is okay to kill someone in self-defense.
I
now agree more with this statement than I did before, because of
Ender's problems with Bonzo and Stilson. At first I said that was a 3,
but now I would say a 4. Ender was trying to keep himself alive when he
was fighting with Bonzo and Stilson, and in the process he killed his
opponent, but that is not his fault and I think that what he did was
fine. However, Ender killed them accidentally not intentionally, and I
don’t think I would be as accepting of that statement if death was his
original goal. The adults think it's bad too “...those videos of Bonzo’s
and Stilson’s deaths were pretty gruesome. To watch one child do that to
another” (305). Ender did a bad thing, but in his situation it was
necessary.
Words are stronger than fists.
I
now really believe in this statement because of what Peter and
Valentine accomplished through Locke and Demosthenes. I ranked this as a
2 originally because I thought that sometimes war and violent methods
had to be used, but now it seems like more control comes from other
ways. Peter never hurt anyone physically as Locke, yet he had incredible
success, arguably more than Ender. Also, one of Ender’s greatest
triumphs was when he wrote as Speaker for the Dead and was able to share
the story of the buggers with everyone else. “On Earth, the book was
published quietly, and quietly it was passed from hand to hand, until it
was hard to believe that anyone on Earth might not have read it” (322).
Ender was able to speak to everyone through that book, and he couldn’t
do that by winning a war.
Bullies hurt others because they have low self esteem.
Before reading Ender’s Game
I said this was a 4 because I thought that was the main reason for bullying, but I also said
sometimes there are people that are bad in their core. Now, I would
still say 4, but I think there are other reasons than bad people or self
esteem issues. Bonzo had those problems but he also had issues with his
honor and his family life. Those problems fed into the other problems
and he started hurting others. Ender provoked him by bringing up those
issues, talking of his father, “He would love to see you now, come to
fight a naked boy in a shower, smaller than you, and you brought six
friends” (208). Ender embarrassed Bonzo, and Bonzo retaliated.
Only the best and brightest students should receive the best education to become a nation's leaders.
Originally,
I did not support this idea, but I see the sense in it now. My first
opinion was a 2 but now I would say a 4. If every child went to Battle
School as Ender did, society would be ruined. All kids can’t end up
scarred like Ender because they had to see and do bad things, and if they
did all the adults that grew out of those kids would be messed up.
Sometimes there must be things that only the elite get to see and
experience, and Battle School is only for those who can take the
pressure. As Ender says later on another planet “I’ve lived too long
with pain. I won’t know who I am without it” (323). If I was Ender I
would have gone crazy by then, as would many other normal kids that couldn't handle the intense lifestyle.
Revenge is never justified.
I
now disagree with this idea much more than the 4 I gave it originally
shows. At first I said that getting even isn't necessary, but sometimes
it has to happen. Now I see that if people couldn't get even they would
just have a bunch of pent up anger that would lead to issues later;
without a little bit of revenge more bad things could happen from
someone lashing out at the general populace as opposed to settling the
score with the one who deserves the punishment . Most of the time,
people need to deal with their opinions and resolve them. For example,
Bonzo hit Ender and wouldn’t let him fight and was mean to him in every
way, and Ender needed to get even so the bullying would stop. Ender may
have gone too far by killing Bonzo, but the idea is the same.
Crying is evidence of weakness.
I
ranked this statement as a 2 originally, having said “I think it does
show weakness, but that is a good thing” and I still agree with that. I
think crying could also be applied to the saying about pain, the one
that claims pain is weakness leaving the body. In a lot of ways crying
is like that, and though it is an act of weakness, in the long run in
can make you stronger. When Ender first gets to Battle School, “And his
tears could fall unwanted on his sheet, but his sobs were so gentle that
they did not shake the bed, so quiet they could not be heard” (44).
Once Ender had that release and he got over his homesickness, he was a
stronger and better warrior.
Any action is acceptable in war.
This
statement I wholeheartedly agreed with originally, and I still agree
with it, but not as much. When I first thought of this statement I was
thinking about two sides battling each other for the upper hand, each
giving it their best shot and trying to harm their opponent. I thought
they meant a normal, human war, where people fight but eventually it is
resolved without an entire species almost going instinct. The act in the
book that I don’t think was acceptable was how the humans sent out
spacecrafts to completely destroy the buggers, without knowing that the
buggers were innocent. Humans are too afraid of what might happen, and
as Graff says “Would you bet the human race on the chance of them giving
up and leaving us alone?” (250). People aren’t sure of what’s going to
happen, so they just go ahead and strike out blindly without thinking
that it is unnecessary to cause so much destruction. I don’t think that what
they did was OK, even though it was an act in war.
Teenagers need discipline and rules because they can't control themselves.
Originally I said this was a 3, and I still believe that, but the teenagers in Ender’s Game
are different than the kind I was thinking of. When I said it was a 3,
of was thinking of average, ordinary teenagers, not the kind who
are in control of the fate of the world. Ender, his siblings, and his
peers all have exceptional mind power and self control, so I don’t think
that teenagers like them need many guidelines on how to act and what to
do. However, there are some very bright teens in the book that could do
better by having some rules to follow. For example, Peter needs to be
taught not to harm things just for fun early in the book “She pictured
Peter trapping it, staking it, then carefully parting and peeling back
the skin without breaking into the abdomen, watching the muscles twist
and ripple” (123). Peter would do better with more supervision and
guidelines so he wouldn’t end up doing things like killing squirrels in his free
time.
Only through personal sacrifice can someone create positive change.
Before, I barely agreed with that, giving it a 2, but now it seems so
true to me. The best way to make things better is to do something that
helps others. Selfless acts of kindness, or facing our fears to protect
someone else, or many other things like that would pay off well in the
end. In Ender's case, he had to give up his childhood and a lot of
happiness, but he lead the human race to victory. Without him, the
buggers would have won and the human race would have discontinued
existence. When talking to Alai he knows, “I want to go home, thought Ender, but I
don’t know where it is” (302). He gave up having a place to call his
own where he is safe and comfortable, all so other people could be
happy.
Generating compassion for your enemies is the only way to create peace.
I
agreed with this originally, but now I do much more than before. At
first I thought this was one of the primary ways to create peace, but
now I see that it really is the only thing we can do. The way Ender took
the bugger pupa and plans to remake the bugger world is what convinced
me, “And always Ender carried with him a dry white cocoon, looking for
the world where the hive-queen could awaken and thrive in peace” (324).
I could never have done that, and I think it shows great things about
him that he could; it amazed me the way that he was so helpful and
understanding for their lives. Of all the anticipation guide statements,
I think my opinion was impacted the most about this one. I would never
have expected the book to end that way, but I think it's a good lesson
that it did.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Response to Card Article
I was very surprised to read about Orson Scott Card, the author of Ender's Game, having strong views against gay marriage, especially after reading the end of the book. Though the book has Ender struggling with who he is and his beliefs, it seems like it also involves him coming to accept himself. For example, when Ender and Valentine are on the raft, Ender talks about how he has looked into himself and puzzled out some of the reasons for his anger, and he lives with that knowledge. At the end of the book, Ender finds the bugger eggs and he takes them in, accepting the species for what it is and forgiving it for all of the problems it has caused. He tries to cultivate the eggs and keep them alive, so I am surprised that the author would be so rude and closed-minded about accepting other people and their beliefs.
Card's views change my views on the book slightly, but not too much. I think of the book and the author as separate entities, so the book itself seems to me to be a good book. However, knowing about the author makes it hard for me get the same meaning and understanding of the book as I had before. The way that Card is so strict in his disbelief of gay marriage makes it hard for me to think how he could have been so genius and imaginative when coming up with the plot and the story of Ender's Game. Nevertheless, I don't think that Mr. Vack should remove this book from his curriculum because I think it is a good lesson. To read the book not knowing about the author and then to be told about it at the end made me think about my perception of things and how many different factors play in to how a book is read and understood, and I think that that could be something for Mr. Vack to discuss and talk about. Also, most of the kids enjoyed reading Ender's Game more than most novels, so I think he shouldn't remove it.
I think it is a good idea for the movie company to keep Card out of the limelight because this would be a good movie. This movie could turn into a great business endeavor for them, they just have to separate themselves from Card. Movies are always different from the books they are based on, so they should just make sure one of the differences is Card's involvement. Maybe they could even fire him from being a producer, but that might not work because that might bring more spotlight to the situation. I don't think this movie should be boycotted because by itself it is a good story. Not everyone who sees it will know the truth about the author, and many would enjoy watching it even if they knew. These are good discussions to have, so the movie should be made for people to view it and make up their own opinions about it. I still want to see the movie for Ender's Game.
Card's views change my views on the book slightly, but not too much. I think of the book and the author as separate entities, so the book itself seems to me to be a good book. However, knowing about the author makes it hard for me get the same meaning and understanding of the book as I had before. The way that Card is so strict in his disbelief of gay marriage makes it hard for me to think how he could have been so genius and imaginative when coming up with the plot and the story of Ender's Game. Nevertheless, I don't think that Mr. Vack should remove this book from his curriculum because I think it is a good lesson. To read the book not knowing about the author and then to be told about it at the end made me think about my perception of things and how many different factors play in to how a book is read and understood, and I think that that could be something for Mr. Vack to discuss and talk about. Also, most of the kids enjoyed reading Ender's Game more than most novels, so I think he shouldn't remove it.
I think it is a good idea for the movie company to keep Card out of the limelight because this would be a good movie. This movie could turn into a great business endeavor for them, they just have to separate themselves from Card. Movies are always different from the books they are based on, so they should just make sure one of the differences is Card's involvement. Maybe they could even fire him from being a producer, but that might not work because that might bring more spotlight to the situation. I don't think this movie should be boycotted because by itself it is a good story. Not everyone who sees it will know the truth about the author, and many would enjoy watching it even if they knew. These are good discussions to have, so the movie should be made for people to view it and make up their own opinions about it. I still want to see the movie for Ender's Game.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Ender's Game Questions Chapters 12-15
Chapter 12
1. Ender provoked Bonzo by bringing up the weak points in his emotions. He started talking about his dad, and his honor, and it made Bonzo angry. Ender says: "You can go home and tell your father, Yes, I beat up Ender Wiggin, who was barely ten years old, and I was thirteen" (208-9). Ender knows that because of Bonzo's Spanish heritage and upbringing makes him very proud, and uses that against him. Bonzo responds by trying to make the fight fair, but he is still angry and has a lot of pent up aggression towards Ender so it does turn bloody.
2. Stilson was Ender's bully and tormenter at school before he came to Battle School. Ender was thinking of him because he had a big fight with Stilson where he ended up hurting very badly, just as he did with Bonzo. Little does Ender know that he killed both of them.
3. Ender still expects help from the teachers because he thinks he is too good for them to risk losing. He knows they believe he is their only hope, so he thinks they won't let anyone hurt him. When he wakes scared in the night he comforts himself with this idea.
4. I knew Stilson and Bonzo were dead, but only after the adults actually said it at the end of the chapter. A clue before that could have been how it says "...just that dead, stupid look on his face, that terrible look, the way Stilson looked when I finished with him" (212). Ender realizes that there is a very empty look that Bonzo and Stilson shared. Also, there is the way that Bonzo was sent to his hometown instead of moving on to another school, like a student of his level should have. And when the adults talk one says "They didn't tell him about Stilson, either" (226). That implies there was something very bad to be told, and before that they talk about a death in the school.
5. I think Ender was justified because his opponents would have done the same to him given the opportunity. He did not really mean to kill them, he was just a very good fighter. The adults did not tell him about the deaths because they knew it would break him. If he found out, he would have thought he was becoming Peter, and he already had a lot of problems with what he did to the boys without knowing how bad it really was. The adults needed him to have some guilt, but not an overwhelming amount.
Chapter 13
1. This quote is saying how when you act like something for long enough it will become part of you. After a lot of acting, it can be hard to distinguish between you and the character. For example, if you wear a certain type of clothes for a while trying to fit in with what everyone else is wearing, eventually you will come to like the clothes yourself and may gravitate toward them. Valentine writes like Demosthenes so much that her school assignments sound like it and she is almost discovered.
2. I think it is a good natural instinct for humans to kill. Humans are only animals, and animals don't hesitate to hurt others if it is in their best interest. Survival of the fittest is necessary for species to evolve and grow in a positive way. Without it, we may still be apes. In the book, it is Ender's natural instinct to protect himself against dangers such as Bonzo and Stilson, and those instincts win out when he ends up killing them. His instinct won out when he fought Bonzo in the bathroom because he had to make sure he was the fittest.
3. The conversation between Ender and Valentine on the raft is very deep. Ender talks about his problems, and Valentine talks about her new found political strength. I think they both benefited from that conversation because they could see deep into each other like they used to when life was simple as little children. Ender reveals that he hates himself because he strikes his enemies down by understanding them and approving of them. "Killing them with kindness" so to speak, except that he does not let them see the kindness. He sees his enemies soul and accepts and appreciates that soul. He does this with Bonzo by seeing his family relationships and honor and pointing them out to make Bonzo mad and vulnerable. Ender also says his soft spot, which is how Peter will always be able to control him and strike him down.
4. Valentine has mixed up feelings about her brothers because they are linked to her in confusing ways. Ender used to have a great relationship with her, because it was them against Peter who she was linked to, but more icily and distantly. However, when Ender left the spots switched and she started to have a stronger relationship with Peter. Ender was gone for so long that they grew apart and Ender's personality changed, with him growing a hard emotional shell. Valentine sees that all three of them share similar traits, and how they all need power and people to control around them. She loves Ender, but their is the distance because of the time he was gone in their childhood. She thinks she can control Peter, but at the same time she is afraid of him and what he might do. However, she spends much more time with him now than Ender.
5. To me, the reasons Graff gives for the bugger wars seem like the reasons for many problems. It boils down to religion, wanting space, not thinking the other side knows what they are doing, and thinking the other side is too forceful or violent. All of these things that relate to the buggers relate to real wars. World War II was because Hitler was being too violent because of religion. The whole book relates to real issues.
Chapter 14
1.Ender doesn't like the feeling of Eros. It disturbs him because he feels like it is unnatural to be there, like people don't fit. It turns out he is right, because when he asks about Eros Mazer Rackham tells him that Eros was set up and made livable by the buggers, so it makes sense that humans would not fit there.
2. Mazer is going to be the only teacher Ender ever had because he is the only teacher that has valuable experience and that Ender can learn a lot from. He is Ender's only teacher who is smarter than him and better than him, and he fought the buggers first hand. Mazer also acknowledges that he is the enemy. Ender's other teachers try to tell Ender that he is fighting against his peers, but Mazer is honest. When they fight "his face and shoulders were being pressed into the floor by the old man's knee, while his back was excruciatingly bent and his legs were pinioned by the old man's arm" (262). Mazer is physically and mentally stronger than him.
3. Mazer was dishonest with Ender about him fighting real buggers because he knew that Ender had too much empathy for others and could not succeed if he knew the truth. Ender always feels about when he hurts other people, so if he knew he was killing people he wouldn't do it. Ender couldn't have have handled knowing because he wouldn't have been able to do the right things and make the risky decisions. He would have compared himself to Peter and given up.
4. I think that the adults have pushed the child commanders too far, but it was worth it. Ender has always been sad, but he does snap in a way as his training continues and after he wins. He is not completely broken, but he will always have issues. It was worth it though, because if they hadn't done so they would have charged into battle against the buggers without good leaders. If they had done that the human race would have lost and been wiped out.
5. Xenocide is never justified. I can understand a war to establish who is the dominant race, but a complete extermination of a species is never a good thing. However, I think that the buggers' genocide was inevitable because all of the captains and government officials in Ender's world seem incredibly paranoid; their minds were set on beating the buggers once and for all. Plus, as Graff informs Ender, "We are the Third Invasion" (250). They sent battle ships years ahead of time so they now have to deal with the fighting those ships will start. As Graff later says, "So if we can we'll kill every last one of the buggers, and if they can they'll kill every last one of us" (254). All of the people are waiting to be attacked, so they just go ahead and get it over with. This is natural selection; the triumphant race will survive, the other will end.
Chapter 15
1. I think Ender would agree with Valentine's statement because it is how his own life has worked out in many ways. The adults in Ender's life all control what he does and how his life will go, and for the most part he lives with that, but he has put good people in the positions of his life. He has Graff and Mazer Rackham as mentors, he has Alai and Petra and others as friends, and he has Valentine for family. The rest of his family is not ideal, but he can compensate for that. When Alai said "salaam" to Ender, he knew he had found someone he could trust, and that is good for him.
2. Ender's opinion about Stilson's and Bonzo's death is that it is bad that they died, but it doesn't matter all that much because of how many other creatures he killed with the bugger xenocide. As he thinks, "All his crimes weighed heavily on him, the deaths of Stilson and Bonzo no heavier and no lighter than the rest" (309). He has reached an indifference of the bad things he does to others because of how many bad things he has done.
3. Valentine made sure Ender could never return to earth because she wanted to protect him from becoming another piece in Peter's game. Peter's success got so huge that he had the ability to feed off of Ender's success and use it to help him, and Valentine doesn't want that because she is still wary of what Peter may or may not do given the opportunity.
4. Many things are ironic about Valentine's statement that Peter saved millions of lives. First of all, there is the fact that he used to live for hurting others, such as when he would mutilate the squirrels. His early childhood was devoted to hurting lives, not helping them. Secondly, there is the fact that Ender did so much harm to others' lives when he defeated the buggers. The roles have been reversed.
5. Ender gets his information for The Hive-Queen from the things he sees through the bugger pupa he finds. Through it he sees things such as the wars through the buggers perspective, and how the buggers want Ender to help their baby queen remake their world. He learns of their innocence. As he realizes they thought "We did not mean to murder, and when we understood, we never came again" (321). When he sees all of this, he knows he must let the world see as well.
6. Ender called himself Speaker for the Dead because he wants to be out of the limelight and he thinks people will read it differently if they knew it was by him, who had killed all of the buggers. He has had enough of the spotlight and wants people to know the truth without him having to be involved. Also, it is like how we did not know about Orson Scott Card's views against gay marriage when we read Ender's Game, and it was better that way because we could read it without judging the book based on its author.
1. Ender provoked Bonzo by bringing up the weak points in his emotions. He started talking about his dad, and his honor, and it made Bonzo angry. Ender says: "You can go home and tell your father, Yes, I beat up Ender Wiggin, who was barely ten years old, and I was thirteen" (208-9). Ender knows that because of Bonzo's Spanish heritage and upbringing makes him very proud, and uses that against him. Bonzo responds by trying to make the fight fair, but he is still angry and has a lot of pent up aggression towards Ender so it does turn bloody.
2. Stilson was Ender's bully and tormenter at school before he came to Battle School. Ender was thinking of him because he had a big fight with Stilson where he ended up hurting very badly, just as he did with Bonzo. Little does Ender know that he killed both of them.
3. Ender still expects help from the teachers because he thinks he is too good for them to risk losing. He knows they believe he is their only hope, so he thinks they won't let anyone hurt him. When he wakes scared in the night he comforts himself with this idea.
4. I knew Stilson and Bonzo were dead, but only after the adults actually said it at the end of the chapter. A clue before that could have been how it says "...just that dead, stupid look on his face, that terrible look, the way Stilson looked when I finished with him" (212). Ender realizes that there is a very empty look that Bonzo and Stilson shared. Also, there is the way that Bonzo was sent to his hometown instead of moving on to another school, like a student of his level should have. And when the adults talk one says "They didn't tell him about Stilson, either" (226). That implies there was something very bad to be told, and before that they talk about a death in the school.
5. I think Ender was justified because his opponents would have done the same to him given the opportunity. He did not really mean to kill them, he was just a very good fighter. The adults did not tell him about the deaths because they knew it would break him. If he found out, he would have thought he was becoming Peter, and he already had a lot of problems with what he did to the boys without knowing how bad it really was. The adults needed him to have some guilt, but not an overwhelming amount.
Chapter 13
1. This quote is saying how when you act like something for long enough it will become part of you. After a lot of acting, it can be hard to distinguish between you and the character. For example, if you wear a certain type of clothes for a while trying to fit in with what everyone else is wearing, eventually you will come to like the clothes yourself and may gravitate toward them. Valentine writes like Demosthenes so much that her school assignments sound like it and she is almost discovered.
2. I think it is a good natural instinct for humans to kill. Humans are only animals, and animals don't hesitate to hurt others if it is in their best interest. Survival of the fittest is necessary for species to evolve and grow in a positive way. Without it, we may still be apes. In the book, it is Ender's natural instinct to protect himself against dangers such as Bonzo and Stilson, and those instincts win out when he ends up killing them. His instinct won out when he fought Bonzo in the bathroom because he had to make sure he was the fittest.
3. The conversation between Ender and Valentine on the raft is very deep. Ender talks about his problems, and Valentine talks about her new found political strength. I think they both benefited from that conversation because they could see deep into each other like they used to when life was simple as little children. Ender reveals that he hates himself because he strikes his enemies down by understanding them and approving of them. "Killing them with kindness" so to speak, except that he does not let them see the kindness. He sees his enemies soul and accepts and appreciates that soul. He does this with Bonzo by seeing his family relationships and honor and pointing them out to make Bonzo mad and vulnerable. Ender also says his soft spot, which is how Peter will always be able to control him and strike him down.
4. Valentine has mixed up feelings about her brothers because they are linked to her in confusing ways. Ender used to have a great relationship with her, because it was them against Peter who she was linked to, but more icily and distantly. However, when Ender left the spots switched and she started to have a stronger relationship with Peter. Ender was gone for so long that they grew apart and Ender's personality changed, with him growing a hard emotional shell. Valentine sees that all three of them share similar traits, and how they all need power and people to control around them. She loves Ender, but their is the distance because of the time he was gone in their childhood. She thinks she can control Peter, but at the same time she is afraid of him and what he might do. However, she spends much more time with him now than Ender.
5. To me, the reasons Graff gives for the bugger wars seem like the reasons for many problems. It boils down to religion, wanting space, not thinking the other side knows what they are doing, and thinking the other side is too forceful or violent. All of these things that relate to the buggers relate to real wars. World War II was because Hitler was being too violent because of religion. The whole book relates to real issues.
Chapter 14
1.Ender doesn't like the feeling of Eros. It disturbs him because he feels like it is unnatural to be there, like people don't fit. It turns out he is right, because when he asks about Eros Mazer Rackham tells him that Eros was set up and made livable by the buggers, so it makes sense that humans would not fit there.
2. Mazer is going to be the only teacher Ender ever had because he is the only teacher that has valuable experience and that Ender can learn a lot from. He is Ender's only teacher who is smarter than him and better than him, and he fought the buggers first hand. Mazer also acknowledges that he is the enemy. Ender's other teachers try to tell Ender that he is fighting against his peers, but Mazer is honest. When they fight "his face and shoulders were being pressed into the floor by the old man's knee, while his back was excruciatingly bent and his legs were pinioned by the old man's arm" (262). Mazer is physically and mentally stronger than him.
3. Mazer was dishonest with Ender about him fighting real buggers because he knew that Ender had too much empathy for others and could not succeed if he knew the truth. Ender always feels about when he hurts other people, so if he knew he was killing people he wouldn't do it. Ender couldn't have have handled knowing because he wouldn't have been able to do the right things and make the risky decisions. He would have compared himself to Peter and given up.
4. I think that the adults have pushed the child commanders too far, but it was worth it. Ender has always been sad, but he does snap in a way as his training continues and after he wins. He is not completely broken, but he will always have issues. It was worth it though, because if they hadn't done so they would have charged into battle against the buggers without good leaders. If they had done that the human race would have lost and been wiped out.
5. Xenocide is never justified. I can understand a war to establish who is the dominant race, but a complete extermination of a species is never a good thing. However, I think that the buggers' genocide was inevitable because all of the captains and government officials in Ender's world seem incredibly paranoid; their minds were set on beating the buggers once and for all. Plus, as Graff informs Ender, "We are the Third Invasion" (250). They sent battle ships years ahead of time so they now have to deal with the fighting those ships will start. As Graff later says, "So if we can we'll kill every last one of the buggers, and if they can they'll kill every last one of us" (254). All of the people are waiting to be attacked, so they just go ahead and get it over with. This is natural selection; the triumphant race will survive, the other will end.
Chapter 15
1. I think Ender would agree with Valentine's statement because it is how his own life has worked out in many ways. The adults in Ender's life all control what he does and how his life will go, and for the most part he lives with that, but he has put good people in the positions of his life. He has Graff and Mazer Rackham as mentors, he has Alai and Petra and others as friends, and he has Valentine for family. The rest of his family is not ideal, but he can compensate for that. When Alai said "salaam" to Ender, he knew he had found someone he could trust, and that is good for him.
2. Ender's opinion about Stilson's and Bonzo's death is that it is bad that they died, but it doesn't matter all that much because of how many other creatures he killed with the bugger xenocide. As he thinks, "All his crimes weighed heavily on him, the deaths of Stilson and Bonzo no heavier and no lighter than the rest" (309). He has reached an indifference of the bad things he does to others because of how many bad things he has done.
3. Valentine made sure Ender could never return to earth because she wanted to protect him from becoming another piece in Peter's game. Peter's success got so huge that he had the ability to feed off of Ender's success and use it to help him, and Valentine doesn't want that because she is still wary of what Peter may or may not do given the opportunity.
4. Many things are ironic about Valentine's statement that Peter saved millions of lives. First of all, there is the fact that he used to live for hurting others, such as when he would mutilate the squirrels. His early childhood was devoted to hurting lives, not helping them. Secondly, there is the fact that Ender did so much harm to others' lives when he defeated the buggers. The roles have been reversed.
5. Ender gets his information for The Hive-Queen from the things he sees through the bugger pupa he finds. Through it he sees things such as the wars through the buggers perspective, and how the buggers want Ender to help their baby queen remake their world. He learns of their innocence. As he realizes they thought "We did not mean to murder, and when we understood, we never came again" (321). When he sees all of this, he knows he must let the world see as well.
6. Ender called himself Speaker for the Dead because he wants to be out of the limelight and he thinks people will read it differently if they knew it was by him, who had killed all of the buggers. He has had enough of the spotlight and wants people to know the truth without him having to be involved. Also, it is like how we did not know about Orson Scott Card's views against gay marriage when we read Ender's Game, and it was better that way because we could read it without judging the book based on its author.
CEJ #5: Science
2/26/13
The Owl Comes Into Its Own
(Angier, Natalie)
"The New York Times"
2/25/13
Science
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/science/long-cloaked-in-mystery-owls-start-coming-into-full-view.html?ref=science&_r=0
Owls have always been known to be amazing birds, but now people realize it more than ever. They have been thought of as good creatures for many centuries since Greek goddess Athena was linked to owls, and they are still popular now in books, such as Harry Potter, and elsewhere. People have a lot to learn from owls. One of barn owls' many positive attributes is their human like generosity; they share food with those smaller than them. The way they speak is a language in itself. Also, all types of owls have their entire body built in a way that helps them and makes them the best they can be. For example, researchers are finding that plane flight would be more successful if we modeled plane wings after those of the owl. The shape and the openings at the ends between the feathers helps create silent, smooth travel which could be good for airlines and could help use less fuel. Owls also are very successful hunters; with in one year a group of 10 can eat 25,000 rats (nytimes.com). However, the best quality of owls is their hearing. They have very large ears that can hear even the slightest movement of their prey, and the way the head moves and where the ears are located on the head make the system even better. The eyes of the owl are on a certain part of the head because of where the ears are, and the flat face is also to help pick up sound. Owls are amazing creatures, and there is now a lot of research to prove it.
I thought this article was very interesting. This was not the kind of article where bias would be an issue, but I could tell the author was a big admirer of owls, else she would not have written it. I liked this article because it seemed to me that people should be doing things like this more often. I think there is a lot we can learn from other creatures around us, and I don't understand why we don't tap into that resource more. If we could make planes fly better by observing owls, couldn't we make ships sail better by observing a water creature? People like to do things as fast as they can without thinking about the best and most practical way to do it, but if we thought a little more I think society and many things in general would be more successful. However, I have never thought much about owls or how we could learn from them, so I should not chastise others for doing the same as me. After reading this article I think that we should definitely continue to research owls and the ways they can help us.
2/25/13
Science
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/science/long-cloaked-in-mystery-owls-start-coming-into-full-view.html?ref=science&_r=0
Owls have always been known to be amazing birds, but now people realize it more than ever. They have been thought of as good creatures for many centuries since Greek goddess Athena was linked to owls, and they are still popular now in books, such as Harry Potter, and elsewhere. People have a lot to learn from owls. One of barn owls' many positive attributes is their human like generosity; they share food with those smaller than them. The way they speak is a language in itself. Also, all types of owls have their entire body built in a way that helps them and makes them the best they can be. For example, researchers are finding that plane flight would be more successful if we modeled plane wings after those of the owl. The shape and the openings at the ends between the feathers helps create silent, smooth travel which could be good for airlines and could help use less fuel. Owls also are very successful hunters; with in one year a group of 10 can eat 25,000 rats (nytimes.com). However, the best quality of owls is their hearing. They have very large ears that can hear even the slightest movement of their prey, and the way the head moves and where the ears are located on the head make the system even better. The eyes of the owl are on a certain part of the head because of where the ears are, and the flat face is also to help pick up sound. Owls are amazing creatures, and there is now a lot of research to prove it.
I thought this article was very interesting. This was not the kind of article where bias would be an issue, but I could tell the author was a big admirer of owls, else she would not have written it. I liked this article because it seemed to me that people should be doing things like this more often. I think there is a lot we can learn from other creatures around us, and I don't understand why we don't tap into that resource more. If we could make planes fly better by observing owls, couldn't we make ships sail better by observing a water creature? People like to do things as fast as they can without thinking about the best and most practical way to do it, but if we thought a little more I think society and many things in general would be more successful. However, I have never thought much about owls or how we could learn from them, so I should not chastise others for doing the same as me. After reading this article I think that we should definitely continue to research owls and the ways they can help us.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Ode to Water
Water, such
clear pristine liquid
Sparkling drops
like rhinestone gems
dance and jump and bounce.
Fall gently
washing off the dust
of all messes
Drops fill glasses
Frozen it chills
ice clinks glass chimes
Such cold
gentle syrup
slides down my throat
My tongue is coated
my mouth not dry
I taste the ocean
I taste the puddle
the glacier and the raincloud too
Listening
to the pitter patter
of a storm
Within my
deep
cold
glass of water.
clear pristine liquid
Sparkling drops
like rhinestone gems
dance and jump and bounce.
Fall gently
washing off the dust
of all messes
Drops fill glasses
Frozen it chills
ice clinks glass chimes
Such cold
gentle syrup
slides down my throat
My tongue is coated
my mouth not dry
I taste the ocean
I taste the puddle
the glacier and the raincloud too
Listening
to the pitter patter
of a storm
Within my
deep
cold
glass of water.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Ender's Game Questions Chapters 9 - 11
Chapter 9
1. I think that in the battle between Peter and Valentine, Peter has the power and is manipulating his sister. At the same time, Valentine knows what she is doing and is fairly in control of herself, if not the full situation as she wants to be. The power is in both of them, but primarily in Peter. As Valentine realizes, "By having her write Demosthenes, it meant he also had some empathy, just as Locke also could play on on others' fears. But the main effect was to keep her inextricably tied to Peter" (136). Peter set up his master plan so that Valentine would help him, but that so she is still his servant operating under his ideas and purposes.
2. To me, Peter seems to have a lot in common with Locke. They both get their power through writing, they both had difficulties being accepted by the people in charge, though Peter's main problem was that he was a child so he could not go public with his work early on. They also both want to shape government for the greater good of the people. Peter seems to have a more evil side than Locke, though Peter eventually caused a greater good. Demosthenes and Violet seem to have some things in common, but Demosthenes seems more mean that Violet. Demosthenes was radical and not afraid to speak against others, and Violet seems to be too compassionate for that. They both are very influential to others, and have a great way of speaking their mind.
3. Ender is still angry because none of the people around him are close enough to him to relate to him or be friends to him; it makes him mad that they all look up to and honor him so much. He hates how having the respect of everyone means that all his peers are bland and uninteresting. When he first came to Battle school, he had to work to make friends, such as with Alai and Shen. Now that he is the best at everything and revered by everyone he has less to work for.
Chapter 10
1. Ender is a smart leader. He is like that because he took his experience with other commanders figured out a happy medium between being too gentle and too mean, or being to easygoing and too strict. He is smart and responsive because he is not stuck in his ways as the other commanders are. He was not good to Bean the first day, but he acknowledged it and Bean grew from the experience.
2. Ender singled Bean out and made him work the hardest to get him to his full potential. He separated him from the other kids because he saw a bit of himself in Bean; he could tell that Bean was smart and had abilities similar to him. He knew that Bean could one day do great things, so he wanted to get him started and make him work for his successes. For example, when Ender makes Bean explain how to use your knees when all of the other boys are confused, he is acknowledging that the boy knows something, yet making him think it through and be able to explain it.
3. Salaam means "peace be unto you". The 'salaam' said between Ender and Alai shows the power of religious identity is very strong. Alai was only willing to share that word with Ender because he trusted him and that was how he wanted to be seen. Alai saw the meaning of 'salaam' as a part of his past and who he was, and he wanted Ender to see that depth of his being. 'Peace be unto you' shows how when it is said to someone else, the person is very meaningful to you; you care deeply about their welfare and want them to stay in a happy place.
4. The last two sentences of chapter 10 are important because Ender decides that he should be fighting against the teachers, not the other students. I think that this reaction was the one the teachers wanted, whether they knew it or not. It seems like the adults in the Battle School wanting a strong reaction, without realizing what reaction that might be. The teachers want Ender to keep working hard and fighting for success, and now Ender will definitely continue to do that because if he doesn't win the teachers do. As he knows, "I wish, and they deliver" (176). He wants to show them that he can't be broken, and therefore triumphs in the battles they give him as they hope he will.
Chapter 11
1. The computer does know Ender very well, but the adults in Battle School do not know how it does. I think the computer has found things out about Ender through his extensive playing of its games and through searching through their internet. As some of the adults said, the computer would have to do a lot of digging around to find the picture of Peter that was put in the game to manipulate Ender, yet somehow it did and it knew that that would provoke him. I also think it could figure out plenty of things from his school files and the way he played the game. Ender is very violent and resourceful in the game, and I think the computer takes note of that.
2. When Ender says "Yes. That's the worst that could happen. I can't lose any games. Because if I lose any-" (198). He means that he has to be absolutely rock solid and perfect. If he loses a game, then the teachers and the other armies know that he can be broken and that there are ways to stop him. If he loses one then it may become a pattern and he may start losing many games, and he would lose all of his stature and credibility as the best. If he is not the best then he might as well be the worst.
3. The teachers are pushing Ender very hard because they think he is the chosen one, the one who will win against the buggers. As they say "I have heard him described modestly as our only hope of victory in the upcoming invasion" (201). They know that he can be the best, but they want more than the best so they are pushing him bast the limits of normal people and practically making him crazy. At the same time, their methods appear to be working because Ender is becoming great at what he does. The teachers are also afraid of the buggers, so they want to make Ender the best in the least amount of time possible.
4. In the last two sentences of the chapter, it talks about how Bean fell asleep thinking of stupid ideas of things to do with his toon. This is important because that is, in a way, Ender's battle strategy. He thinks of things that no one else would even consider because no one else is smart enough to make them work, yet he does them in a way that makes them appear genius. Ender is so smart that he realizes that when everyone around you thinks like a genius, you have to think in a different way. For example, Ender instructs his army to always be moving and not to be stuck in formations; everyone else wouldn't do that because it might turn out disorganized.
5. 'Veni vidi vici' is an appropriate chapter title because Ender did exactly what it said. He came, as in he rose up to the challenge, he saw how to beat his opponents, and he did that, he conquered them. Every time he is in a battle setting he does that and sees through his opponents plans to win easily. For example, when Bonzo's army sets an at first glance unbeatable trap for Dragon Army by surrounding his door against the walls, Ender outsmarts the other team to triumph.
1. I think that in the battle between Peter and Valentine, Peter has the power and is manipulating his sister. At the same time, Valentine knows what she is doing and is fairly in control of herself, if not the full situation as she wants to be. The power is in both of them, but primarily in Peter. As Valentine realizes, "By having her write Demosthenes, it meant he also had some empathy, just as Locke also could play on on others' fears. But the main effect was to keep her inextricably tied to Peter" (136). Peter set up his master plan so that Valentine would help him, but that so she is still his servant operating under his ideas and purposes.
2. To me, Peter seems to have a lot in common with Locke. They both get their power through writing, they both had difficulties being accepted by the people in charge, though Peter's main problem was that he was a child so he could not go public with his work early on. They also both want to shape government for the greater good of the people. Peter seems to have a more evil side than Locke, though Peter eventually caused a greater good. Demosthenes and Violet seem to have some things in common, but Demosthenes seems more mean that Violet. Demosthenes was radical and not afraid to speak against others, and Violet seems to be too compassionate for that. They both are very influential to others, and have a great way of speaking their mind.
3. Ender is still angry because none of the people around him are close enough to him to relate to him or be friends to him; it makes him mad that they all look up to and honor him so much. He hates how having the respect of everyone means that all his peers are bland and uninteresting. When he first came to Battle school, he had to work to make friends, such as with Alai and Shen. Now that he is the best at everything and revered by everyone he has less to work for.
Chapter 10
1. Ender is a smart leader. He is like that because he took his experience with other commanders figured out a happy medium between being too gentle and too mean, or being to easygoing and too strict. He is smart and responsive because he is not stuck in his ways as the other commanders are. He was not good to Bean the first day, but he acknowledged it and Bean grew from the experience.
2. Ender singled Bean out and made him work the hardest to get him to his full potential. He separated him from the other kids because he saw a bit of himself in Bean; he could tell that Bean was smart and had abilities similar to him. He knew that Bean could one day do great things, so he wanted to get him started and make him work for his successes. For example, when Ender makes Bean explain how to use your knees when all of the other boys are confused, he is acknowledging that the boy knows something, yet making him think it through and be able to explain it.
3. Salaam means "peace be unto you". The 'salaam' said between Ender and Alai shows the power of religious identity is very strong. Alai was only willing to share that word with Ender because he trusted him and that was how he wanted to be seen. Alai saw the meaning of 'salaam' as a part of his past and who he was, and he wanted Ender to see that depth of his being. 'Peace be unto you' shows how when it is said to someone else, the person is very meaningful to you; you care deeply about their welfare and want them to stay in a happy place.
4. The last two sentences of chapter 10 are important because Ender decides that he should be fighting against the teachers, not the other students. I think that this reaction was the one the teachers wanted, whether they knew it or not. It seems like the adults in the Battle School wanting a strong reaction, without realizing what reaction that might be. The teachers want Ender to keep working hard and fighting for success, and now Ender will definitely continue to do that because if he doesn't win the teachers do. As he knows, "I wish, and they deliver" (176). He wants to show them that he can't be broken, and therefore triumphs in the battles they give him as they hope he will.
Chapter 11
1. The computer does know Ender very well, but the adults in Battle School do not know how it does. I think the computer has found things out about Ender through his extensive playing of its games and through searching through their internet. As some of the adults said, the computer would have to do a lot of digging around to find the picture of Peter that was put in the game to manipulate Ender, yet somehow it did and it knew that that would provoke him. I also think it could figure out plenty of things from his school files and the way he played the game. Ender is very violent and resourceful in the game, and I think the computer takes note of that.
2. When Ender says "Yes. That's the worst that could happen. I can't lose any games. Because if I lose any-" (198). He means that he has to be absolutely rock solid and perfect. If he loses a game, then the teachers and the other armies know that he can be broken and that there are ways to stop him. If he loses one then it may become a pattern and he may start losing many games, and he would lose all of his stature and credibility as the best. If he is not the best then he might as well be the worst.
3. The teachers are pushing Ender very hard because they think he is the chosen one, the one who will win against the buggers. As they say "I have heard him described modestly as our only hope of victory in the upcoming invasion" (201). They know that he can be the best, but they want more than the best so they are pushing him bast the limits of normal people and practically making him crazy. At the same time, their methods appear to be working because Ender is becoming great at what he does. The teachers are also afraid of the buggers, so they want to make Ender the best in the least amount of time possible.
4. In the last two sentences of the chapter, it talks about how Bean fell asleep thinking of stupid ideas of things to do with his toon. This is important because that is, in a way, Ender's battle strategy. He thinks of things that no one else would even consider because no one else is smart enough to make them work, yet he does them in a way that makes them appear genius. Ender is so smart that he realizes that when everyone around you thinks like a genius, you have to think in a different way. For example, Ender instructs his army to always be moving and not to be stuck in formations; everyone else wouldn't do that because it might turn out disorganized.
5. 'Veni vidi vici' is an appropriate chapter title because Ender did exactly what it said. He came, as in he rose up to the challenge, he saw how to beat his opponents, and he did that, he conquered them. Every time he is in a battle setting he does that and sees through his opponents plans to win easily. For example, when Bonzo's army sets an at first glance unbeatable trap for Dragon Army by surrounding his door against the walls, Ender outsmarts the other team to triumph.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
CEJ #4: Opinion
2/12/13
The 'Die Hard' Quandary
(Nocera, Joe)
"The New York Times"
2/11/13
Opinion
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/opinion/nocera-the-die-hard-quandry.html?ref=opinion
It is often debated whether the viewing of violent content causes aggression. As many people know and are excited for, the new 'Die Hard' movie is coming out in a few days, and as with many popular series, there is going to be an in-theater marathon of all of the previous movies culminating with the new movie's release. The marathon will take 12 hours and include five 'Die Hard' movies in total. Those 12 hours will be action and violence packed showing various types of machine guns and general aggression between the characters. These movies have a very real side to them these days because of how much spotlight and attention has been focused on gun control and the pain that can be caused by those guns. Some people want to start banning rifles and such but its argued that that banning would lead to other banning and all of a sudden there would be no weapons left to use, but others stick by the Second Amendment. This relates to violent media because if it causes aggression, and then the aggressive movie watchers may go and get an unregulated gun that they could cause serious trouble with. People do not want to ban violent media though, because of the First Amendment and the problem with not knowing how much to ban and how eventually nothing may be allowed. These issues are often debated and are problems we will eventually have to face. In conclusion, the author noted that the movie theaters did have a back up plan because of the chance of violence in their viewers.
This article relates to many things in my life right now. As the author said, it relates to gun control debates and citizens' rights; it relates to what the class is reading in Ender's Game as well. In Ender's Game, Ender gets very angry and his emotions are overstimulated when he plays video games. It cultivates his already aggressive disposition and takes it to a level that is less than healthy. In real life, people can be as bad as Ender or worse; people can get a gun and go on a shooting rampage. Granted, that does not often happen, but it is still an issue that could be lessened. With this in mind, I think the article did have a bias, though I think that being an opinion article it is supposed to. To me, the author seemed to be writing as a concerned parent, believing that violent media is evil and makes kids awful. He even mentioned how he was informed by the psychologist Craig Anderson that it is proven that watching a head get pecked by a woodpecker in a cartoon causes accelerated aggression. I am not a parent, but I agree with what the author is saying because it seems that violence does promote violence, just as peace promotes peace. If I was a parent, I would not want my kids to be shooting each other in video games and watching their favorite characters be blown to pieces in a movie. The author's opinions make sense and seem very logical overall. Though I am sure the new 'Die Hard' is good, I don't think I will be seeing it anytime soon.
Drones Personal Response
The idea of drones scares me. The way that they are so violent yet so distant seems a bit too futuristic for me to comprehend. I understand how we have technological advances with iPhones and tablets, but I don't like to think that war is becoming distant and impersonal; if a person is fighting I think they should only be able to do the damage they can cause themselves. To me, drones seem like the Facebook of violence: we can accomplish things or cause problems from the safety of our own homes, and we don't have to be around to face the backlash and various results of our actions. Everything people do these days is done so that the least amount of effort possible is involved, and if that has reached war then why do we still have battles to fight? If the human race is so lazy that we make technology do all of our fighting for us, then I think that world leaders need to take a better look at what we are fighting for. War is most of the time an unnecessary and costly evil, but with drones it seems that it would become even more pointless. If there is really fighting to be done then we should have the dignity to go fight our own issues out in person. If everyone just shoots drones at each other then the one with the most firepower will always be the winner.
I don't like to think about the future, in fact I am afraid of it. If drones are going to become the way to fight then there is more to be afraid of. What if, hypothetically, I get a person with a big drone collection mad at me twenty years from now? I could be killed in an instant and not be able to do anything to stop it or protect myself. Similarly, I like to have relations with actual people, and I feel like because our personal connections and relations are very technology oriented then we should try to minimize technology elsewhere in our lives. I know that eventually the world will involve drones and many more advanced technologies that I can't yet imagine, I just feel like we should try to postpone that for a while and be happy with what we already have, not what we are trying to create. I see that there are many positive sides of drones as well; they are an advanced way to fight which I'm sure is a great achievement to some people. They are a fun hobby for collectors and have everyday purposes such as scouting for traffic reports and Google Earth. I am sure drones are going to do great things for humanity in the next hundred years, I just don't like them invading life now.
I don't like to think about the future, in fact I am afraid of it. If drones are going to become the way to fight then there is more to be afraid of. What if, hypothetically, I get a person with a big drone collection mad at me twenty years from now? I could be killed in an instant and not be able to do anything to stop it or protect myself. Similarly, I like to have relations with actual people, and I feel like because our personal connections and relations are very technology oriented then we should try to minimize technology elsewhere in our lives. I know that eventually the world will involve drones and many more advanced technologies that I can't yet imagine, I just feel like we should try to postpone that for a while and be happy with what we already have, not what we are trying to create. I see that there are many positive sides of drones as well; they are an advanced way to fight which I'm sure is a great achievement to some people. They are a fun hobby for collectors and have everyday purposes such as scouting for traffic reports and Google Earth. I am sure drones are going to do great things for humanity in the next hundred years, I just don't like them invading life now.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
CEJ #3: National
2/5/13
A Death Penalty Fight Comes Home
Annapolis, MD
(Shane, Scott)
"The New York Times"
2/5/13
US/National
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/us/exonerated-inmate-seeks-end-to-maryland-death-penalty.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&ref=us
The death penalty seems harsh, but it is much worse if you imagine how many innocent people can die by it. Kirk Bloodsworth was given that harsh sentence when he was accused and found guilty of the rape and murder of a little girl, but sadly, he had committed no crime. He was accused in 1984, and was not found innocent until 1993, having spent almost a decade in prison. A DNA test set him free, even thought back then the tests were just getting starting and were not trusted by many. Lots of people have been freed by DNA testing these days, but in our country he was the first. He has come back into the spotlight recently because of his extensive work against the death penalty; he has done so much in Maryland that they are close to ending it in their borders. He travels the nation, spreading his story and causing people to truly believe that the death penalty must be ended. As he said, "If it could happen to me, it could happen to anybody" (nytimes). His work is paying off, and there is going to be a vote in the State Senate deciding whether or not to do away with the death penalty for good in Maryland. Luckily for him, the man who really committed his crime was found and will spend the rest of his time behind bars. Bloodsworth is completely free and innocent now, but he still works hard to make sure that anyone else in his position gets out as he eventually did.
This article shocked me. I had never thought much about the death penalty, but I don't think I could support it after reading this man's story. If I had been the one who accused him and said he should die, I don't know how I could live with myself. I think that as our technology continues, we should be able to determine accurately whether or not a person is guilty, but until then we cannot kill people that might be innocent. Isn't that how our country is supposed to be, with no one guilty until proven to be so? This article was free of bias, but it still caused me to disagree with the idea of the penalty. I think that soon, it will be illegal all over the United States. When people like Bloodsworth speak out, it is hard not to listen to their story and feel awful for letting them spend time in prison when they did nothing wrong. Many states have outlawed the penalty, and the amount of people killed by it is lessening every year. The death penalty is too harsh, and I think the general population is starting to see that.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Video Game Reflection
I don't have much of a connection with video games. I don't mean to sound sexist, but I'm a girl; the most violent game I've played is Super Mario Bros. My sister and I used to play that when we were younger, and have a lot of fun with it, but once we reached the last level we gave up. We kept trying to beat it for a week or two, but we weren't motivated to finish it. We weren't very good, so for us it was too hard. I don't know much about video games: I am familiar with the names of the popular ones, but besides that, I'm lost. Last year, despite my lack of experience, I wrote about video game violence for an assigned essay. My position was that the game violence promotes aggression in the people that play excessively, and I read about extensive evidence that proved my theory. On the other hand, I know plenty of people that play those games, and they have perfectly normal personalities. In relation to Ender's Game, there may be cause to think that Ender's violence is brought out by the stress and violence of the battle room and the video games. I don't think that is why Ender overreacts in combat situations, I just think that it spurs the anger on because he already has violence in his blood from Peter. Ender would still be aggressive without the games.
If I could design a video game, I wouldn't want it to be exceedingly violent. I hate how for any game to be socially acceptable, the characters must mutilate or blow each other up. If I designed a game I would want it to be something that people would like, yet they wouldn't come away mentally scarred. In Ender's Game the Giant's Drink is a dark game, but it doesn't seem that bad because it is more about outsmarting what's thrown at you than being the strongest and having the biggest gun. The character dies in many creative ways, but it does not resemble a war or involve the crazy machinery of today. If I designed a game I would want it to share some attributes with the Giant's Drink. I like how the Giant's Drink grows off of itself and creates new situations as you move forward, and I would want to make my game grow to challenge the player to be better than they were before. I like how Ender's abilities in the game are unlimited, and in my game I would want my players to be able to do the unexpected. I can't imagine that a game without war would get very far, but I would find a way to make mine irresistibly interesting.
If I could design a video game, I wouldn't want it to be exceedingly violent. I hate how for any game to be socially acceptable, the characters must mutilate or blow each other up. If I designed a game I would want it to be something that people would like, yet they wouldn't come away mentally scarred. In Ender's Game the Giant's Drink is a dark game, but it doesn't seem that bad because it is more about outsmarting what's thrown at you than being the strongest and having the biggest gun. The character dies in many creative ways, but it does not resemble a war or involve the crazy machinery of today. If I designed a game I would want it to share some attributes with the Giant's Drink. I like how the Giant's Drink grows off of itself and creates new situations as you move forward, and I would want to make my game grow to challenge the player to be better than they were before. I like how Ender's abilities in the game are unlimited, and in my game I would want my players to be able to do the unexpected. I can't imagine that a game without war would get very far, but I would find a way to make mine irresistibly interesting.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
CEJ #2: World
Kate
2/4/12
Bones of Richard III Found, Deemed Genuine
(Chu, Henry)
"Los Angeles Times"
2/4/13
World
http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-richard-iii-remains-20130204,0,7667709.story
It was recently found out that a skeleton found in Leicester, England in September is the remains of King Richard III of England. He was known as a bad king who supposedly killed his nephews and ruled tyrannically, but some think that he was a good and was just portrayed in a bad light by his successors and Shakespeare. This September, the skeleton was discovered under a church and extensive DNA testing was done. It turned out that the bones' DNA matched as it should when compared to DNA from a distant descendant of his sister, and the skeleton is therefore his. Other things proved that the skeleton was Richard, such as skull wounds that would come from dying in battle as he did. The skeleton matched what he would have looked like. An archaeologist, Richard Buckley, said: "Beyond reasonable doubt, the individual exhumed ... is indeed Richard III, the last Plantagenet king of England" (latimes.com). They can tell for certain that these are his bones. The Plantagenet Family line ruled for a long time but Richard was overthrown in battle, he was the final king to die that way, and since then the rulers have been Tudors. It is debatable whether or not Richard III was a good king, but it is not debatable that we have found his remains.
This article did not have much bias, but I think the author was leaning towards the opinion that Richard III was a bad king, not just unfairly portrayed. The author started and ended the article by mentioning things about his reputation of being awful; he also talked about the idea that he was good, but not as much. I partly agree with the opinions in this article, because I think that Richard III was probably bad, but I don't necessarily think that he was all bad. If educated professionals believe that he had good in him, I think there must be some truth to that. The Tudors probably made him sound worse than he was to help get control of their subjects. What confuses me about this event is how the king was lost in the first place. If he was royalty, wouldn't he have had a more official burial, or at least a marked tombstone? I did not think that society would have been able to lose someone like that, and even if we did, why did it take 500 years for him to be found? Our society does a lot of things wrong, and I think this was one of those things. This article was interesting for me because I have read things about Shakespeare and England in historic times, but I had never heard of something like this. Hopefully we can recount history more correctly now that we have Richard III's skeleton.
This article did not have much bias, but I think the author was leaning towards the opinion that Richard III was a bad king, not just unfairly portrayed. The author started and ended the article by mentioning things about his reputation of being awful; he also talked about the idea that he was good, but not as much. I partly agree with the opinions in this article, because I think that Richard III was probably bad, but I don't necessarily think that he was all bad. If educated professionals believe that he had good in him, I think there must be some truth to that. The Tudors probably made him sound worse than he was to help get control of their subjects. What confuses me about this event is how the king was lost in the first place. If he was royalty, wouldn't he have had a more official burial, or at least a marked tombstone? I did not think that society would have been able to lose someone like that, and even if we did, why did it take 500 years for him to be found? Our society does a lot of things wrong, and I think this was one of those things. This article was interesting for me because I have read things about Shakespeare and England in historic times, but I had never heard of something like this. Hopefully we can recount history more correctly now that we have Richard III's skeleton.
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