Was there anyone in the Ender/Bean books who WASN'T a genius(and actually played some role in the story)? Petra, Ender, Bean, Suriyawong, Achilles, Olhado... it seemed like everyone was super-smart. Can anyone think of anyone of normal intelligence?
Posted by CalvinandThomasHobbes (Member # 9158) on :
The mayor of lusitania, and i don't think sister carlotta was a genius.
Posted by oolung (Member # 8995) on :
that was the point. Battle School was designed for especially talented children, and Novinha's family had genius in their genes. Apparently OSC doesn't write about ordinary people in this series Posted by Pelegius (Member # 7868) on :
Wang-Mu is smart, but is she a genius? What about the abott and abottess; again very intelegent and wise, but not geniuses like Ender or Valentine. The same is pretty much true for all the people of Lusitania.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
Wang-Mu is a genius. she has the genetic alteration that makes her super-intelligent, just like the godspoken, but hers evolved not having the OCD effects. She was the only exception that Ela and Planter(?) found when they were comparing the genes of the people of Path.
also, i wouldn't say that Sister Carlotta or the Mayor of Lusitania were of "normal" intelligence. They were both incredibly smart and in their own respective ways. but then, what is normal intelligence?
[ March 15, 2006, 05:38 PM: Message edited by: vonk ]
Posted by TL (Member # 8124) on :
Good question.
Posted by TL (Member # 8124) on :
Aw, come on.
Posted by Lucky_Sean (Member # 6223) on :
Even if you were to step away from the novel and say "None of these people are a genius" You would still get a very similar result. The people still have problems - they still think similarily to a normal person. The fact that many of them are a genius is used to justify their great actions and way of doing things. However for any people that are not as genious as the rest that played a big part: What about Graff? He isn't a Genius - sure he is smart but not once is it professed that he is a genius.
Posted by forensicgeek (Member # 8430) on :
What about Nikolai? Yes he was intelligent enought to get into battle school, but he always struggled.
Posted by neo-dragon (Member # 7168) on :
If you get into battle school you're a genius. Of course, in any group of geniuses some have to be less bright than others.
Posted by Irregardless (Member # 8529) on :
quote:Originally posted by oolung: Apparently OSC doesn't write about ordinary people in this series
If I was interested in ordinary people, I wouldn't read science fiction. Posted by Szymon (Member # 7103) on :
A gripping book about ordinary people is a much greater masterpiece than about extraordinary. It shows real talent. Not that OSC doesnt have talent. What do you expect, some stupid people saving our world? And on Lusitania Ender was is contact with the elite, most intelligent people on the planet.
Posted by Irregardless (Member # 8529) on :
quote:Originally posted by Szymon: A gripping book about ordinary people is a much greater masterpiece than about extraordinary. It shows real talent.
'Lost Boys' could be described that way -- but even that had protagonists that were intelligent -- not supergeniuses maybe, but smart and thoughtful. I find characters of merely average intelligence to be boring and difficult to care about.
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