Censorship In The Hunger Games

In our modern day society, the value of books is often overlooked due to the recent advances in technology; because of the convenience technology has to offer, people are choosing to watch movies and TV shows, rather than reading books. However, books contain a wealth of knowledge most people have yet to discover--when someone chooses to read a book, they are exposed to a variety of important themes, helping them empathize with others of different backgrounds. Additionally, not reading desensitizes the audience's own imagination. Simply reading words on a page forces the reader to visualize the setting and action they’re reading about. Watching pictures on a screen can devalue a person’s ideas on what to think, or how to feel because it is

Staged in Panem, the post-apocalyptic world created by Collins, each year, every one of the twelve districts are obligated to randomly draw the names of one boy and one girl to compete in an annual, broadcasted event wherein the twenty-four adolescents participate in a fight to the death. In the end, a victor will emerge, earning instantaneous fame and fortune. While the Hunger Games is simply an extravagant form of entertainment for the citizens of the Capitol, the participants will pay the ultimate price--with their lives. Whilst it is uncommon to encounter any form of entertainment that is as brutal as the Hunger Games in today’s modern society, real people’s lives quickly become transparent upon gaining fame and they are forced to project a certain image of themselves in order to satisfy the general public’s wants. Although all the children aged 12 - 18 are forced to enter their names into the lottery system, the poorer children within a district are still more likely to be drawn over the richer children due to the tesserae system. In the tesserae system, children are offered the option to receive extra rations of grain and oil in exchange for entering their name into the lottery one additional time for each family member. In most poor districts, including Districts 10, 11, and 12, many children take the offer, but in the richer districts, such as

Diagnosed with Stage 4 Thyroid cancer, Hazel Grace Lancaster encounters Augustus Waters, a teenage boy who previously had osteosarcoma, but is now cancer free. Shortly after meeting, Hazel introduces Augustus to her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction. With a story similar to her own, the book is centered around a girl named Anna who has been diagnosed with cancer. Much to Hazel’s dismay, the book ends abruptly, leaving the reader to ponder about how it could have ended. However, Augustus refuses to accept the end to Anna’s story and the abrupt ending, entailing him to contact the author’s assistant, Lidewij. The two arrange for Augustus and Hazel to travel to Amsterdam so that they may find some closure. Unfortunately, just before they leave for Amsterdam, Hazel suffers from an attack wherein her lungs are filled with fluid and she is forced to stay in the ICU; because of this episode, Hazel’s parents and doctors are extremely reluctant of allowing her to travel so far from home. In spite of the numerous people who are against it, one doctor, Dr. Maria, persuades Hazel’s parents to allow her to go, saying she needs to be able to live her life before it ends. Through Hazel, John Green emphasizes the importance of cherishing life and living it to the fullest, because sooner or later, it can be taken away. After Hazel recovers from