Ender was the main focus in the book but you also witnessed others being played. His school mates were put in a place of complete chaos and daily living was unpredictable. Even though Ender was the end all be all student they all still needed to be trained just in case. In case he failed to do what he was trained to do. Two boys died in this story because the teachers pushed him into defending himself to the point that those boys and others would just leave him alone. Then Bean came into the picture and Ender had someone to make into the perfect solider. Even though Ender couldn’t stand being treated and humiliated like he was he started in on Bean. It became an ugly cycle that continued on until Ender realized that he was doing wrong. Graff had several logs in the book where he regrets what he has done to this boy and wishes that he could take it back really undo what he has done. Then he comes back to what he knows as his reality and continues on with the constant manipulation.

Valentine was also used by Peter in a less aggressive manner. He wants to take over the world at some point and control everything around him. So he persuades her to start writing and contributing to his plan of domination. Well thought out he does continue on to become the leader of the world. Even after he has power he tries to convince Ender to come back and be a part of his legends.

What we have to think about now is whether or not we ourselves would put children through this brutal training in hopes of one day saving the world. I personally do not understand why we needed young minds in order to make their plans work. Why not have people that freely take on the responsibility of saving the world. Someone who has had the chance to become the person that they themselves want to be.

In their moral theories, the ancient philosophers depended on several important notions. These include virtue and the virtues, happiness (eudaimonia), and the soul. We can begin with virtue (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-ancient/). In the ancient world, courage, moderation, and justice were prime species of moral virtue. A virtue is a settled disposition to act in a certain way; justice, for instance, is the settled disposition to act, let's say, so that each one receives their due. This settled disposition includes a practical knowledge about how to bring it about, in each situation, that each receives their due. It also includes a strong positive attitude toward bringing it about that each receives their due. Just people, then, are not ones who occasionally act justly, or even who regularly act justly but do so out of some other motive; rather they are people who reliably act that way because they place a positive, high intrinsic value on rendering to each their due and they are good at it. Courage is a settled disposition that allows one to act reliably to pursue right ends in fearful situations, because one values so acting intrinsically. Moderation is the virtue that deals similarly with one's appetites and emotions. (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-ancient/)

Now I believe that Ender himself was one of only a few in this book that had any ethics or virtues to lean on to keep him who he needed to be. If you have a chance read the book it kept me into in the entire time.

References:
Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game. New York: Tor Books, 1991
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-ancient/

There are many different relationships between people in Ender’s Game. Most of them are manipulating relationships. Enders relationships with everyone except the kids at battle school are all about manipulation.

Ender and Peter- It’s all about scare tack ticks with Peter when it comes to Ender actually when it comes to everyone in his life. He may think that it’s all for the greater good but in the end it’s just about what he wants. It doesn’t matter who he runs over or who he hurts in the end Peter is all about himself and what’s going on in his world.

Ender and Valentine- Although there is less manipulation going on here it is still present. Graff uses Valentine to get to Ender. Valentine is the only person the Ender ever truly loved and misses when he is at battle school. Since Graff knows this information he aids his cause by recruiting Valentine to change Enders mind to stop with his schooling.

Ender and Graff- From the beginning you see how awful this man is to the children that are placed in his care. Again all he is worried about is recruiting the perfect person for the job. And that job involves giving up more then what was asked of him in the first place. His stories and compassion are all a part of his ploy to create a solider that will end this battle that we have with the buggers. Can you imagine that the only this constant in your life was a person known to lie and manipulate you every chance they get. How disconcerting to know that there is no one there to count on because that’s the way it must be in order to get the job done and done right.

Ender and Rackham- Rackham at least tells Ender that it won’t be easy. But yet again fails to include Ender in the entire truth. Every game that Ender plays is real. He is really killing off an entire species that he has come to respect and love. It isn’t until the end that the truth comes out and Ender is devastated.

Since the beginning of the Ender’s Game we come to understand that the world is in danger. The buggers are an alien species that came to earth to attack us and take over our world. They were defeated by a man named Rackham in the human army. The buggers soon left after the battle leaving behind suspicion as to when they would return. To negate the fact that we knew nothing about these aliens even after the two wars a school was developed. The purpose of this school was “to produce the best soldiers in the world”(Card,34). The school housed children from ages 5 to 16. Can you imagine how easily they molded these children into their own little robots? The school was called Battle School which is a perfect name for such a place. They were always battling in their games but also in their personal time as well. Never was there a moment the Ender their protégé child had to himself. The teachers there place him in solitaire and he is left there to fend for himself. To deal with all the bulling and fighting on his own no one is there to protect these poor children. This is all in the name of saving the world. Killing these children and their futures to aid in helping humanity.

In Cards’s story Ender’s Game there are many manipulating people trying to get their wants and desires fulfilled. Now I know that this kind of stuff happens every day and it happens to everyone but to what extent do we say enough is enough. In this story this little boy is torn from his family and brought into this world of mistrust and deceit. Everyone that he becomes close with is taken from him and he again is left alone to suffer alone. This is what Graff wants the entire time. He wants Ender to think that no one will ever be there with him or for him. Graff wants him to be alone during every aspect in his life. This man wants to break this little boy down and build him in this image of self- sustaining, self-maintaining person that will never be like you or I. That’s only one persons manipulating ways in this sad story.