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Suzanne Collins creates a dystopian setting in the Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins creates a dystopian setting in the Hunger Games
The hunger games sociological perspectives and theories
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There are various examples of people throughout history who had the upper hand over others and have abused the power they had to make a negative impact or control other people’s lives. Power being defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events and abuse, meaning the use of something to badly effect or for a bad purpose . Suzanne Collins exemplifies power and abuse in various ways throughout her novel, ‘The Hunger Games’. This intense novel is set in a time period after a rebellion in North America left the country destroyed, divided into 12 districts and being controlled by the Capitol. Katniss Everdeen is the main protagonist and is from the poverty stricken district 12, completely opposite from the Capitol which is the place that is rich in wealth and power over the 12 districts. Every year a male and female between the ages of 12-18 from each district get chosen and sent to the Capitol to compete in the blood bath that is called ‘The Hunger Games’ to show that the Capitol is the one with the power and to stop a rebellion against them . This essay will explore the themes of power and abuse that are demonstrated throughout The Hunger Games.
Society and class play a major role in The Huger Games. The Capitol, being the wealthier ‘district’ has all the power to hold control over everyone. There are also privileged districts that can train their tributes to give them a better chance of winning, “The tributes from 1, 2, and 4 traditionally have this look about them. It's technically against the rules to train tributes before they reach the Capitol but it happens every year. In District 12, we call them the Career Tributes, or just the Careers. And like as not, the winner wi...
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...em” (Ch. – pg. -) This shows Katniss did make a bigger impact than expected for pulling the ‘Star Crossed Lovers’ act at the end with the nightlock.
The novel demonstrated the variety of ways that power can be taken advantage of for selfish gain as well as used to benefit the wellbeing of others. The Capitol intentionally used their wealth and power to manipulate and control the districts thus stopping any reprisals. Katniss used power in forms of sacrifice and loyalty to save those close to her. This caused her to unintentionally become the leader of a new uprising. These two examples shown in the novel illustrate the different reins of power, one being money driven and controlling, the other being camaraderie and full of hope. The novel has shown that power is not ever lasting and can easily be transferred to another who demonstrates the strength to dominate .
The book Head games is a fictional story written by Mariah Fredericks. The novel is about a girl who plays a game online and sometimes in the real world. She creates characters that she plays as in her head. One day she runs into the troublemaker who lives in her building, they discover they both played the same online game with the same group of people. The girl and boy make up their own game to play, they often meet up and play as certain characters.
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
Love and hope, together are a timeless literary thematic duo, which continue to inspire countless variations and sub-genres of romance literature. For the last many centuries, romance as a genre, is arguably the most popular of all narratives. However, the theme of love often takes presentences and overarches other thematic interpretation of stories. So why then are people seeking romance in the literature they ready? Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games with the intent to introduce her young adult readership to a number of politically charged themes. Although Collins's work is acknowledged for successfully presenting themes of sacrifice, versions of reality, and power, her audience conversely identifies with the debatable sub-them of love. Social forums, such as the Official Hunger Games Facebook Website exposes an insider's perspective of sort, which reveals public perceptions and interpretations of Collins's work. Even though the purpose for the fan-website built around The Hunger games is to provide a discussion space. Participant's discussions however, unintentionally reveal a...
The main source of power in the hunger games is very clear showing that the government in this case the capitol how they use their power to control power. This is because the Capitol holds the most of the country’s money and wealth. The Capitol there is able to control what happens, when it happens and how much it costs. For example in the book Katniss has put her name down for the reaping as everyone else do too. ‘The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each 12 districts must provide a boy and a girl, called tributes, to participate.’ This quote from the book shows how the Capitol has made a law that they punish the districts because they were all smothered to bits and district 13 has been fully destroyed by the Capitols army. Although this book shows how Katniss resists the kinds of power against the capitol for example. How she salutes into the air in the games and everybody sees or when Rue dies and Katniss cover her with flowers. These symbolic gestures create attention to the fact that there are actual people out there in the hunger games not just game holograms. These small moments of truth and reality.
In the book The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins displays a variety of topics that most readers neglect to consider. One of key aspects she displays is the restriction against individuality. This is a similar theme that dominated the 1920s in America during the Red Scare. During this era many Americans were fearful of expressing views that were not in sync with the government’s perspective; likewise the capitol creates methods that inhibit the citizens ability to voice any opposing views. Most of the time, when controversial opinions were spoken, the punishments put in place were not worthy of the crime, such as the Sacco Vanzetti case in the 1921 and the imprisoning of the Avox girl. In order to keep this power as many people were imprisoned as possible during the Palmer efforts, similarly the reaping is held every year to show the citizens of Panem that they have no power whatsoever. Consequently, when a government provides strict standards, it hinders a person’s ability to be an individual.
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
...that he still cares. Another use of power is when Maria goes to see the night matron. Although the events that occur are bad, it is very smart of her and brave because the messages would be sent to her husband. This shows the reader that using power for good is beneficial. Although you might have to do something that you do not want to do, the results can be excellent. You can even do good things for other people regardless of how much power you actually have.
Mahatma Gandhi once said “Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.” Power is something that a lot of people tend to misuse. Power can be great at times, but most the time it can make bad things happen. People think just because they have the power to do something means they should do it, when really that is not the case. In the movie “The Hunger Games” power is used to abuse everyone and everything around.
In a not-too-distant, some 74 years, into the future the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 13 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games; these children are referred to as tributes (Collins, 2008). The Games are meant to be viewed as entertainment, but every citizen knows their purpose, as brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts. The televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eradicate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. The main character throughout the series is a 16-year-old girl from District 12 named Katniss Everdeen.
In our Society when you don't follow the rules, you become an outcast to the rest of the society. Suzanne Collins’ novel series, The Hunger Games criticizes our society and its demands for people of specific genders to act in certain ways and become certain things. Stereotypes concerning gender are prevalent in our society and all over the world. However, The Hunger Games gives a very refreshing tone of “mockery” to these stereotypes. Katniss Everdeen isn’t your typical 16 year old girl, and neither is Peeta Mellark a typical 16 year old boy, especially when they are fighting everyday just to survive. The Hunger Games is a work of social commentary, used to convince us that there can’t and shouldn’t be any defined “roles” based on gender. A mixture of “stereo-typical” gender roles within a person and their actions is what people need just to survive in our world that is changing every day.
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
Entertainment can come and be enjoyed in many different forms. Television shows and movies are some of the different forms of entertainment can be in. The lives of famous actors from shows or movies are constantly scrutinized on and off screen. Within the world of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins a version of reality entertainment is the televised murder of innocent children. Those who are chosen to be within the Hunger Games become a scrutinized celebrity. Katniss and other tributes that are forced to fight and kill show how human identity can become lost as they become objectified for the people of Panem. The Hunger Games helps represent the harm that reality television can have by using the glorification of death with the objectification
The Hunger Games, a film based off of a novel written by Susan Collins, was released in March of 2012. The film, and the book it was based on, chronicles the struggles of a girl named Katniss Everdeen, a girl who lives in a poverty stricken province or “District”, until untimely circumstances forces her to play in the Hunger Games, a gladiatorial like contest where children between the ages of 12 and 18 are forced to fight to the death. A contest that was set up by an oppressive and authoritarian government, and has thus far been sustained via the forced obedience of the rebellious Districts, the brainwashing and conditioning of Districts 1 and 2, and the conditioning of the residents of its Capitol. The movie has a variety of messages, most especially in regards toward social control and social conditioning. With these ideas in mind, a case could very well be made that The Hunger Games, throughout its two hour long run time, shows a very realistic look at a socially conditioned society and what humanity can become with the right amount of conditioning and control by an authoritarian force.
The main character, Katniss, volunteers as tribute for her district to save her sister from having to be tribute. Upon arriving in the Capitol for the games, she sees just how vast the gap between the Capitol and districts are. To fight against this class struggle, she begins to revolt. At first this comes in the form of small things, like shooting an arrow at a pig feast of Capitol higher-ups and refusing to kill her friend in the games, resulting in the first ever co-victors of the Hunger Games. Katniss’ actions soon lead to full blown rebellion in the districts, starting a revolutionary war between them and the Capitol. At one point Katniss remarks: “My ongoing struggle against the Capitol, which has so often felt like a solitary journey, has not been undertaken alone. I have had thousands upon thousands of people from the districts at my side.” (Catching Fire 90). In true Marxist fashion the working class needed to use a violent revolution to confront the class struggle against the ruling
Kind of like how Macbeth is competing for kingship, but no one is really competing against Macbeth. They are given the choice to kill or not to kill, but they all have to think about doing what is best for themselves. In Macbeth, this happens to be his kingship; and in the Hunger Games, it's their lives that they care about, their lives that are on the line. In our society today, if you killed someone no matter the reason, there would and will always be some kind of consequence. Macbeth is hallucinating, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee” (2.1.44-45). This was the moment in the book where Macbeth was hallucinating, he kept envisioning a dagger. This was also the moment before he killed Banquo. Not to say that there was no consequence to killing someone back then, but I wouldn't say that the consequence is nearly as harsh as it is today. And in the Hunger Games there was no consequence in killing someone. In fact, that was the main objective of the whole