The Hunger Games Rhetorical Analysis

The Hunger Games are basically the embodiment of society's off sense of entertainment. It combines the oddities that are violence and reality TV. However, what is it that insinuates the tones for this type of movie? Initially, there's a scene that addresses the fact that the society of this movie is conducting the games as though it was a standardized athletic tournament. In the movie, Haymitch Abernathy brings up how there are sponsors who deliver supplies to the “contestants”. Basically, sponsors influence the who will live or die, incidentally affecting the course of the games. During this scene, he claims, “And to get sponsors, you have to make people like you.” This scene mentions the thought on how people living in societies today work

to please the people around them. Moreover, it also critiques today’s society on how everything is televised. Adding together the need for sponsors and the fact that the games are publicly televised for entertainment is a direct jab at today’s reality entertainment. The cinematography itself in the scene provides bright lighting and up close shots, giving a sense of the calm before the storm. (Interview: Contemporary Inspirations)
Regardless of the fact that the previous scene is essentially “light”, The Hunger Games also contain scenes which are not quite as light hearted. Prior to the game’s beginning, the scene extends into a long shot, giving the audience a view of not only the contestants in addition to the surrounding scenery. The trees and shrubbery cast shadows giving the area an eerie sensation. Due to the lighting and intensity of the camera shot, there is an obvious tension in the air, a tension that the audience is meant to experience. Then, the games begin, immediately bursting into a war-like scene, as though it were a gladiator match, a match that millions were watching. Some watching for entertainment, others being forced to watch. Consequently, this war-like entertainment critiques how insensitive society has become towards death, given that it is so televised. The lighting in the train scene gives a false sense of security, considering it is bright and contains several close ups, showing the nervous but curious emotions showing on Katniss and Peeta's faces. Subsequent to the train scene, the start of the Games completely bashes away this security and pulls the audience into a state of fear for the characters, who have the possibility of death looming over their head.