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Concept Analysis

Enna Burning 2004

Literary Text: Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

Plot Summary

Enna Burning is a fantasy, young adult novel that tells the

story of Enna, a young girl who risks everything to fight for her

country, which is being invaded by a neighboring. When her

brother Leifer discovers a new power, to create fire without any

flint or spark, he becomes consumed by the fire he created and

mysteriously dies during the first battle. Enna then decides to

discover the mysterious power “fire speaking” and takes action with her new skill as a member

of the royal guard. After attacking an enemy camp, Enna is captured and drugged. After a few

weeks, she escapes and rides to the capitol for the final battle. She destroys the enemy army, but

at a cost. She, like her brother, becomes consumed by fire, by fever. Her friends save her from

death but she still has a wicked fever. Her best friend Isi is a “wind speaker” and decides to take

her to a tribal community in the desert where they know a lot about supernatural powers. In the

desert community, they learn that if they teach each other their gifts of controlling wind and fire

they will have balance and the fever will leave Enna. The two friends share their gifts with one

another and ultimately find balance, control, and piece.

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Organizational Patterns

The book is divided into four parts. This could make the book easy to break up into readable-

sized chunks. Each section also provides different elements and themes for discussion. Since the

parts are titled with her roles (sister, warrior, prisoner, friend), class work and discussion can be

geared around the responsibilities, problems, and other elements are associated with that role.

The Big Question or Enduring Issue: Control

What does it mean to have control?

In the novel, Enna faces the challenges that come from discovering the power to create

fire. As she becomes better at sensing heat and producing fire, she has to learn to control this

mysterious primitive element. The better she gets at producing fire, the more difficult the fire is

to control because the fire seems to want to burn everything.

What does it mean to have balance?

In Enna Burning, those who have powers to communicate with nature and animals

become sick if the powers are not balanced properly. Isi, a wind speaker, suffers from chronic

headaches and Enna experiences an extremely high fever. When the two friends seek help in the

desert community of Yasid, the tribal leader tells them to teach each other their gifts in order to

gain balance and control of their power.

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What is a true friend?

Enna has many friends who remain loyal and steadfast through the entire novel. In fact,

she does not get out of any sticky situations without some kind of outside help from a friend. Her

friends Isi, Fynn, and Razo are constantly there to listen, to help and to be there. Enna also

however, has to learn what true friendship is when she deals with Sileph, a young war captain in

the enemy camp, who manipulates her with his gift of people speaking.

Background Knowledge

For this novel, students will have to have a simple understanding of the fantasy genre. This book

is a sequel to another novel but stands on its own because it has a different main character.

However, I think I would begin with an excerpt from the first book, which explains the different

kinds of “speaking” powers found in the first chapter of The Goose Girl to give them a

background in that aspect and verbally clarify that Isi, Enna’s best friend, is a “wind speaker”

and is the Queen of Bayern.

Issues related to the study of literature

Themes:

Finding Balance: The book explores the theme of balance

through the relationships between the characters. Enna learns

from the her experiences that she not only needs to balance

her powers but also that she must balance her emotions as

well. She learns the harsh truth of this through the death of

her brother, Leifer, who gives into his emotions and hurts

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Enna. His lack of balance with his powers ultimately causes his death from what Enna calls

“giving into” the fire.

Responsibility with Power: The novel brings to mind the saying, “with great power, comes

great responsibility.” As Enna learns to produce fire, she has to come to realize what she is

destroying. The vellum tells her that fire burns dead, lifeless things. However, in battle Enna is

disgusted to realize that living things burn as well and that a soul can be enough fuel for the fire.

She has to learn to take responsibility for her use of power.

Friendship: One of the main themes in throughout the entire novel is friendship. From the very

beginning, readers notice how important Enna’s friends are to her. Fynn and Razo are there as

her protectors and her backup in battle as well as off the battlefield. She turns to Isi when she has

no one else to talk to, and ultimately their friendship saves her life. Her friends show amazing

loyalty to her and she to them. Enna also discovers what a false friendship is through Sileph’s

manipulation.

Other Themes: Loyalty to country, Ethics in war, and determining truth.

Setting:

The major locations that are important and relevant to the story are the Forest, the Capitol,

Eyllbold, and Yasid. Since it is a fantasy, there is not a specific time associated with the story but

the story is pre-technology which means it incorporates medieval elements like monarchies and

sword fighting. Before the students read, show them the map located at the front of the novel as a

way to give them a geographic background of where things are.

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Point of View/ Narrative:

The story is told in third person from Enna’s perspective. Enna has a strong voice and an

even stronger will, but in the novel, her will gets put to the test as she becomes a prisoner of war.

Seeing the novel from Enna’s perspective gives new insight into what war means and how it

affects others. Also, Enna battles with responsibility and control in the novel. Having the novel

in third person, allows the reader to imagine and imply Enna’s thoughts rather than giving them

to her all of the time, which adds greater depth to the novel.

Characterization:

Enna is the main character in the story. She is a strong, determined, and complicated girl who

has the ability to produce fire out of thin air. Something of note about Enna is that she is

constantly worried about her loved ones, hardly ever

thinking of herself. Since the book is told from her

perspective most of the things she says and describes are

about others around her and not her inner emotions. “Then a

noise like a twig underfoot. Something inside her cracked,

and she felt the heat bleed into her, inside her chest, through

her blood” (Hale 244).

Leifer: Enna’s brother who has the gift of fire speaking and

ultimately dies from it. Although his death happens relatively

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early in the book, the repercussions of his actions affect Enna throughout the entire novel. The

repercussions of his actions are best represented at the beginning of the book when he says, “I’m

sorry, Enna. I swear I’ll never burn you again” (19).

Isi: Enna’s best friend who has the gift of animal speaking and wind speaking. Her gift with

wind speaking is taking its toll on her, she constantly hears the voices of the wind and it gives

her horrible headaches. Her relationship with Enna is deep and ultimately they save each other’s

lives. “Maybe speech between us was…unbalanced. As mush as I love Avlado [her horse], I’ll

never be so careless again” (27).

Sileph: Enna’s captor who manipulates her with his gift of people speaking, which is like hyped

eloquence. As his prisoner, Enna falls in love with Sileph and then later recognizes his

manipulations and lies. “She was his captive warrior, ruthlessly tied and drugged. But Sileph’s

manners made her feel in his debt” (168).

Razo: Enna’s friend and fellow warrior in the hundred band.

Razo is described as small, but what he lacks in stature, he

makes up for in spunk and charisma. “He had the most

expressive face of any person she knew” (43).

Fynn: Enna’s friend who is in love with her. Although it is not

described in the novel, readers get the feeling that Enna returns

his affections. He is also her protector and part of the special

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troop of the royal guard that Enna also belongs to. “Since Enna had returned to the Forest, he had

become a regular guest in her house as well” (10).

Literary Terms to be taught:

Foreshadowing: At the start of the novel, the text is rich with clues that can help them to predict

what will happen in Enna’s future and also the future of the other characters.

Imagery and symbolism: This book has many references to fire, wind, and other elements of

nature that provide rich imagery as well as amazing opportunities to teach the symbolic meaning

of the four ancient elements.

Affective Issues Related to the Work:

Eighth grade students are at the transitional stage where they are just beginning to

experiment with different responsibilities. They are striving for more and more individuality and

power over their lives. In this novel, the will connect with the characters who also are

experiences changes in responsibility and power. The outcome of the novel, finding control

through balance, can also be a moral lesson for these students to be well rounded and balanced in

all areas of their life.

Also, because friendship plays such a key role in this story, the students will relate

because friendship is such an important issue for middle school-age students. Friends in this

novel act as guides, protectors, confidents, and colleagues. They are there for Enna every step of

the way. These roles can be reflected and reinforced in student’s own lives as they learn what

true friends are.

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Specialized Vocabulary:

Hundred Band: Bayern’s special group of a hundred soldiers hand picked by King Geric and

Queen Isi during the war with Tira. Enna, Leifer, Fynn, and Razo are part of this troop.

Animal Speaking: Having the power to speak to animals. Isi has this gift with birds and her

horses Falada and Avlado.

Nature Speaking: Having the power to control elements of nature. Enna and Leifer have the

power to produce fire, Isi has the power to produce wind, and the people in Yasid have the

ability to control water.

People Speaking: Having the power of eloquent speech to the point where the speaker almost

controls the listener through verbal manipulation. Sileph has this gift in the novel.

Roga: Name for tribe in Yasid

Tata-rook: specific tribe that has the gift of water speaking.

Implications for Students of Diversity:

Because this book is a fantasy, it is easily accessible to all different types of students. The

book does not ascribe any race to the characters. The book is easily accessible to students of all

backgrounds and levels. The language is relatively easy and the plot is easy to follow because

there are not too many characters or subplots.

Gender Issues:

Although Enna Burning has traditional fantasy elements like having a King the ruler of a

country, this novel could in one way be read from a feminist perspective. Since the main

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character is female, readers get a different perspective than in a lot of popular fantasy novels like

Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. Enna is a strong character. She starts out being the

caregiver and homemaker but turns into a soldier and a warrior for her nation. As a whole this

book transcends gender stereotypes.

Project Ideas:

“Why are Themes Important?”

Ask students what the main ideas or themes of the

book are. If students get stuck, give them examples and

explanations. Have the students list the themes they say

and add any important ones they might be missing. The list could include: Loyalty and

Friendship (Isi and Enna), Balance (fire & wind), Perseverance, Determining truth,

Responsibility, Control of power. Then divide the class into groups based on how many themes

are on the board. Ask each group to discuss and write down answers to the following questions

on a group sheet of paper. “What are some examples of this theme in the story?” “Why is this

theme important to the story?” “Why is this theme important to you?” Have one student act as

scribe for the group, another act as spokesperson; another should act as taskmaster (making sure

they stay on task), and one act as questioner (ask the next question when the topic has been

thoroughly discussed). Have the spokesperson present a synopsis of the groups thoughts on the

theme. To reinforce the learning: Have students pick any of the themes and have them write a 1

page type written response to the questions paying particular attention to “Why is this theme

important to you?”

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“Super Superhero Stories”

Begin by giving students a DOL using the correct conventions for dialogue and correct

with class on overhead or board in a different color marker. Then explain that the next book

they’ll be reading has to do with a girl who has special powers. For their daily writing journal,

have the students create a story about someone with superpowers. Explain that they must use

dialogue in their story that day. Give them 15- 20 minutes to write. Over the next week have the

students add to their story different narrative details including description, imagery, and

symbolism.

“Picture Perfect Postcards”

Divide Students into 6 groups. Give each group a setting (The Forest [chpt 1], The

Capitol [chpt 2], Eyllbold [chpt 12], Yasid [chpt 19], Customs, and time) Have each group draw

a picture on butcher paper that describes the settings of the places or gives characteristics of

customs and time. Have the students put the page numbers on where they found their information

on the back of the poster. Have each group present their picture and explain it. To reinforce the

learning have students create a postcard from one of the places in the book. On the front have the

draw or find a picture depicting the place on the back have the students describe it including the

customs and the elements of time (clothing, language, technology, etc.)

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Enrichment Sources:

1. Comic Books from Marvel and DC

Comics

2. Clip from “Avatar: The Last Air Bender”

3. Excerpt from The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

4. “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost

5. “Fire” by Dorothy MacKellar