RTW: Favored Factions
Road Trip Wednesday this week is presented to you by the book INSURGENT by YA Highway‘s own Veronica Roth. For those that are new to the Road Trip Wednesday meme, the ladies at YA Highway select a question for the week, and participants answer the question on their blogs then link to their blogs in the RTW article comments. Everyone can then travel around the different blog responses, checking out each other’s answers, writing comments, and having a good time in the process.
Today’s question is: What faction are you? For those that don’t know, INSURGENT is the second in Veronica Roth’s dystopian series that started with last year’s excellent novel, DIVERGENT. In Roth’s dystopian Chicago, society is split up into five factions, each representative of the strengths of its members: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Erudite, and Dauntless. As you can imagine, Abnegation are characterized by selflessness (“after you”), Amity by friendliness (“can’t we all just get along?”), Candor by raw honesty (“your breath smells, by the way”), Erudite by intelligence (“wait, I need to explain to you how the internal combustion engine works…”), and Dauntless by fearlessness (“it’s just a flesh wound”).
So, which faction would I be in? I could see myself testing quite well for Abnegation, Amity, and Erudite. I hesitate over Candor because, while I value honesty and truth, I try to couple being honest with being sensitive (Candor+Amity), and in the novels Candor seem to throw truth around like a weapon with no thought of collateral damage. So I think I would be Abnegation, Amity, and Erudite, with a Cador-leaning. And if I had to choose my faction from those, I think it would be Abnegation because they most closely reflect Philippians 2:3–a verse that’s close to my heart: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.”
What faction would you be?
Haha, I am the one faction you did not choose: Dauntless! But as I also pointed out in my response I think we are all a mix and do not belong one hundred percent in one faction.
I suppose I can be fearless, but those Dauntless people spend too much time jumping on trains, bungee jumping, and that’s a bit too much like exercise for me! 🙂
But I suspect you’re right–at heart, I think we’re all actually Divergent. 🙂
Probably Amity! Living with friendly people would make the world a much less stressful place.
That sounds good, Julie, but I can’t help thinking what Amity would be willing to sacrifice for the sake of peace. There’s good that can come from conflict. Would Amity welcome disagreement? Maybe if done amicably…? 🙂
Seems to me like choosing Abnegation almost takes more bravery than choosing Dauntless would! Maybe there’s a little more Dauntless in you than you think 😉
You may have a point there, A.K. Look at Tris and Four! 🙂
exactly! 🙂
I think I’d probably have a similar breakdown to you, only the Abnegation portion would be on the lesser side, sadly. I try to be more selfless, but fail all too often at it.
Oh, I fail miserably at Abnegation way too often, too. But it’s an ideal close to my heart, so that’s where I would most like to align myself. And I fail at Erudite and Amity too… man… is there a stupid-selfish-xenophobe faction? 😉
I would have thought Amity for me until I took the quiz… I think my results got skewed because I don’t like cheese.
I haven’t actually taken the quiz, but now I’m intrigued…! If love of cheese is a prerequisite for Amity, then I’d be in, no problem. 🙂
Dauntless, without a doubt!
While I have numerous traits in all of the factions, which I guess would mean I’d actually be divergent – the dauntless faction just suits my personality so well…cause yes, I would’ve been the first one to jump. 🙂
I’m probably too selectively Dauntless for it to register! In true Abnegation, I would be happy to see you find fulfillment by jumping–though I’d be concerned for your safety. 🙂
Oh, I love your succint descriptions of all the factions!
You sound like a really awesome blend of the factions. Truthful while tactful (candor + amity). Caring for the wellbeing of others before tending to yourself (amity + abnegation). That’s a great way to live!
Thanks, Lindsay! I think that’s the way the factions are supposed to work–in tandem with one another, not against or to the exclusion of one another. I can’t say I live this way perfectly (just ask my wife and kids), but I think it’s a good goal.
They should definitely be the official mottos for each faction. ^^ I think all the factions compliment each other as well and have a little bit of each other in their overall beliefs. You can be called brave to stand up and fight for your country but I think you can be brave to stand back and say ‘no, I’m not fighting’. You can be frank but by also being sensitive to the person and thinking of how you’re words can affect them. You can fight peacefully without the need of violence and anger.
I’m glad you liked my unofficial faction mottos, Robin. 🙂 It’ll be interesting to see what happens to the factions in book 3…
I agree about everyone being a mix. Abnegation is admirable. i feel too selfish for that. Except where my kids are concerned.
=)
Well, the DIVERGENT test told me I’m Candor! Probably because I would be honest with the mean old woman with the book. 🙂 I don’t do Abnegation perfectly (at ALL), but that’s the one I aim for.
I think I’m a mix of abegnation, dauntless, and erudite. I love the ideas behind Amity and Candor, but when I think about how I actually spend my time and what I dream of doing . . .it’s abegnation, dauntless and erudite. Dauntless fits the things that I want to do and a few that I’ve actually done. Abegnation and erudite fit what I actually do daily – I homeschool my kids, serve others, learn, write, read, etc.
I hear you with regard Abnegation and Erudite. I’m selectively Dauntless, which is probably not good enough for Eric, but I think I’m okay with that. 😉
I think abnegation, true selflessness involving self-sacrifice, is one of the hardest ones to do. Amnity feels more natural and easy to do for me.
Abnegation probably is the hardest of the five. I chose that not because it’s the one I’m best at, but it’s the one I most want to attain. I’m probably more Amity than Dauntless, but I tend toward being an introvert which kind of plays against Amity. There again, if Dauntless can be expressed just by facing fear, or acting despite fear, perhaps Amity doesn’t require being gregarious, but simply being a peacemaker. Mmmm…
Perhaps you’re actually divergent, Colin! I think we’re all divergent to a degree, and it’s the choices we make which encourage specific sides of our personality, and that process is self-sustaining. Certainly I feel like there are specific aspects of each faction that appeal to me, and different aspects of my life require a different trait.
I suspect you’re right, Erica. Our personalities lean toward certain traits, but that doesn’t mean people can’t act against them, or learn to be otherwise. But I think that natural predisposition will always be there. Abnegation can be Dauntless, but that Dauntlessness will have a selflessness to it. Indeed, as someone suggested, Abnegation might be the best expression of Dauntless! But to your point, we all have it in us to express any of the five, and to veer toward one or more of them in the way we lead our lives and the choices we make.
I like to think I”m divergent, but of course I lean more toward erudite:) although I do feel dauntless sometimes–especially when I’m training in martial arts:D
Nutschell
http://www.thewritingnut.com
Yes, I can see how martial arts can make you feel Dauntless! As Erica said, we probably are all Divergent to some extent. Thanks for the comment, Nutschell! 🙂
This is such a tough question. Like you and many others, I couldn’t be in just one faction. And I really don’t know that I could even be in a mix of them.
Candor might come closest to my personality because I have a tendency to speak my mind or tell the truth even when it’s uncomfortable.
And I’d like to say Dauntless because in theory, I’d love to be where the action is. But I’d also want to sit at home in sweats watching TV occasionally.