Question #1 - Fahrenheit 451

*What is the major theme of this novel? why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?
In books, many things are written about our world. The history of our world, the culture of specific countries, the art of our world, and many other knowledge of our world is written in books. The authors show lessons and thorough knowledge. Books give us images, understanding, and the freedom to think and reflect (which can be opinions) about books. With books, we can make connections with our lives. Books can even give us knowledge of writing. By reading, the use of vocabulary and writing skills would improve. Without books, we won’t have enough knowledge to live out, but in Fahrenheit 451, the government made books illegal, so people resisted on technology. In reality, we can’t live a day without any technology because of fear. We fear because we think we can’t do anything without technology, so people became to resist on technology. These days, most of the teenagers use their time mostly on watching television or using computers. We should have a time of reading and other productive activities to make our lives more reasonable. We should do something more meaningful.
The author, Ray Bradbury, wants to tell us how much important books are. He is emphasizing the importance of independent thoughts. We should question why things are done and speak out our own opinions, not just follow the government’s words. It is important to think ahead and make good decisions. People should speak out their inner opinions to others, not just follow someone who is not sure of their way. There should be person who can make a difference or solution to a problem.

Question #2 - Fahrenheit 451

*Are there are any current situations in the world that relate to the novel? what are they, and how do they relate? does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved or "fixed"?
There are very many situations in the world that relate to the novel. One of the main problems is people don’t know the reason why but just believes or relies on other people’s opinions, not thinking about their own thoughts. Especially, the government forces us to believe strongly in something that could be wrong, and people just follow the rule, not knowing the reason. Like North Korea, people are forced to believe in Kim Jung-il even though he doesn’t do anything good. He just wants to maintain his regime and if anyone criticizes him the person would be sentenced to death. Ultimately, people follow the rules, and the law continues through generation after generation, making people think it’s obvious. And if there is anyone who does shout out the truth eventually gets punished. Without freedom, people live in a world that is full of foul laws.
In Fahrenheit 451, people just follow the rules of the government not knowing why and eventually became natural, but Montag was different. He was determined to change the false world. If people get together and fight against their rights, there would be a day that the world can change.

Question #3 - Fahrenheit 451

*Who are the main characters in the novel? do you like them? why or why not? what is special about them? what do they reveal about the universal human experience?
The main character in the book Fahrenheit 451 is a man named Guy Montag, who worked for the government by burning books, but changed. Other character who is important is Clarisse McClellan. She was seventeen years old girl, who was very unique from others. She was the one who influenced Montag. She always had questions about something she was really curious. Frankly, she was curious in everything. After Montag meeting Clarisse, he searched for the meanings of his life, and reveals the truth. After realizing the truth, he found out that he was in a false world, so he fights against the government but even fights against himself too. He questioned at himself if he’s happy and after founding out what his true happiness is, which is reading books, he decides to fight against and save the books.
I like both of the characters. They were different from everyone else. They thought deeply into their minds about the meanings and truth of life than others. Both, Montag and Clarisse were ready to fight against the government. They were willing to oppose the government by their opinions and rights. The reason why I like Guy Montag the most is because he has courage and takes risks.

Question #4 - Fahrenheit 451

*What is the climax of this novel? what happens? how do the events of this novel make you feel?
The climax is when Montag kills Beatty after burning Montag’s house. Mildred admonishes everything that Montag was hiding and ran away from him. After Beatty finding out Montag hiding books and burning the house, Montag lifts up a gun and shoots Beatty. Eventually, Beatty dies by the by the gun shot. Surprisingly, Beatty didn’t have hatred over Montag but thanked him for killing him. Beatty wanted to die. He knew that the world was wrong, and he was living in a false world. He couldn’t fight against the world because he had control and power. The murder of Beatty ended Beatty’s worries and thoughts and made him comfortable. It was what he wanted and Montag fulfilled it.
When I read this part, I felt really strange. Protecting a number of pieces of paper with words printed on them led people towards death. It’s only a book. Why do they desperately protect the books even by spearing their lives? Why don’t the governments just accept books? Is burning books more important than human’s life? Everything is all because of the governments. It just makes me angry. The governments sometimes give benefits to our world, but in majority, they make the world chaotic. This is true in the real world too, so I spite the governments. They are selfish and this causes many problems in the world.

Question #5 - Fahrenheit 451

*What is the mood of this novel? do you find this novel saddens you in any way? why?
The mood of this book is sad and serious. Every character looks dumbfound and boring. I usually feel empty after watching television or playing computer. I feel that I wasted my time in something that was very useless. In the novel, it seemed everyone was possessed by technology like a servant of technology. While I was reading, it made me very anxious of the actions the people made in the novel. I wanted to go into the book and destroy all the technology. Every action they made was very stupid.
This novel saddened me because the life of not knowing the reason why they are working or living made me pitiful. There wouldn’t be any satisfaction in life if you don’t know the reason. There is no significance or pleasure in living. Everything was depressing around Montage. Only Clarisse was truly happy. Having tons of questions and finding the answers make us happy. She had tons of questions and curiosity. She was totally different from other characters, which moved Montage’s mind and heart.

Question #6 - Fahrenheit 451

*Please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you. why is this passage meaningful? Please type it into one of your entries and comment on what you think about the passage.
“Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores.”
In the beginning of “The Sieve and the Sand,” Faber explains the importance of books to Montag. Faber tells Montag that he’s finding the meanings that the books contain, not the books themselves. The same meaning could be included in existing media like television and radio, but people no longer demand it. Montag is searching for the quality of the books, which means the “textures” of them. If I define texture in my own words, it means the details of life (authentic experience). People need quality information, the leisure to digest it, and the freedom to know and show what they have learned. Trying to fill your mind by reading books is like trying to fill a leaking bucket, because the words slip from your memory before you can even finish reading anything.

Question #7 - Fahrenheit 451

*Are there any settings in this novel which you have found to be beautiful? or disturbing? or memorable? describe these settings and comment on why they were meaningful to you.
The scene where the lady stays in her house burning with her books was disturbing. Only because of books, she left the world in pain. The setting “was a flaking three-story house in the ancient part of the city, a century old if it was a day, but like all houses it had been given a thin fireproof plastic sheath many years ago, and this preservative shell seemed to be the only thing holding it in the sky (p. 35).”
When I read this part, it really made me question why she really had to stay because of the books. I would have just left the books and live, but she chose to die with the books. It made very curious but sad too. It was really shocking when I read that the woman was really dead by the fire. I thought on the last second, she would run out of the house to live, but she didn’t. This was meaningful to me because the woman showed how much she valued the books. She didn’t give up the books. Her determination is where I should learn and follow. This scene is important and a key turning point for Montag in the book.

Question #8 - Fahrenheit 451

*Entry of your choice
Overall, the story was depressing and too dark throughout the story. I would give an 8 out 10 if I would rate this book. The story was meaningful, and the author well conveyed his messages but the novel was very confusing. It was hard to understand because the timelines were all jumbled up and some passages were confusing, which made me tired to reread and define the plot. In the middle, there were many frustrations going over my mind because the plot was too difficult to connect each other and I just wanted to give up, but I managed to read all. It was too pitiful to stop reading a novel that I have already started reading. This book is a challenging book, and I respect the author’s writing style. He did relate the story to the real world, which he did a great job. Science-fiction books aren’t my hostility. This novel is a science-fiction too, so it just made me more boring and confusing. I like action and adventure books. This book doesn’t go into my top best books but was a very challenging and interesting novel.

1. what is the major theme of this novel? why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?

Compassion is the theme that runs through Ender’s Game. This word defines of his existence. Compassion saves Ender from fighting against the enemies. If not for his compassion, he would have become either a killer or a person like Peter who wants power. By Ender showing compassion to the buggers, he destroyed the buggers’ race by giving them a chance to start new. Graff’s and Valentine’s compassion helps Ender from despair. Even later, Mazer Rackham shows that he is capable of showing compassion. Finally, the buggers demonstrate compassion to Ender, and this convinces him that he must make it his mission to see that their queen is found a safe home to start new. Compassion provides hope for the future.
Ruthlessness is sometimes necessary but it is something to be avoided. Only Peter is ruthless, and the danger of influence without conscience comes out from the inside of him. Peter is able to gain what he wants because he does not care about others, and he will never stop. Ruthlessness is the human condition devoid of its humanity, and it is the danger that threatens total destruction.
In Ender's Game it is never entirely clear who is a friend and who is an enemy. Graff, Anderson, and Rackham, who are undoubtedly Ender’s friends, appear to Ender as enemies and are forced to do so.

Question 2

• are there are any current situations in the world that relate to the novel? what are they, and how do they relate? does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved or "fixed"?

Much of Ender's Game is about the lives of children, and in everyday life, they are contrasted with those of the adults around them. Although adults often control children, this is not always the case. Peter and Valentine manage to dominate the worldwide political system through their control of adults. Ender, who does not wish to exert influence over anyone, is controlled by adults, but even they are aware of his superior intelligence. Children in this book are small, but that is about the only difference. Their thoughts and emotions are just as valid and real as their older counterparts. In fact, even the International Fleet commanders who use them are aware of this, because they are willing to place the fate of humanity in Ender's hands. Children must be taken seriously, for they are capable not only of killing, manipulating, and hating the worst features of adults but also of creating and helping. So love your children and don’t underestimate kids that are small. These days, kids are much more chaotic than adults, and they all learn from adults. Adults need to show something to influence kids toward the good side. I’m not saying that adults aren’t, but immature adults are increasing everyday in the world. It’s time to have a change! I think showing love is the best way to solve this problem.

Question 3

• who are the main characters in the novel? do you like them? why or why not? what is special about them? what do they reveal about the universal human experience?

Ender is the main character who saves the world from the aliens. Ender is very much a representative of all that is good. He is filled with sorrow for any destruction he causes and wishes no ill to any other creature. He is good because he is kind, but he is also good because he makes the sacrifices that he has to make. It is good to do what is needed, even if what is needed does not seem right. Ender does not hate Graff or Rackham for what they did to him, because he realizes that they did what had to be done. At the same time, he is crushed by the thought that he wiped out an entire race. He is good because he is forgiving. Finally, Ender is good because he sees his evils and tries to remedy them. There is no idealized, perfect good in this novel. Ender represents the best that a person can do, given the circumstances of life.
On the other hand, Peter does what he wants. He takes power because he desires it, and other people's thoughts and emotions are only important to him when he can exploit them. It is true that he makes a good ruler because he is not evil incarnate. Although Peter saves lives by coming to power on earth, he is evil because he did so only out of expediency. Good can come out of evil, but that does not make the evil any better. Peter is an awful human being, but it makes him a good ruler. What is scary is that an evil person does not care whether their actions are good or bad. Don’t you think?

4. what is the climax of this novel? what happens? how do the events of this novel make you feel?

The climax of Ender's Game starts off with his meeting with Mazer Rackham, the man who had won battles against the buggers. Ender learns more about the buggers and how they only have drones and a queen like a bee hive. Ender was also told about a new weapon called Dr. Device which can destroy the ships into pieces in brief instants. Ender is put in a room with his companions, where he will play a new game with ships and he is the commander. During many months these children under the command of Ender fought and won every battle. Now he came to the last level, which is destroying the home planet of the buggers. When he got there, many people were at his room where he commanded everybody. Ender used the all attack at once in a bullet shaped form and at last, he used the Dr. Device on the bugger's home planet, which destroyed all the buggers, their homes, and their ships. Finally, Ender was told then that the game was actually real life. He was very distraught because he knew that he had killed many buggers on many planets and had let some humans die at the same time.
If I was in Ender’s case, I would feel awful like Ender. First, I was tricked by everyone that it was reality and second, I killed hundreds of living lives. If I can talk with Ender, I would comfort him and say that it isn’t Ender’s fault. Anyways, the result is that he saved the world and sacrifices always follow.

5. what is the mood of this novel? do you find this novel saddens you in any way? why?

There were many moods taking place in my mind, but the main mood that I think took place in the book was chaos and anger. There were killing and wars in this story, so it was really chaotic. Almost every chapter had emotions of anger. Ender was isolated from people where ever he went. This was a tragic. This made Ender angry and sad, but he resisted it. People all around Ender, especially adults, made Ender really mad and angry because they controlled over him, doing actions that Ender didn’t really like, so I think the mood of angriness takes more than half of the story. The mood of this story changes when every time the setting changes. There was a sad mood when Ender had to leave from his family, especially from Valentine. He really loved his sister, Valentine, and she ones the only one that really comforted Ender, so leaving Valentine was a big choice. Another part is when Ender found out that he killed many living lives; he slept for two days by shock. I would have really suffered; thought it was a game, but was reality. The author used various interesting moods, which is one of the reasons that this book could be the best seller.

Question 6

• please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you. why is this passage meaningful? Please type it into one of your entries and comment on what you think about the passage.

"In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves."
This passage is significant to me because I truly agree in this quote. When I read this quote, it reminds me of another passage that is related to this quote. As you fight each other, you get to know more about the enemy. Ender is able to understand his enemies better than anyone else, but once he understands them he destroys them. With such tremendous empathy, even in coming to understand his worst enemies Ender loves them. At the end of the book, when Ender comes to truly understand the buggers, he is able to try to help them. He has already done them great harm, but now he can be happy because he has a chance to undo what he did to them.
I think this is real love and compassion. This is the most precious mind that mankind has, but some people think this as trash so there are always fighting and wars occurring every place around the earth. In the Bible, God says to love your enemies. Ender had these characteristics. I half agree that it’s hard to understand somebody, but half disagree too because as you get to know a person, you get to understand all the personalities that the person has. Especially if there’s love, it’s more possible!

Question 7

• are there any settings in this novel which you have found to be beautiful? or disturbing? or memorable? describe these settings and comment on why they were meaningful to you.

There wasn’t a specific place that I think was beautiful because the setting of the book first took place on earth then the school in space, so there wasn’t an interesting place that caught my mind but that doesn’t mean that it was bad or something. I think setting is vitally important in the genre of science fiction, not just because it might involve the future or another galaxy, but because it usually involves great social changes. The time was very vague, but it seemed to take place probably in the twenty-second century. This is shown through the social changes and advanced technology: the Population laws that restrict the number of children in a family; the technological developments that permit space travel; the existence of an alien civilization which has attempted to conquer Earth, the monitor, battleships, Dr. Device and other things such as computers.
Most of the book took place inside Battle School. The part of the book that took place outside was when he returned to Earth, and he stayed at a very large house, but the actual place was very vague. The place that remains in my mind the most is the distant world, once occupied by the buggers.

8. Entry of your choice

Ender’s Game is a really well written book that shows people lessons and some parts to learn. It has worldwide experiences included and many emotions that need to be shown. The plot is thrilling enough to make you keep turning the pages, and also paced so that you have time to reflect upon the book. It makes you go back to it again and again without tiring. It’s one of the most thought-provoking yet at the same time exciting books that I've ever read. Fully capable of becoming a timeless classic, Ender's Game is fast-paced and engaging.
The characters are interesting and dynamic. The author has created a cast of characters, each interesting as the last.
The only regret I have is that there are some loose ends which can be explored, but were left open, making me very curious (like crazy). Ender’s Game is a truly marvelous creation, and should be a must read for any book lover.