Red Badge of Courage
pgs. 1-48
This book is set in the civil war era. when a young boy decides he must join the southern forces. This enlistment, for him, is not for a sense of entitlement or heroism. This boy wants to join because he thinks it would be "cool" so to speak. He tells his mother his decision, though she battles it, and goes to school to be honored by his mates for his "heroism". The next day, he arrives at the camp, and hears exaggerated stories of war from some older veterans. He is pumped for his first battle, but when the gun fires, he runs like a startled kitten. he had much worried of this during the long nights in his base camp, and never thought he could be so wimpy. He now knows, after talking to a the "tall man", that this is not the honorable thing to do, and he must struggle to help his fellow soldiers.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Post #14
Reading Blog
pgs. 653-702
Cooper Feltes
On these pages, Ender wraps up his Q&A session with the doctor. We find out that Marcao had a disease that turns some of the human organs to fat, and eventually kills you, yet is often passed down to your children, for them to suffer from. The doctor screened, earlier, all the children for said disease, but found nothing. This could only mean, but only for Ender to discover, that Marcao is not the father at all, but Libo, Novihna's real lover, was, before he was killed by the piggies, just as his father was. This is probably why Novihna and Marcao had such a rough relationship. Libo, we found out, had earlier taken Miro, one of Novihna's sons, under his wing, along with his own daughter as a Zenador. In the latter scenes of the reading, the reader sees Miro venture out into Piggy territory, while Card describes how Miro and Oaunda, Libo's daughter, found Libo with his heart out of his chest, not unlike the potential punishment for Darnay in A Tale of Two Cities. I think that Oaunda and Miro might have a thing that goes on between them in future readings, much like Libo and Novihna did.
Monday, February 7, 2011
post #13
Cooper Feltes
pg 600-653
On these pages, Ender has a long discussion with Jane about what occurred in Novihna's household that day. He , as he always does to speak for any death, in this case three deaths, comes up with seven questions. These seven questions, he mentions, are the key to uncovering the truth about the death of Marcao, Novihna's husband. he proceeds to Lusitania's medical hospital, where he meets a jubilant doctor. This doctor is known to be a strict catholic, and catholics, at least on Lusitania, do not at all like Speakers. Ender must remind the doctor of his status among the government in order to obtain files covering the death of Marcao. Card goes on about how the catholics have despised the "new religion", but doesn't fully explain why. I think this may have something to do with the end of the story.
pg 600-653
On these pages, Ender has a long discussion with Jane about what occurred in Novihna's household that day. He , as he always does to speak for any death, in this case three deaths, comes up with seven questions. These seven questions, he mentions, are the key to uncovering the truth about the death of Marcao, Novihna's husband. he proceeds to Lusitania's medical hospital, where he meets a jubilant doctor. This doctor is known to be a strict catholic, and catholics, at least on Lusitania, do not at all like Speakers. Ender must remind the doctor of his status among the government in order to obtain files covering the death of Marcao. Card goes on about how the catholics have despised the "new religion", but doesn't fully explain why. I think this may have something to do with the end of the story.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Post #12
Cooper Feltes
pg. 548-599
Speaker for the Dead
Speaker for the Dead
On these pages, Ender is still the household of Novihna. Novihna hears an unfamiliar sound, the sound of her son, Miro, laughing. Having grown up in such a hostile, unfriendly household this one has turned out to be, Novihna is appalled that he is laughing with such "scum" as the Speaker. She repeatedly asks him to leave, and he eventually does. Before leaving, has a few more unfamiliar laughs with the children, just to be kicked out of the house by Novihna. Novihna had called for Ender upon the death of Pipo, her father figure. She aborted the request, which is not doable after the Speaker had left, which he had. We find out though, that Ela, Novihna's daughter, had called for him only, coincidentally, two weeks before he arrived to speak Marcao's, Novihna's cruel husband's, death. The kids of the family are accepting of Ender, but Novihna thinks very differently, for she hates him, and would rather see him dead than to have to talk to him again.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
post #10
Cooper Feltes
Pages 496-548
In these pages, Novihna finally returned home to her house. She is told of the arrival of the Speaker by her children. For some reason which the reader has not yet discovered, Novihna cancelled her call for a Speaker many years ago. She was not happy to see that he had arrived so soon. Ender was speaking, all the while, to one of the children in the back room, but comes out to greet the reluctant Novihna. Novihna believes that he should leave and not come back, to the children's utter dismay, having known him for only a few hours, yet has gotten to "know them more than [Novihna does]." Novihna is then told of the story that the family just experienced, and, though she doesn't believe in the power of the Speaker, is moved by his ability to learn more of her family in a few hours, than she had in years.
Pages 496-548
In these pages, Novihna finally returned home to her house. She is told of the arrival of the Speaker by her children. For some reason which the reader has not yet discovered, Novihna cancelled her call for a Speaker many years ago. She was not happy to see that he had arrived so soon. Ender was speaking, all the while, to one of the children in the back room, but comes out to greet the reluctant Novihna. Novihna believes that he should leave and not come back, to the children's utter dismay, having known him for only a few hours, yet has gotten to "know them more than [Novihna does]." Novihna is then told of the story that the family just experienced, and, though she doesn't believe in the power of the Speaker, is moved by his ability to learn more of her family in a few hours, than she had in years.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Post #9
Cooper Feltes
pgs. 448-495
In these pages, The scene switches to Novihna's laboratory. This is her place of buisness- a place where she can get away from her awful children, now enlightened, and a place where she can do what she was born to do. Card puts a lot of emphasis on the genetically engineered plants she was growing(potatoes that would grow in Lusitania's tough soil). Her children are misfits, and she doesn't consider them children anymore. She is so obsessed with her plants, they are now her children. At the end of the chapter, we see Novihna sitting on a chair in her lab, pondering whether to go home or not. She doesn't know it, but her children need her now more than ever.
pgs. 448-495
In these pages, The scene switches to Novihna's laboratory. This is her place of buisness- a place where she can get away from her awful children, now enlightened, and a place where she can do what she was born to do. Card puts a lot of emphasis on the genetically engineered plants she was growing(potatoes that would grow in Lusitania's tough soil). Her children are misfits, and she doesn't consider them children anymore. She is so obsessed with her plants, they are now her children. At the end of the chapter, we see Novihna sitting on a chair in her lab, pondering whether to go home or not. She doesn't know it, but her children need her now more than ever.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
post #8
p400-447
This, I think, is one of the best and most interesting chapters of any book I have ever read. In these few chapters, Ender(Andrew) is led to the household of Novihna, greeted by a young boy(one of the six or seven children in the family), who grabs a knife from his pants, and lunges at Ender! Ender evades his attack, and grabs him by the arms and legs(Grego being small enough to fit all limbs in one hand). When Ender proceeds to enter, he is welcomed by a "blank and white" household filled with loveless people. Novihna isn't there, but that doesn't mean he can't help the family. After some persuasion, all the while with Grego in his hand, he gets the family to sit down. The only one to really warm up to Ender was Ela-a girl who seemed to be acting as the mother of the family. The father of the family seemed to have died three weeks beforehand, and the family is still grieving. Quim, another child of the family, who hates the fact that the other children have been sharing so much with Ender, ignores him and goes to plug in his bionic eye I mentioned earlier into some machine. Jane dumps, somehow, his memory onto a hologram onto the floor. We then see Miro, the father, beating Novihna. Quim then can't take seeing his horrible memories displayed in front of him, and yells that he killed his father, and doesn't regret it, understandably. He had a fatal skin dissease, but to see a man, "playing it by ear," lead a family intervention. To top it off, Ender discovers that Grego has just been trying to be like his dad, innocently, though it has gotten him in trouble. Ender seems to be really good at what he does.
This, I think, is one of the best and most interesting chapters of any book I have ever read. In these few chapters, Ender(Andrew) is led to the household of Novihna, greeted by a young boy(one of the six or seven children in the family), who grabs a knife from his pants, and lunges at Ender! Ender evades his attack, and grabs him by the arms and legs(Grego being small enough to fit all limbs in one hand). When Ender proceeds to enter, he is welcomed by a "blank and white" household filled with loveless people. Novihna isn't there, but that doesn't mean he can't help the family. After some persuasion, all the while with Grego in his hand, he gets the family to sit down. The only one to really warm up to Ender was Ela-a girl who seemed to be acting as the mother of the family. The father of the family seemed to have died three weeks beforehand, and the family is still grieving. Quim, another child of the family, who hates the fact that the other children have been sharing so much with Ender, ignores him and goes to plug in his bionic eye I mentioned earlier into some machine. Jane dumps, somehow, his memory onto a hologram onto the floor. We then see Miro, the father, beating Novihna. Quim then can't take seeing his horrible memories displayed in front of him, and yells that he killed his father, and doesn't regret it, understandably. He had a fatal skin dissease, but to see a man, "playing it by ear," lead a family intervention. To top it off, Ender discovers that Grego has just been trying to be like his dad, innocently, though it has gotten him in trouble. Ender seems to be really good at what he does.
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