#3 SETTING

"The enemy outnumbered him a thosand to one; the simulator glowed green with them. They were grouped in a dozen different formations, shifting positions, changing shapes, moving in seemingly random patterns through the simulator field. He could not find a path through them- a space that seemed open would close suddenly, and another appear, and a formation that seemed penetrable would suddenly change and be forbidding. The planet was at the far edge of the field, and for all Ender knew there were just as many enemy ships beyond it, out of the sumulator's range... As for his own fleet, it consisted of twenty starships, each with only four fighters...He heard his squadron leaders breathing heavily; he could also hear, from one of the observers behind him, a quiet curse."

This is like the undefeatable stage of my video game, except for Ender, nothing is undefeatable. The setting is very well described and with every word, paints pictures in readers' minds. The overall picture is completely hopeless. But for Ender, it was very challenging and unfair.

The different statistics and detailed actions and movements of the enemy given in the section polish the picture and the author's word choice of adjectives and verbs enhance it. This was the most difficult game Ender had to play because the enemy knew Ender's abilities "inside and out." What is meaningful and interesting about it is that Ender won the game with the mentality and attitude of "I don't care anymore" and "If I break this rule, they'll never let me be a commander. It would be too dangerous. I'll never have to play a game again. And that is victory." Also, Ender couldn't have done it without his friends. Bean's joke made the game funny. While the adults such as Graff and Mazer Rackham were sitting in an intense atmosphere, the children were "playing along" and having fun with the challenge set before them.