Ender's Game
Zamora 1
Jacob Zamora
Pre AP
27 August 2013
Empathy for Your Enemies In Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, the protagonist, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, makes numerous enemies during his years at battle school. Ender sometimes wonder what his enemies’ points of view toward him are. He has a great feeling of empathy for them. Card chooses empathy for the major theme of the book, and tries to prove to readers that having empathy for your enemies can defeat and also turn them closer. Ender’s empathetic understandings help him overcome a hateful enemy. After being transferred to an army, Ender is immediately disliked by the leader of the army, Bonzo Madrid. Bonzo always leaves Ender out of a battle against another army. While sitting out, he observes Bonzo’s strategies he used against the enemies. He also observes that he leads his army so poorly. Ender tries to understand why Bonzo hates him and the reason for his lousy leadership. “How did Bonzo get to be a commander, if he didn’t know better than that?” (Card 81) Later in the story, Bonzo challenges Ender to a physical fight. From Ender’s observations, he remembers Bonzo’s actions and strategies and uses them to defeat him. He also tries to observe Bonzo’s movements during the fight. “Ender noticed the shifting weight and stooped lower, so that Bonzo would be more off-balance when he tried to grab Ender and throw
Zamora 2 him.” (Card 211) Ender has a great empathy for Bonzo and his understanding helps him to win the fight. The important beings that Ender attempts to understand are the buggers. In numerous events of the story, Ender is in a situation where the thoughts and sights of a bugger come across him. Ender always tries to imagine the perspective of a bugger. When he plays a game where he pretended to be a bugger, he tries to feel how it thinks. “He put on the mask. It closed him in like a hand pressed tight against his face. But this isn’t how it feels to be a bugger, thought
Jacob Zamora
Pre AP
27 August 2013
Empathy for Your Enemies In Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, the protagonist, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, makes numerous enemies during his years at battle school. Ender sometimes wonder what his enemies’ points of view toward him are. He has a great feeling of empathy for them. Card chooses empathy for the major theme of the book, and tries to prove to readers that having empathy for your enemies can defeat and also turn them closer. Ender’s empathetic understandings help him overcome a hateful enemy. After being transferred to an army, Ender is immediately disliked by the leader of the army, Bonzo Madrid. Bonzo always leaves Ender out of a battle against another army. While sitting out, he observes Bonzo’s strategies he used against the enemies. He also observes that he leads his army so poorly. Ender tries to understand why Bonzo hates him and the reason for his lousy leadership. “How did Bonzo get to be a commander, if he didn’t know better than that?” (Card 81) Later in the story, Bonzo challenges Ender to a physical fight. From Ender’s observations, he remembers Bonzo’s actions and strategies and uses them to defeat him. He also tries to observe Bonzo’s movements during the fight. “Ender noticed the shifting weight and stooped lower, so that Bonzo would be more off-balance when he tried to grab Ender and throw
Zamora 2 him.” (Card 211) Ender has a great empathy for Bonzo and his understanding helps him to win the fight. The important beings that Ender attempts to understand are the buggers. In numerous events of the story, Ender is in a situation where the thoughts and sights of a bugger come across him. Ender always tries to imagine the perspective of a bugger. When he plays a game where he pretended to be a bugger, he tries to feel how it thinks. “He put on the mask. It closed him in like a hand pressed tight against his face. But this isn’t how it feels to be a bugger, thought