I'm in honors english, senior year of High School. I just completed my first draft of a long research paper that we were assigned our very first day. It's not due for another few weeks but I have a lot of work to do on it. Basically we were supposed to choose an author, read 10+ books by them, and write an analytical paper (12+ pages) centering around a thesis dealing with the similar themes through the novels. I chose Card as my author simply because I loved his books and knew I would be able to get the reading done really quick, I also knew there would be plenty of substance to get into. I read all the following books and used them as a base of information in my paper, although I did not cite them or specifically refer to them all in the paper.Ender series (game through children of the mind)
Ender's Shadow
Shadow of the Hegemon
Homecoming Series (memory through earthborn)
Seventh Son
Enchantment
Sarah
Treasure Box
The Worthing Saga
And also various short stories.
I would like someone generous enough to read my long as hell paper and give me some serious feedback. This paper is half my semester grade! I have pretty much my thesis paragraph here so people can give feedback on that if they don't want to take time to read the whole thing (I don't blame ya 
)
Be it the child prodigy or the humble recluse, it is those who never dreamed of power and never wanted influence, that are undeniably forced into roles of epic importance. A recurring theme throughout the novels of Orson Scott Card is the leadership of the unlikely. Now, not only do these men and women and boys and girls take on their shoulders the weight of their own decisions, they are forced also to recognize the responsibility they have towards their people. With this new burden, the characters begin to question themselves in every decision they make. This in turn, leads to self-doubt in the characters’ own abilities to accomplish the ultimate task they are called for. The cycle begins to come full circle as the self-doubt fuels the characters’ lack of desire for the role of importance. The only way the heroes can withstand such strife from within is through a fierce compassion for the lives of others. Through his characters, Card theorizes that compassion for others is gained by personal loss. Card also uses his characters as examples to paint the bigger picture of the nature of power. Card theorizes that power either distorts a character’s values or its burden weighs down the individual.
Granted there are things leading in and out of it but that is my main theory. What do the OSC buffs out there think?
[This message has been edited by ragnarok725 (edited November 24, 2002).]
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