I really enjoyed reading the book. The scary thing to me was how much control the government had in the story. They limited how many children and then they could take the children to help in the military. They took the children away from their families-they had no childhood-and then they were taught to fight(kill). I can't imagine being a child and put through those kinds of things. Of course, there are children who see others around them killed due to drugs, gangs, etc... The book took this to the extreme.

I can't imagine being a child and being put through the things the children were put through in this book. (I would have been a quick reject, which might not have been so bad! ) There was a lot of competition in this story. I think some competition can be healthy, but this carried it to the extreme.

I think competition can be healthy. I just don't think that Graff was using the competition to foster healthy building blocks for Ender. Near the end of the book Ender almost died because of the excessive competition.
Michelle

You're right, Michelle. The competition thing got way out of control.

Did it make you think of what we do to our kids in the name of competition? I couldn't help but relate - especially in education where we have become obsessed with competing in a global market.

I agree, guys, it's one thing to have a bit of competition, but this was WAY too much!

Regina, it does make you think of how we are promoting competition in our kids, and how some of them feel like failures when they are still good, solid students! They may not be making straight A's or leading the class, and feel like there is nowhere for them to be.

I agree with Michelle that sometimes competition can be healthy. In this book it was taken to the extreme. I had to reflect at the experiences that my children had in various sports through the years. I have seen in some cases parents totally out of control. They want their child to be the best and they voice it at the expense of other children.

I look at the children I teach everyday and it is amazing how they are thrown into this world. Many are dealing with adult problems that we won't ever encounter. It is unfortunate that we push these children to grow up so quickly. I often find myself struggling with what I think is best for a child developmentally and what will best prepare them for the next grade level. You would think that those two things would be the same, but they're not. I can remember when Kindergarten was learning social skills and exploring your world. Now if they aren't reading and writing by the end of the year they are behind.

With all the problems children come to school with today we must be nurses, social workers, psychologists, etc. Meanwhile it seems as though they keep raising the academic standards. Are children being born smarter that they used to?

I just try my best to love them, build their self confidence, and prepare them for what comes next. I guess that is alll we can do.

Sherry, your post reminded me of a sad but true quote from the book -

pg 277 "Humanity does not ask us to be happy. It merely asks us to be brilliant on its behalf. Survival first, then happiness as we can manage it."

Ender was brilliant and he was the best. He had to be to "save" the human race. Were Graff and the others correct in pushing Ender? I thought so until the last few pages when Ender understood the buggers. It reminds me of our impending war. Are there things we don't know that are being kept from us that make going to war the right thing to do?

kathy,
I agree with your opinion about competition. Throughout the book, Ender
was bombarded with continual competitve fighters. I feel that Peter was
the person that foreshadowed all of this COMPETITION. He craved
attention from everyone and displaced his selfish desires through competitive acts. Actually, I think he was thrilled when Ender was removed from his family and he was left behind to be the CONTROLLER.
Peter was definitely a character I found mischievous and annoying!

Sherri
When I read your comment I thought about the conversation I have with my parents almost every year. Third grade is the first year of "The Test" so the parents are amazed when they see a released form and even more so when they discover how much time is spent preparing for it. I always tell them that I don't like it either but for now this is the game that is set for us and we have no choice but to play it. If I don't teach your kids how to "play" I'm not doing them any favors. They are the ones who will suffer if they don't pass. So even though we don't like it, we have to suck it up and do it anyway. I think Ender felt the same way. Several times, he said he was just going to fail so he could get out of it. I really don't think he ever believed that though. Every year, I say, "I'm not going to teach to that stupid test. Then my scores will suck and they'll move me to K-2." I know I will never let that happen though.