Spotlight: Why I am DIVERGENT

You may be aware that this week UK Book Bloggers have been divided into Factions and have gone head to head to get their reviews for Insurgent ( you can see my review HERE ) As you can see from my review the book really got me thinking about human nature, the way we fit into society and how characteristics alter due to the challenges life throws at us. So I thought I would apply these questions to myself and examine the factions that make up the society in Divergent/Insurgent to my own place in society. Although we may be born into a certain sector of society this is not necessarily what defines us.

All information and pictures regarding the factions is taken from The Divergent Trilogy Fansite

ABNEGATION:

1. to refuse or deny oneself (some rights, conveniences, etc.); reject; renounce.

2. to relinquish; give up

How does this fit me:

The biggest reason for being ABNEGATION is that I am a Mother. As a parent you go without things yourself in order to provide the best you can for your children. Even the smallest act of selflessness goes a long way. All parents, especially Mothers are Abnegation. Why especially Mothers I hear you ask, because we give our bodies over to what is basically a parasite [ ; D ] for 9 months. 

CANDOR: 

1. the state or quality of being frank, open, and sincere in speech or expression; candidness.

2. freedom from bias; fairness; impartiality.

How does this fit me:

I value honesty, to be perfectly truthful [ ; D ] I value honesty a lot more than I used to. Having been through a form of personal hell at the hands of another person, with the lies told in order to protect themselves, believe me I truly understand and appreciate the need for honesty. A relationship built on lies is like a house built on sand, it will crumble to the ground quickly.

This does not mean at the expense at someone else's feelings, I do think that tact and diplomacy are necessary skills in life and they are a learned skill dictated by society's acceptance of certain things, situations and people. 

I try to tell my girls that honesty is always the best policy, lies will be found out in the end, just accept the punishment if you have done something wrong as the punishment will be worse if you lie. 

Lies have a habit of biting you in the bum when you least expect it, you need to have a very good memory if you are going to lie. Be warned [ : D ] 

ERUDITE: 

Characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly

The word “erudite” focuses on knowledge rather than intelligence– intelligence being something you’re born with, and can’t necessarily control, and knowledge being something that you acquire.

How does this fit me:

The biggest thing is probably that I am a Librarian and a Mother, I encourage the pursuit of knowledge all day, every day. In school and at home.

I covered WWII in YA Fiction during a library lesson last year ( you can find details HERE) during which we discussed Hitler's Book Burning, this is what I told my classes:

Books give you knowledge, knowledge gives you power.

The power I mean is the ability to question things, not accept what you are told blindly. Knowledge allows you to overcome any preconceptions about your place in society. Rich, poor, young or old  being able to access knowledge on any subject gives you the ability to achieve anything you want to.

I think that proves my point [ ; D ] 

AMITY: 

1. friendship; peaceful harmony.

2. mutual understanding and a peaceful relationship, especially between nations; peace; accord.

3. cordiality

It’s not just about banjos and apple-picking. It’s about cultivating strong relationships and trying to understand each other.

How does this fit me:

The key word for me with Amity is FRIENDSHIP. I am probably a really rubbish friend in the 'real' world, I forget birthdays, I never ring but if my 'real' friends need me I would be there like a shot. 

I value my on-line friends tremendously, without their support I probably wouldn't have coped with the past few years. I know that no matter what time of day or night, there is always someone there to talk to. FRIENDSHIP is an important thing in life, you never know when you're going to need your friends.

DAUNTLESS:

Fearless, undaunted.

Undaunted: courageously resolute, especially in the face of danger or difficulty; not discouraged.

How does this fit me:

Whereas I am certainly not fearless, I would say or rather other people tell me I am Undaunted. Why? My life got shattered into pieces last year, you all probably know the reason, it had been going on a lot longer than just last year but last year tipped the scales in my knowledge and understanding of the situation. Everything I believed in and worked towards from the age of 20 was turned to dust within a very short space of time. 

I have had to rebuild my life and re-evaluate a lot of things. Although at times it is very difficult there is no way I could let myself be discouraged.

This also involves AMITY as I wouldn't have coped with my friends and ABNEGATION as you can't give up when you have children.

DIVERGENT: 

1. diverging; differing; deviating.

2. pertaining to or causing divergence.

3. (of a mathematical expression) having no finite limits

Diverge: 1. to move, lie, or extend in different directions from a common point; branch off.

2. to differ in opinion, character, form, etc.; deviate.

3. Mathematics . (of a sequence, series, etc.) to have no unique limit; to have infinity as a limit.

4. to turn aside or deviate, as from a path, practice, or plan.

I have certainly deviated from the path I was on - BIG STYLE.

Proving I am
DIVERGENT.