Extinction

Summary 

There are two people talking about Ender this time we get his names. General pEace said he is worried about Bonzo’s plan to attack Ender but Graff says that Ender needs to learn how to deal with this. In the other hand, Dragon Army keeps winning and Bean practice crazy things with his team. Petra warns Ender that Bonzo is planning to kill him and later he received a message from Dink saying him to never be alone, eventually doesn’t hear and he goes to shower alone. Bonzo comes in with other guys, Ender tricks him to fight hand to hand so now they are both naked and alone in the room. Before the fight, Dink tries to go in but other guys stop him he try to convince Bonzo to don’t kill Ender but that only make Bonzo madder. Finally, Ender after using some trick hit Bonzo in the chest and he fell down without movement and not crying from pain. After the fight, the adults come but Ender knows that he is alone and no one will come to rescue him. Ender is going to Command school but first, he returns to earth, this is another strategy from the commander in order for Ender to don’t forget what he is fighting for. After two months on Earth and one visit from Valentine to the lake he was in he finally goes to Eros where the school is, in the trip there Graff confessed that they are the ones that are attacking the Buggers and they are the third invasion and that big problem of the fight is that they can't communicate with them. He has new classes but he doesn’t spend much time with his classmates and never get to know someone new, except Mazer Rackham.  He was waiting for the new commander so that he can teach him all that he know and how he win in the second invasion. Ender now is having to command again in the simulator, is used for having simulations of buggers battles, with Alai, Bean, Petra, and Dink.


He is now in his final examination and a  bunch of people is watching him, he decides at last moment to cheat and fire with the strongest arm against the Buggers planet. After this, they start showing a lot of pictures of the world being destroyed. Ender is confused but then Mazer confesses him that he had been fighting all the time with the buggers and this was the last fight and the decisive one, Ender have just killed a whole species. Ender feels guilty so he is introduced in a coma for a few days and when he awakes his friends congratulate him and also tell him of a little war on the earth because of a Locke proposal. Ender watch the videos of Stilson and  Bonzo fight and he discovered he killed them now he feels more guilty and he doesn’t want anything. Val convinces him to go to visit a colony world so that they learn something about the buggers from what they have left. They go in the tower room and discovered something behind the mirror is a queen pupa they have left to Ender. Ender contacts the buggers by telepathy. Ender creates “Speaker for the Dead” with this a new religion is created and when they return caused by the light speed travel now Peter is 77 and he wants to make up with Ender. They make up and after his death, Ender writes a book for him. Ender and Val go searching for a new planet where the buggers can live, they looked for a long time.

Quotes:

"It had to be a trick or you couldn't have done it.” (14-208)

Here we have the most representative statement of manipulation in the story. We can see that the story is based on manipulations to Ender in order for him to save the world but is all indirect and now they finally admit that it was all a trick. I think what they have done to Ender is unacceptable and wrong in so many ways. Now Ender has killed a special and no one is responding to this they are happy because they have no more fear of the buggers because they are extinct but the point is that the buggers didn't do anything to provoke the third invasion.

“I’ve lived too long with pain. I don't know who I am without it.” (15-226)

This word from Ender are very hard but sadly they are true, and explains how his life really is. I feel sorry for what Ender had to pass because he was just a kid that need to save the human race and in order to achieve this, adults make him suffer all his life and force him to deal with it. They had just created a monster that by being fooled it can be in controlled of anyone that can convince him that that is the right thing to do. This remembers me how our society works the one that can fool the greater amount of people will rise to the top and be a hero but the ones that work hard and achieve things by the “right”(is in quotes because we really don’t know what is right or wrong is just things that people had been saying for years and we have made them our way of thinking)  way they might stay always at the margins and don’t grow and I think that this happened to Ender when he was fooled.


Reflection:

I can see that at last Ender grew as a person. He  now knows how to be strong and to take true decisions. I liked the way throughout the story the author used strong imagery that made me live in the moment. I recommend this book to people who like mysteries because this tale surely is one of them. I could feel the fear that Ender had in his adventure but watching him overcome it was a true experience for me as well.

Trust

Summary


Ender is depressed about his life, he's now a toon leader in Phoenix Army under Petra command. Graff desperately visits Valentine to ask why Ender sees Peter in the mirror of the mind game. She tells Graff that Ender is the opposite of Peter and that he is good so Graff asks her to write a letter to Ender reminding him that he is totally good. Ender receives the letter but knew it wasn't real that the school forced Valentine to write it.  They now have ruined the thing Ender was fighting for, his sister. He goes back to the mind game and finds the snake that always kills him, he instead of trying to kill it he kisses it. It transformed in Valentine and Ender realize that Val is always going to be with him. The school finally decides that Ender is going to be a commander, they give him Dragon Army. The army doesn't look so good, it's made up of new kids and some old kids that haven't done well. Bean is one of the fastest learners and he seems promising. Ender also realizes that the school is not giving him the three months of training with  his army but luckily the army is promising.  The school change rules and they don't let Ender practice with his old friends.  Ender runs into Alai in the game room and he is upset because they realize that they are going to be fighting in the battle room. They now feel the wall between them and Ender get mad not with Alai but with his now main enemy, the teachers.

Eventually, the teachers only give Ender and his army less than the three months of practice. Ender has been with his army a little more than a month now and he is having his first battle with Rabbit army. The won easily and then they start having battles all the days and they haven't lost one.  He has one big battle with Salamander army and them were already  in position when they arrive and the victory seems to go with Salamander but Ender did the impossible and win them, Bonzo was humiliated. Ender is scared that he runs out of ideas and that the other armies start winning him so he calls Bean and gives him the best of his boy to create an elite team lead by Bean. Ender wants Bean to come up with new crazy ideas so that they keep winning every single match.


Quotes:


"Val, we can say the words that everyone else will be saying two weeks later. We can do that." (Card 9-92)


Peter is the most manipulative boy that you can imagine, and here he is talking of how he verbally will control the world. With the help of Val he may get the attention of people but like he said “we can say the words that everyone else will be saying two weeks later”, I think that his words will not pass the two weeks and will last for that moment and then be forgotten. He is a kid and the book puts him as more intelligent of all humans after Ender but there is one thing that they will never have that is wisdom. That is learning through the years and by experiences that you will only gain by living.


“After that, if he had asked them to follow him to the moon without space suits, they would have done it.” (Card 11-131)

Ender told his army that they could deal with anything and so far he has complied with his words even with the unfair schedules they have. We can see how Ender is totally trusted by his army. While reading this I thought of what makes a good leader, and it must be very difficult to lead an army because if you make wrong choices everyone will suffer. In this case, we can see the kind of leader Ender is, he has shown Dragon army that everything is possible and that way he earned their trust.


Reflection:

I am very happy with this chapters. Ender’s team has advanced a lot, they even won a battle now, and that is a great achievement since the Dragon army doesn’t have the best members. I really hope his team keeps winning because Ender is a very good leader and has gone too far now, I think he will help his team achieve more things. I can’t wait to see the new plan Bean and Ender will come up for the next game or battle. However, Bonzo will also come up with a plan and I want to see it too but I really hope Ender can defeat Bonzo again before he attacks Ender.

Humans Destroy Themselves

Summary


Ender learns that he had been transferred to Salamander army, the kids in the army are eight years old or older, his commander is Bonzo. All the kids in the army are being mean to him except, Petra Arkanian who is the only girl in the Salamander army.
Bonzo plan with Ender is to trade him as fast as he can and Ender orders where to don't fire during battles. Since Ender hasn't fire even in battle he has a good score in the game. Ender also start training with Alai and other Launchies, he first watches the Salamander army fights and then he trains and teach the others. In one battle Ender disobeys Bonzo and fires, he helps the army to end in a tie.  Bonzo hates Ender for disobeying him, he also was finally traded to Rat army but after going, Bonzo hit Ender. His new commander is Rose "the nose" a Jewish student that makes them follow the lie that "Jewish general didn't lose wars" and his new and first toon leader is Dink Meeker who ask for Ender because he saw some potential. Dink start to be his friend and now he is teaching Ender a lot of new things. The older boys try to intimidate the Launchies into giving up the practice with Ender, once they even attack them in the battle room where they were practicing.  Ender keeps playing the mind game and he goes to a new world called "The End of the World", in there he finds a snake that always kills him but in the mirror, he saw Peter.


In the earth, Valentine and the family have changed from house to one that has a green space and that is not near the city, in order to help Peter to stop being so mean and hard with others. She saw that Peter is killing squirrels so she still knows that he is not changing but her parents think he is. He finally requests Val help in order to create fake characters from the internet and spread Peter's ideas of how the world will not be destroyed by the buggers but by the people that may want to take control after the buggers are eliminated.

Quotes:


"These other armies, they aren't the enemy. It's the teachers, they're the enemy.” (Card 8-77)


At first, we can see that Ender’s worst enemies where his childhood bullies as well as his classmates and companions of battle school. Now we can see that the real enemies are starting to be adults. This quote was said by Dink but the same thing is mention by Petra before and we can see that they try to give us a better idea of why they are fighting. Maybe Ender’s fight is starting not only to be with the Buggers but now with the teachers and his superiors.  This goes far enough to think about a fight between generations.


"The world is always a democracy in times of flux, and the man with the best voice will win.” (Card 9-93)


This is Peter’s view of how the world works and about the next war that is coming after the Bugger war. We can see that Peter’s idea of democracy is that it’s also competitive and the best will always rise to the top. Peter see competition all over and that maybe his weak point but it also show us that he see himself as the man that will rise above all the others and always be the best.

Reflection:

Ender had advanced a lot and I’m glad he finally find an army where he feel good and I really hope Dink is a great teacher. Ender learns fast and I really think that he is going to become one of Dink best soldiers very fast. I completely agree with the idea of Peter that in other words are that the only ones capable of destroying humans are themselves. We can create and destroyed and that destroyed it also include us. If you see in the real world the only one that has created damage to the world is humans and also to themselves with all the wars and conflicts.

Be the Best

Summary
 
Two guys start talking about Ender, and they decide that they need to isolate Ender in order for him to remain creative. Ender and nineteen other boys get into the space shuttle that would take them to the Battle School, and in the shuttle Graff tells the other boys that Ender is the only smart one, which causes the anger of the kid behind him.  A kid began to hit Ender in the head, so he grabs the kid by the arm and pulls. The kid wasn't wearing his seatbelt, so in null gravity, he goes flying and breaks an arm. Bernard, the boy that Ender breaks the arm off, starts to be the leader of a group boys and making Ender life hard. Ender deals with Bernard by cracking the computer system and sending messages saying that Bernard likes butts. Some kids that Bernard make fun of start being friendly with Ender.


They are finally going to the battle room, here Ender and Alai become friends, Alai is also friends with Bernard, and they are the first ones to discover what the guns that were placed in their rooms were for. These guns freeze their bodies, so Ender, Alai, Bernard, and Shen freeze everyone in the group. This creates a new supergroup led by Alai.  Ender, in his free time, plays a mind game called The Giant's Drink. The game constantly changes and the goal is to go to Fairyland, but Ender is stuck on the part where he meets the giant, where he is supposed to take a drink from two liquids and one will take you to Fairyland. But it doesn't matter wich you take, you always die. Ender cheats and kills the giant, which is apparently the right solution because he ends up in Fairyland. Anyway, Ender feels horrible because everything he has done so far is just killing and hurting.

Quotes:


"I’m a murderer even when I play." (Card 6-47)  

Ender feels uncomprehended, and he even feels like a murder, this is caused by the fact that he starts comparing himself with Peter and this is only having a bad effect in his acts. Just imagine the idea of feeling like a murder and that that feeling doesn't let you sleep because you feel guilty in a way that no one can understand. The feeling of guiltiness can consume you and even make you do things that you have never thought about.


“There’s only one thing that will make them stop hating you. And that's being so good at what you do that they can’t ignore you” (Card 4-25)

This remembers me to one think that my parents always tell me that is: “when someone bothers you of something that you can’t master yet, work harder and show them that you are capable of doing anything you want.” It’s kind of the thing that they are telling us here that in order to people notice you and gain their respect you should do things that surprise them and when you do something do it well so that you are proud of your job and by hence they will not bother you more and if they do, you will be proud of what you have achieved and no one can't take that away from you. Only you know if you do the best you could and that satisfaction is the only one that matter.

 
Refection:

I think that everything that Ender is going through is basically because of the fear everyone is making him feel because he is the “only hope”. I don’t think that it is fair for people like Ender to constantly find out lies about everything he has believed in. How surprised and shocked Ender was when he discovered that there are a lot of mysteries in the Giant's Drink, the game is very complex but it also tells a lot of information to the directors. I really hope that the battle ends really soon but inside I know that it haven’t started yet.

Strong vs Weak

Summary 


Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card overcame and broke all the knowledge that we have about war. Ender the third and the last of his family lived all his life studying war and getting prepared for one, because the world had been attacked before he was born, and aliens (called Buggers because of their insect-like features) with very advanced technology came to their world and the only thing that saved them was that they had the most brilliant commander, Mazer Rackham. After the war, they prepared for a new attack, but after Mazer passed away they had been searching for another commander who could eliminate the Buggers once and for all, without luck. The International Fleet had been searching for a commander for many years, but now they think they had found one of the most promising families, it all started with Ender’s only and oldest brother, Peter. He was one of the best ones, but he has a dark side that they couldn’t control. There was also his sister, Valentine, and she had great abilities but she was too nice and sensitive, which was why they both weren’t accepted to the fleet. But now there is Ender and he is the biggest hope they have now. Peter is too hard on him and he even tells Ender and her sister that he will kill them when they never expect him to. Ender is also very sacred of his brother because he knows with one look when he is mad and the way that his eyes start lighting and you can even see the fire burning inside him, in the other hand there is Valentine, nice and very sweet with him and is one of Ender’s weaknesses because he would do anything for her. Ender needs to make one of the hardest decisions ever - he needs to choose between staying with his sister to protect her from Peter, and joining the fleet and protecting his sister from the buggers. In the end, he chooses to join the fleet.

Quotes:


“Knocking him down won the first fight. I want to win all the next ones, too.” (Card 3-14)


I decide to use this quote because it helps us see that Ender have a different perspective and that he didn't kick Stilson boy for fun. Ender way of thinking will have a huge effect when he is about to take an important decision. This makes me think more about the way I made decisions and why should we do some things that at first may seem wrong but first think twice of the consequences and which one worths more you will find a  better solution for everything.


“Ender didn't like fighting. He didn't like Peter’s kind, the strong against the weak, and he didn't like his own kind either, the smart against the stupid.” (Card 3-15) 


This quote makes us see that Card is using the reality from the world and how people describe themselves and their way of thinking. Having a fight that is not balanced is unfair because in order to have a discussion or a think that is debatable you should always see if it’s going to be fair to win someone that has fewer advantages than you. If you want to win a fight you should first see if your opponent is a fair one and that they will have the same capacities in order for the fight to be equal and don't win because you fight with someone that is weaker, better to lose with someone and give your best than win without having to do any effort.


Reflection


I may just have started the book but I am hooked onto it as I flip the pages one by one. I believe that Ender is such a brave and courageous young man. The way the author describes him makes me imagine the scenario in which he is living in. I really can’t imagine living is such a horrific place. Even after the threats from Peter, he is still standing strong because he is the only hope they have now. I am enthusiastic that Ender will overcome the situation and be the hero of this story.

Mistakes, Mistakes, Mistakes

Summary

Charlie feels lost in school and he even agrees that he is a freak, and without his friends he is lonely. Brad returns to school after the incident with his father and Patrick. Brad’s father fund Patrick and Brad together in his house and he starts beating Bard, almost killing him, and Patrick couldn’t help and he was thrown from the house.  When Brad return Patrick wanted to talk but he was ignored and then called “faggot”, Patrick gets mad and punches Brad, after this Brad and his four friends start beating him. Charlie saw this and went to help Patrick, he loses control and leaves two of Brad guys on the floor. He saves Patrick, and he warns Brad to never mess with his friends again. Brad and Charlie were send to detention, in here Brad thanks Charlie for stopping the guys from killing Patrick. Sam was waiting for Charlie outside and she thanks him and then explains that he need to apologize with Mary Elizabeth after this talk things return to normality.

The school is getting to its end and they are having everything ready for the graduation. Charlie is starting to feel bad because he knows that Sam is leaving for college as well as his other friends. The last day of school, Charlie and the gang went to Rocky Horror, and Patrick plays Frank’N Furter for the last time. Charlie’s sister even goes to the show with her boyfriend. Finally, they go to the party at Craig’s house and Charlie is the DJ. Sam discover that Craig has been cheating on her this whole time so they broke up. Charlie feels bad for Sam because he just wants her to be happy. Finally, the graduation day arrives, that night Patrick invites Charlie to go out with him and Sam. Charlie arrives at the dance club and he gets to share his first dance with Sam. Charlie gives Sam and Patrick some presents and letters but he start crying so Sam takes him to the kitchen and calm him down, she also tells him that she is scared and that when she needs something she will call him and that he also can call her whenever he wants. Sam leave to Penn state and Charlie was trying to find the positive things on that but that makes him worst. 

Quotes:

“The inside jokes weren’t jokes anymore. They had become stories.” (Chbosky, 198) 

When we meet people, we become friends, and we joke around. A special song reference, a good accent joke, are things that mean a lot to friends because they’re the memories that we create each time we meet, so each tells a unique story. I wish to have more inside jokes that at the end will be stories that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

“You can’t just sit there and put everybody’s lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You just can’t. You have to do things” (Chbosky, 200)

Love doesn't appear like a miracle first you have to do things for the other person. It’s not about whether or not you make them happy with your acts, it’s how you feel about doing this, how you feel love, and most important how you treat yourself. In order to love someone you first need to love and respect yourself. And that’s the only way you will treat that person right.

Epilogue: 

Charlie has been in the hospital for 2 months after his father found him watching TV naked. The breakdown is when Charlie finally realize that Aunt Helen had been molesting him every Saturday while watching TV. All the family is supporting Charlie as well as his friends. Sam and Patrick even take him through the “infinite” tunnel one more time. After this, Charlie is feeling awesome and he may be more participant. And he says goodbye with his typical “Love always, Charlie”

Resolution: 

I learn from this book that we cannot always control where we come from or what happens to us, but we can control where we go from there. Aunt Helen was molested as a child and she ended up molesting Charlie. That doesn't mean that we need to repeat the bad things that happen to us, we need to learn from them and try to not do them again.  You will success when you learn from your mistakes and great things will come, but don't deny them just work hard and make a difference. As Albert Einstein said, "A person who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." So keep mistaking, learning, and enjoying life as much as possible.

We are the Same

Summary

Charlie was getting worst and in Bob's house, he saw things move so he went outside, he passed out in the snow and was found in the snow by a policeman. He decides to put his life back together because he was starting to have many problems. After this, he feels great and his new psychiatrist is helping a lot. Charlie tells us that Craig didn't show to the Rocky Horror, so he plays Rocky instead of Craig and after the show, Mary Elizabeth invites him to Sadie Hawkins dance. Charlie asks his sister for advice but she doesn't want to talk so he asks Sam. The dance was fine but there was a little inconvenient with his sister and her boyfriend, later Charlie told us that his sister is pregnant and his boyfriend broke up with her, he also tells us that he will take her to the clinic.  Mary Elizabeth invites Charlie to a date, but Charlie doesn't have the same feelings for her. A few days later the gang gets together and play truth or dare. Patrick dares Charlie "to kiss the prettiest girl in the room" so Charlie being so honest kissed Sam instead of Mary Elizabeth.  After this, Patrick takes Charlie home and since then he hasn't talked to his friends this causes him a lot of depression.

Quotes

"I couldn't let that happen because my sister was counting on me, and this was the first time anyone ever counted on me for anything." (Chbosky, 118)

Charlie is having a lot of pressure right now because his feelings are playing against him and now he may get her sister in trouble. I think that someone counting on Charlie for the first time is not true, it may be the most important one but not the first one. In life, many people have counted on you and sometimes you don’t even realize that. It can be so insignificant the thing you are doing but someone may be counting on you. That’s why you always need to be careful with the things you do and make sure that you are not hurting someone. Sometimes your acts won't make everyone happy but it’s better than hurting them. I don’t know if you think the same but I think that all acts have an effect and you decide if the effect is positive or negative. And now returning to Charlie we can say that he don’t realize what he is doing half of the time and that's why he don't participate so much. 

“You ever think, Charlie, that our group is the same as any other group like the football team? And the only real difference between us is what we wear and why we wear it?” (Chbosky, 155)

This quote is very deep and talks about equality and how everybody is important in their way. It also explains that even though  you are not on the football team, doesn't mean that you are not important. A sad thing that I realize thanks to this quote is, that the first thing that people see is your clothes. The worst thing is that we judge someone by their clothes and don't even get to know them. What we wear shouldn't matter because at the end we are all the same whether we were football clothes or a normal jacket, we are all humans.

Resolution:

The book is starting to teach us more things and show us more about the real world. I think that in the next part of the book Charlie will be trying to  recover his friends but it will take time and a lot of effort. I really hope that Charlie returns to the group because it was the only thing that makes him happy in school. The group help him with his self-steam and to be more confident with himself and that was very important for Charlie.