Corporal Punishment In The Hunger Games

“I know there must be more than they’re telling us, an actual account of what happened during the rebellion” (Collins 42). The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, is a dystopia set in Panem, a country with 12 districts, each in poverty. It has a wealthy Capitol. Each year, the Capitol forces its citizens to participate in the annual Hunger Games, which is a death battle. The Hunger Games is always televised so everyone can see it. The Capitol was effective in enforcing and retaining power over Panem because they restrict resources, they use entertainment to control the population, and because they use corporal punishment on people who misbehave.

The Capitol was effective in enforcing and retaining power in Panem because they

Corporal punishment is when you punish someone by inflicting physical pain in someone to discipline them or deter them from behavior or attitudes that is deemed unacceptable by society. Corporal punishment can usually be seen by the public so that people can see what their consequence is for disobeying the ruling party. Corporal punishment is used to remind people what will happen to them if they decide to break the rules. “My father could have made good money selling them, but if the officials found out he would have been publicly executed for inciting a rebellion… But the idea that someone might be arming the Seam would never have been allowed” (Collins p.6). As you can see, the Capitol uses public capital punishment in a similar to the way they use the Hunger Games. This reminds the citizens of Panem what will happen if they decide to break the rules and incite a rebellion. Also, the Capitol uses corporal punishment for those who break the rules and decide to speak against the Capitol. Again, this shows the citizens that the Capitol is serious about not starting a rebellion and shows its citizens what will happen to them if they do. This shows how the Capitol is able to retain and enforce power over Panem