I think Ender takes refuge in the fantasy game. It keeps his mind preocupied from the battle school. The farther he goes into the game, the farther he is from the school. It also reflects himself, when Peter appears in the mirror, Ender's true fears are presented to him. I think he then feels the need to play the game to overcome his fears.
Treva is right on point with Ender's reaction to seeing Peter, and, to add on, it also gives him small amounts of hope. Such as when he saw "the edge of the universe" and saw the little village, he dreamed of just living there, thinking that he has never just lived in his life.
I agree with everyone here. The fantasy game was just something to play that was unbeatable, and Ender beat it. The speakers at the beginning must be astonished enough to think that he is 'the one.' With the fact that Peter is on the wall, maybe that shows that Ender's subconcious is wondering about Peter and what he's doing, but the blood and the snake tail could be because of Peter's violent history.
I somewhat agree to all this- for example, I believe Ender uses the game mostly as a refuge, as Treva said. But I also believe that he uses it to challenge himself, to see how far he can do, because I don't think he agrees with everyone when they tell him that he's brilliant, and wonderful , and the like. He has doubt, and he uses the game to see what everyone else sees in him. But all he finds is a growing comparison between him and Peter. The game is a constant frustration, but yet he has a deep-rooted need to prove it wrong.
I agree with Paige that when he gets val's letter it shines a little ray of hope on him. I also think that the game is a way that he can take out his anger with out hurting someone he knows, But when the snake became his sister he didnt know what to do about it. Why was Peter's picture in the mirror? Also how did the game get it?
I feel like the game is an escape to Ender. He enters this world on his desk and is able to escape from reality. It scares Ender though once his escape from reality starts to bring in details from his life. I think Ender's curiosity is what brings him to keep playing this mind game. The game also confuses Graff and Imbu because it is creating new scenarios that have never been seem before.
I think Ender sees the game as a parallel to his life whether he knows it or not. His reaction to the things in the game help him to understand himself. I don't think he fully understands the depth of the game, but that is part of what keeps him playing.
i do think that Graff did predict Ender's reaction. The fantasy game is probly the only way that Ender can escape from the Ballte Belt mentally. It also gives a chance to explore when none of the other students get to go while playing, its like he has created a personal universe within the game and the creators are surprised that he had made it past the obstacles that they originally had in the game that none of the other students were able to solve and move forward. It also means that Ender may have an ability that can manipulate the game around him so he can feel comfortable where he is at rather than just always miss home and miss Peter and Valentine.
Cassandra I agree with you about being in his own world and missing his family but..also he is getting more used to being away from them because he is in Battle School being in his little fantasy game It lets him be away from his troubles and stresses he may be going through
This is true but still, he will never forget how much he loves his siblings and even though he is a third born child, his love for them will never change, no mater the distance. But you are correct though, his fantasy game does help him escape from his troubles and helps him relax and calm down.
Instead of overcoming his despair, Ender seems to sink more into it, because the person he loved above all else, his #1, was also helping them, against him. Val was his whole world when he was still landside. Honestly, I would be pretty torn up if I knew my #1 was being forced to write me a letter to manipulate me into working for the 'enemy' as they say. I do not think Graff predicted that Ender would turn against the program. And really, why would Graff think that, that one little letter could make Ender hate him, them?
I believe that the fantasy game to him, is his escape. He can get out of his battle school world and go somewhere impossible. The Games within the games are similar to today's games. You can't learn from them and there's a lot of blood and deaths. How is that good for kids?
He definitely uses the game to get away from his life at the school, he is probably pretty stressed out about having to leave his family and going from child to soldier in such a short amount of time.
In Chapter 9 why does Valentine give into Peter's sad little pleas? And why is Peter so keen on being the next Hitler-type guy and be a supreme dictator?
Because valentine loves her brother and is afraid of him. She knows that her refusal won't do any good. And Peter wants to (in his own way) fix the world. But not in the right way. He wants to destroy weekness and make a better place. And that is what Ender is afraid of becoming, instead of building weekness and making it stronger, Peter will destroy and kill to make the world a better place
Val gives into Peter's favors because she became close to him ever since Ender went away and it was all due to Graff. She blames Graff for separating them. Now, instead of Ender being her center of attention and life, even though she hates admitting to it, Peter is now the center of her life. Val knows that she is smarter than Peter in ways but gives in because she is afraid he will let his anger out. I agree with Mikala when she said that he wants to destroy the weakness in order to make the world a better place, or so he thinks so. But he least knows that it is Enders destiny to save the world and not Peter.
The fantasy game is important to Ender I think because Ender feels like if he can beat this impossible game, he can win in battle school. It shows him his strengths, and weaknesses, and makes him think of ways to win that nobody has thought of before. They've said that the computer knows Ender better than anyone else, and I think that the computer is Enders only real friend in battle school. The computer is the only one trying to help Ender succeed.
I think that Graff knew that Ender would respond the way he did, although at the same time completely playing him as he always has. Ender hates Graff for using his own sister, and bus love for her to play him, and yet it works anyway. Ender begins to make reality that fact that Graff won't stop pushing him, and playing his game to make Ender into the soldier he wants him to be. Although Enders reaction may not have been what Graff intended, at the same time he was still playing him.
I agree with you, it seems as though all Graff is tryin to do is break Ender. He is putting him through so much, to see if he will, but Ender holds up until he use the only thing Ender had left against him.
I too agree with this. Graff was asking what were Ender's weak points to probably use it against him. Graff seems to be the enemy here at times trying to break him down but Ender is strong and is still surviving.
Ender seems to be addicted to this game, there' something that just keeps brining Ender back and back again. First, he saw Peter, but now Valentine. The game is messing with his mind in so many ways.
One thing that I want to know is how the game manages to "know what Ender needs" the way Graff and Anderson describe it doing. It was never really explained.
I guess I'm kind of wondering that too, but in the conversation between Graff and Anderson in chapter 9 describe that the mind game has a relationship to the child and the computer.
Yeah, but how the heck does the computer know what's on Enders mind. It's not like he's hooked up to the thing... My theory is that it's analyzing all the files they have on Ender, because after three years of monitoring him and thinking he's their only hope (kind of) there has to be some sort of digital file on him... So the computer is hacking into his life!
I agree with Alexei that the computer is hacking into his file and learning what he's like and his needs, but it also reminds me of how the queen bugger communicates with ender at the end, like the computer is reading his mind. That's just what I think but it still confuses me on how the computer does it.
I also think that Ender knew that it wasn't Valentine who really wrote the letter and that she mentions that they never let any of her letters through to Ender so he could stay focused on the battles and becoming the best soldier that the Battle Belt ever knew.
But Valentine DID write the letter. What Ender figured out though, was that 'the man' made her write it, and monitored what she wrote in it, so he knew they were using her to get to him.
I agree with Alexei. Ender figured out that Colonel Graff had something to do with the letter that Valentine wrote. I don't know what page it is in the book, (because I am reading it on my iPad) but at the end of chapter nine, it says that "Obviously it was written with full approval of the tearchers. But there was no doubt it was written by Val. The spelling of "psychoanalyze", the epithet "slumbitch" for Peter, the joke about pronouncing "knew" like "canoe" were all things that no one could know but Val." If you continue to read three more sentences, it says "...Ender believed that the letter was genuine."
Ender is able to be in his own little world in the fantasy game because it takes him away from all the people around him so that he could only focus on what he is good for. Does anyone else think Bonzo was a bit rough on Ender when he practice with the launches during free play because I thought it was mean when he slapped Ender across the face.
I think why Ender is so involved in the game is because he is phishing himself to over come obstacles he faces and when he does he gains more confidence. And I think that the game is pushing Ender to face his fears that's why it showed Peter In the mirror because Peter is one of Enders greatest fears because, Ender never wants to be or become like Peter and I think that the game knows that Ender fears Peter so its going to push him to try to over come his fears of Peter and learn to face that fear. Once Ender doesn't fear Peter I think that Ender will be able to face pretty much anything that he puts his mind to.
The fantasy world is important to Ender because it's his one place where he can be on his own and have a refuge or a hope of escape from his life. He also might like the fantasy world because it has a psychological effect on Ender that the military is controlling and that it makes Ender feel bett for some subconscious reason. I also believe that he takes a certain enjoyment in the killing in the game because of his genetic relations to Peter even though he likes to deny it.
The fantasy game is so important to Ender because it keeps him sane. He needs the game so he can always be puzzled. Once he beats a section of the game the computer brings up a whole new section that no ones ever been to. He sees the wonders of another life in it.
Enders reaction to the letter from Valentine, I think was predicted because from the beginning they wanted Ender isolated, but Ender still thought of Valentine and now he thinks she gave in.
I think maybe after awhile of isolation Ender got used to it and maybe likes it. The virtual world he takes refuge in is a place he can escape the military life and explore. I think he likes challenging his mind while taking time off on his own. This world isnt too difficult as it is to others.
I agree with that. Ender is so controlled in battle school but he can use the fantasy game as a way to escape all the battles, rude kids, and all the pressure being placed upon him. Ender is a brillant kid as well and I feel like he finds enjoyment in the game because he succeeds at it and goes farther than anyone ever has. The game is important to Ender whether he knows it or not. What is curious to me though is how someone got Peter's picture into the game and if the I.F. isn't in charge of the game past the two dead ends Ender went through, who is in charge?
The fantasy game is a challenge for Ender, he likes to solve the "impossible", he also likes to escape from the constant battle school routine. Once Peter was shown in a mirror in the game Ender become scared and needs to overcome the game
The letter that Valentine wrote had illustration errors to assure it was written by her, but she insisted that he did not write back because they would change stuff in the letter.
Ender knew right away that the letter from Val was forced and he gained more of a hatred towards them for taking away the one thing that he really loved. They were using his innermost feelings against him
I think that the fantasy game is so important to Ender because he seeks comfort in it at first, then just like everyone else, gets sort of an addiction to it. He seeks refuge in the game, and I also think he likes it, because it gives his mind a chalenge and he isn't getting that in the beginning.
I think the fantasy game is important to Ender because it is good training for him and it is just something to do. I believe the game will actually help prepare Ender for later obstacles in the buggler war.
Im not sure wether to think that the latter from Val was good or bad for Ender. I know it must have been emotional and all but he also knew that it was forced apon his sister to right it. Again I'm still not sure about if Graff expected his reaction because Ender got mad but at the same time it did help him. It helped his with the fantasy game.
I think the letter is both good and bad. Good because Ender was more motivated. Bad because Ender started to hate the teachers for making his sister do that. And they used her to get to him.
I believe that the fantasy game is so important to Ender because it shows his siblings in it and that is really the only way to see them. I kinda believe also that it is important because the game shows him as Peter and he just wants to prove to himself that he isn't Peter or anythingnlike Peter.
I agree, but Ender was very scared when he saw Peter in the reflection in the mirror. I can't believe Ender would actually think he is anything like Peter.
I agree with you Davo on most of those things, but I think the reason Ender plays the fantasy game is because he knows people are watching him do it, and he wants to take their challenge and beat it, Ender has beaten just about every challenge the Battle School has thrown at him, and I think Ender is just showing how trying different things can beat challenges that are thrown at him. For example when the Giant wanted Ender to drink the two different deadly drinks Ender killed the Giant instead.
The Giants Drink is important to Ender because it seems to represent his expierences in Battle School. for example Bonzo represented the giant and how it found ways to delay ender in his progress in going to the next level of the game, Bonzo not really wanting Ender in Salamander and making him sit iut and watch from the side.
I do think that Graff predicted Enders reaction. He set the whole thing up to try to amp him up, and get him ready for battle. I think that the fantasy game is so important to Ender because it is a place where he can keep his mind preoccupied, and to have a little bit of alone time. To kind of keep his mind off of battle school. The game showing Peter in the mirrors every time, I think is very significant as to why Ender keeps going in there. He is trying to prove to himself that he is nothing like Peter
I believe Ender plays the fantasy game because he wants to get away from everything it's so important to him because he wants to finish the game and figure out what's after the end of the world and to figure out how to get passed the mirror part where he kept seeing his brother Peter.
I think it's weird how valentine and Peter want to make fake identities on NETS. I guess Peter is power hungry and wants to control the world someday. It was clever how Peter tricks Val into helping him though, but I'm sure their cooperation won't last forever.
You are wrong. Peter just wants to control the world but Valentine isn't tricked by him. She justbdecidesbthat if she wants to help the world the only way she can save it is to go with what Peter says and does. But just Re-capping, You Are Wrong!
I don't think Graff knew completely how Ender would react. When Ender saw Val's letter, he knew right off that it was too authentic to be true. But it was Val herself who made the letter. And he was angry that they used her as a tool to get to him. But Ender did become more productive in his ways soon after reading the letter. Graff accomplished only what needed to be accomplished and that's all.
I think the fantasy game is so important to Ender because the game is a refuge from the battle school. It gives him problems that he can't solve on the spot like he can with other problems but it also shows him his fears like the wolf children. He has to be like petter and kill them and he doesn't want to be like petter.
Enders reaction was hurt. Val was the only person that loved him, and he was upset when he read the letter and thought she was taken over to the now enemy side. Ender also started crying after reading the letter because that was the first letter he had gotten from her and all it talked about was how he is nothing like Peter. Yes, I think Graff knew Ender would be upset and take it out on the fantasy game. I think the fantasy game is so important because he can take all of his anger out in that game, and it is the only think that Ender can do to kind of get away from the battle school. This is the only game that Ender actually has to stop and think about or his character will die.
Hang on... I am so confused on what the heck a desk is. What is it? It keeps mentioning Ender having only a desk. Or when he was pranking Bernard by putting words onto to the others desks. Like is it really a desk? Like a school desk? Or something else like an iPad?
Yeah that makes way more sense. So like is their whole life and everything just on thier desk (iPad)?
And one more question I have been really wanting to ask. What in the heck are the buggers! When I was reading all I can imagine is like off the movie Thor. Are the buggers like the ice people from Thor?
Ender feels alone again. To everyone else he looks happy and ready to move on. Ender realized how messed up these guys are and how they are just manipulating him into a perfect solider. That is exactly what Graff wanted. But I think this is what is going to cause the down fall to Ender.
Also I think the fantasy game is important to Ender because he can be anything on there. Like making a new Ender. He doesn't have to kill anyone or be forced to do anything. Also he never really got live freely. So he can freely live in the computer.
In my opInion I think that Ender was a bit surprised when he got the letter. He basically thought that She (Val) had been forced to write the letter in order to manipulate him to become a better soldier. For so many years he hadn't gotten any letter from his family and then out of the blue he got one saying that he's not like Peter and that he's a nice guy. He then knew that this letter was planned and Ender thought that Val was now on their side and no longer was on his side. But he knew that she would say those things that she said, and that the letter could not have been written by the teachers themselves. His reaction was more of a shock just because he thought that his family had forgotten him.
The game indeed is something that gets Ender away from the Battle School. The game itself is programmed to help the students to be confident in themselves and to work on their skills in a way. Also, it is to make the students reflect themselves as Ender did in the mirror. He saw himself as Peter but in reality he wasn't. He thought that he was because he knows that when someone overpowers him, he gets angry and violent...and ends up hurting people like he did when all those older kids bothered him in the battle practice room. I think that the game is just something to entertain Ender in many ways. And he is one of the few to beat it even though he had to struggle a bit.
At first Ender seemed happy to have gotten a letter from Val but then when she said that the people at the Battle School wouldn't let any of her letters through until then he realized that they used Val. It also makes him feel like Val is no longer on his side, like she decided to join the government. That made Ender feel betrayed and in turn angry.
I believe Graff did predict Ender's reaction to Val's letter. Graff knew Ender would realize they used Val and make him think she was on their side which would make him feel even more alone and isolated, just like Graff wants. It was all apart of Graff's plan to make Ender a great commander to save the human race.
Ender was a little shocked to recieve Val's letter. They hadn't been in touch for something like two years. Although he did realize that the letter was forced, or that Graff had asked Valentine to write it. I do believe that Graff expected Ender to react how he did. The letter made Ender feel some sort of hate towards Graff. Ender didn't like the thought of Graff controlling Valentine, so this anger fueled his skills in the battleroom.
The fantasy game is so important to ender because he really misses his home and especially his sister. Ender sees how's everyone else shows no emotion of missing their home and it's hard for ender so he turns to the fantasy game to kind of forget the battle school and escape to his own little world where he doesn't really have to worry about anything
Enders reaction to his sisters letter is that he knew it was fri her instantly because of the way she spelled certain words wrong and using a different name when mentioning their brother Peter. Ender is made because the I.F. Forced her to write to him because they want something from ender. Ender is mad because she says that Peter is changed and isn't the same mean person that he was before he left.
I agree with this. Val spelt many things wrong in the letter, letting Ender know that it was his sister writing the letter. He also knows that she wrote the letter because she, not once, said Peters name in the letter.
Enders is mad about the letter that his sister wrote for him, because the I.F. forced her to write certain things in it. Also the Fantasy game is important to Ender because it has the faces of his family in it, and it would remind him of them.
The reaction of ender was more anger than happiness because he knew it was from her but he also knew that if that letter reached him it had to be by Graff's doing. But Graff might have saw this coming but then why send the letter?
The fantasy game is so important to Ender because it is the only thing that challenges him. Since he's not allowed to take part in the battles in Bonzo's army, and he can only practice once a day, he gets all of his problem solving skills from the game. I believe Ender is bored at battle school. Especially now that he's not a Launchie. So he seeks out ways to expand his knowledge, overcome challenges, and make it so no one can ever beat him. So no one like Stilson, Peter, Bonzo, or even Graff could ever get to him or outsmart him. And he finds this relief in the game.
I think that ender feels betraid by val because he feels that she has gone over to the side of the teachers. I also think that now that she is helping them ender feels that they have taken her and that he has no control over any aspect in his life exept the battle room. I think that ender became more focused because of the letter and that is what graff wanted.
I think that the fantasy game is so important to Ender because in the game he is Peter and he wants to prove to himself and everyone else that he is not Peter and is completely different from him.
Ender was upset with Val's letter. Not because he got one, but because it was a forced letter. He knew that the letter was writen by Val because of the jokes that she had but since so many where placed into one letter Ender knew that the letter was written to manipulate him. The emotion he received after getting the letter made him think about his life and he realized how controlled it actually was and that angered Ender. I think Graff knew the letter would emotionally move Ender but I don't think he predicted anger from Ender.
As a lot of people already said, and I agree, the fantasy game Ender had was a way to get away from things, he enjoyed it, and it also made him think thus challenging himself which Ender did enjoy because most things didn't challenge him too much.
When Ender got Val's letter he felt as if his entire life was now a game and Graff controlled everything in it.The letter was predicted by Graff that's the only reason he allowed it and Ender knew it although Val didn't. After that moment on he would play his game. He didn't have a choice.
The Fantasy game is very important to Ender. It makes him feel like a child again and it keeps him occupied from his own reality. We all need a way to get away from our lives, and this is the only way for Ender.
the fantasy game is a place for ender to go to escape the hardships of the battleschool. he doesnt have kids picking on him there or having to deal with over bearing commanders. he also treats it as a way of shapening his mind and continually getting better.
Ender reacts to the letter that Valentine wrote is that he knows that its a fake and that makes him more angry at the teachers, they are the enemy . Ender knew how Valentine said things and spelled things and certain words were spelled wrong and thats what gave it away also he hasn't gotten any letters before that and its been years and has never heard from anyone in his family so why would he get a letter now so he felt betrayed.
Ender definatly knew that the letter from Val was forced. He knew it was manipulated. At first it confused him, but when he realized why, he was full of despair and anger and felt like they ran his life.
Ender's reaction was exactly how val's was, hated that they made her write it, and hated that Ender would want to read it. And yes i also think that Graff predicted this same reaction, but didn't really have any other choice. The fantasy game is so important to Ender because the fact that he's probably feeling like thats the only thing that gives him a sense of emotion.
Ender is perplexed how the game can know him almost better than he knows himself. He uses it to understand himself better. Not just as an escape from battle school. There is much more depth to it than just being an escape. Part of what drives him to play so much is to discover what could possibly know him so well. A search for this technology that the administrators don't even understand. It is a way for him to be outside the games of the battle school.
I think that Graff knew the only way or motive to push Ender on further in the game was a letter from Val. Valentine was the one thing that kept Ender going that kept Ender from going insane. His memories of her comforted him. When he read the letter it was just enough for him to carry on in the fantasy game. Which was exactly what Graff wanted.
Enders brain is challenge hungry. It always wants new things so it can expand its knowlegde and further grow. I think ender purposely dies so he can try other ways to beat the game. Its his way of keeping sane and not thinking about battle school.Ender doesnt have to deal with being low ranked, and being picked on. He leads himslef and doesnt get bossed around. I think he works best that way.
Graff makes Ender feel worse and gets everyone to hate him. But everyone has a hardship to go through. And what doesnt kill you makes you stronger
I also think ender is also constantly looking for new challenges to overcome he also does not like battle school because it makes him feel like peter and that is one thing he does not want to feel like (peter the killer) and everyone thinks of him like that, a scary killer person so he no longer gets picked on anymore so i guess that is good for him cause he doesnt have to deal with bullies anymore, i think graff makes everyone hate ender so ender can learn how to deal with hardships cause it will make him a stronger soldier
I think Ender takes refuge in the fantasy game. It keeps his mind preocupied from the battle school. The farther he goes into the game, the farther he is from the school. It also reflects himself, when Peter appears in the mirror, Ender's true fears are presented to him. I think he then feels the need to play the game to overcome his fears.
ReplyDeleteTreva is right on point with Ender's reaction to seeing Peter, and, to add on, it also gives him small amounts of hope. Such as when he saw "the edge of the universe" and saw the little village, he dreamed of just living there, thinking that he has never just lived in his life.
DeleteI agree with everyone here. The fantasy game was just something to play that was unbeatable, and Ender beat it. The speakers at the beginning must be astonished enough to think that he is 'the one.' With the fact that Peter is on the wall, maybe that shows that Ender's subconcious is wondering about Peter and what he's doing, but the blood and the snake tail could be because of Peter's violent history.
DeleteI somewhat agree to all this- for example, I believe Ender uses the game mostly as a refuge, as Treva said. But I also believe that he uses it to challenge himself, to see how far he can do, because I don't think he agrees with everyone when they tell him that he's brilliant, and wonderful , and the like. He has doubt, and he uses the game to see what everyone else sees in him. But all he finds is a growing comparison between him and Peter. The game is a constant frustration, but yet he has a deep-rooted need to prove it wrong.
DeleteI agree with Paige that when he gets val's letter it shines a little ray of hope on him. I also think that the game is a way that he can take out his anger with out hurting someone he knows, But when the snake became his sister he didnt know what to do about it. Why was Peter's picture in the mirror? Also how did the game get it?
DeleteI feel like the game is an escape to Ender. He enters this world on his desk and is able to escape from reality. It scares Ender though once his escape from reality starts to bring in details from his life. I think Ender's curiosity is what brings him to keep playing this mind game. The game also confuses Graff and Imbu because it is creating new scenarios that have never been seem before.
DeleteI think Ender sees the game as a parallel to his life whether he knows it or not. His reaction to the things in the game help him to understand himself. I don't think he fully understands the depth of the game, but that is part of what keeps him playing.
Deletei do think that Graff did predict Ender's reaction. The fantasy game is probly the only way that Ender can escape from the Ballte Belt mentally. It also gives a chance to explore when none of the other students get to go while playing, its like he has created a personal universe within the game and the creators are surprised that he had made it past the obstacles that they originally had in the game that none of the other students were able to solve and move forward. It also means that Ender may have an ability that can manipulate the game around him so he can feel comfortable where he is at rather than just always miss home and miss Peter and Valentine.
ReplyDeleteCassandra I agree with you about being in his own world and missing his family but..also he is getting more used to being away from them because he is in Battle School being in his little fantasy game It lets him be away from his troubles and stresses he may be going through
DeleteThis is true but still, he will never forget how much he loves his siblings and even though he is a third born child, his love for them will never change, no mater the distance. But you are correct though, his fantasy game does help him escape from his troubles and helps him relax and calm down.
DeleteWhere is the part where Ender accidentally kisses the 'snake' and she kisses back instead of him hurting the snake
ReplyDeleteChapter 9, Page 108.
DeleteInstead of overcoming his despair, Ender seems to sink more into it, because the person he loved above all else, his #1, was also helping them, against him. Val was his whole world when he was still landside. Honestly, I would be pretty torn up if I knew my #1 was being forced to write me a letter to manipulate me into working for the 'enemy' as they say. I do not think Graff predicted that Ender would turn against the program. And really, why would Graff think that, that one little letter could make Ender hate him, them?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the fantasy game to him, is his escape. He can get out of his battle school world and go somewhere impossible. The Games within the games are similar to today's games. You can't learn from them and there's a lot of blood and deaths. How is that good for kids?
ReplyDeleteHe definitely uses the game to get away from his life at the school, he is probably pretty stressed out about having to leave his family and going from child to soldier in such a short amount of time.
DeleteI agree, the mind game is used by the commanders to see how Ender thinks, but for Ender, it's his way of removing himself from the battle school.
DeleteIn Chapter 9 why does Valentine give into Peter's sad little pleas? And why is Peter so keen on being the next Hitler-type guy and be a supreme dictator?
ReplyDeleteBecause valentine loves her brother and is afraid of him. She knows that her refusal won't do any good. And Peter wants to (in his own way) fix the world. But not in the right way. He wants to destroy weekness and make a better place. And that is what Ender is afraid of becoming, instead of building weekness and making it stronger, Peter will destroy and kill to make the world a better place
DeleteVal gives into Peter's favors because she became close to him ever since Ender went away and it was all due to Graff. She blames Graff for separating them. Now, instead of Ender being her center of attention and life, even though she hates admitting to it, Peter is now the center of her life. Val knows that she is smarter than Peter in ways but gives in because she is afraid he will let his anger out. I agree with Mikala when she said that he wants to destroy the weakness in order to make the world a better place, or so he thinks so. But he least knows that it is Enders destiny to save the world and not Peter.
DeleteThe fantasy game is important to Ender I think because Ender feels like if he can beat this impossible game, he can win in battle school. It shows him his strengths, and weaknesses, and makes him think of ways to win that nobody has thought of before. They've said that the computer knows Ender better than anyone else, and I think that the computer is Enders only real friend in battle school. The computer is the only one trying to help Ender succeed.
ReplyDeleteI think that Graff knew that Ender would respond the way he did, although at the same time completely playing him as he always has. Ender hates Graff for using his own sister, and bus love for her to play him, and yet it works anyway. Ender begins to make reality that fact that Graff won't stop pushing him, and playing his game to make Ender into the soldier he wants him to be. Although Enders reaction may not have been what Graff intended, at the same time he was still playing him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, it seems as though all Graff is tryin to do is break Ender. He is putting him through so much, to see if he will, but Ender holds up until he use the only thing Ender had left against him.
DeleteI too agree with this. Graff was asking what were Ender's weak points to probably use it against him. Graff seems to be the enemy here at times trying to break him down but Ender is strong and is still surviving.
DeleteEnder seems to be addicted to this game, there' something that just keeps brining Ender back and back again. First, he saw Peter, but now Valentine. The game is messing with his mind in so many ways.
One thing that I want to know is how the game manages to "know what Ender needs" the way Graff and Anderson describe it doing. It was never really explained.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm kind of wondering that too, but in the conversation between Graff and Anderson in chapter 9 describe that the mind game has a relationship to the child and the computer.
DeleteYeah, but how the heck does the computer know what's on Enders mind. It's not like he's hooked up to the thing... My theory is that it's analyzing all the files they have on Ender, because after three years of monitoring him and thinking he's their only hope (kind of) there has to be some sort of digital file on him... So the computer is hacking into his life!
DeleteI agree with Alexei that the computer is hacking into his file and learning what he's like and his needs, but it also reminds me of how the queen bugger communicates with ender at the end, like the computer is reading his mind. That's just what I think but it still confuses me on how the computer does it.
DeleteI also think that Ender knew that it wasn't Valentine who really wrote the letter and that she mentions that they never let any of her letters through to Ender so he could stay focused on the battles and becoming the best soldier that the Battle Belt ever knew.
ReplyDeleteBut Valentine DID write the letter. What Ender figured out though, was that 'the man' made her write it, and monitored what she wrote in it, so he knew they were using her to get to him.
DeleteI agree with Alexei. Ender figured out that Colonel Graff had something to do with the letter that Valentine wrote. I don't know what page it is in the book, (because I am reading it on my iPad) but at the end of chapter nine, it says that "Obviously it was written with full approval of the tearchers. But there was no doubt it was written by Val. The spelling of "psychoanalyze", the epithet "slumbitch" for Peter, the joke about pronouncing "knew" like "canoe" were all things that no one could know but Val." If you continue to read three more sentences, it says "...Ender believed that the letter was genuine."
DeleteEnder is able to be in his own little world in the fantasy game because it takes him away from all the people around him so that he could only focus on what he is good for. Does anyone else think Bonzo was a bit rough on Ender when he practice with the launches during free play because I thought it was mean when he slapped Ender across the face.
ReplyDeleteI think why Ender is so involved in the game is because he is phishing himself to over come obstacles he faces and when he does he gains more confidence. And I think that the game is pushing Ender to face his fears that's why it showed Peter In the mirror because Peter is one of Enders greatest fears because, Ender never wants to be or become like Peter and I think that the game knows that Ender fears Peter so its going to push him to try to over come his fears of Peter and learn to face that fear. Once Ender doesn't fear Peter I think that Ender will be able to face pretty much anything that he puts his mind to.
ReplyDeleteThe fantasy world is important to Ender because it's his one place where he can be on his own and have a refuge or a hope of escape from his life. He also might like the fantasy world because it has a psychological effect on Ender that the military is controlling and that it makes Ender feel bett for some subconscious reason. I also believe that he takes a certain enjoyment in the killing in the game because of his genetic relations to Peter even though he likes to deny it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Anthony, Ender is trying to keep himself preoccupied. Trying to escape from his life in battle school.
DeleteEnder is awed with the letter because he notices that it's all about Peter through it,
ReplyDeleteThe fantasy game is so important to Ender because it keeps him sane. He needs the game so he can always be puzzled. Once he beats a section of the game the computer brings up a whole new section that no ones ever been to. He sees the wonders of another life in it.
ReplyDeleteEnders reaction to the letter from Valentine, I think was predicted because from the beginning they wanted Ender isolated, but Ender still thought of Valentine and now he thinks she gave in.
ReplyDeleteI think maybe after awhile of isolation Ender got used to it and maybe likes it. The virtual world he takes refuge in is a place he can escape the military life and explore. I think he likes challenging his mind while taking time off on his own. This world isnt too difficult as it is to others.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that he plays the game every time he feels like a failure in the battle school, and it gives him reasurance that he is great.
DeleteI agree with that. Ender is so controlled in battle school but he can use the fantasy game as a way to escape all the battles, rude kids, and all the pressure being placed upon him. Ender is a brillant kid as well and I feel like he finds enjoyment in the game because he succeeds at it and goes farther than anyone ever has. The game is important to Ender whether he knows it or not. What is curious to me though is how someone got Peter's picture into the game and if the I.F. isn't in charge of the game past the two dead ends Ender went through, who is in charge?
DeleteThe fantasy game is a challenge for Ender, he likes to solve the "impossible", he also likes to escape from the constant battle school routine. Once Peter was shown in a mirror in the game Ender become scared and needs to overcome the game
ReplyDeleteThe letter that Valentine wrote had illustration errors to assure it was written by her, but she insisted that he did not write back because they would change stuff in the letter.
Ender knew right away that the letter from Val was forced and he gained more of a hatred towards them for taking away the one thing that he
ReplyDeletereally loved. They were using his innermost feelings against him
I think that the fantasy game is so important to Ender because he seeks comfort in it at first, then just like everyone else, gets sort of an addiction to it. He seeks refuge in the game, and I also think he likes it, because it gives his mind a chalenge and he isn't getting that in the beginning.
ReplyDeleteI think the fantasy game is important to Ender because it is good training for him and it is just something to do. I believe the game will actually help prepare Ender for later obstacles in the buggler war.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Danny, I think the fantasy game is important to Ender which is good because it will definitely help him later on in the buggler war.
DeleteIm not sure wether to think that the latter from Val was good or bad for Ender. I know it must have been emotional and all but he also knew that it was forced apon his sister to right it. Again I'm still not sure about if Graff expected his reaction because Ender got mad but at the same time it did help him. It helped his with the fantasy game.
ReplyDeleteI think the letter is both good and bad. Good because Ender was more motivated. Bad because Ender started to hate the teachers for making his sister do that. And they used her to get to him.
DeleteI believe that the fantasy game is so important to Ender because it shows his siblings in it and that is really the only way to see them. I kinda believe also that it is important because the game shows him as Peter and he just wants to prove to himself that he isn't Peter or anythingnlike Peter.
ReplyDeleteI agree, but Ender was very scared when he saw Peter in the reflection in the mirror. I can't believe Ender would actually think he is anything like Peter.
DeleteI agree with you Davo on most of those things, but I think the reason Ender plays the fantasy game is because he knows people are watching him do it, and he wants to take their challenge and beat it, Ender has beaten just about every challenge the Battle School has thrown at him, and I think Ender is just showing how trying different things can beat challenges that are thrown at him. For example when the Giant wanted Ender to drink the two different deadly drinks Ender killed the Giant instead.
DeleteVal and Peter are genius, their only 12 and 14 years old but they pretended to be an adult and write all those things.
DeleteWho is major Anderson? Does it ever go over it in the book?
ReplyDeleteThe Giants Drink is important to Ender because it seems to represent his expierences in Battle School. for example Bonzo represented the giant and how it found ways to delay ender in his progress in going to the next level of the game, Bonzo not really wanting Ender in Salamander and making him sit iut and watch from the side.
ReplyDeleteI do think that Graff predicted Enders reaction. He set the whole thing up to try to amp him up, and get him ready for battle. I think that the fantasy game is so important to Ender because it is a place where he can keep his mind preoccupied, and to have a little bit of alone time. To kind of keep his mind off of battle school. The game showing Peter in the mirrors every time, I think is very significant as to why Ender keeps going in there. He is trying to prove to himself that he is nothing like Peter
ReplyDeleteI believe Ender plays the fantasy game because he wants to get away from everything it's so important to him because he wants to finish the game and figure out what's after the end of the world and to figure out how to get passed the mirror part where he kept seeing his brother Peter.
ReplyDeleteI think it's weird how valentine and Peter want to make fake identities on NETS. I guess Peter is power hungry and wants to control the world someday. It was clever how Peter tricks Val into helping him though, but I'm sure their cooperation won't last forever.
ReplyDeleteYou are wrong. Peter just wants to control the world but Valentine isn't tricked by him. She justbdecidesbthat if she wants to help the world the only way she can save it is to go with what Peter says and does. But just Re-capping, You Are Wrong!
DeleteI don't think Graff knew completely how Ender would react. When Ender saw Val's letter, he knew right off that it was too authentic to be true. But it was Val herself who made the letter. And he was angry that they used her as a tool to get to him. But Ender did become more productive in his ways soon after reading the letter. Graff accomplished only what needed to be accomplished and that's all.
ReplyDeleteI think the fantasy game is so important to Ender because the game is a refuge from the battle school. It gives him problems that he can't solve on the spot like he can with other problems but it also shows him his fears like the wolf children. He has to be like petter and kill them and he doesn't want to be like petter.
ReplyDeleteEnders reaction was hurt. Val was the only person that loved him, and he was upset when he read the letter and thought she was taken over to the now enemy side. Ender also started crying after reading the letter because that was the first letter he had gotten from her and all it talked about was how he is nothing like Peter.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think Graff knew Ender would be upset and take it out on the fantasy game.
I think the fantasy game is so important because he can take all of his anger out in that game, and it is the only think that Ender can do to kind of get away from the battle school. This is the only game that Ender actually has to stop and think about or his character will die.
Hang on... I am so confused on what the heck a desk is. What is it? It keeps mentioning Ender having only a desk. Or when he was pranking Bernard by putting words onto to the others desks. Like is it really a desk? Like a school desk? Or something else like an iPad?
ReplyDeleteI think it's like an Ipad
DeleteYeah that makes way more sense. So like is their whole life and everything just on thier desk (iPad)?
DeleteAnd one more question I have been really wanting to ask. What in the heck are the buggers! When I was reading all I can imagine is like off the movie Thor. Are the buggers like the ice people from Thor?
Ender feels alone again. To everyone else he looks happy and ready to move on. Ender realized how messed up these guys are and how they are just manipulating him into a perfect solider. That is exactly what Graff wanted. But I think this is what is going to cause the down fall to Ender.
ReplyDeleteAlso I think the fantasy game is important to Ender because he can be anything on there. Like making a new Ender. He doesn't have to kill anyone or be forced to do anything. Also he never really got live freely. So he can freely live in the computer.
In my opInion I think that Ender was a bit surprised when he got the letter. He basically thought that She (Val) had been forced to write the letter in order to manipulate him to become a better soldier. For so many years he hadn't gotten any letter from his family and then out of the blue he got one saying that he's not like Peter and that he's a nice guy. He then knew that this letter was planned and Ender thought that Val was now on their side and no longer was on his side. But he knew that she would say those things that she said, and that the letter could not have been written by the teachers themselves. His reaction was more of a shock just because he thought that his family had forgotten him.
ReplyDeleteThe game indeed is something that gets Ender away from the Battle School. The game itself is programmed to help the students to be confident in themselves and to work on their skills in a way. Also, it is to make the students reflect themselves as Ender did in the mirror. He saw himself as Peter but in reality he wasn't. He thought that he was because he knows that when someone overpowers him, he gets angry and violent...and ends up hurting people like he did when all those older kids bothered him in the battle practice room. I think that the game is just something to entertain Ender in many ways. And he is one of the few to beat it even though he had to struggle a bit.
At first Ender seemed happy to have gotten a letter from Val but then when she said that the people at the Battle School wouldn't let any of her letters through until then he realized that they used Val. It also makes him feel like Val is no longer on his side, like she decided to join the government. That made Ender feel betrayed and in turn angry.
ReplyDeleteI believe Graff did predict Ender's reaction to Val's letter. Graff knew Ender would realize they used Val and make him think she was on their side which would make him feel even more alone and isolated, just like Graff wants. It was all apart of Graff's plan to make Ender a great commander to save the human race.
Ender was a little shocked to recieve Val's letter. They hadn't been in touch for something like two years. Although he did realize that the letter was forced, or that Graff had asked Valentine to write it. I do believe that Graff expected Ender to react how he did. The letter made Ender feel some sort of hate towards Graff. Ender didn't like the thought of Graff controlling Valentine, so this anger fueled his skills in the battleroom.
ReplyDeleteThe fantasy game is so important to ender because he really misses his home and especially his sister. Ender sees how's everyone else shows no emotion of missing their home and it's hard for ender so he turns to the fantasy game to kind of forget the battle school and escape to his own little world where he doesn't really have to worry about anything
ReplyDeleteEnders reaction to his sisters letter is that he knew it was fri her instantly because of the way she spelled certain words wrong and using a different name when mentioning their brother Peter. Ender is made because the I.F. Forced her to write to him because they want something from ender. Ender is mad because she says that Peter is changed and isn't the same mean person that he was before he left.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. Val spelt many things wrong in the letter, letting Ender know that it was his sister writing the letter. He also knows that she wrote the letter because she, not once, said Peters name in the letter.
DeleteEnders is mad about the letter that his sister wrote for him, because the I.F. forced her to write certain things in it.
ReplyDeleteAlso the Fantasy game is important to Ender because it has the faces of his family in it, and it would remind him of them.
The reaction of ender was more anger than happiness because he knew it was from her but he also knew that if that letter reached him it had to be by Graff's doing. But Graff might have saw this coming but then why send the letter?
ReplyDeleteThe fantasy game is so important to Ender because it is the only thing that challenges him. Since he's not allowed to take part in the battles in Bonzo's army, and he can only practice once a day, he gets all of his problem solving skills from the game.
ReplyDeleteI believe Ender is bored at battle school. Especially now that he's not a Launchie. So he seeks out ways to expand his knowledge, overcome challenges, and make it so no one can ever beat him. So no one like Stilson, Peter, Bonzo, or even Graff could ever get to him or outsmart him. And he finds this relief in the game.
I think that ender feels betraid by val because he feels that she has gone over to the side of the teachers. I also think that now that she is helping them ender feels that they have taken her and that he has no control over any aspect in his life exept the battle room. I think that ender became more focused because of the letter and that is what graff wanted.
ReplyDeleteI think that the fantasy game is so important to Ender because in the game he is Peter and he wants to prove to himself and everyone else that he is not Peter and is completely different from him.
ReplyDeleteI disagree Ender is the complete same as Peter and he is a cold blooded killleer he is just trying to convince himself that hes not but he is
DeleteEnder was upset with Val's letter. Not because he got one, but because it was a forced letter. He knew that the letter was writen by Val because of the jokes that she had but since so many where placed into one letter Ender knew that the letter was written to manipulate him. The emotion he received after getting the letter made him think about his life and he realized how controlled it actually was and that angered Ender. I think Graff knew the letter would emotionally move Ender but I don't think he predicted anger from Ender.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lisa here, the letter was written to manipulate him, it was all set up.
DeleteYeah lisa has got this in the bag.
DeleteAs a lot of people already said, and I agree, the fantasy game Ender had was a way to get away from things, he enjoyed it, and it also made him think thus challenging himself which Ender did enjoy because most things didn't challenge him too much.
ReplyDeleteWhen Ender got Val's letter he felt as if his entire life was now a game and Graff controlled everything in it.The letter was predicted by Graff that's the only reason he allowed it and Ender knew it although Val didn't. After that moment on he would play his game. He didn't have a choice.
ReplyDeleteThe Fantasy game is very important to Ender. It makes him feel like a child again and it keeps him occupied from his own reality. We all need a way to get away from our lives, and this is the only way for Ender.
ReplyDeletethe fantasy game is a place for ender to go to escape the hardships of the battleschool. he doesnt have kids picking on him there or having to deal with over bearing commanders. he also treats it as a way of shapening his mind and continually getting better.
ReplyDeleteEnder reacts to the letter that Valentine wrote is that he knows that its a fake and that makes him more angry at the teachers, they are the enemy . Ender knew how Valentine said things and spelled things and certain words were spelled wrong and thats what gave it away also he hasn't gotten any letters before that and its been years and has never heard from anyone in his family so why would he get a letter now so he felt betrayed.
ReplyDeleteEnder definatly knew that the letter from Val was forced. He knew it was manipulated. At first it confused him, but when he realized why, he was full of despair and anger and felt like they ran his life.
ReplyDeleteEnder's reaction was exactly how val's was, hated that they made her write it, and hated that Ender would want to read it. And yes i also think that Graff predicted this same reaction, but didn't really have any other choice.
ReplyDeleteThe fantasy game is so important to Ender because the fact that he's probably feeling like thats the only thing that gives him a sense of emotion.
Ender is perplexed how the game can know him almost better than he knows himself. He uses it to understand himself better. Not just as an escape from battle school. There is much more depth to it than just being an escape. Part of what drives him to play so much is to discover what could possibly know him so well. A search for this technology that the administrators don't even understand. It is a way for him to be outside the games of the battle school.
ReplyDeleteI think that Graff knew the only way or motive to push Ender on further in the game was a letter from Val. Valentine was the one thing that kept Ender going that kept Ender from going insane. His memories of her comforted him. When he read the letter it was just enough for him to carry on in the fantasy game. Which was exactly what Graff wanted.
ReplyDeleteEnders brain is challenge hungry. It always wants new things so it can expand its knowlegde and further grow. I think ender purposely dies so he can try other ways to beat the game. Its his way of keeping sane and not thinking about battle school.Ender doesnt have to deal with being low ranked, and being picked on. He leads himslef and doesnt get bossed around. I think he works best that way.
ReplyDeleteGraff makes Ender feel worse and gets everyone to hate him. But everyone has a hardship to go through. And what doesnt kill you makes you stronger
I also think ender is also constantly looking for new challenges to overcome he also does not like battle school because it makes him feel like peter and that is one thing he does not want to feel like (peter the killer) and everyone thinks of him like that, a scary killer person so he no longer gets picked on anymore so i guess that is good for him cause he doesnt have to deal with bullies anymore, i think graff makes everyone hate ender so ender can learn how to deal with hardships cause it will make him a stronger soldier
ReplyDelete