I’m a huge fan of Orson Scott Card’s writing, and my interest in his work has led me to choose him as a subject of my study for a college research assignment. My thesis question is: “To what extent and for what reasons can a reader’s political or religious standpoint be swayed upon reading a particular novel?” and I thought that firsthand responses from readers might help me find an answer. If anyone has the time, I’d really appreciate it if you could answer a few of the following questions:
1. What was your political philisophy before reading Ender’s Game? (i.e., do you consider yourself to be a absolute pacifist; do you support preemtive war; do you support the military; have you ever been in the military, and if so, is Ender’s Game an accurate depiction of a soldier’s mind; do you support the war in Iraq?) 2. What is your political philosophy after reading Ender’s Game? (I’m especially interested in whether or not the novels “converted” you – that is, if you were a pacifist before, do you now support war in certain situations? vice versa?) 3. Would Ender’s Game be more or less meaningful to you if it did not contain the political messages that it does? (i.e., does it taint, or embellish, the story?) 4. Have you read any of Card’s articles and essays on subjects other than Ender’s Game, and if so, do you agree with his religious and political messages? (This refers especially to World Watch – have his comments on the war in Iraq swayed your opinion on the matter, or do you find his ideas to be wrong and offensive?) 5. Whether or not you are American, did you support Bush or Kerry in the last presidential election? (This might sound random, but believe me, it’s important.)
My paper also includes a section on Philip Pullman, another of my favorite writers, and if any of you are fans of his also, you might be able to answer some of these questions:
6. What was your religious philisophy before reading His Dark Materials? (i.e., Christian, athiest, agnostic, Buddhist, secular humanist, Jewish, Muslim, etc.) 7. What is your religious philosophy after reading His Dark Materials? (Once again, I’m especially interested in whether or not the novels “converted” you – that is, are you still a Christian after reading the trilogy, and if so, do you find the trilogy offensive or enlightening? If you consider yourself an secular humanist, are the novels responsible for converting you, or did they simply reinforce your beliefs?) 8. Would the trilogy be more or less meaningful to you if it did not contain the philosophical messages that it does? (i.e., does it taint, or embellish, the story?) 9. Have you read any of Philip Pullman’s articles and essays on subjects other than His Dark Materials, and if so, do you agree with his religious and political messages? Have his comments on current events influenced your opinion at all? 10. Whether or not you are American, did you support Bush or Kerry in the last presidential election? (This might sound random, but believe me, it’s important.)
And finally:
11. Do you consider Pullman and Card to have similar philosophies or opposite philosophies? (i.e., if Pullman is a liberal atheist, and Card is a religious conservative, do they share any common ground?) 12. Is it possible for a reader to enjoy both writers, or are they mutually exclusive?
Thanks so much for your help. I'm really curious to see what sort of answers I'll get.
posted
1. I'm a sensible pacifist, which means that I recognize that force is occasionally the best of a set of bad options if you have not been able to properly order your life in such a way that violence becomes unnecessary. That said, I strongly disapprove of the war in Iraq.
2. EG didn't change my philosophy at all. Of course, I read it when I was around ten. That said, the message I took from it was that genocide is NEVER acceptable, even if you think it's justifiable.
3. EG would probably be a less meaningful work. Some of card's later "Shadow" books would improve immeasurably, however.
4. Yes, I've read his War Watch articles. And no, I generally don't agree with 'em. In fact, I think he's only one or two steps more lucid than Zell Miller in a few of them.
6. I was an agnostic.
7. I'm still an agnostic.
8. Sadly, like Card's later works, I think the extended allegory in Pullman's trilogy actually weakens the story. It winds up sounding pedantic, even trite, and shackles the storyline.
9. Nope.
10. I didn't actually support either. I voted against Bush by voting for Kerry, but I didn't have a horse in the final race.
11. While Card and Pullman have diametrically opposed theologies, their actual philosophies appear quite similar.
12. I like 'em both. *shrug*
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posted
1. I have never been in the military, but I consider it a noble profession. (for other people ) 2. It didn't change my views. 3. It would be less meaningful 4. I have read a lot of what he's written on many subjects. I agree with him more than most people do, even others that share a common religious background with Card (I am Mormon as is Card). I found his articles persuasive when I was trying to decide what my views on a possible Iraqi war were. 5. I supported Bush over Kerry. 6. N/A 7. N/A 8. N/A 9. N/A 10. I supported Bush over Kerry 11. N/A 12. N/A
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posted
1. I do not support preemptive war. 2. While Ender's Game gave me a lot of new insight into the minds of war commanders, it did not, as you say, "convert" the way I feel about war. I find it hard to pull an awful lot of parallels between Card's book and real war. We aren't fighting a race of sentient, but incomprehensible, aliens, we are fighting other human beings. Same team guys. 3. EG would be a whole lot less meaningful if it didn't contain all the political messages that it does. Just because I disagree with most of them doesn't mean I can't appreciate the story. Taking the message out of Card's writing would destroy it. 4. I have read Card's article on World Watch, and disagree with just about everything that he says. Having said that, I think I respect Card as a person all the more for having such strong opinions on controversial issues. 5. I supported Kerry.
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posted
1. I read EG when I was 13 or so, so I don't think I really had any. 2. I've never been in the military. Defensive war is, in my opinion, the only real justified war, but I see the gray areas, even if I don't always agree with them. 3. I read Ender's Game for the characters, so no, the politics didn't phase me. 4. I read War Watch fairly often, and though some of his writings make sense, I don't buy that Democrats are all out to get everyone. 5. I thought both of them were stupid choices.
My paper also includes a section on Philip Pullman, another of my favorite writers, and if any of you are fans of his also, you might be able to answer some of these questions:
6. Latter-day Saint christian 7. still LDS 8. Maybe. Though I read The Golden Compass and The Subtle knife many many times while I was awaiting the last of the trilogy (at age 15), I only remember reading Amber Spyglass once. Though the anti-religious sentiment doesn't stick out to me 4 years later, the series just sort of fell flat. 9. I've only read a few interviews with him, and no, I don't believe his religious messages. He rails on CS Lewis to no end, which I think is a bit presumtuous of him. 10. see above
And finally:
11. I'd never really thought about it. 12. Obviously, since I'm around, it's possible to enjoy both.
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posted
1. What was your political philisophy before reading Ender’s Game? I was politically apathetic, actually, but I would have and still would join the military. 2. What is your political philosophy after reading Ender’s Game? Definitely converted, but not in the way you are offering. Instead of changing my political views, it changed my views on politics - made me realise that the people making these huge global decisions were all once children and started on the same level playing field as the rest of us. Which means that if you want to change the world, well, you can as much as the next person. 3. Would Ender’s Game be more or less meaningful to you if it did not contain the political messages that it does? The politics give it depth of meaning. I was more interested in Peter and Val's part of the story politically than Ender's ethics - from his side of the story the thing I most recall was that to destroy your enemy, you must at the same moment love him. That was powerful. 4. Have you read any of Card’s articles and essays on subjects other than Ender’s Game, and if so, do you agree with his religious and political messages? His views are different to mine, reflecting his different background as an American (I'm Australian, female and agnostic, if you were wondering). I don't object to his political messages, because they are often balanced or researched, and don't rely on using emotional leverage. His religion is again, not pushed too hard for me. I'm not converted, but not offended by his messages either. I'm a scientist and prone to believe from evolutionary theory and the heliocentric view of the solar system that humans just aren't the be all and end all of this world. And there have just been too many Gods that have come and go for me to have faith in this one, so I don't disbelieve but I doubt. 5. Whether or not you are American, did you support Bush or Kerry in the last presidential election? Kerry. But your Bush and our Howard both got back in, so I'm in the minority it seems.
My paper also includes a section on Philip Pullman, another of my favorite writers, and if any of you are fans of his also, you might be able to answer some of these questions:
6. What was your religious philisophy before reading His Dark Materials? agnostic with background in Christianity and Buddhism 7. What is your religious philosophy after reading His Dark Materials? unchanged 8. Would the trilogy be more or less meaningful to you if it did not contain the philosophical messages that it does? This series never had much value to me. I would guess from that, I was more interested in Card's works for his politics than his religion. 9. Have you read any of Philip Pullman’s articles and essays on subjects other than His Dark Materials, and if so, do you agree with his religious and political messages? Have his comments on current events influenced your opinion at all? N/A
11. Do you consider Pullman and Card to have similar philosophies or opposite philosophies? They share common ground in both having an open mind - so as a personality type, they both will listen to arguments put against their viewpoint without automatically rejecting them or reverting to dogma in their responses. 12. Is it possible for a reader to enjoy both writers, or are they mutually exclusive? To enjoy, perhaps, to be converted by both, exclusive.
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posted
1. I do and don't support war. I feel that war is a neccesary evil but should be used as a last resort. Yes I support the war on Iraq. 2. Ender's Game did not make me change my views on war but did make me think about some of the reasons for war and the mentality of a soldier. 3. The political message is one of the most important parts of the story. Not because it influences you but becuase it causes the reader to think about what Ender and the other characters are going through and whether they are right or wrong. 4.N/A 5. I supported President Bush in the last election and voted for him. 6-ON. I have never heard of Phillip Pullman
posted
1. What was your political philisophy before reading Ender’s Game? A young 17’s philosophy (in 1986) of being diametrically opposed to anything that the parental crowd consisted of, no matter what it was . . .
2. What is your political philosophy after reading Ender’s Game? After nearly 20 years of revisiting this book on a regular basis, I have to say that the war message ascribed to it seems pretty insignificant to the other messages about how children think, what adults can and do do to them, and the consequences of those interactions . . .
3. Would Ender’s Game be more or less meaningful to you if it did not contain the political messages that it does? (i.e., does it taint, or embellish, the story?) Any political messages ascribed to EG are put there by the reader, as far as I am concerned.
4. Have you read any of Card’s articles and essays on subjects other than Ender’s Game, and if so, do you agree with his religious and political messages? Numerous works, both fiction, essay, article, etc - do I always agree with his views? No. Nor do I expect that he expects his reader’s to always agree with him - I think (and I could be very wrong) that he works toward stimulating conversation and thought.
5. Whether or not you are American, did you support Bush or Kerry in the last presidential election? Neither.Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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That said, the message I took from it was that genocide is NEVER acceptable, even if you think it's justifiable. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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