What do you make of "Faction Before Blood"?

Discuss the June 2014 book of the month Divergent by Veronica Roth. While only Divergent--the first book of the series--is the book of the month, feel free to use this subforum to discuss the rest of the series or to talk about the movies, but make sure not to post spoilers unless noted in the topic title.
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dorebri2020
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Re: What do you make of "Faction Before Blood"?

Post by dorebri2020 »

I think that family comes first in any situation, and it is wrong to force one to give up all connections with their family and original faction. I must say though the idea of faction before blood is not all that new either. It is incredibly common to hear about someone who chose friends or loved ones outside of their family to be with and cut off all ties. It's only human nature to want to be with people that have the same beliefs and practice the same virtues as you.
"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."- J.K. Rowling. :D
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Kathleen Wolfe
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Post by Kathleen Wolfe »

It could go either way. Different people have different things that they see as a priority. Personally I would prefer "blood before faction". I find interaction with a family member much better as opposed to lonely nights over work. It has a better affect on you mentally and physically.
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chloelogan3
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Post by chloelogan3 »

This idea of faction before blood raises interesting questions about the development of children's minds. How can you expect a 16 year old to leave their parents, their community and their whole world and never see them again. Not only this but it also raises ethical questions of educating children within the same schools as other factions. They grow up together, would have friends from different factions and are then expected to say goodbye to all of their friends/family when they have to choose a faction.
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Post by Atara Miles »

This seems very circumstantial. In Tris' case, she has what we would call a 'good' family, her mother dying for her and her father supporting her despite his own beliefs and opinions. When you compare it to Tobias, he has an abusive father he made it a point to get away from, who still makes recurring appearances in his fearscape. I've always noted the statement 'family before everything' but I believe it's who you choose to make your family or better yet who deserves to be called your family that should be put first.

The faction over family rule, though, was just to prevent rebellion and stop individuals from having something deep enough to prompt them to go against the council.
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Post by NovaFly »

'Faction before blood' or 'blood before faction' are both problematic, making hard rules will often end in disaster because life is complicated.
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Post by Eliieitis »

To my mind, this statement is quite accurate in our time. We can compare factions to our jobs, which often do come before our families and friends. Our focus on carrier has taken over our life and we tend to forget about the people that surround us and help us. However, I can not state that it is only a bad thing. As with everything in life, you need to set priorities and understand that choosing to focus only on carrier might lead to some love problems. Focusing only on family might take away your opportunity for personal growth.
Concluding everything I have said earlier, I believe that this quote is accurate. Only we can choose our priorities and what comes before what.
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Post by Damis Seres Rodriguez »

While I do not agree with the idea of "Faction before blood", I think most of the times, both in the book, and in real life, it is a concept that the society has allowed to root, consciously or not. In the very same way teenagers had to pick a faction at the age of sixteen, this society (especially in occidental backgrounds) sooner or later pushes us to depart from home, and eventually, the life that we create on our own, becomes more important than the family background we came from, regardless if we realize it or not. Such is life. Co-workers, friends, love interests, the people that we find ourselves forced to spend more time with, slowly become our faction, and in a sense, our new family.
Granted,this novel in general is meant to put emphasis on more drastic differences between certain faction and another, but truth to be told, in real life, we all pick our faction and some point, and divert from the background in which we grew up.
It is also worth considering the way a simple slogan can become so powerful that it ends up ruling people's lifestyles. And I think the book reflects pretty well the way a mere idea, when well sold, can influence an entire society in such a powerful manner.
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Post by NatRose »

The concept of faction before blood makes me think of intentional communities and chosen families that are increasingly a significant part of our society. The major difference between these and "faction before blood" is choice. I don't believe in blind loyalty to family, but you also shouldn't be forced to leave your family behind without having a choice in the matter. Same for your friends. Chosen families are great, but they only work if you have the choice. Otherwise, you're just switching from one "forced" family to another.
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Post by Julie-p »

I don't agree with "faction before blood" the way it is shown in the book, where people are forced to abandon their families and lose contact with them even if they don't want to. It is a way to help separate factions, making it more easy for the government to control them.
In real life, this can be seen when people distance themselves from their family because they don't respect that person's beliefs and choices. And I agree with it, for example, I don't see why you should obligate a gay person to spend time with their homophobic family. Though, I believe "family is not the most important thing" is a view most commonly shared by younger generations.
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Post by Barbara Larkin »

'Faction before blood', 'blood is thicker than water' - these seem like principles to cement the importance of a particular group over another. It shouldn't be a one size fits all rule, though, as everyone's life and environment is different.
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Post by Edna016 »

Sometimes your family can end up betraying you or you might just have problems with them, but at the end of the day they're still your family. I think in the end you will have to decide for yourself if its okay to put other things or people first instead of your family. In this book they used Faction before blood, well because they just did. The government controlled everything so that wasn't surprising that they also said that.
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Post by gelli_baranda »

I have a different take on the matter. I choose faction over family. Before anybody rushes to flood me with hateful comments, it's said that when you choose your faction, they become your family. Your blood family will totally understand if you choose another faction; yes, it will break their heart, but you have the sole control over your life.

My family is very conservative. I once had to choose between my family and another personal issue. I chose the latter. I talked to my family; they're okay with my decision. Thing is, as long as communication within the family is open, I guess you belong to the lucky ones. GO ahead- the world is out there waiting to be explored. :)
Happy reading,
Gelli xoxo
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Post by Dzejn_Crvena »

I guess "Faction Before Blood" is the opposite of "Blood is thicker than water.", yes?

It's 2021, and I see many family members who choose to stay away from their families. Many cut off their ties from their toxic parents and abusive relatives due to their clashing perspective on sexuality, politics, and religion (or lack thereof).

Despite that, I also see many communities that work together to protect everyone within their bounds. I appreciate those citizens who work on preserving their cultures. I see many people in the LGBTQ+ community who live happily together after being disowned by their families.

I cannot say where I belong because I don't always see myself fitting into the place between where I grew up and where I want to be.
just call me "jane" :tiphat:
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Post by Janet Kimetto »

I think the "faction before blood" concept is not black and white. It all comes down to relationships. Some people would do anything for 'blood', others have friends who became family. I think one would choose one or the other depending on the kind of relationships they have, and how strong those relationships are.
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Post by t_mann23 »

"Faction before blood" is an optimistic wish and fitting for a dystopian society, but it rarely plays out in real life. For most of us, our first devotion is to our family, whether that family is blood or not. We can see throughout the series that it isn't so simple for Tris and the other characters either, as she visits Caleb even after they chose different factions and she tries to save her parents. And Four, as much as he tried to separate himself from his past, couldn't leave behind his parents.
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