Theorizing The Drones Analysis

Psychological effects of war happens all the time around us in different shapes and forms, whether we are aware of them of happening or not. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card and the article “Theorizing the Drones” by Chamayou uses the psychological effect of government officials tracking and monitoring the people. Ender’s Game and the article “The Mystery of ISIS” by anonymous uses the psychological effect of terror and sense of belonging. All three readings create a sense of the overlapping theme of psychological effects of war. Andrew “Ender” Wiggins, an adolescent genius, was chosen to go to battle school to train and to learn to eventually go to war against the buggers. Every kid had a monitor in their neck that the I.F. used to observe
When Ender was on the shuttle headed to Battle School, Colonel Graff talked so highly of Ender making it out to be that Graff is his friend and creating a sense of belonging for Ender. “’My job isn’t to be friends. My job is to produce the best soldiers in the world.’” (Card, 25) We can conclude that Graff was using mind games to talk highly of Ender, by telling others he is the best, that way he would become a better soldier, thus creating a psychological effect on Ender. The IF also had control over the people and displayed that by hiding the truth from Ender that he was actually fighting the war against the buggers. “’It had to be a trick or you couldn’t have done it. It’s the bind we were in. We had to have a commander with so much empathy that he would think like the buggers, understand them and anticipate them. So much compassion that he could win the love of his underlings and work with them like a perfect machine, as perfect as the buggers. But somebody with that much compassion could never be the killer we needed. Could never go into battle willing to win at all costs. If you knew, you couldn’t do it.”’ (Card, 208) If it was not for the monitor, the IF would not have known that Ender was just what they needed and would not have known that they would have to keep it from them in order for him to win the battle. Since Ender figured out and understood the IF, it is inferred that Ender would be able to understand the complexity of ISIS and be able to stop them. The IF and ISIS created a psychological effect on people to be afraid of the leaders of war. “…it continues to treat Zarqawi as its founder, and to propagate most of his original beliefs and techniques of terror.” (Anonymous) While the IF uses the psychological effect of being friends with Ender, ISIS uses the terror tactic