Skip to main content

What does Peter learn from the leadership of Adolf Hitler in Ender's Game?

The answer to your question can be found in chapter 9 ("Locke and Demosthenes") of Ender's Game.  During chapter 9, Valentine and Peter vow to be like Demosthenes and Locke respectively.  Peter wants to have more "moderate" ideas about how to truly win the war.  Further, Valentine will be his voice in writing.  First, let us look at the text to find what Peter says about Hitler:


Everybody thinks Hitler got to power because of...

The answer to your question can be found in chapter 9 ("Locke and Demosthenes") of Ender's Game.  During chapter 9, Valentine and Peter vow to be like Demosthenes and Locke respectively.  Peter wants to have more "moderate" ideas about how to truly win the war.  Further, Valentine will be his voice in writing.  First, let us look at the text to find what Peter says about Hitler:



Everybody thinks Hitler got to power because of his armies, because they were willing to kill, and that's partly true, because in the real world power is always built on the threat of death and dishonor.  But mostly he got to power on words, on the right words at the right time.



This is part of Peter's explanation to Valentine of why he needs her to be his voice in writing.  Peter admits some truths about the power in the "real world" here.  Peter uses Hitler as an example of the following truth:  power is, in fact, built on a threat of both dishonor and death.  Even though this is true, there is a hidden truth about Hitler that Peter wants to bring out for Valentine:  Hitler had the power of words behind him.  This is the power that Peter wants Valentine to have.  Just as Hitler "got to power on words, on the right words at the right time," Peter wants Valentine to put convincing words to Peter's ideas so he, too, can use the "right words at the right time" to convince the masses about strategy in battle.

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...