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Wendy Perez Professor Filbeck English 114B March 6, 2014

Present ay Factions Divergent by !eronica "oth is a dysto#ian no$el centered on a controlled %o$ern&ent 'hich i&#airs its citizens fro& thinking indi$id(ally) *n this distant story, f(t(re +hicago is di$ided into different factions, a(ntless, -&ity, -bnegation, Er(dite, and +andor) .hese factions identify and re#resent each indi$id(al, yet e/cl(de the& fro& being anything else) What citizens do in this society de#ends on 'hat faction they choose to be in, s(ch as 0ob o##ort(nities, for e/a&#le Er(dite are teachers beca(se they are 'ise and -bnegation the go$ern&ent leaders beca(se they are selfless and think of others first) .heir factions also choose 'here they li$e, 'ho they &arry, 'hat they 'ear and their a##earance 1s(ch as tattoos for the a(ntless2, and finally ho' they #ass their free ti&e) .his syste& 'as created to set order in their 'orld3 gi$ing #eo#le the o##ort(nity to do 'hat they think is right) Present day -&erica has a (ni4(e yet si&ilar syste&, that 'as created (nintentionally b(t that has st(ck 'ith ho' o(r society 'orks) -ltho(gh 'e are not #(t into si&(lations 'ith challenges that according to o(r decisions #lace (s in a faction, 'e #lace #eo#le according to their ethnicity, social class, gender, c(lt(re, religion, or residential stat(s) Witho(t realizing it, society has created their o'n kind of factions that #laces #eo#le (nfairly into gro(#s that they are 0(dged by) .here are fla's in all ideas) B(t so&e ideas affect the #eo#le they are trying to hel#) *t is ne$er tr(ly e/#lained in Divergent ho' the factions 'ere created, b(t beca(se of all the constant

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&is(nderstandings and r(thlessness to'ards other factions, it is clear that this syste& is not 'orking for this society) .ris, the no$el5s #rotagonist, obser$es, 6Maybe a(ntless 'as for&ed 'ith good intentions, 'ith the right ideas and the right goals) B(t it has traded far fro& the&) -nd the sa&e is tr(e of Er(dite, * realize) - long ti&e ago Er(dite #(rs(ed kno'ledge and ingen(ity for the sake of doing good) 7o' they #(rs(e kno'ledge and ingen(ity 'ith greedy hearts) * 'onder if other factions s(ffer fro& the sa&e #roble&6 1"oth 2062, e$en tho(gh the factions 'ere created 'ith good intentions they ha$e slo'ly beco&e corr(#ted by their o'n a&bition) 8o&ething si&ilar 'ith the (nfair 'ork conditions #eo#le are #(t in no') .he 9nited 8tates 'as based as 6the land of the free6 'here e$eryone had an e4(al o##ort(nity to 'ork) B(t lately 0obs ha$e beco&e restricted to only those 'ho $ag(ely 4(alify) Ed(cation is also so so&ething that is greatly affected by o(r di$ided 6factions6) "e#orts ha$e sho'n that 6the 9)8) is a dee#ly di$ided nation 'hen it co&es to ed(cational e/cellence) 8o&e states crank o(t geni(ses 'hile others &ass:#rod(ce &ediocrity) -nd one of the reasons 'hy is &ost certainly #o$erty,6 1B(chanan:Whitlock2, based on the st(dent5s social class or e$en ethnicity, their ed(cation and learning #rocess is $ery often (ne4(al) -nd beca(se of this ed(cational (nfairness, these st(dents don;t ha$e the o##ort(nity to reach for &ore satisfying 0obs, 'hich also ca(ses the& to #lace in a gro(#) <igh school dro#o(ts are not al'ays a res(lt of #ersonal #roble&s, b(t of the li&ited o##ort(nities so&e st(dents are faced 'ith) *n the article 6*ne4(ality in Ed(cation across 9nited 8tates "es(lt of Po$erty6 it e/#lains ho' so&e st(dents can5t rely on the reso(rces that others 'ith a higher class can, 6*n -&erica, 'hat yo( earn de#ends largely on yo(r s(ccess in school) 9nfort(nately, yo(r s(ccess in school de#ends largely on 'hat yo(r #arents earn6 1B(chanan:Whitlock2, as a res(lt these st(dents are labeled (nethical, (ntr(st'orthy and (n:reliable in other 'ords the factionless)

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!eronica "oth 'as $ery s#ot on 'hen referring to the factionless as those 'ho don;t fit any of gi$en #ersonalities or re4(ire&ents that the factions re4(ire) Modern day factionless can be reflected on (ned(cated citizens, or those 'ho ha$e co&e to -&erica to #(rs(e a better life, in other 'ords the i&&igrants) *n this 4(ote 6* ha$e realized that #art of being a(ntless is being 'illing to &ake things &ore diffic(lt for yo(rself in order to be self:s(fficient) .here;s nothing es#ecially bra$e abo(t 'andering dark streets 'ith no flashlight, b(t 'e are not s(##osed to need hel#, e$en fro& light) We are s(##osed to be ca#able of anything6 1"oth 1=>2, .ris refers to the a(ntless faction and ho' they choose to &ake e$erything diffic(lt for the&sel$es) *&&igrants ca&e to the land of o##ort(nities in search for a better life, #ros#ering for the&sel$es) !ery si&ilar to the a(ntless, they choose to be bra$e and #(rs(e to be better 6faction &e&bers6) B(t there are #lenty of negati$e co&&ents abo(t (ndoc(&ented residents 6Fro& 2000 to 201=, a #eriod of record i&&igration, the n(&ber of 9)8):born -&ericans 'ith 0obs declined by 1)= &illion 'hile the n(&ber of i&&igrants 'ith 0obs increased ?)= &illion) @n net, all e&#loy&ent gains 'ent to i&&igrant 'orkers6 18essions, Aeff2) Many #eo#le co&#laint that i&&igrants are taking (# 0obs that citizens sho(ld ha$e) Bet &any of these are 0obs that don;t re4(ire $ery &(ch e/#erience and in &any cases recei$e less than &ini&(& 'age) Factionless are fro'ned (#on for their lack of #erse$erance in the book &any fail to see ho' they also #lay an i&#ortant #art in their syste& by doing the 0obs no one 'ants to do $ery si&ilar to (ndoc(&ented 'orkers) .he book Divergent #ro$ides (s 'ith the the&e of discri&ination) We #lace #eo#le in gro(#s beca(se that is the only 'ay 'e kno' ho' to categorize their differences) Being i$ergent is so&ething so (ni4(e and (ne/#ected that they are a danger) .his can only &ean that !eronica "oth sees #eo#le 'ith, all the factions5 4(alities as different, that &aybe she thinks that e$en in o(r ti&e i$ergence is hard to find, a #erson that fits all categories (nintentionally)

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Being i$ergent is being so&eone 'ho can control the& self5s, in e$ery 'ay) Whether in si&(lations controlling their fears or ha$ing characteristics that contradict the&sel$es, yo( can;t be bra$e b(t be selfless, and yo( can;t be selfless and intelligent, so&ething that 'as &ade $ery clear in the book, 'e ha$e beco&e so cons(&ed by o(r 6faction6 that 'e don;t allo' yo(rself to be anything else) i$ergence is those 'ho thri$e to be so&eone other than 'hat they are labeled as) *n this 4(ote 6* think 'e5$e &ade a &istake)))We5$e all started to #(t do'n the $irt(es of the other factions in the #rocess of bolstering o(r o'n) * don5t 'ant to do that) * 'ant to be bra$e, and selfless, and s&art, and honest))) * contin(ally str(ggle 'ith kindness6 1"oth 40?2, the character .obias longs for o##ort(nity to be &ore than 0(st bra$e, so&ething si&ilar to o(r generation) We don;t 'ant to be labeled as si&#ly <is#anic or college dro#o(t b(t also s(ccessf(l, or i&&igrant b(t also college grad(ate) i$ergence is not caring abo(t ho' others #ercei$e yo( and o(t doing e$eryone;s e/#ectations) Divergent is a f(t(re dysto#ian no$el 'ith incredibly acc(rate ideas abo(t 'hat 'ill ha##en in years to co&e) 8o&e &ay say it;s farfetched b(t 'ith the 'ay society has (nkno'ingly dedicated the&sel$es to di$ing society, this dysto#ia is s(re to co&e) Divergent is 'arning its readers of the dangers of discri&ination and categorizing #eo#le into gro(#s and gi$ing so&e &ore o##ort(nities than others) By the end of the no$el, t'o of the fi$e factions are in 'ar 1Er(dite and -bnegation2 and they;re abo(t to bring the fight to a third) .his can only rhetorically say that any society is doo&ed to fall, beca(se of the lack of co&&(nication and res#ect #eo#le ha$e for one another) .here is a 4(ote in Divergent that says 6* belie$e in ordinary acts of bra$ery, in the co(rage that dri$es one #erson to stand (# for another6 1"oth 20C2, re#resenting that the factions had good intentions and that there is still ho#e for society) .herefore it foreshado's ho' o(r society needs to be a'are of this ine4(ality, and &any are, b(t none take

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into consideration that these categories can end (# o$er#o'ering o(r society therefore creating a see&ingly e4(al and 0(st go$ern&ent 'hen in reality they restrict its citizens and i&#air &any fro& being 'ho they tr(ly are, different or i$ergent)

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Works +ited B(chanan:Whitlock, E&&ilie) 6*ne4(ality in Ed(cation across 9nited 8tates "es(lt of Po$erty)6 eseret7e's)co&) 1 7o$) 201=) Web) 24 Feb) 2014) Dhtt#,EE''')deseretne's)co&E articleE>6??>F624E*ne4(ality:in:ed(cation:across:9nited:8tates:res(lt:of:#o$erty)ht&lG #gHallIrefHhtt#sJ=-J2FJ2F''')google)co&J2FK) "oth, !eronica) Divergent) 7e' Bork, Latherine .egen, 2012) Print) 8essions, Aeff) 68en) 8essions, *&&igration 8#ikes *nco&e *ne4(ality)6 98- .oday) %annett, 2C Aan) 2014) Web) 24 Feb) 2014) Dhtt#,EE''')(satoday)co&EstoryEo#inionE2014E01E26E sessions:i&&igration:refor&:oba&a:go#:col(&nE4F1C0F?EK)