The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

902 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Explain what is meant by diversity

The Divergent series, by Veronica Roth, was published between 2011- 2013. The story follows the 16 year old heroine Beatrice (Tris) Prior and her friends and family in their attempt to “fix” their broken society. Through their story, the themes of government corruption and not conforming to society become incredibly relevant. The novel starts out with Tris and her brother Caleb preparing for their aptitude tests. This test shows them (or at least is supposed to show them) which faction they belong in or where they fit in. Tris’s results come back inconclusive, therefore she is divergent, and her results are manually recorded as Abnegation. Divergent, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary can be defined as “differing from each other or from a standard.” In the novel, when someone is “divergent” they fit into multiple of the five factions. They do not conform to only one of the five standards. This forcing of choice causes them to conform to the patterns of a specific lifestyle even when if it means not being completely true to whom they are. Specifically in Tris’s case, she fit into Dauntless (the brave), Erudite (the intelligent), and Abnegation (the selfless). By choosing Dauntless she had to suppress her intelligence and ignore the intuition to help others, which in the end proved to be a difficult task. Later in the novel, Tobias (Tris’ boyfriend and instructor) makes an interesting statement. He says “‘we’ve all started to put down the virtues of the other factions in the process of bolstering our own. I don’t want to do that. I want to be brave, and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest.’” In this statement, Tobias is saying that he does not want to conform to what the government tells him to do. He wants to be more... ... middle of paper ... ...n This Dystopia, Teens Must Choose Wisely." The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 May 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. < http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/books/review/young-adult-books-divergent-by-veronica-roth.html?_r=0> Plumer, Brad. "Absolutely Everything You Need to Know about How the Government Shutdown Will Work." WashingtonPost.com. The Washington Post, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. . Thoreau, Henry D. "Civil Disobedience." Virginia.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. . Washington, George. "Washington's Farewell Address 1796." Avalon Project. Yale Law School, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. .

Show More
Related

  • An Analysis of the Populist and Progressive Era

    1671 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jefferson, T. ( 1801, March 4). Thomas Jefferson First Inaugural Address. Retrieved 2008, from The Avalon Project at Yale Law School: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/jefinau1.asp

    Read More

  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

    548 Words  | 2 Pages

    Love and hope, together are a timeless literary thematic duo, which continue to inspire countless variations and sub-genres of romance literature. For the last many centuries, romance as a genre, is arguably the most popular of all narratives. However, the theme of love often takes presentences and overarches other thematic interpretation of stories. So why then are people seeking romance in the literature they ready? Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games with the intent to introduce her young adult readership to a number of politically charged themes. Although Collins's work is acknowledged for successfully presenting themes of sacrifice, versions of reality, and power, her audience conversely identifies with the debatable sub-them of love. Social forums, such as the Official Hunger Games Facebook Website exposes an insider's perspective of sort, which reveals public perceptions and interpretations of Collins's work. Even though the purpose for the fan-website built around The Hunger games is to provide a discussion space. Participant's discussions however, unintentionally reveal a...

    Read More

  • Dystopian Book 'Divergent' By Veronica Roth

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning of the book Tris has to make a very tough choice of which faction to go to. She has a very hard choice because her aptitude test results did not tell her just one faction she is most like. This choice can affect her life. Veronica writes “ I stare into my own eyes for a moment. Today is the day of the aptitude test that will show me which of the five factions I belong in. And tomorrow, at the Choosing

    Read More

  • Washington's Farewell Address

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    Washington’s farewell address mainly focused on foreign policy, but he does express concern for his other ideas such as religion and unity. Today’s foreign policy differs from what Washington had hoped for through his Farewell Address but, his policy today would have many different positive and negative manifestations. With his strong use of diction that strengthens his tone as well as his appeal to ethos, Washington’s address has definitely played a role in America’s current position today.

    Read More

  • Divergent by Veronica Roth

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main character in the book Divergent is a girl named Beatrice. Beatrice is developed throughout the book by having to do things that push her out of her comfort zone. Beatrice was born in the faction of Abnegation, where everything is simple and alike. Abnegation values selflessness, but Beatrice doesn’t feel like she is selfless. She decides to change to the faction of Dauntless, who values courage. Beatrice has to do things like jump off trains, and fight people to show she is courageous. She decides to start going byTris, because Beatrice won’t fit in with the dauntless. When Beatrice makes the decision to be a dauntless she says “My fathers eyes burn into mine with a look of accusation’. This is because it was selfish of her to choose to be a Dauntless. Beatrice doesn’t like to be told what to do, and will stand up for what she thinks is right. Beatrice tries to be kind to others, but sometimes she just can’t control herself.

    Read More

  • Choice Of Allegiance In The Divergent By Veronica Roth

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    Each faction’s places value solely on a specific virtue, which members work their entire life to perfect. Roth make the story more relevant to modern readers by including aspects of our own society in the Divergent universe. In an interview with Roth, Good reader member Becky Webster ask, “when you were 16 what faction would you have chosen and would that decision be the same today?” Roth replied, “When I was 16, I would have chosen Candor. I found it difficult to trust people when I was younger for various reasons, and I think have seen Candor as a place in which it is safe to trust, because everybody is so transparent. Today, I would have chosen Dauntless. I struggle with fear daily and sometimes it makes me feel trapped. I think bravery makes you selfless and

    Read More

  • Religious Accommodation Policy Change

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    Washington, G. (1790). George washington's letter to the hebrew congregation of newport. Retrieved from http://www.tourosynagogue.org/index.php/history-learning/tsf-intro-menu/slom-scholarship/86-washington-letter

    Read More

  • Divergent Theme Essay

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    Divergent’s central character, Tris Prior, experiences changes over the course of the book that emphasize the book’s main theme of rite of passage. Tris, upon turning sixteen, is forced to choose whether she wants to remain in her faction (Abnegation) with her family, or choose to change to another faction where she will most likely never see her family again. Tris bravely decides to change to the Dauntless faction (which coincidentally, is known for their bravery), where she goes through an initiation process in order to become a full-fledged member of Dauntless. Over the course of the initiation process, Tris seems to change from child to adult when she faces many tasks which force her to realize

    Read More

  • The Book 'Divergent' By Veronica Roth

    299 Words  | 1 Pages

    Tris Prior, the main character, is a grave girl who is in the faction or social group of dauntless. Dauntless is a brave faction that is one of five. Tris is divergent which means she can fit into any faction but chooses dauntless. Her friend Four is also in the faction of dauntless and helps Tris get through intense training and what is yet to come. A major conflict in the story is that Tris is divergent and she doesn't fit in with all the other dauntless. Also she doesn't react to serums, medical tests, the same as everyone else.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Fahrenheit 451 And V For Vendetta

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dystopia represents an artificially created society to where a human population is administered to various types of oppressions, or a human population lives under the order of an oppressive government. The novel Fahrenheit 451 and the film V for Vendetta both effectively display this dystopian concept in their works. The nature of the society, the protagonist who questions the society, and the political power that runs the society are examples of how the novel and the film efficiently capture the main points of a dystopian society. The authors of the novel and the film use their visions of a dystopian future to remark on our present by identifying how today’s society is immensely addicted to technology and how our government has changed over the past decades. Furthermore, the authors use our modern day society to illustrate their view of a dystopia in our

    Read More

  • The Rise of Post-Modernism: Divergent by Veronica Roth

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    Being Divergent was not her choice, it was her fate. In the book Divergent by Veronica Roth, Beatrice “Tris” Prior has to go on an intriguing adventure to find herself. She is torn between finding herself through who she is, and who everyone else wants her to be. The book’s setting takes place in a dystopian version of present-day Chicago, where the people must be placed into factions based on who they are supposedly supposed to “be”. This shows how government control comes into terms with a Utopian-type society. The factions also exert the struggle with one’s own identity, self-versus social. These themes are constantly exposed throughout the book. Veronica Roth wanted to uncover through literature how post-modernism is beginning to become more and more common. The distrust level in the government is rising as they create more power for themselves to render upon us and our civil liberties. In this present day, it is extremely hard to find oneself, but what if the government controlled every aspect of this process? How difficult might it become then? Roth uses Tris as an example to utilize this throughout the intensifying Divergent. All of these pieces of the puzzle play a key role in helping Tris overcome her journey of discovering where she truly belongs.

    Read More

  • Divergent Literary Analysis Essay

    1290 Words  | 3 Pages

    Social classes are organized by factions in Divergent, by Veronica Roth. Practically everything about an individual is based on what faction they belong to: their personality, how they dress, where they reside, what they consume, what they do for enjoyment, and what occupation they hold. The book takes place in a dystopian society of Chicago where everyone takes an aptitude test at the age of 16 to decide what faction they belong to and what their future will be. The factions are Abnegation, Amity, Dauntless, Erudite, and Candor. Beatrice Prior, the main character, takes this test and the results are inconclusive because she is divergent. Due to the fact that Beatrice, or Tris, is divergent, she can be placed into

    Read More

  • The Vergent: A Story Of The Divergent

    934 Words  | 2 Pages

    Set in post apocalyptic Chicago, survivors are divided into five factions based on their dispositions: Abnegation, for the selfless; Amity, for the peaceful; Dauntless, for the brave; Candor, for the honest; and Erudite, for the Intelligent. Every year, sixteen year olds take a test, known as an aptitude, that describes the faction for which they are best suited. After receiving their results, they can decide whether to remain with their family's faction or transfer to a new faction. Beatrice Prior, age sixteen, is born Abnegation where she lives with her mother, father, and Caleb her brother. She has never come to accept that she is Abnegation, this is because she does not see herself as naturally selfless. Her aptitude test was inconclusive; indicating her aptitude for three factions: Abnegation, Erudite, and Dauntless. She must never share this fact, as it makes her a Divergent. Divergence is feared by the government; making her a target to be exterminated. Before Choosing Day, Beatrice becomes torn between whether to stay in Abnegation with her family, or transfer to another faction. Beatrice decides to leave Abnegation and join Dauntless, while her brother Caleb chooses Erudite. Shortly after, Beatrice is sent to her new fraction. The Dauntless instructor, Four, explains that not all initiates make it into Dauntless. Only the top ten will stay; the rest will be banished and become fractionless. Fractionless is equivalent to the unwanted and homeless. During the initiation, she re-names herself Tris (new fraction: new you.) and becomes close friends with a couple of other TIs: Christina, Al, and Will. As for Peter, another transfer initiate, harasses her all of their initiation and encourages his friends to antagonize her as ...

    Read More

  • Schadenfreude In The Hunger Games

    1216 Words  | 3 Pages

    The bestselling trilogy series by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, is considered as trash and reading it indicates bad taste for serious moral and ethical questions and controversial debates it has raised. And is was listed as the No.5 most frequently challenged book in 2013, according to American Library Association. “Challenged” here is defined by American Library Association as official requests to schools and libraries to remove the book. This essay is aimed at analysing key elements of typical critical responses to this book. They are schadenfreude, feminism and violence as listed below.

    Read More

  • Divergent Relationships

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    Divergent is a story of dynamic relationships changing drastically as the main character Tris develops as a person. From the first page to the last, Tris’s relationships with the people around her including her family, Al, Christina, and Four dramatically transform as the story progresses. Tris is highly dependent on her family for nurturing and care. However, nearing the end Tris finds her own personality and no longer relies on her parents.

    Read More

More about The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

Open Document