Cayla Rosenbaum
English II – 2
10/7/14
Ender Wiggin: The Boy Who Could. When thinking of a powerful commander with the correct intellect and skill to save the world, I doubt anyone pictures an eleven year old. However, Ender Wiggin from Orson Scott Cards novel Ender’s Game is not your typical, brainless eleven year old. In fact, he shows more courage, capability, and adaptability than most middle-aged adults. Using these raw skills Ender Wiggin saves the world at the fresh age of eleven. Ender shows multiple examples of courage throughout the book specifically in chapter fourteen when Ender makes the ruthless yet courageous decision to blow the bugger home planet to pieces. “Then he whispered a command and the ships dropped like rocks toward the planet’s surface…. Almost from the moment they began to drop they were focusing their Little Doctors on one thing only. The Planet itself” (294). Young Ender wasn’t expected to go so far as to blow the planet itself up, but because of his courage he went above and beyond all expectations. Because of Ender’s courageous personality he is completely capable of the task at hand. In fact Ender had been showing signs of capability since he was six. “Ender knew the unspoken rules of manly warfare, even though he was six.” (7). Ender unknowingly used his “knowledge of manly warfare” to show his capability of being the next commander and saving the world five years later by literally beating the young boy into a pulp, to show the others he was not to be messed with. While courage and capability are outstanding features of Enders, his most admirable attribute is his adaptability. Ender is put into many situations where he is forced to adapt to his surroundings. Ender really shows this feature while in battle school. Whether it’s in the games, or switching from army to army, Ender’s ability to adapt to his new surroundings is remarkable. An obvious change he adapted to was his change from being in the Rat Army to Dragon Army. While Ender had changed Armies Before this was a different Change. Instead of just being in the army, Ender was now leading it. Not only was he now a leader, he wasn’t provided with any skilled soldiers. Instead, Ender received boys directly from a launch group and he was restricted from trading them for other boys in other armies. While most would have shied away from the chance Enders simply adapted to the best he could. If it weren’t for his ability to adapt to change I doubt Ender would have been able to save the world. Ender Wiggin the elven year old boy who could. He shows many admirable traits but possibly his most admirable though are his courage, capability, and his ability to adapt to change. I don’t believe Ender could have any better qualities to be fit for the world’s first commander. With his courage he makes the ruthless decision to do the unthinkable. He proved his capability from the age of six until he saved the world. Finally, Ender Wiggin’s most outstanding attribute is his ability to change him to his new environment. Ender Wiggin had every thinkable element to him that ever great leader needs. That is why eleven year old Ender Wiggin made the best commander the world has ever seen.

Bibliography
Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 1985. Print.