Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
I love teaching this novel so much, because without it I would have no idea how to broach the topics of: the ethics of war (including self-defense), the effects of violence (even self-defense), the huge role of cross-cultural communication in war and peace, the ethics of military training, the role of empathy in leadership, the sanctity of life (is all life sacred?), and when does the end truly justify the means?
My students are drawn into these major discussions, because they care about Ender, and they feel his inner struggle. They learn to understand him, to predict his choices, and since they are invested in the story, they care about the questions that he cares about. They also bring their pre-conceived notions into class and debate these major ethical questions from their personal points of view, but Ender’s experience influences their discussions and prevents them from neatly wrapping up any argument. The nuanced, multi-layered nature of this story shows us all that these questions are tough, and since we care about Ender we want to explore these depths even if we have not personally encountered these questions in our own experiences.
We do an activity where the students personally decide if they agree or disagree with certain statements and then they have to discuss their reasons with classmates that hold the opposite views. Some of the heated discussions I have heard surround the statements: “Any action is acceptable in war” /“It is never right to use violence”/Bullies deserve what they get.” The students may have had neat and tidy answers for these questions before they became friends with Ender, but now there are more viewpoints, more examples. There is also much more empathy.
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