The scene with Peter’s reflection was showing that Ender is thinking he is turning into Peter. In the text says, “ And then the worse fear, that he was a killer, only better at it than Peter ever was; that it was this very trait that pleased the teachers. It's killers they need for the bugger wars. It's people who can grind the enemy's face into the dust and spatter their blood all over space” (Card 118). The scene with the snake was showing that Ender is killing anything that gets in his way because the author stated, “He stepped on the head of the snake and crushed it under his foot” (Card 117). This piece of text evidence shows that Ender is killing anything that gets in his way, just like I said before.
Reply
Troop 3
11/4/2014 10:58:04 pm
The scene with snake and Peter’s reflection represented who Ender was becoming. He was becoming more violent, like his brother Peter. We think the snake represented the people that Ender hurt and how vicious he was becoming, compared to the person he used to be. “He stepped on the head of the snake and crushed it under his foot. It writhed and twisted under him, and in response he twisted and ground it deeper in the stone floor. Finally it was still” (Card 117). This shows how Ender is not only becoming like Peter, but he often hurts others even more than Peter does. “It was Peter, with blood dripping down his chin, and a snake’s tail protruding from a corner of his mouth” (Card 117). Before going to Battle School, Ender was considered a mix between his sister Valentine, who was sweet and caring, and his brother Peter, strong and harmful. The more time that Ender is spending at Battle School, the more and more similar he is to his brother Peter.
Reply
Troop 8
11/4/2014 10:58:58 pm
The scene showed how Ender sees himself as Peter, because he has found it easier to kill. The text states, “Ender did not hesitate. He stepped on the head of the snake and crushed it under his foot,” (Card 117). Since Ender found it so easy to kill the snake, he feels like he’s turning into Peter and he’s scared to be like Peter. He has also started to look forward to killing the giant and the wolf kids in the computer game again. The story explains how he’s disappointed when they don’t show up, because he wanted to kill them again. “Perhaps, killed once, they were gone forever. It made him a little sad,” (Card 117).
Reply
Troop 6
11/4/2014 10:59:38 pm
Chapter 8
In the book, there is a scene where Ender is in his fantasy game and kills a snake. When he looks in the mirror, his character’s reflection is Peter with the snake Ender killed coming out of his mouth. The text states, “He tried to pick up some of the furniture, to break the mirror, but it could not be moved. The mirror would not come off the wall, either. Finally, Ender threw the snake at it. The mirror shattered, leaving a hole in the wall behind it. Out of the whole came dozens of tiny snakes,” (Card 118). This quote shows that Ender does not want to be anything like Peter, and therefore tried to break the mirror to get rid of the image of Peter as himself. As the story progresses, Ender starts to become more and more like Peter. He is convinced that every time he hurts somebody, he is becoming more similar to Peter. In the text it says “This game tells filthy lies. I am not Peter. I don’t have a murder in my heart. And then a worse fear, that he was a killer, only better at it than Peter ever was,” (Card 118). This is but one example, throughout the story he will say this to himself more and more often.
Reply
Troop 2
11/4/2014 10:59:52 pm
The scene with the snake and Peter’s reflection represents that Ender is becoming a violent person. Ender only realizes he is violent after the fact. He doesn’t want to hurt others, but he always finds himself in those situations. This is similar to the way Peter threatened Ender but came back and apologized later. When Ender looks into the mirror, he sees his reflection as Peter’s face and realizes he is becoming just like him. In the story Ender thought, “And then a worse fear, that he was a killer, only better at it than Peter ever was; that it was this very trait that pleased the teachers...Well, I’m your man. I’m the bloody bastard you wanted when you had me spawned. I’m your tool, and what difference does it make if I hate the part of me that you most need?” (Card 118-119). This shows that even though Ender doesn’t want to be a killer, this is what the teachers see in him.
Reply
Troop 1
11/4/2014 11:00:49 pm
We think that the scene with Peter’s reflection represents how Ender still views Peter as a monster. “It was Peter, with blood dripping down his chin and a snake’s tail protruding from a corner of his mouth” (Card 117). The reaction Ender has shows that he is still frightened by Peter, “Ender shouted and thrust his desk from him”(Card 117). It also shows how Ender views himself as becoming Peter. He thinks that he is becoming a killing maniac like Peter. The mirror also shows how Ender thinks that he is turning into Peter. This is because a mirror is supposed to show whoever is looking into it. When it showed Ender as Peter, this greatly disturbed Ender.
Reply
Troop 5
11/4/2014 11:00:55 pm
In the text it states, “and find Peter’s face looking out at him from the mirror. This game tells filthy lies; I am not Peter” (Card 118). This represents that the computer is telling Ender that he is Peter, although Ender does not want to be him. This also shows that Ender misses Peter in a way more than the rest of his family because he always thinks about peter all the time. “His figure was still there staring into the mirror. He tried to pick up some of the furniture to break the mirror, but it cannot be moved. Ender then threw the snake at it. The mirror shattered, leaving a hole in the wall, where dozens of tiny snakes came out and bit Ender figure again and again” (Card 117). We believe this shows the computer thinks Ender needs to learn he is not Peter, because he is someone else.
Reply
Troop 9
11/4/2014 11:01:03 pm
The scene with the snake represents how Ender is slowly hurting people, and becoming more like his brother, Peter. “He kept remembering how it felt to kill the snake, grinding it in, the way he tore the ear off of that boy, the way he destroyed Stilson, the way he broke Bernard’s arm”(Card 118). This is showing the slow transformation of Ender becoming more and more violent even though he does not want to show that side of him. Even though Ender does not want to be a murderer at heart, Battle School is slowly making him violent and cruel to his opponents and adversaries. “...you wanted when you had me spawned. I’m your tool, and what difference does it make if I hate the part of me that you most need”(Card 118-19). This shows that Battle School is unleashing the violent and more aggressive side of Ender, and Ender dislikes it because it makes him feel like he is Peter and tries to fight it. To conclude, the scene with the snake and Peter’s reflection in the mirror represent the transformation of Ender turning into a more violent boy.
Reply
Troop 7
11/4/2014 11:01:18 pm
This scene represented how Ender was changing into a killer like Peter. The text states,
“He kept remembering how it felt to kill the snake, grinding it in, the way he tore the ear off that boy, the way he destroyed Stilson, the way he broke Bernard’s arm. And then to stand up, holding the corpse of his enemy, And find Peter’s face looking out at him from the mirror” (Card 118). This shows how when he saw Peter’s face, he saw all of the things that he did to the other kids, the same things that Peter use to do to him. It brings back the memories of the times he hurt the other boys and how he is turning into a killer. He said, “And then a worse fear, that he was a killer, only better at it than Peter ever was,” (Card 118). This text shows how Ender thought as himself as becoming as Peter, but worse. The game is just a mind game and it’s a computer processing Enders mind. It can see how Ender doesn’t want to turn into Peter and it shows that. By looking at the mirror, he sees that what he had done, is something Peter would have done.
Reply
N.K.
11/19/2014 10:23:32 pm
The scene with the snake and the reflection of Peter signified how Ender was turning more ruthless and violent. Throughout the game, he has made more brutal decisions on attacking or defending himself from the obstacles that appear periodically. “He stepped on the head of the snake and crushed it under his foot. It writhed and twisted under him, and in response he twisted and ground it deeper into the stone floor. Finally it was still.” (Card 117) This confirms that Ender is becoming more cruel and vicious like his brother Peter. And the reflection of Peter affirms his transformation. It is showing Ender how he is changing more and more into his brother.