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.
The glory of Panem, at least on sociological perspective, is that each of its’ 13 districts are divided by area as what they are required to produce as suited for their climate. Being divided as such has allowed each district to form very deep-set morals and values that have been unchanged and will continue to be unchanged through their lack of ability to communicate with other districts (2008). This is at most the best example of a “pluralistic society” (Henslin, 2003) that can be made.
Panem as a whole has some very basic deep root expectations of its citizens, all of which are very similar to totalitarian dictatorships and set it apart from present day America. They instill in their citizens a sense of national accomplishment, they feel that the populous “owes” them for being “merciful” and “saving them from the chaotic rulings of their past.” The state and not so much the citizens feel this accomplishment ...
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...rs particularly me can connect it with other dystopian story with an anti-hero main character, Brave New World, 1984, and ““Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman” to name a few. All of which play on the satirical ideas of Communism in the 1940s to 1960s era society in the United States. I believe that Collins message will hold dear in the same respect as the other aforementioned story and novels in the sociological sense. That being to prioritize your values as a society and do not let the need for progress get ahead of you, because it will only lead to your demise and destruction. In addition, it shows the need to respect internal morals and that they are usually more forgiving than the physical ideals of the society.
Works Cited
Collins, S. (2008). The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press.
Henslin, J. (2003). Sociology. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
The book The Hunger Games is full of critical scenes. A critical scene is a type of scene that is necessary for the book to have a story. One very important critical scene is when Prim was chosen at the reaping. When she was chosen Katniss decided to take her place as a tribute. Why did Katniss take her place? What could have happened if she didn't take her place?
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
Yamato, Jen. Burning Questions.“The Hunger Games and Real World Parallels: “Can kids all become Katniss Everdeen”. Movie Line. March 13, 2012. Web. May 04, 2012
In 2012 the film The Hunger Games hit theatres and became a success. The success of the film was originally fueled by the fan base of the Suzanne Collins authored trilogy of the same name, but it soon gained popularity amongst those who had not read the trilogy as well. You could relate the movie to sociology in one of two ways. The first option would be to write about how the film became a cultural phenomenon or other theories relating to its success. This paper will be written using the other way, which is to write about the movie itself through a sociological point of view by writing about how culture, social control, and stratification are featured in the movie and how people with different sociological perspectives may view the film.
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.
The Hunger Games are a vicious and bloody battle to the death between children, publicised on live television for the population to watch. It seems a far cry from our own reality shows such as Survivor and Big Brother. After all, the government doesn’t kill children on television. But they are more alike than one might realize. Their success hinges on if their viewers are pleased with it, the contestants need to play a role in both situations, and they are never exactly what they seem to viewers.
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
My group chose the movie, The Hunger Games, because we felt like it represented clear differences between today’s society and the society in the movie. This movie offers different mindsets and ideas compared to today’s modern society. For instance, the concepts of socialization, politics, and government are different in the movies society. In addition, the United States also does not select two members to compete to the death, nor split up groups according to power and wealth. Our government also does not allow the deviance like the movie does. The social changes are a huge factor as well in the movie. These are just a few concepts of sociology that will be discussed by the group that touch upon major cultural differences.
In the novel The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins a new country is created. Panem is born in place of North America, were the Hunger Games began. In the Hunger Games, there are 24 tributes. Tributes are people who live in the districts. The tributes in the Hunger Games are all the same. They kill one another and become the Capitols puppets. The tributes become violent, emotionless puppets. Then there is Katniss. Katniss is an excellent hunter and becomes lethal during the games. However, she has not lost her compassion. Katniss does not think of herself as a good person. When in reality she is a good person with a large heart, who puts others before herself.
The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand and the movie The Hunger Games directed by Francis Lawrence and Gary Ross are popular among teens because they can relate to them by the high expectations put upon them. In a dystopian novel or movie, there is a dystopian protagonist. A dystopian protagonist is someone who often feels trapped, struggles to escape, questions existing systems, believes or feels as if something is wrong in the place they live in, and then helps the audience realize the effects of dystopian worlds. These are both good examples because it takes us on a walk through the protagonist's life and only then do we see what dystopian really is.
First off, although many people may want to believe social inequality is behind us, it is still on the rise, with American teens in its way. Racism is a perfect example of the a rising inequality affecting teens. Rasim is defined as a belief in differences among races, and although America has come far, racism still remains and it is apparent in police shootings. Racism related shootings are becoming more apparent and frequent. Ferguson, Mo. being the most notorious of these deadly shooting. Police law-enforcement has show signs of disproportionately targeting African Americans in things such as traffic stops. Also few can deny the risk for a black person to be shot in a police shooting then a white person due to the overwhelming percentages.
Dystopia is a term that defines a corrupt government that projects a false image. Thus, in a dystopian society, making belief and comfort that the society is proper to its followers. One good example of dystopian society is the Hunger Games. The terms that describe that dystopia towards the Hunger games are a “hierarchical society, fear of the outside world, penal system and a back story” (“Dystopia”).
The city of Panem is a society which is divided into two major groups; the 12 districts and the Capitol. These 12 districts all serve under an autocratic political state known as The Capitol. The Capitol represent the bourgeoisie and the 12 districts the proletariats. There is endless conflict between both classes. This is seen when the district rebelled against the Capitol and failed. The Capitol uses the fact that they failed to oppress them more.
The Capitol, which rules over the districts of Panem, is representative of the bourgeoisie. It has a small population and is incredibly wealthy, reaping the benefits of the districts. Each district must send food, materials, and sometimes labor to the Capitol depending on what their specified district’s role is. In this dynamic the districts represent the proletariat. The Capitol dress lavishly and feast on excessive amounts of food while the districts work hard to maintain life at the poverty line. The Capitol claims to provide “protection” (which is an ideology created by the Capitol) and small amounts of goods in exchange for the work being done by the districts. This relationship also points to another Marxist theme, the alienation of labor, which is the buying and selling of labor as a