One Book by Earl

One Book by Earl - May 2017 Scholarship Essay

One book. That’s all it takes. One book where the pages turn for you and the words become pictures and a single word can make sweat drip down your forehead until it falls into the abyss the book has drawn you into. One book can stir the mind into a completely different perspective of reality. That book for me was Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. My entire push for success can be traced to that of the character Ender. This revelation would never have been made if it weren’t for the connections that book gave to me.
I have always been a huge fan of science fiction, whether it be from visiting the museum and seeing the space exhibits or watching countless hours of Star Wars from the moment I was able to sit up straight. One day, I was introduced to a book that grabbed my attention more than any other book had before. Ender’s Game had the space ships and space stations I had always dreamt about. There were battles with lasers guns and the intense scenes of an underdog battling against every odd and challenge leading up the ultimate battle against an alien race. I fell in love immediately with the writing at my fingertips. My influence from this book came from the way Card portrayed Ender. The small, weak, but inherently determined kid reminded me more of myself than any other character had before. I began to replace the name Ender with my own name and feeling that I was the one capable of breaking the system and defying every set of odds placed against me. Realizing strategies from almost insignificant details and using every ounce of brain energy to solve any problem. My revelation of life then came to me, why couldn’t I be the Ender of my own life?
Ender was regarded as the smartest and most talented among every student at the academy he trained at, so I used this influence on my work habits to reflect the same reputation. Focusing on learning the large amount of details to the skill or field of study I was interested in, all the way to the point I could answer anyone’s question. I began to help others more and more with my knowledge of different subjects and a new thought spurred in my head. I could use my knowledge and my passion for enhancing knowledge through the rest of my life. I could teach younger generations with the passion and intensity that I wish I was brought up with to create an even more refined and enhanced generation for the years after my own. My whole goal in life switched from making myself the best there ever was, to making every other better than I could ever dream to be.
Choosing my whole career could all be traced back to one genre of reading I loved so dearly. One book I read from the genre of reading I admired. One character I associated in this book that took my life by storm. I want to change the world and no matter what part of life tells me it’s too difficult or too unimportant and I should shift my mindset to another is not a voice of reason I will listen to. Just like Ender, I will defy all odds and inspire and spur ideas in the heads of the youth to go on and live their life to the full extent of their imagination. It’s breathtaking what one book can do to change the world with just one human.