Monday, March 30, 2009

Orson Scott Card, Shadow of the Hegemon Pg.240-442 End

Orson Scott Card, Shadow of the Hegemon Pg.240-442 End
Summary:
In this section of the book, we begin at Achilles and Petra. They go to Pakistan, on of India’s worst enemies to try to negotiate a non-aggression pact (like Hitler and Stalin) so when a war inevitably starts, they both can expand outwards with out fear of being attack from the other. Then the Indian’s (a.k.a. Achilles) attack Burma. Bean figures out that the attack wasn’t or sabotaged by Petra, then Bean and other boy from battle school, Suyiwong team up with an elderly commander who makes sure they are heard. Then Bean and Suyiwong go to their base to plan, an attempt on their lives were made, which they narrowly escape, this is where politics take over and show the how the leaders might’ve been working with Achilles. Then the war really starts. When Bean calls for Sister Carlotta to be a person he can trust, her plane is shot down by a Chinese G to A missile which means that Achilles has made a non-aggression pact with the Chinese too. As Peter rises to power, Petra figures out the harshness of Achilles as he tried to kill her again, and she figures out a weakness of love because she is able to act as though she liked him, allowing her to talk Achilles out of his madness, and therefore she is able to live another night. When calls the generals of the Thai military about the impending Chinese invasion, he is shot down (not literally) and is forced to use his small army to fight the Indians, instead of saving Petra. After a certain escape of the camp where Petra is being held tells Bean the where about of Petra. Bean is able to go in and save Petra. After he gets there, he saves here and words with the invading Chinese forces to make sure they got back home with out any casualties. In the end, Peter becomes Hegemon and teams with bean to try to unite the world.

Vocabulary:
• Quixotic
o Excessively romantic
o Impractical
• Enmity
o Hostility
• Doctrine
o Rule or principle
o Ideas taught as truth
• Paradox
o Something absurd or contradictory
Response:
The ending to this book was very good, but why was it good. Well from my point of view, it was good because most of the story is dialogue or figuring things out, but it wasn’t until the very end that all the knowledge added up and then the fast paced action of saving Petra could happen. Because I knew it was going to happen, I just in the story it couldn’t happen until certain things were known, just like in my latest post I said, “In this metaphor, the jeeps are like the readers, and the story is the enemies, the more you read the more you map out the terrain and connect the little pieces of the map every step you take. You always know your enemy in hiding the uncharted places, you don’t know where, but he’s there,” and the write makes it surprising when it happens.

2 comments:

  1. Your thoughts were very insightful, consider explaining in greater detail the emotional and mental relationships amongst the characters in your story.

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  2. Nathan, thanks for your insight. Basically right now if you hadn't read the book, this would be very confusing for you, but from the previous book, basically Bean didn't have much connection with Petra at first, and accused her of conspirering against Ender, but later found friendship with her being the only one that really talked to her truthfully about her follies in the Bugger Wars. (by the way, you really should read Ender's game and I have a 2nd blog on the book Xenocide)

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