An Act of Self-Defense

War and Politics

The cadets participate in competitive war simulations in zero gravity, where Ender's innovations overwhelm his opponents. The war consists in a team deathmatch where they have guns that freeze your body or extremities. The goal is to get one person on the other team's gate without getting him frozen. Graff promotes Ender to a new army (named Salamander) composed of raw recruits, but Ender's success continues. He forms bonds of friendship, loyalty and trust with several of his current and former squad members, like Petra. A jealous commander of another army, Bonzo Madrid, compels him to fight at the bathroom, and Ender quickly overpowered him. In an act of self-defense, Ender kills Bonzo. 

On Earth, Peter Wiggin uses a global communication system to post political essays under the pseudonym "Locke", hoping to establish himself as a respected orator and thence as a powerful politician. Valentine, despite not trusting Peter, publishes alongside him as "Demosthenes". Their essays are soon taken seriously by the government. Though Graff knows their true identities, he recommends that it be kept a secret, because their writings are politically useful.

"He even thought of Valentine then and wanted to go home." (Scott Card 102)

As I assumed before, Valentine has an influence on Ender and makes him want to leave Battle School and return home. I think this might be foreshadowing and Ender might actually return home, leaving the war away from him. 

"'Just between you and me,' Petra said, 'if they gave the Battle School an enema, they'd stick it in a green green brown.'" (Scott Card 109)

Again, as I predicted, Ender's relationships can and do affect him. Here, we can see Petra console Ender and try to cheer him up. I can make an assumption that his friends might keep him at Battle School and, if he makes it, later in battles against the buggers, 

Conclusion

Like I predicted, Ender's relationships with others affect how he behaves and probably how he will behave in the future. Ender isn't a person who makes friends easily, but so far he has a good group of friends to be there for him. I believe that Petra might be a love interest for Ender, but Ender hasn't shown any love emotions yet and he's only 8. 

Genocide

The Final Battle

Ender is now 10 years old and is promoted to Command School on Eros after a brief respite on Earth. After some preliminary battles in the simulator, he is introduced to a former war hero, Mazer Rackham. From now on, Ender directs real human spacecraft against bugger fleets via an instantaneous communicator. The battle simulations are controlled by Mazer. As the skirmishes become harder, he is joined by some of his friends from the Battle School as sub-commanders. Despite this, Ender becomes depressed by the frustration of the battles, his isolation, and by the way Mazer treats him.

Ender is ready for his final test.This time, he is fighting in the buggers' home planet. He is outnumbered by them, but Ender is still confident. Ender almost completely wastes all the manpower he has when he forms a shield of ships around the Molecular Detachment Device, a weapon that destroys molecules in a chain reaction. The Device destroys the planet and the surrounding bugger fleet. Everyone starts applauding, but the simulation continues to roll. Ender is confused. Mazer walks toward him and congratulates him. Ender has won the war. Ender has destroyed an entire species. 

"Because they need us(...) Because they need somebody to defeat the buggers" (Scott Card 198)

Ender, before his final test, realises that the army does not care about him, they need him. Ender is nothing but a mere weapon to be used by the army in order to defeat the buggers. This has lead me to believe that Ender might rebel on the army and change it in some way. Or maybe he wants vengeance because of what they made him do. 

"The best soldier in any army, lying on his bunk crying." (Scott Card 213)

Ender, after realising what he has done, lies in his bunker, crying. Memories of the death of Stilson, Bonzo and his sister Valentine flood his mind. I think that Ender might try to make up what he has done somehow, which to me, is basically impossible. Ender has killed an entire species of aliens, and I don't know what could possibly make up for that. 

Conclusion

After reading these chapters, I was completely shocked at the things that are happening. Ender has committed genocide and he has slaughtered an entire species. I am really intrigued to what will happen next and how this fact will change Ender. I think Ender will be greatly affected because of his actions and he will rebel or leave the army. 

His Game Begins...

The Rise of Humanity

Humanity has begun interplanetary flight. New worlds and races are being found now. One race in particular, nicknamed "buggers". The discovery of a bugger forward base in the asteroid Eros leads to war between the species. The battle to recapture Eros results in the discovery of advanced alien technology, including gravity manipulation. There are political conflicts on Earth between three ruling parties, the Hegemon, Polemarch, and Strategos, but are put aside in the face of the threat from the buggers. Preparing for the expected third invasion, an International Fleet (I.F.) is established, with headquarters on Eros. Increasingly advanced starships are built and secretly launched to attack the buggers' home worlds. Humanity has begun to develop commanders capable of defeating the much larger bugger forces, the I.F. creates a crash training program for children with the best strategic minds, the Battle School.

Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is one of the school's trainees. He has a close bond with his sister Valentine; but fears his brother Peter, a highly intelligent scoiopath. Valentine didn't make it to Battle School because she was too kind, and Peter was too violent, but Ender was perfect. At school, the I.F. remove Ender's monitoring device, which is implanted on every kid to monitor their emotional status, and whatever they do in or out of class. Ender thinks that ended his chances of Battle School, and he gets teased by a fellow student, Stilson. Ender beats up Stilson before the fight is broken up; unknown to Ender, the fight was fatal to Stilson. When explaining his actions to I.F. Colonel Hyrum Graff, Ender states his belief that, by showing superiority now, he has prevented future struggle. Graff, on hearing of this, offers Ender a place in the Battle School, situated in Earth's orbit, where Graff quickly isolates Ender from the other cadets because of his mental capabilities. Ender is more intelligent than any of his classmates, so he is set apart to establish superiority. 

"And as he got in the car that waited silently in the corridor, he heard Valentine's anguished cry. "Come back to me! I love you forever!" (Scott Card 57)

This quote perfectly explains the relationship between Ender and Valentine. I think this might have an effect later in the story. Perhaps Valentine stops loving Ender, which impacts him a lot and might make him drop out of Battle School. Or maybe she keeps loving him and that stops Ender from fighting the Buggers. I'm feeling like their relationship is a huge deal to Ender and the story, so I think that those two options might happen. 

"Nobody looked at Ender."  (Scott Card 73)

I think Orson Scott Card is trying to say something here. Besides Valentine, I think that his relationships with the other students will also affect, since he is already set apart, I think he will try even harder to prove that he is worth something. I think that maybe the other students are intimidated by his intelligence, which might make him have the right friends, or lead a powerful attack towards the buggers.

Conclusion

I think that the way Ender develops his relationships with his family and students will affect the story, because they might have an influence on Ender. Ender is highly intelligent, so maybe other students that are also set apart might approach him. Also, I think his family will make him quit Battle School because they miss him or they might be an influence him to kill the buggers in order to keep them safe. I know it is far-fetched but it is still an option.