In the novel, Ender keeps exhibiting violence/aggression and an obsession with winning. But it seems acceptable, even encouraged by the teachers. You see this in chapter 8, “Rat.” Ender uses violence to protect the students in his practice session. Then the teachers discipline nobody and declare the injuries an accident. Later, Dink talks with him about how obsessed everyone is with “the game.”
Why does this seem so realistic?
Choose one of the following scenarios where someone shows excessive aggression/obsession, and in 3 or more paragraphs, describe:
- Why an authority figure in the scenario might quietly condone or even somewhat encourage aggressive/obsessive behavior.
- Imagine how the situation “gets complicated.”
- To what extent do you agree or disagree with the authority figure’s encouraging the behavior?
- What kind of questions or advice would you give the authority figure?
Scenario 1: A coach notices improvement in one of his younger players. It’s clear for the first time that the player has been putting his time off the court. He becomes a starter, and as he surpasses talented teammates, he talks down to them. Some of them complain to the coach. The coach ignores the worst incidents. He tells him to settle down but publicly praises the athlete for their improvement. It gets complicated.
Scenario 2: A general manager promotes one of her top employees to shift manager. It’s only a short time before the shift manager berates new employees when they produce low quality. She allows the behavior to continue while she works to keep the worst from happening. It gets complicated.
Scenario 3: A brilliant teacher inspires his studious novels class and assigns them a 4-page paper due the next day. The inspired students work hard and complete the assignment with flying colors. The teacher noticed they each looked tired but was so pleased with how they rose to the occasion. He inspires them again and assigns a 6-page paper overnight, reminding them to get sleep. They seem excited. It gets complicated.