The House of the Scorpion, written by Nancy Farmer, is the story of Matteo Alacran who is actually a clone of a powerful drug lord, El Patron. Matt is despised by everyone in his family except the drug lord himself, in whom he loves him like a pet. Cecilia is his guardian in the “Big House” and Matt is not allowed to see other children. He is treated harshly by the Alacran until El Patron appears and is furious with Matt's living conditions; he orders that he be put in a room like everyone else. At this point in the book, the ethical question of Matt's treatment begins to arise. Shortly after, Matt discovers a dead body in the opium fields; in fact, he finds an eejit, a human slave with a computer chip in his brain. The concept of eejits was horrible; it removed the very existence of human beings and individual choice. After El Patron's death, Matt flees to Aztlan, present-day Mexico, and finds an orphanage filled with communist "lost boys." Although it is quite the opposite; the guardians offer a wide selection of delicacies while the lost boys limit themselves to plankton. Matt leads a rebellion against the Guardians and destroys their tyrannical government. Nancy Farmer sent messages about how communist experiments in today's world have failed to thrive because of corruption. Maria's mother, Esperanza, is a champion of clone rights in the United States and tells Matt that with El Patron dead, Matt can officially take his place as head of Opium. The clones fighting for civil rights in the United States constitute a considerable political and governmental milestone; throughout this book, clones are presented as individuals and therefore treated as such. Matt eventually returns to Opium with the intention of shutting down Opium and returning the eejits to humans. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Nancy Farmer wrote The House of the Scorpion to reiterate the belief that civil rights should be inclusive for all human beings, regardless of whatever their origin, in this case clone. Senator Mendoza is a clear example of this belief. He is the fictional senator in the book who fights to have the clones recognized as human beings and treated as such. Universal civil rights for all human beings were an important part of Nancy Farmer's message, but she also juxtaposed several governments. Opium's government was tyrannical, led by El Patron. He even had human slaves with computer chips in their heads! The failed attempt at a communist government was seen in the Lost Boys orphanage. The guards were corrupt in their view of fairness. Then the United States government is always in the background, stable and secure. Our government is even described as fighting for the rights of clones. I believe Nancy Farmer's assertions are valid because if a minority fought for civil rights, America would be the prime candidate to start a movement. Although we don't yet completely agree with cloning ethically, Americans still believe in individualism, freedom, and equality, so clones should have equal rights and privileges than other humans. I highly recommend this book, as it is revealing and enlightening to think about such circumstances with civil rights. The book forces you to consider how you have treated others in a discriminatory or non-discriminatory manner. The book's civil rights message will resonate..