Entry #7: Deep Themes Disguised in Fun-to-Read Books

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is one of my all time favorite books. I have read it more times than I can count. Science fiction is a genre that has often been dismissed and considered unworthy of any serious reader's time, while supporters argue that science fiction can be a means of opening students' minds and imaginations (Bucher and Hinton 189). Supporters also claim that science fiction can be a means by which readers can investigate social concerns and ecological problems (193). Finally, science fiction provides a diversity and appeal to adolescents of various reading abilities on a wide range of grade levels (193). With all of this in mind, I have and will continue to teach science fiction in my classroom. Ender's Game is an excellent book to use as a means of teaching this genre because the story is very appealing to kids of a variety of ages and both genders and the themes allow teachers to investigate social concerns, such as the danger of military control, the need for ethical training, child abuse, and the danger of computers used without regard for humane considerations.

Ender's Game is a story about a young boy names Andrew (Ender) Wiggin, who is believed to be Earth's last chance. Aliens have attacked Earth twice and the human species is at risk of extinction, if they attack again. The military government has started breeding military geniuses in an attempt to ensure Earth wins the next encounter. Ender is one of these geniuses and perhaps even the smartest of all of the geniuses. Although the story is told primarily through the eyes of Ender, his sister Valentine is another key character. She even has numerous scenes that are told from her point-of-view. Other really appealing points-of-view are those of the military officers, Major Anderson and Colonel Graff, controlling the training. The reader gets a glimpse into how and why they make the decisions they do throughout the entire book. Cards' ability to truly grasp each characters' point-of-view would make this book appealing to both girls and boys aged ten through adulthood, as well as many could argue this is partially what makes it “true” literature. A teacher could easily use this book to teach about different points-of-view, which is a common core standard.

The themes in this book deal with some pretty heavy social issues. The military government is in extreme control throughout the book. In one of the first scenes when Ender is given the “opportunity” to go off to Battle School and his dad protests, the commander basically says that Ender's dad really has no a say in the matter. In fact, Ender only has a say because officers must be volunteers that is their hope with Ender (Card 20-21). Along the same lines, parents are only allowed two children and Ender's parents were given special permission to “create” Ender because his siblings were so promising in their training (5). This title of being a “third” is something that is somewhat shameful and partially what shapes Ender into the person he is even at such a young age as six. For teaching purposes, teachers could do a lot with this theme on military control. They could pair up with history teachers and discuss times in history where military control has had negative results. Students could read Shakespeare’s classic, Hamlet, and take the main character through the hero’s journey, while at each step, comparing him to Ender. The same could be done for the true story depicted in No Language But a Cry by Richard Anthony D'Ambrosio, a book that the teacher could also use alongside Ender's Game to examine the relationship between child abuse and its damage on the development of creativity, hatred, and violence (Bucher and Hinton 190). Some pretty awful things happen to Ender and Ender, himself, does some pretty violent things to others. The government officials often debate how much damage they are doing to the kids, but always end up claiming that if the war is won, they can undo the damage after or even that it doesn't matter how broken the kids are once they've completed the task they were “created” for (Card 174). Starting in the early 21^st century drones and their use in the military became a global hot topic. Students could be encouraged to compare these current events to all of the main themes prevalent in Ender's Game. All of the training in Ender's Game is done via computer games. One particular game is an ongoing source of debate between Colonel Graff and Major Anderson. The program is able to change itself and they debate whether it is immorally messing with Ender's head (Card 122). This implication alone clearly shows the themes of the dangers of military control, child abuse, the need for ethical training and the danger of computers used without regard for humane considerations. This book is full of social concerns that could really lead to some great teaching points or discussions in the classroom.

Ender's Game is an excellent book to be used in the classroom for teaching the genre of science fiction alongside themes that investigate the four social concerns of the danger of military control, the need for ethical training, child abuse, and the danger of computers used without regard for humane considerations.

Works Cited

Bucher, Katherine and KaoVonia Hinton. Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation and Appreciation. 3^rd ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014. Print.

Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game. New York:Tom Doherty and Associates LLC, 1977. Print