Speaker for the Dead--Chapters 13-15

1. How does Card develop his theme of people being responsible for all their actions?

2. What is truth? Use examples from the text to develop a working definition.

Speaker for the Dead--Chapter 13

Card says that when a person tells the truth, s/he becomes a different person because making a mistake and admitting it has changed him/her. Is telling the truth a healing experience? When we know the truth, do we always believe it's less painful than the secrets were?

Speaker for the Dead--Chapter 11-12

Quim says, "This is a serious confrontation between good and evil."

"Everything is," said Novinha. "It's figuring out which is which that takes so much work" (194).

Is Ender's presence on Lusitania good or evil? (Consider his effects on Novinha and each of her children. Can Jane's actions concerning Lusitania be connected to Ender's "good" or "evil"?)

Speaker for the Dead--7-9

Ender: "No human being, when you understand his desires, is worthless. No one's life is nothing. Even the most evil of men and women, if you understand their hearts, had some generous act that redeems them, at least a little, from their sins." Do you think this is true?

Speaker for the Dead--Chapter 5-6

Ender contemplates the destruction of the universe by considering the relationship between human actions, such as starflight, and the "price" to be paid for this action. Compare this to human actions here on Earth today.

Speaker for the Dead--Chapter 2-4

1. Consider the restrictions placed on the xenologers. What can you learn about a culture/race with such restrictions in place?

2. Explain Card's four orders of foreignness.

Speaker for the Dead--Chapter 1

What does the excerpt from Demosthenes' letter say about how we look at other cultures?

Ender's Game -- Final thoughts

1. Val talks about control. Do you agree? Why or why not?

2. Why do you think the book ends the way it does?

3. Do you think Ender is a hero? Why or why not?

Chapter 13-15 Ender's Game

1. Val thinks, "Perhaps it's impossible to wear an identity without becoming what you pretend to be." Explain what Val means by this and how this might apply to other characters in the story.

2. In Chapter 13, how has Ender changed?

3. Why does Ender want Peter to love him

Chapters 10-12 Ender's Game

1. The title of Chapter 11 is "Veni Vidi Vici," which means "I came, I saw, I conquered." Explain the significance of the events in this chapter.


2. Why do you think the details of Mazer's strategy are omitted in the invasion videos?

3. Why is the fight with Bonzo in Chapter 12 so important?

Chapters 7-9 Ender's Game

1. Describe Ender's reaction to Val's letter. Do you think that Graff predicted Ender's reaction?

2. Why is the fantasy game so important to Ender?

Chapers 4-6 Ender's Game

1. Ender is not an ordinary six-year-old. What is different about him? Is everyone's Battle School experience like his?

2. Why is Ender so isolated? Is it all due to Graff? What is planned for Ender?

Chapters 1-3 Ender's Game

Please respond to at least one of the questions below:


1. In the opening pages of the book, Ender observes that "Sometimes lies were more dependable than the truth" (2). What does Ender mean by this? Do you think his observations is correct or incorrect? What does this observation reveal about Ender?

2. Why do you think Ender cries at the end of Chapter 1? Why is he so upset?

3. What type of person is Peter? How do you feel about him so far?