Ender’s Game :: Essays Papers

Ender’s Game Andrew Wiggin is the main character in the novel, Ender’s Game. His nickname is Ender. Andrew got his nickname from his older sister Valentine when he was born because Valentine was unable to say the name â€Å"Andrew†, so she called him Ender. It has specific meaning in the book because of the fact that Ender is expected to be able to ‘end’ events that someone else had started before him. One event that has been started before Ender that he is expected to finish is the war between the humans on the planet, and the alien â€Å"Buggers.† Ender is expected to be able to end this war because his older siblings tested out impossibly in the governments way of determining aptitude, or ability to become a general in the army that is preparing for a fight with the Buggers. Rarely is a third child born, but in this exceptional case, Ender was permitted to be born because of his siblings test results. As soon as ender is born, a monitor is placed in the base of his neck to analyze his thoughts and senses to determine whether he is Battleschool material or not. Ender eventually goes to Battleschool and takes mass amounts of badgering and teasing from the other kids that are training too. Ender easily moves through the ranks and frustrates every instructor that he has. He becomes a commander and is given an army. He eventually goes to a planet called Eros, find the Buggers, and conclude that they are bugs, and that they have a queen like ants do. Ender finds an old man and finds that it is Mazer Rackham, his enemy. Ender finally finds that all the games he had been playing since Rackham became his enemy, was the real Third Invasion. Ender is a hero. Another event that Ender had to finish that had been started before him was his conflict with Stilson on the bus to Battleschool. Stilson and his friends make fun of Ender by calling him a ‘Third’ and they do not let him get to his seat on the bus. Stilson calls Ender names and summons his friends to hold Ender back because he had tried to grab Stilson’s arm in defense of himself.

International Security Essay

Guarantee of international security to the global community forms basis for sustainable development and holistic wellbeing of the human race.   This is possibly due to the need for inclusive harmony between the social, economic, cultural, and environmental demands that derive the required operationalization platform for progress. However, this has turned out to be a mirage, perhaps non existent to many as security issues take an exceptionally wide derivation from a global perspective.   It is from this demand that this essay seeks to establish the extent to which various emergent issues like environment, population, food security, and women issues should be inculcated on the international security studies (Craig, 2008, pp. 380-383) . 2. Paper overview Following the worsening of global status in relation to security issues, there is needed refocus on the need for inculcation of the new aspects in the security studies.   Therefore, this paper explores the international security approaches and major issues that warrant reconsideration in relation to global stability and development.   Besides, it evaluates the significance of such aspects refocus in the current security status and the future of security with and without these issues consideration. 3. Historical derivation and approaches to international security Historically, the notion of international security took a narrow consideration that limited it only to a realist construct.   Under the theorem of traditional security paradigm, the state was referred as the object of security where the world powers sought and entrusted global security through balance of power by different states. It is worth noting that balance of power relied on anarchistic principles that deemed states to have ‘rational’ interest in the establishment of policies projected at harboring absolute power.   Therefore, security was widely seen as protection from invasion as exemplified in proxy conflicts (Cynthia, 2008, 232-234).   Indeed, it was from this notion coupled with emergent consumerism patterns and modern development that security studies revitalization is long overdue. Currently, international security falls under the realms of international organizations and nations where measures that seek mutual survival and safety are enforced.   Such measures take the form of diplomatic agreements such as conventions, treaties, and military actions to the member/s who violate the laws (Owen, 2004, pp. 78-81).   Though this system has been operation for a long time with high levels of efficiency, analysts have demanded that referent for security take greater reflection of the individual’s consideration as opposed to unilateral focus on securing the boarders of individual states. 4. Current status and inherent issues in security Though international security has undergone major changes since the end of the cold war, scholars are demanding refocus into the notion of the term in relation to international cohesion and local communities’ stability.   Specific issues with current and/ or future negative implications require to be given a better focus that secures intra-generational equity. a). ENVIRONMENT Environment is possibly one of the major areas that require an intrinsic review and inclusion into the security studies globally.   It is worth noting that all the aspects of global development are entirely dependent on environment which bores them.   However, the misleading notion that the earth’s resources are â€Å"infinite† and has â€Å"infinite† resilience capacity has led to the following issues. Global warming Since the first United Nations Convention on Human Environment in 1972, concerns for environment has taken a clearer stage in the global arena.   However, it was the Rio Summit that fully acknowledged global warming to be an international threat.   Global warming is the increase in the average temperatures since mid twentieth century and its projected continuation.   According to Agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, and its latter derivative Kyoto Protocol, global warming is a major present and future threat to human existence on the planet (Tony, 2009, pp. 3). The demand for this notion factoring on the security studies is linked with its resilient effects that are indicated by the International Panel on Climate Change to continue getting severe in the next 50-100 years. Though many countries have held a low profile in embracing the concept of the causes of global warming as green house gases emissions, it has been proved beyond reasonable doubt and effects visible to all.   Through this rise in global temperatures, excess thawing of polar waters has resulted to major submergence of coastal habitat.   Regions like Kimberly in Australia, Venice in Italy, and New Orleans in New Jersey have recorded major submergence.   Besides, other regions located in the coasts of Indonesia and East Africa have experienced massive floods.   These events lead to massive loss of human life and properties and demand for relocation. Besides, the rising temperatures have seen increase in desertification globally and resurgence of the tropical parasites and affiliated diseases.   This forms another platform for increasing poverty among the pastoral communities especially for the marginalized drier regions.   Sahara region of Africa is especially at great risk of spreading to the rest of the continent with the current rates of global warming (World Bank (COR), 2008, pp. 107-110). Expanding the security studies to address the issue a). Use of modern technology The major sources of greenhouse gases as indicated in the discussion are industrial activities globally.   The study should therefore seek to embrace systems that are modernistic in approach and that have greater levels of efficiency in their internal combustion systems.   By encouraging such systems, it would reduce the overall fossil fuels consumption while cutting drastically the total emissions to the atmosphere.   Scrubbers and catalytic systems should also be encouraged during the study to further reduce the amount of gases being released to the atmosphere as proposed by the Kyoto Protocol (Mark, 2009, pp. 1-2). b). Forestry and agro-forestry Arguably, the ability to effect natural geochemical cycles would increase the overall green house gases absorption.   These systems should be encouraged in the studies and in practice as they have multiple benefits to the individuals, nation, and the planet by assimilating the excess carbon dioxide released from the industrial processes.   However the studies should establish systems of international cooperation through carbon trading between the greenhouse gas emitters and the foresters as an important aspect in addressing the problem holistically. Such systems have been affected by EU member states and should be emulated. c) Use of alternative fuel sources With the future of the fossil fuels becoming slimmer and slimmer, the studies should seek alternative sources as a replacement but most importantly less polluting considerations.   Bio-fuels, solar energy, and wind energy that are much more environmentally sustainable should be established as a guarantee of total reduction of emissions to only the levels that have no effects to the atmosphere and can be assimilated by the global natural systems. B). POPULATION MIGRATION The number of people living outside their countries of origin has doubled in the in about 35 years to 2005.   About 2.9% of the total world population are migrants and mostly represent shift of the people from the poorer countries to the developed economies.   In Western Europe, the migrant population rose from 18.7 million and 32.8 million only in three decades to the year 2000. This has been compounded by the existence of economic union under EU which advocates for free movement of labor in the member states (Maggie, 2005, pp. 65-69). Global effects of excessive migration a). To the environment Most of the developed countries where people shift to have consumerism patterns that are highly encourage environmental degradation.   Compared to the developing countries, the migrant populations assume these characteristics with speed increasing resources withdrawal from the natural system.   Though the analysts have taken a low profile towards the problem, it is possibly due to the low numbers of the immigrants that have obscured the effects.   However, the current trends are alarming and should be addressed well in advance before they get to the critical levels. b). Masking the problems of the sending countries Most of the immigrants’ countries of origin have massive problems related to poverty, illiteracy, high population, food insecurity and low lifespan among others.   By establishing the ideology that outward shift harbors the main solution to their inherent problems is a gross miscalculation and therefore practically wrong.   It is worth noting that in most of the cases, the shifting populations constitute the literate group in these countries a notion that fully compromises their overall ability to grow and develop economically, socially and politically (Adelman, 2001, pp. 15-21). c). Urban problems Arguably, immigrants usually shift in search for greener pastures which in most of the cases turn out to be in industries for the developed countries.   As a result, there is strong increase in the number of people living in various towns from the immigrating numbers.   Though this problem has not reached acute levels, it is projected that many of the towns will soon outgrow their holding capacities.   This would be accompanied by major social problems of town development like crime and sanitation.   It is estimated that a growth by more than 10 million in UK by the year 2074 would outdo of the current towns’ handling capacity and therefore demanding about 57 more towns of the size of Luton (OPT, 2009, pp. 1-2).

Identity and the Way Individuals Shape Their Identities...

Identity and the Way Individuals Shape Their Identities for Themselves One of the central issues of psychology is identity and the way individuals shape their identities for themselves. People live in different regions all around the globe and are consequently exposed to a distinct type of culture, religion, education, family values and media. These influences instill certain rigid values in people from birth, which configures their self-concept and the way they perceive other individuals in the society they interact with. In many Western societies, the importance of personal achievement and glory are inculcated in people from early childhood. Hazel Markus and Shinobu Kitayama (1991) observed in a study that the culture in the†¦show more content†¦In this study, two groups of people will be given the same questionnaire to answer. One group will consist of white Americans who were born and brought up in the USA. The other group will comprise of international Asian students coming from countries like Japan, Pakistan and India. It is hypothesized that the American group will respond by stating more responses that describe their personal traits than the International group will. It is further hypothesized that the International group will respond predominantly by identifying themselves with their groups such as ethnicity, religion and family, significantly more than Americans will. Methods Participants: The majority of the forty participants (20 white Americans, 20 international Asians) were randomly selected among the Amherst College students. The remainder of the pool of participants extended to the international student community of the Smith and Mount Holyoke Colleges. The participants were undergraduate students ranging from freshmen through seniors, and included both men and women. Procedure: Twenty questionnaires were handed out to the Asian students at the Five-College International Students Association meeting in the Campus Center. The other twenty questionnaires were distributed among the white Americans in the social dormitories of Amherst College. The participants were instructed to read the questionnaire carefully and respond with five statements describing their identity.Show MoreRelatedAndrew Solomon s An Elephant Crackup Essay1737 Words   |  7 Pageshave full control over their identities after they have received knowledge and have become shaped from external stimuli. These stimuli include the teaching process of humans which comes through tradition, schooling, and the actions of other humans and the influence of the organisms around them. 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