Comparison of ender and Pheidippides - Essay Example

They both entered highly rigorous educational institutions designed to shape them permanently, for instance, and both characters seem to engage with their educators in somewhat similar ways. Furthermore, both characters entered their educational institutions for reasons other than self-betterment, and under pressure from outside sources. Ender and Pheidippides both demonstrate two important qualities in students: the willingness to challenge their teachers, the willingness to ‘buy in’ to their educational systems, but both also show very clearly that a coercive education is damaging and that one must have the right reasons for seeking education.

One thing that becomes clear immediately about both Ender and Pheidippides is that neither is simply willing to accept what their instructors say; rather, both show a willingness to challenge their instructors or superiors in cases that do not make sense. Early upon joining real battles in Battle School, Ender is told by his superior: you will not pass through the gate until four full minutes after the beginning of the game, and then you will remain at the gate, with your weapon undrawn and unfired, until such time as the game ends (Card 87), which obviously puts his teammates at a disadvantage, being down one person.

He refuses, however, to obey. Eventually, he sits lifeless through an entire battle, only to force a draw at the final moments by going against order and attacking his opponents by surprise (94), and winning the game. He suffers punishment for his actions, but learns that sometimes disobeying a superior is the right thing – and that instructors do not necessarily know everything. Pheidippides shows a similar willingness to challenge his teacher’s instructions. In “The Clouds” the audience does not see a great deal of Pheidippides’ education, other than a brief exchange between the two arguments, and the experience of his father.

Pheidippides’ shows he is willing to question his teacher by arguing against the things his father learned during his time in the Thinkery. The father, for instance, insists that two different things cannot both be a “fowl” (Aristophones 1080) This essentially negates the categorization of objects, but is not something that Pheidippides is willing to accept on face value: he challenges his father, arguing that this does not constitute an education (1084). Both Ender and Pheidippides are willing to question the educations they are given.

Though both characters certainly seem willing to question their educations, they both also buy in to their educations. Though Ender initially hates his educational experience, his isolation and so on, when he is put in the role of an educator he in fact repeats the very isolating acts he hated one of his students, Bean. He singles the boy out, making the others “avoid eye-contact with him” (Card 134), exactly as he had done to him. Though he “wanted to undo his taunting of the boy” (134), he in fact continues the isolating practices picking the boy out again by saying “Bean doesn’t think so,” when he believes the boy disagrees with what his fellows are thinking because he knows it will make the boy a better soldier, like it made him a better one.

Pheidippides shows a similar willingness to buy in to his education. He observes the arguments of “