Just to make it simpler I have completed 29 points.
Here are the activities I did:
A twitter account (5 points)
5 diary entries (10 points)
Finding and writing a review (7 points)
Letter to a character (7 points)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Letter to a character (7 points)
Dear Bean,
I read about you in the book Ender's Game and I thought that it would be a worthwhile experience to write to you. You are probably wondering why I chose to write to you and not Ender who is much more famous. The answer is that for me, Ender was no more than a mean but victorious killer and commander. At times he was alright but for the most part that was what I felt. I think that you were very strong to stand up for yourself even when Ender made fun of you and made examples of you during the time that he was your commander in Battle School. When Ender was a soldier he had also been made fun of and he tried to stand up to the commander and it mainly worked but, in the long run, all the teasing turned him into a vicious person. How did it feel like to be treated as an example and made fun of? Did the other boys bully you? I hope not because in the book it showed that you were kind, took whatever life gave in one hand and gave back in the other, and made the best of your life. You never really got mad, even if there was a big problem. I hope all these characteristics are actually true and not just what the book wrote about you. One thing I was wondering is whether you knew that you were actually fighting real battles against the Buggers? The reason I am asking this is because Ender didn't know that and he thought that he was still fighting simulation battles for practice. Even though you were a very noticeable character in the book, it didn't speak very much about your past life. How did you get chosen for Battle School? Was your life worse or better before? Did you have any family or any-one that you really missed? If these questions seem too personal there is no need to answer them but it would be really interesting to hear about your life. One last thing that I reall wanted to know: When you where under his command, did you envy Ender because he was such a good commander or did you despise him the same way I do? I am just trying to collect different people's ideas and your opinion would mean a lot to me. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this letter and maybe even send some answers back.
Your friend,
Alina
I read about you in the book Ender's Game and I thought that it would be a worthwhile experience to write to you. You are probably wondering why I chose to write to you and not Ender who is much more famous. The answer is that for me, Ender was no more than a mean but victorious killer and commander. At times he was alright but for the most part that was what I felt. I think that you were very strong to stand up for yourself even when Ender made fun of you and made examples of you during the time that he was your commander in Battle School. When Ender was a soldier he had also been made fun of and he tried to stand up to the commander and it mainly worked but, in the long run, all the teasing turned him into a vicious person. How did it feel like to be treated as an example and made fun of? Did the other boys bully you? I hope not because in the book it showed that you were kind, took whatever life gave in one hand and gave back in the other, and made the best of your life. You never really got mad, even if there was a big problem. I hope all these characteristics are actually true and not just what the book wrote about you. One thing I was wondering is whether you knew that you were actually fighting real battles against the Buggers? The reason I am asking this is because Ender didn't know that and he thought that he was still fighting simulation battles for practice. Even though you were a very noticeable character in the book, it didn't speak very much about your past life. How did you get chosen for Battle School? Was your life worse or better before? Did you have any family or any-one that you really missed? If these questions seem too personal there is no need to answer them but it would be really interesting to hear about your life. One last thing that I reall wanted to know: When you where under his command, did you envy Ender because he was such a good commander or did you despise him the same way I do? I am just trying to collect different people's ideas and your opinion would mean a lot to me. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this letter and maybe even send some answers back.
Your friend,
Alina
Monday, May 10, 2010
My review of Ender's Game (7 points)
Here is my review:
Ender's Game. The title may sound captivating and the first couple pages may lure you in but all in all, I don't think that it deserves all the praise that it gets! First of all, the plot took a very long time to really get into and even then, it was not nearly as compelling as I had predicted. Sure, the end had a twist but is wasn't anything great. Just a couple of nonsense chapters to give the book a kind of a finish. Also, the writing style of the author was just too plain, never any nice images to visualize and when read aloud, the writing just didn't sound right. I wasn't asking for any flamboyant wordings that would distract from the story but just a little more description here and there could have made a wonderful change. I also really didn't like the way that Ender always felt bad for himself! He always told himself that he never meant to hurt anybody (even though he did) and how he wasn't like Peter and all those excuses! I wanted to tell him to face his life how it was and try and make a change for the better. Overall, this book was not one of my favourites. Not even close. If all this was a bit harsh, you can be comforted. I did think that the Battle Rooms were cool.
Ender's Game. The title may sound captivating and the first couple pages may lure you in but all in all, I don't think that it deserves all the praise that it gets! First of all, the plot took a very long time to really get into and even then, it was not nearly as compelling as I had predicted. Sure, the end had a twist but is wasn't anything great. Just a couple of nonsense chapters to give the book a kind of a finish. Also, the writing style of the author was just too plain, never any nice images to visualize and when read aloud, the writing just didn't sound right. I wasn't asking for any flamboyant wordings that would distract from the story but just a little more description here and there could have made a wonderful change. I also really didn't like the way that Ender always felt bad for himself! He always told himself that he never meant to hurt anybody (even though he did) and how he wasn't like Peter and all those excuses! I wanted to tell him to face his life how it was and try and make a change for the better. Overall, this book was not one of my favourites. Not even close. If all this was a bit harsh, you can be comforted. I did think that the Battle Rooms were cool.
The second review (the bad one)
Here is the bad review:
The most intriguing thing about Ender's Game is trying to figure out why it receives raves. The backbone of the plot can be explained in a sentence and while it might have supported a short story (the resolution of the story is predictable half way through) it's too flimsy a frame for a novel. The no-gray-zone series of leadership-lesson episodes read like Card wrote a story to the table of contents in a US Army basic training manual. My only explanation for the book's popularity is that it hit a sweet spot of readers with their hands on the joystick, hungry for a rationalization fantasy for the hours and quarters that they squander in video game parlors mastering Missile Command. Sure, it wasn't one of the worst all-time SCIFI novels, though at least one of Card's other books could be a tossed into that bin. I did read it through to the end. But it certainly doesn't merit topping the amazon.com SCIFI recommendations list with gushing endorsements. Better Sci-Fi? Red/Green/Blue Mars. Stapleton's Sirius. Dune - no question. Clarke's 2001. Diamond Age. Sure. But Ender's Game? Bleh.
-from Amazon
The most intriguing thing about Ender's Game is trying to figure out why it receives raves. The backbone of the plot can be explained in a sentence and while it might have supported a short story (the resolution of the story is predictable half way through) it's too flimsy a frame for a novel. The no-gray-zone series of leadership-lesson episodes read like Card wrote a story to the table of contents in a US Army basic training manual. My only explanation for the book's popularity is that it hit a sweet spot of readers with their hands on the joystick, hungry for a rationalization fantasy for the hours and quarters that they squander in video game parlors mastering Missile Command. Sure, it wasn't one of the worst all-time SCIFI novels, though at least one of Card's other books could be a tossed into that bin. I did read it through to the end. But it certainly doesn't merit topping the amazon.com SCIFI recommendations list with gushing endorsements. Better Sci-Fi? Red/Green/Blue Mars. Stapleton's Sirius. Dune - no question. Clarke's 2001. Diamond Age. Sure. But Ender's Game? Bleh.
-from Amazon
The Good Review of Ender's Game
Here is the first review (the good one):
How can you consider yourself a fan of Science Fiction if you've never read Ender's Game? Actually... I only just read it a month ago- but boy am I ashamed of myself for having waited so long! I had to read it again a week ago since I couldn't believe I'd loved it so much, and when phrases like, "The best book I've ever read!" come to your mind- you'd better be pretty certain. It goes high on my list with Dune and very few others. It will enrapture you.
The story is simple. It is the future. The Earth has had a severe run-in with a race of hostile aliens we call the "Buggers". They have invaded our planet twice, nearly wiping us out if it weren't for some amazing luck. Now, decades later, the Earth prepares to retaliate against the Buggers- defeat them before a third invasion can be launched against us. We have a massive fleet, but need a leader. With that in mind, the military turns to children for salvation... filtering out the most brilliant strategic minds and molding them into commanders with what it takes to win the war. At age 6, Andrew Wiggen (ENDER) is their best hope. This is the story of his trials and training and SO much more.
Card does everything right in Ender's Game. As a 24 year-old, I couldn't recommend any book higher. If you are new to sci-fi, this will get you addicted. ............
-from Amazon.com
How can you consider yourself a fan of Science Fiction if you've never read Ender's Game? Actually... I only just read it a month ago- but boy am I ashamed of myself for having waited so long! I had to read it again a week ago since I couldn't believe I'd loved it so much, and when phrases like, "The best book I've ever read!" come to your mind- you'd better be pretty certain. It goes high on my list with Dune and very few others. It will enrapture you.
The story is simple. It is the future. The Earth has had a severe run-in with a race of hostile aliens we call the "Buggers". They have invaded our planet twice, nearly wiping us out if it weren't for some amazing luck. Now, decades later, the Earth prepares to retaliate against the Buggers- defeat them before a third invasion can be launched against us. We have a massive fleet, but need a leader. With that in mind, the military turns to children for salvation... filtering out the most brilliant strategic minds and molding them into commanders with what it takes to win the war. At age 6, Andrew Wiggen (ENDER) is their best hope. This is the story of his trials and training and SO much more.
Card does everything right in Ender's Game. As a 24 year-old, I couldn't recommend any book higher. If you are new to sci-fi, this will get you addicted. ............
-from Amazon.com
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Ender's Last Diary Entry (#5)- a total of 10 points
Dear Diary,
I feel that this may be one of my last diary entries in a while because there are so many troubling things going on here at Battle School and writing them down in this book just puts them into an even worse perspective for me. In my last entry I was so happy that I had finally found something that was actually right here at Battle School: my after-hour practice sessions. There were many new Launchies and kids from my Launch group that had just recently been put in armies who were coming out. We had the best maneuvering techniques ever. I went to my practices to feel good, happy and to feel like I was doing something beneficial and helpful at Battle School, because those emotions are pretty hard to come by here. But last night when I was in a happy state of mind during one of those practices, some of the older boys came and started watching us. I knew that those boys could be dangerous and I spotted Bernard among them, but I thought that they were just watching us to admire our skills. I couldn't have been more wrong. One by one they started joining us in the zero-gravity room and not to learn our techniques but to hurt us. After only a couple short minutes blood was pouring out of my boy's noses and ears. We were a good so-called army but, those boys where mostly twice our age and at least twice our size. I ordered the non-injured boys into formation and we finally, after many struggling attempts, managed to finish those older boys off. That was something I regret doing. Now I wonder how many enemies I have. It's unbelievable how many students hate me or are scared of me. I might as well be known as a killing machine, but that's not the reputation I want. I wish I could start over again but I can't. The past has already happened and in my case, the teachers have probably already planned out my future. Most likely a lonely, frightful and painful future.
Sincerely,
Ender
I feel that this may be one of my last diary entries in a while because there are so many troubling things going on here at Battle School and writing them down in this book just puts them into an even worse perspective for me. In my last entry I was so happy that I had finally found something that was actually right here at Battle School: my after-hour practice sessions. There were many new Launchies and kids from my Launch group that had just recently been put in armies who were coming out. We had the best maneuvering techniques ever. I went to my practices to feel good, happy and to feel like I was doing something beneficial and helpful at Battle School, because those emotions are pretty hard to come by here. But last night when I was in a happy state of mind during one of those practices, some of the older boys came and started watching us. I knew that those boys could be dangerous and I spotted Bernard among them, but I thought that they were just watching us to admire our skills. I couldn't have been more wrong. One by one they started joining us in the zero-gravity room and not to learn our techniques but to hurt us. After only a couple short minutes blood was pouring out of my boy's noses and ears. We were a good so-called army but, those boys where mostly twice our age and at least twice our size. I ordered the non-injured boys into formation and we finally, after many struggling attempts, managed to finish those older boys off. That was something I regret doing. Now I wonder how many enemies I have. It's unbelievable how many students hate me or are scared of me. I might as well be known as a killing machine, but that's not the reputation I want. I wish I could start over again but I can't. The past has already happened and in my case, the teachers have probably already planned out my future. Most likely a lonely, frightful and painful future.
Sincerely,
Ender
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Ender's Diary Entry #4
Dear Diary,
In the past couple days a few things have actually been happy so I can partially keep the promise that I made in my last entry. First of all, I made Bonzo look stupid (by accident) in front of our whole army and he got so incredibly mad that, he traded me to Rat Army. I would have been happy but my new commander is almost as bad as him and he still stares at me with his menacing smirks. If looks could kill, I'd drop dead at this very moment. Anyway, me new commander is named Rose the Nose and he doesn't take anything seriously. At least he doesn't really hate me but he does ignore me. One benefit of having a new commander is that Rose lets me participate in the practices and more often in the battles. I am learning lots of new things even though I don't agree with most of the techniques, so, I decided to start practice sessions for the boys in my Launch Group who are not yet in an army. That way I can feel like I'm doing some good in this horrible place. My practice sessions are becoming a great success and many Launchies including Shen and Alai have come out to join me. I don't teach the exact formations that I learn with my army because I have come up with more reliable techniques that make more sense. My techniques would also help us win battles more easily. Too bad that this isn't a real army. We would win every battle. One thing I still can't understand is why Alai hasn't been chosen for an army yet, he is pretty talented. But, if I may say so myself, I believe that I am still a teeny-weeny little bit better. Is that alright?
Sincerely,
Ender
In the past couple days a few things have actually been happy so I can partially keep the promise that I made in my last entry. First of all, I made Bonzo look stupid (by accident) in front of our whole army and he got so incredibly mad that, he traded me to Rat Army. I would have been happy but my new commander is almost as bad as him and he still stares at me with his menacing smirks. If looks could kill, I'd drop dead at this very moment. Anyway, me new commander is named Rose the Nose and he doesn't take anything seriously. At least he doesn't really hate me but he does ignore me. One benefit of having a new commander is that Rose lets me participate in the practices and more often in the battles. I am learning lots of new things even though I don't agree with most of the techniques, so, I decided to start practice sessions for the boys in my Launch Group who are not yet in an army. That way I can feel like I'm doing some good in this horrible place. My practice sessions are becoming a great success and many Launchies including Shen and Alai have come out to join me. I don't teach the exact formations that I learn with my army because I have come up with more reliable techniques that make more sense. My techniques would also help us win battles more easily. Too bad that this isn't a real army. We would win every battle. One thing I still can't understand is why Alai hasn't been chosen for an army yet, he is pretty talented. But, if I may say so myself, I believe that I am still a teeny-weeny little bit better. Is that alright?
Sincerely,
Ender
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Ender's Diary Entry #3
Dear Diary,
I think that my life here at Battle School is already planned out to be horrible, difficult and most of all frustrating. Just when I was starting to make some friends in my Launch Group (which was quite difficult after the Bernard incident), I got transferred to an army. Yes, I am 6 years old and already part of a practice army at Battle School. I can't believe it because I had to leave my friends, Shen and Alai, for a horrible commander and other soldiers who already hate me. My commander's name is Bonzo Madrid and it was hate at first sight. The way he speaks to me and everything he orders me to do is just plain unpleasant. We've already had one battle and it was horrible. Bonzo didn't even let me get into the fight and I could have done so well. But, I guess he doesn't know that because he doesn't let me take part in the practices either! Oh, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!!! Well, that helped to get my anger out. To add to my troubles, I still feel horrible about what I did to Bernard. It was completely an accident and I felt like throwing up. I just wish that things wouldn't always go wrong when I'm there. I guess that Bernard and I are bound to be enemies for life. That is a horrible thought and writing in this diary hasn't made me feel any better. Hopefully, next time I write in you it will all be happy news!
Sincerely,
Ender
I think that my life here at Battle School is already planned out to be horrible, difficult and most of all frustrating. Just when I was starting to make some friends in my Launch Group (which was quite difficult after the Bernard incident), I got transferred to an army. Yes, I am 6 years old and already part of a practice army at Battle School. I can't believe it because I had to leave my friends, Shen and Alai, for a horrible commander and other soldiers who already hate me. My commander's name is Bonzo Madrid and it was hate at first sight. The way he speaks to me and everything he orders me to do is just plain unpleasant. We've already had one battle and it was horrible. Bonzo didn't even let me get into the fight and I could have done so well. But, I guess he doesn't know that because he doesn't let me take part in the practices either! Oh, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!!! Well, that helped to get my anger out. To add to my troubles, I still feel horrible about what I did to Bernard. It was completely an accident and I felt like throwing up. I just wish that things wouldn't always go wrong when I'm there. I guess that Bernard and I are bound to be enemies for life. That is a horrible thought and writing in this diary hasn't made me feel any better. Hopefully, next time I write in you it will all be happy news!
Sincerely,
Ender
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Ender's Twitter account!
Ender's twitter account has the required 10 tweets! Hope you enjoyed them and... guess what! There will still be some new tweets every now and then.
Ender's Diary Entry #2
Dear Diary,
Remember that boy who was hitting me on the head while we were all in the shuttle? Well, I hope you do because I broke his arm. It was an accident! I really didn't mean to, only a monster like Peter would have done something like that purposefully. Like I said, it started off with him hitting me on the head. I had never done anything to him, never even seen him before and there he was, repeatedly hitting his hard fist to my head. I thought if I just waited and didn't react he would finally get bored and stop tormenting me, but that wasn't the case. I just got really annoyed so when he tried to hit me for the umpteenth time, I grabbed his arm and pulled him out of his seat. He went flying into the wall of the shuttle that separates the passengers from the captain. He hit the wall with his right arm with so much force that he broke it! This sounds like quite a difficult feat but, it was actually quite easy. The fact that we were in zero-gravity helped me a lot. But I hate how it helped me. I broke a boy's arm before we even arrived at Battle School and now I feel terrible and I immensely regret what I did. The boy's name is Bernard by the way. When we start our training he'll just get even madder because he will have to be held back while his arm heals. Well, at least people leave me alone now, but that's not what I wanted. I wanted my beginning of Battle School to be positive because I know that the coming years will be difficult. I wish I had never agreed to do this.
Sincerely,
Ender
Remember that boy who was hitting me on the head while we were all in the shuttle? Well, I hope you do because I broke his arm. It was an accident! I really didn't mean to, only a monster like Peter would have done something like that purposefully. Like I said, it started off with him hitting me on the head. I had never done anything to him, never even seen him before and there he was, repeatedly hitting his hard fist to my head. I thought if I just waited and didn't react he would finally get bored and stop tormenting me, but that wasn't the case. I just got really annoyed so when he tried to hit me for the umpteenth time, I grabbed his arm and pulled him out of his seat. He went flying into the wall of the shuttle that separates the passengers from the captain. He hit the wall with his right arm with so much force that he broke it! This sounds like quite a difficult feat but, it was actually quite easy. The fact that we were in zero-gravity helped me a lot. But I hate how it helped me. I broke a boy's arm before we even arrived at Battle School and now I feel terrible and I immensely regret what I did. The boy's name is Bernard by the way. When we start our training he'll just get even madder because he will have to be held back while his arm heals. Well, at least people leave me alone now, but that's not what I wanted. I wanted my beginning of Battle School to be positive because I know that the coming years will be difficult. I wish I had never agreed to do this.
Sincerely,
Ender
Monday, April 26, 2010
Ender's Diary Entry #1 (total of 10 points)
Dear Diary,
I can't believe what is happening to me, and I'm not sure if the the events that are happening are good or bad. It all started out when I had to get my monitor removed and it hurt excruciatingly, even though the nurse named Deedee (what a silly name!) said it wouldn't. Because I got the monitor taken off, I was late for school but I didn't miss anything. Everything we do in class is so simple. Valentine (my sister) taught me all that arithmetic nonsense when I was 3. Anyway, I barely paid attention in class but after the school-day was over and I was walking down the hall, hoping for a nice relaxing evening at home after my monitor removal, something horribly wrong happened. A boy named Stilson and all of his friends ganged up on me and started making fun of me and teasing me by calling me a Third. I couldn't stand it so I started attacking Stilson and I gave him a bloody-nose, a black-eye and maybe even a couple broken bones. That's actually a pretty outrageous accomplishment for a 6 year old. Then, I told his friends to stay away from me. They did! When I got home, both Peter and Valentine were waiting for me. Val was waiting there to comfort me, but Peter was waiting to attack me, just like I attacked Stilson. Luckily, Valentine was there so she could help me defend myself from that awful monster Peter. True, both Peter and I hurt someone today, but I did it to defend myself and I felt horrible afterwards, but Peter hurts others for pleasure. As you may have noticed, I have 2 siblings and I am the third child, which is a disgrace. No wonder every-one makes fun of me. After dinner, a man came in to the house and talked to Mother and Father privately. Then, they called me in to join them. The man's name was Graff and he was part of the I.F. (International Fleet). He had come to invite me to Battle School, where I would train to become a soldier and later on, maybe even help fight the Buggers. Graff said that if I agreed to go I wouldn't be able to come back for at least 5 or 6 years. I agreed. There's no one here to miss except for Val but being away from her might be okay. That was my last conversation in my old house. After agreeing to go, Graff whisked me away to a special car and now I am in a shuttle on the way to Battle School in outer space. I must stop writing now because, OUCH! There is a boy behind me hitting me on the head with his fist.
Sincerely,
Ender
OUCH!
I can't believe what is happening to me, and I'm not sure if the the events that are happening are good or bad. It all started out when I had to get my monitor removed and it hurt excruciatingly, even though the nurse named Deedee (what a silly name!) said it wouldn't. Because I got the monitor taken off, I was late for school but I didn't miss anything. Everything we do in class is so simple. Valentine (my sister) taught me all that arithmetic nonsense when I was 3. Anyway, I barely paid attention in class but after the school-day was over and I was walking down the hall, hoping for a nice relaxing evening at home after my monitor removal, something horribly wrong happened. A boy named Stilson and all of his friends ganged up on me and started making fun of me and teasing me by calling me a Third. I couldn't stand it so I started attacking Stilson and I gave him a bloody-nose, a black-eye and maybe even a couple broken bones. That's actually a pretty outrageous accomplishment for a 6 year old. Then, I told his friends to stay away from me. They did! When I got home, both Peter and Valentine were waiting for me. Val was waiting there to comfort me, but Peter was waiting to attack me, just like I attacked Stilson. Luckily, Valentine was there so she could help me defend myself from that awful monster Peter. True, both Peter and I hurt someone today, but I did it to defend myself and I felt horrible afterwards, but Peter hurts others for pleasure. As you may have noticed, I have 2 siblings and I am the third child, which is a disgrace. No wonder every-one makes fun of me. After dinner, a man came in to the house and talked to Mother and Father privately. Then, they called me in to join them. The man's name was Graff and he was part of the I.F. (International Fleet). He had come to invite me to Battle School, where I would train to become a soldier and later on, maybe even help fight the Buggers. Graff said that if I agreed to go I wouldn't be able to come back for at least 5 or 6 years. I agreed. There's no one here to miss except for Val but being away from her might be okay. That was my last conversation in my old house. After agreeing to go, Graff whisked me away to a special car and now I am in a shuttle on the way to Battle School in outer space. I must stop writing now because, OUCH! There is a boy behind me hitting me on the head with his fist.
Sincerely,
Ender
OUCH!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Ender's twitter account (5 points)
Did you know that Ender Wiggin has a twitter account? Please check it out! (There are more tweets coming soon!)
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