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Wendy Perez
Professor Filbeck
English 114B
May 9, 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 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 declares 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 'ell) 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 2082, 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) 9o&ething si&ilar 'ith the (nfair 'ork conditions #eo#le are #(t in no') .he :nited
9tates '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 $ag(ely 4(alify)
E$en 'ith all the social as#ects, class isn5t the only thin affected by o(r society, 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) is a dee#ly di$ided nation 'hen it co&es to ed(cational e/cellence) 9o&e states crank
o(t geni(ses 'hile others &ass;#rod(ce &ediocrity) -nd one of the reasons 'hy is &ost certainly
#o$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
can also be beca(se of the li&ited o##ort(nities so&e st(dents are faced 'ith) *n the article
6*ne4(ality in Ed(cation across :nited 9tates "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) :nfort(nately, yo(r s(ccess in school de#ends largely
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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)
!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$e co&&ents abo(t (ndoc(&ented residents 6Fro& 2000 to 201>, a
#eriod of record i&&igration, the n(&ber of :)9);born -&ericans 'ith 0obs declined by 1)>
&illion 'hile the n(&ber of i&&igrants 'ith 0obs increased @)> &illion) An net, all e&#loy&ent
gains 'ent to i&&igrant 'orkers6 19essions, Beff2) Many #eo#le co&#laint that i&&igrants are
taking (# 0obs that citizens sho(ld ha$e) Cet &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$ergent is so&ething so (ni4(e and (ne/#ected that they are a danger) .his can only &ean that
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!eronica "oth sees #eo#le 'ith, all the factions5 4(alities as different, that &aybe she thinks that
e$en in o(r ti&e i$ergence is hard to find, a #erson that fits all categories (nintentionally)
Being i$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$el 'ith incredibly acc(rate ideas abo(t 'hat 'ill
ha##en in years to co&e) 9o&e &ay say it<s farfetched b(t 'ith the 'ay society has (nkno'ingly
dedicated the&sel$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 20D2, re#resenting
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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
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$ergent)
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Works +ited
B(chanan;Whitlock, E&&ilie) 6*ne4(ality in Ed(cation across :nited 9tates "es(lt of Po$erty)6
eseret7e's)co&) 1 7o$) 201>) Web) 24 Feb) 2014) Ehtt#,FF''')deseretne's)co&F
articleF?8@@?9824F*ne4(ality;in;ed(cation;across;:nited;9tates;res(lt;of;#o$erty)ht&lG
#gHallIrefHhtt#sJ>-J2FJ2F''')google)co&J2FK)
"oth, !eronica) Divergent) 7e' Cork, Latherine .egen, 2012) Print)
9essions, Beff) 69en) 9essions, *&&igration 9#ikes *nco&e *ne4(ality)6 :9- .oday) %annett, 2D
Ban) 2014) Web) 24 Feb) 2014) Ehtt#,FF''')(satoday)co&FstoryFo#inionF2014F01F28F
sessions;i&&igration;refor&;oba&a;go#;col(&nF491D09@FK)