Josh Barnette
English IV
Mrs. Schroder
April 26th, 2018
1984 Essay 1984 vs The Hunger Games
1984 is a novel set in the year 1984 about a dystopian society that has had a terrible fallout from war and a ruler has come to rule over a nation called Oceania. The ruler is known as “Big Brother”. Another novel about a dystopian society that mimics 1984 is the popular novel, The Hunger Games. There are several different aspects in both of these novels that convey the same message and have the same types of scenarios. 1984 and The Hunger Games both have dictator like leaders that deprive the people of what they need. Both novels have government leaders that ration what their people get. In both novels the children of the society play a huge role, in 1984 all children are enlisted into a program called the “Junior Spies”, which is a program initiated by the government to have the children spy
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The head of Oceania is Big Brother. Big Brother stays in control because of the mental grip he has on his nations people. He deprives his people of resources that they need to have a decent life. The leader of Panem, The Hunger Games country, Panem, is President Snow. President Snow is hated among his nations also known as “Districts”. Panem is divided between 12 districts. President Snow spoils districts one, two, and three but leaves the other nine districts to live in terrible conditions, much like Big Brother who lets all of Oceania live in ruin. Both of these leaders have special people who enforce what the head of the country needs enforced. In Oceania they have people called the “Thought Police”, the Thought Police are people that go throughout the nation making sure the people do not express their own views, thought, or ideas. In Panem they have the “Peacekeepers”. The peacekeepers are ruthless and torture the people of Panem and keep them in line just the way President Snow needs them to
In both books they share some traits, even though they may not look anything alike they are. both of these novels are dystopian novels and many characters share similarity’s.
Suzanne Collins has, through her writings, used great imagery to expose the meaningful side of ‘The Hunger Games’, the side that is not all about what takes place in the arena. The Capitol’s rule over the districts, the reality-show part of the Hunger Games and the Mockingjay pin are all fragments of deeper meanings that create the basis of all that the story is. Suzanne Collins has depicted the country of Panem as a place overruled by a large city, known as the Capitol. The Hunger Games is apparently a means to keep peace and a fair punishment for the rebellion of the districts, where district 13 was obliterated in the mess. However, Collins has spun this interpretation around and unveiled a different perspective – that The Hunger Games is
Another blaring difference between the two societies in Fahrenheit 451 and the Hunger Games is that of their government. The form of government in Fahrenheit 451 consists of a democracy whereas the Hunger Games government is corrupt and resembles nothing of a democracy. Even though we may see the world of Fahrenheit 451 as strange and bad there is still a democracy, which we consider to be fair. A similarity between the two governments systems would be how they both suppress things much like it is today, that each government believes could hurt the stability of society. The Hunger Games government suppresses interaction between districts to instill conformity because they know if there was interaction it could cause unhappiness and take away from the level of cooperation between the people and the government.
Rather, it contends that when government is unrestrained in the form of totalitarianism, as exemplified by the Party of Oceania, it can by nature exist only to serve itself. This argument serves as Orwell’s warning against the dangers of totalitarianism; it is so corrupting a force that it can hide behind claims of good intentions, but ultimately exists only to accumulate its own power. Furthermore, since a totalitarian drive for power constitutes a total control of its citizenry and a political structure that necessitates its existence, as shown by the military strategy of the Party, Orwell warns that once a truly totalitarian state is in place, there is no possible way to overthrow it or turn back from it. Ultimately, Orwell sees a government that is so distorted it has become completely self-serving as the largest threat, defining his view of totalitarianism and the themes of his
The Hunger Games and Fahrenheit 451 are both great examples of dystopian fiction. A dystopia is a fictional world that takes place in the future that is supposed to be perceived as a perfect society, but it’s actually the opposite. Other things that a dystopian society might display are citizens both living in a dehumanized state and feeling like they’re constantly watched by a higher power. Dystopias are places where society is backwards or unfair, and they are usually are controlled by the government, technology, or a particular religion. The Hunger Games and Fahrenheit 451 are both in the dystopian fiction genre because the societies within them show the traits of a dystopia. Both of them also have characters that go against the flow of the normal world.
Complete governmental control develops as an apparent theme of both 1984 and The Hunger Games. 1984 uses the concept of big brother for the sole purpose of instilling a dependence on the government for every aspect in the citizens’ lives. Similarly, the capitol of Panem in The Hunger Games censors information from the people so that any idea of revolution will be instantaneously
The fictional world of 1984 is best described as bleak. In the aftermath of the fall of capitalism and nuclear war, the world has been divided among three practically identical totalitarian nation-states. The novel takes place in London, which has become a part of Oceania, the nation state comprising the Americas and western Europe. A state of perpetual war and poverty is the rule in Oceania. However, this is merely a backdrop, far from the most terrifying aspect of life in 1984. Oceania is governed by a totalitarian bureaucracy, personified in the image of Big Brother, the all-knowing/ all-seeing godlike figure that represents the government. Big Brother is best described as a "totalitarian socialist dictator, a political demagogue and religious cult leader all rolled into one." So great is the power of Big Brother that the reader is unsure whether he actually exists or is simply a propaganda tool of the government. The party of Big Brother, Ingsoc (English Social...
Although people recognise that they are being treated unjustly, the feeling of defeat by their society, often forces them to adjust their morals in order to survive. President Snow utilises heritage and tradition as an excuse for the Hunger Games. Moreover, he disguises his true intentions as a way to ‘remember [the] past]’ and ‘safeguard [the] future’. In truth, the Games is a raw exercise of power which scares the citizens in order as well as reminding the people the power which Snow holds. The citizens of Panem, more specifically the lower class, are aware that they are being emotionally manipulated however, have come to the realisation that there is not much that can be done. When a young competitor passes away, her district attempts to fight against the Capitol, though they were immediately shut down – threatened with violence. Alike ‘The Hunger Games’, ‘The Truman Show’ also explores the emotional manipulation exercised on citizens living under a dictatorship. Similarly, Christof also applies the same glorification to the ugly truth by transforming Truman’s prisoned life into ‘a television show that gives hope, joy, and inspiration to millions’. Furthermore, as Truman grew older he began to dream of larger things, so to keep him in Seahaven, Christof ‘finally…came up with the concept of Kirk’s drowning’ which after the
The Hunger Game’s Coriolanus Snow, president of Panem states, “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.” In this dystopian society, totalitarian dictatorship is key. President Snow had absolute power over the districts. He knew every move, plan, and uprising that happened within the districts.
The Hunger Games- “a futuristic dystopian society [Panem] where an overpowering government controls the lives and resources in twelve different districts” (The Hunger Games). The overpowering government lives in the Capitol of Panem and from there controls the citizens of the twelve districts through propaganda and other means. The Capitol has all of the economic and political power in Panem; they have complete control. The leader of the capitol is the harsh, dictator-like figure, President Snow. President Snow’s methods for keeping order in the districts are through Peacekeepers and the annual Hunger Games. The Peacekeepers are an army that monitors each district. Any sign of rebellion, and the Peacekeepers take care of it, usually by killing the rebel in some way. The annual Hunger Games are used to remind all of the citizens of Panem about the uprising in the now obliterated District 13. The Hunger Games, in a way, brainwashes all of the citizens, but a select few such as Katniss Everdeen, to believe that an uprising would be horrible and is not necessary and that the Capitol does what is best for all of the citizens. In
The government changes the way that reality looks like by altering the past, use of pure power and propaganda. People really think that the government is there to help them from their enemies, they get happy with the increasing food rations announcement and really think the Big Brother exist. Therefore, the citizens of Oceania, especially the proles prevent rebellion against the party because they admit that they have an ideal society. The winners in this type of society, are all the members of the inner party and higher ranks members whom steal away the rights of living from the lower class in order to create a lavish lifestyle for
Imagine being in a game where everyone dies except for one victor, and you have to risk your life to save your little sister’s life. Also imagine not being able to speak freely in your own home. These are some examples of how dystopian governments take control of the people in the societies in dystopian novels. The governments of 1984 and The Hunger Games share the dystopian goal of dehumanizing their citizens in order to maintain and win control over the citizens. The Party and the Capitol are after power, and whoever has control of the people in a society has has all the power.
Thus, it is with these three key points that the government of Panem has been able to keep the Games going on for so long, without the system collapsing in on itself. Furthermore, The Hunger Games also shows us just what we as a species could become with the right about of social influence and conditioning by an authoritarian force. The peoples of the Capitol and Districts have been taught and conditioned for decades to accept the Hunger Games, especially so in the case of the Capitol, where its citizens applaud and enjoy the Hunger Games, much like many Romans enjoyed the Colosseum in ancient times. It is a rather frightening, but realistic, look at what any of us could become with the right social influences and conditioning.
There are so many themes that people can find in the Hunger Games, a novel written by Suzanne Collins in 2012. It is a novel that generally tells about how a country called Panem is ruled by a selfish government, where everybody in that country has to follow all the rules and laws of the government similarly like totalitarian governmental system (Spielman, 2012). Martin (2008) states that totalitarian system itself means that there is only one powerful government that has the highest authority to maintain and control every aspect of its citizens’ life. Excitingly, the way The Capitol governs its citizens by using the classic techniques of a totalitarian regime is also applied in the real life by North Korea. For example, both The Capitol and the Government of
Gary Ross’ 2012 film adaptation of novel ‘The Hunger Games’ by Suzanne Collins premises on the Marxist view of the world. The film analyses the world not as competing sovereign state or any frame of international cooperation and dependency. However, the film presents the world as a dichotomy between the minority elite, represented by the Capitol and the proletariat; metaphorically characterized by the districts. Though, we can recognise that the Marxist reality presented in the film in regards to domestic political theory we can surely adjust it to international politics. Consequently, the film only sovereign state that is portrayed is Panem and makes absent any other sovereign state.