Ender's Game Essay

606 Words2 Pages

Ender’s Game is both entertaining and thought-provoking; but while the author cleverly questions the ethics of war, education, and humanity, this book’s greatest lessons are about what it means to be a good leader, which ties into the Marine Corps perfectly because that is what we strive to do. Ender Wiggin is the third in a family of child geniuses. He is selected by international military forces to save the world from destruction. Before being chosen Ender wears a unique monitor that allows the heads of the military to see things as he does. Ender's brother Peter and his sister Valentine also wore this monitor, although neither were selected, and Peter will never forgive Ender for this. Peter hates Ender, and even when the monitor is taken out it does nothing to make the hate towards his brother any less …show more content…

This book contains a powerful dramatization of current Marine Corps doctrine, but it also holds a hidden vision for many Generals. There are lessons in training methodology, leadership, and ethics as well. Because of this, it has made Card’s book, an often read title for many years; Ender’s Game has been a stalwart item on the Marine Corps Reading List since its inception. Then Captain John Schmitt, author of Warfighting (a foundational book on Marine maneuver warfare doctrine) used it to teach. Schmitt said, "Winning wars depends on the quality of the people you put into battle. Start with smart people, train them in imaginative and challenging ways, and ensure you force decisionmaking authority down to the person with a superior awareness of the tactical situation." Ender’s Game was published at the same time Marines started reading The Maneuver Warfare Handbook. We have since institutionalized maneuver warfare into the Marine Corps. The challenge to every generation of Marines is to continue to live up to what Maneuver Warfare philosophy demands of

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