Civil Disobedience In The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

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Civil disobedience is described as the refusal to comply with certain laws as a form of political protest. Civil disobedience is commonly thought of as being nonviolent resistance, however that is not always true. The protesters standing up for what they believe in are often legally punished, but morally accept their punishment because they know what they are doing is not right. Thoreau explains the importance of speaking out and rebelling against unjust laws in his piece, Civil Disobedience. Another author that does this is Suzanne Collins. She is the author of The Hunger Games trilogy and does a great job of showing rebellion in her books. Collin’s idea to add civil disobedience in her novels encourages her readers to stand up for what they believe in, and to speak their mind instead of just going with the flow. Thoreau and Collins both have similar ways to express civil disobedience in their writing.
First, a little background on The Hunger Games. Panem, where the Capitol is located, was established and led by President Snow as a totalitarian dictatorship. The nation was divided into districts, called nation-states. Each district was responsible for producing, procuring, or refining goods in a particular industry. Each district provides something different for the Capitol, and in return they have no influence concerning the national politics of Panem.
Before the events of The Hunger Games started, various districts of Panem rebelled against the Capitol. This was caused by the unhappiness with how the Capitol government ruled over the districts in an oppressive manner. By the end of the conflict, the Capitol had put a stop to the rebellion by defeating twelve districts and eliminating the thirteenth completely....

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... their victory tour. After they both gave their speeches to the public, an old man saluted Katniss. As a result, he was executed by one of the peacemakers. This can refer back to the example of the Wal-Mart employees being arrested for refusing to stop protesting. Many people know that there is going to be a consequence to their action. This old man knew something was going to happen to him, so he took a risk to show his admiration for Katniss.
All in all, civil disobedience has made many positive changes in the world today. Nevertheless, the end goal or result of any act of civil disobedience is not meant to benefit the individual, but the community as a whole. The ends of such an act should not be a private gain, but a public gain. Just like in The Hunger Games, how Peeta and Katniss remained brave by risking their lives to stand up for their districts.

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