A Novel Study
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The International Fleet (often shortened to
I.F. or IF) is an organization created to protect
Earth from the alien Formics (buggers)
The Fleet has two commanding officials:
Polemarch, head of the Fleet and in control
of ship movements
Strategos, at the head of the department of
strategy.
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Hegemony- an alliance of the countries of
earth
Toon- From “platoon” a subgroup of lower
command in an army.
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The skinned squirrel
Peter
The Giant’s game
Stilson
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The squirrel- symbolizes Peter’s cruelty and
his sadistic personality
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Symbolizes the part of Ender that he is most
afraid of becoming. Ender’s genetic makeup
is similar to Peter’s. The image in the mirror
reminds Ender that he might be just like
Peter, whom he loathes.
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The way Ender beats the game symbolizes
that in certain circumstances, Ender is willing
to do whatever it takes. It foreshadows the
killing of Bonzo and the revelation that
Stilson died at Ender’s hands too.
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As the first time Ender kills, or even fights for
that matter, Stilson is a reoccurring figure in
Ender’s mind. To him, Stilson represents the
lesson of fighting once, and taking it as far as
it must go to make sure he does not need to
fight again. Stilson also haunts Ender’s
dreams as the symbol of the unwilling
murders he has committed.
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Locke- Peter’s webnet persona. The name is
an allusion to John Locke, An English
philosopher who wrote about political issues
way back in the 1600s (9.126)
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Demosthenes- Valentine’s webnet persona.
Took a leading role in turning Athens against
Alexander the Great – which didn’t work out
for Athens, or for Demosthenes. (9.64)
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Peter’s Locke is moderate and empathetic.
Valentine’s Demosthenes is paranoid and antiRussian
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Because their webnet personas are opposite to
their own personalities, Peter and Valentine rely
on each other to make the deception work
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Peter believes that once the Bugger threat is
eliminated, Russia may rise in power and
countries will turn against each other.
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A mutual defense treaty between eight
communist states of Central and Eastern
Europe in existence during the Cold War.
“If they’re moving troops, it must be under
the direction of the Strategos”
“It’s all internal, within the Warsaw Pact.”
Peter believes he can change public opinion
(manipulation of information/propaganda)
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Napoleon
Alexander the Great
Thomas Paine
Benjamin Franklin
Hitler
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Circumcised dog” – An old and insulting way
to refer to Muslims by Christians, who were
not circumcised. (10.173)
“Veni Vidi Vici” – What Julius Caesar said
about an easy war, meaning, “I came, I saw, I
conquered.” (ch.11)
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Loss of innocence. Growing up too quickly
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Ender spread his hands over the child-size keyboard
near the edge of the desk and wondered what it
would feel like to have hands as large as a grownup's. They must feel so big and awkward, thick
stubby fingers and beefy palms. (1.54)
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"But shouldn't they still act like children? They aren't
normal. They act like – history. Napoleon and
Wellington. Caesar and Brutus." (7.10)
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Out of the woods emerged a dozen slavering wolves
with human faces. Ender recognized them – they
were the children from the playground. Only now
their teeth could tear; Ender, weaponless, was
quickly devoured. (7.69)
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“I've spent my life as someone's pawn" (15.97).
"Not a joke, a game. I can make you guys believe
anything. I can make you dance around like puppets."
(2.64)
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"Individual human beings are all tools, that the others
use to help us all survive." (4.83)
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"I'm not going to let the bastards run me, Ender. They've
got you pegged, too, and they don't plan to treat you
kindly. Look what they've done to you so far." (8.150)
“Too willing to submerge himself in someone else’s
will. […] So what do we do? Surround him with
enemies all the time?” (1.4-6)
 “Isolate him enough that he remains creative –
otherwise he’ll adopt the system here and we’ll lose
him. At the same time, we need to make sure he
keeps a strong ability to lead.” (4.1)
 If Graff was setting him up, there’d be no help unless
he helped himself. (4.62)
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Not enemies, not friends, but brothers – able to
live in the same house. (1.16)
 “Nowhere in that does it say I have to make
friends with children.” (4.75)
 "They don't want to teach me everything," Ender
said. "I wanted to learn what it was like to have a
friend.“
 Alai nodded soberly. "Always my friend, always
the best of my friends," he said. (7.55-56)
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But I'll be watching you, more compassionately than
you know, and when the time is right you'll find that
I'm your friend, and you are the soldier you want to
be. (10.168)
 "It's good to know I have a friend here." But Ender
wasn't sure Dink was his friend anymore. Neither
was Dink. (11.81)
 Ender was human and Bean had been allowed to
see. (11.213)
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I have to win this now, and for all time, or I’ll
fight it ever day and it will get worse and
worse. (1.78)
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Ender knew the unspoken rules of manly
warfare, even though he was only six. It was
forbidden to strike the opponent who lay
helpless on the ground; only an animal would
do that. (1.79)
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Ender felt sick. He had only meant to catch the boy’s
arm. No. No, he had meant to hurt him. (4.66)
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"Because as long as people are afraid of the
buggers, the I.F. can stay in power, and as long as
the I.F. is in power, certain countries can keep their
hegemony.” (8.162)
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Ender never surrendered to Peter, but I have turned,
I've become part of him, as Ender never was. (9.266)
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They couldn't beat him in the battleroom, and knew
it – so instead they would attack him where it was
safe, where he was not a giant but just a little boy.
(11.108)
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[…] the power to cause pain is the only power that
matters, the power to kill and destroy, because if
you can't kill then you are always subject to those
who can, and nothing and no one will ever save you.
(12.110)