In many ways, the story lines present within the novels The Hunger Games and Nineteen Eighty-Four are very similar.George Orwell’s novel, published in 1949, narrates Winston’s journey in rebelling against Big Brother as he commits crimes that go against the laws banning freedom and individuality. Many years later, in 2008, Suzanne Collins released the first book out of her popular series. The Hunger Games is written in the voice of a sixteen year old girl who endures life under the powerful and unjust control of the Capitol. Both books reveal the dangers and subsequent lifestyle resulting from having a totalitarian style government. The apparent similarities between the two stories are the fear based control, distinct hierarchy of power, rebellion, …show more content…
and psychological mind control. In both stories, the theme of an immensely powerful authority is apparent.
In Nineteen Eighty-Four, big brother continuously monitors both the actions and thoughts of the people living in Oceania. Due to the pressure of being constantly monitored, the citizens behavior is consequently altered and influenced due to the fear of being caught committing a crime, or even reacting in an unusual manner. The citizens are fearful of disobeying as their punishment would be spending time in Ministry of Love, being tortured in unknown ways. The thought police serve as the enforcers of the behavior, similar to the way the peacekeepers maintain control over the people of Panem. In The Hunger Games, the overruling figure is President Snow, who makes decisions for all of the citizens, in the best interest of himself. The fear of being harmed by the peacekeepers or used as a servant for the residents of the Capitol is what motivates the district members to follow the rules …show more content…
provided. The next similarity is that fact that both stories comprise the topic of rebellion. In nineteen eighty-four, the main character, Winston, has dedicated his life, that he is ultimately willing to sacrifice, to reject the ruling of Big Brother. Winston displays many acts of rebellion, starting when he writes in his diary all the way until he reflects on memories in the past involving his mother. Comparably, Katniss, the main character in The Hunger Games, not only starts an uprising, but encourages many other sufferers to join her. She performs many rebellious actions by essentially outsmarting the game maker, forcing there to be two winners in the games, blatantly going against the Capitol, and destroying the forcefield of the arena. Both of the characters represent both the central and protagonist roles out of the characters that surround them. They display character traits, typically associated with leadership, as they rise above and resist what the majority has conformed to. Comparably, each story consists of a pyramidal hierarchy.
Starting at the top in Oceania is Big Brother and the Inner party, followed by the outer party, and finally the proles. In Panem, the three prominent levels are President Snow and his officials, locals of the Capitol, and then the district members. Although both storylines are impacted by all rankings of power, the majority of the population that suffers from poverty play an influential role. The proles are not monitored, and therefore serve as a sense of hope that citizens will someday revolt against Big Brother, when and if they ever realize the corrupt nature of the world surrounding them. Unlike the people of Oceania, the district members realize the discriminatory treatment, and have such a significant influence as they outwardly express their
objection. The last evident similarity between the two plots is the concept of psychological mind control. In the beginning of the novel, Winston appears to be somewhat under the control of Big Brother, constantly noting the telescreen and contemplating the future consequences of his actions. Ultimately these occurrences allow the reader to conclude that Winston’s mind, actions, and lifestyle has been manipulated and shaped to function the way Big Brother desires. As Winston begins committing crimes, it seems as though he has withstood the impact of the propaganda and started to think in his own individual way. It is not until the end of the book that the symptoms of the brainwashing appear again. Winston is so overtaken by the thoughts forced into his head by O’Brien, that he eventually turns against Julia, the women he loves, and requests that she be harmed before him. When it comes to mind control in The Hunger Games, Katniss, did not give into the uncivil behavior of the Captiol. Instead the reader encounters Peeta, Katniss’ partner in the hunger games, suffering from the effects of the game makers. Peeta undergoes a major shift in personality, opinion, and feelings and eventually attempts to kill Katniss. In both cases of brainwashing, the severity is demonstrated when both of the protagonists turn against and are willing to harm the ones they love. These stories were designed with the intention of warning readers about the danger likely to come in the future. The numerous similarities between the two stories raises questions as to whether The Hunger Games was designed from the concepts Orwell included within Nineteen Eighty-Four. Although various aspects were different, such as the use of technology and the major disasters that lead to the fall down of the location, the setup of power, the rising of the citizens against the major origin of power, and the subject of mind control were alike.
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.
Big Brother - Big Brother is the enigmatic dictator of Oceania. In the society that Orwell describes, everyone is under complete surveillance by the authorities. The people are constantly reminded of this by the phrase "Big Brother is watching you", which is the core "truth" of the propaganda system in this state. In the novel, it is unclear if Big Brother is a man or an image crafted by the Party. In a book supposedly written by the rebel Emmanuel Goldstein, it is stated that nobody has ever seen Big Brother. His function is to act as a focusing point for love, fear, and reverence.
Between the poem, ¨ No one died in Tiananmen Square¨ by William Lutz and the novel, 1984 by George Orwell there are multiple similarities. Subjects such as their government, their denial of history, and the use of doublethink and re-education are all parallel between the novel and the poem. For instance, both the governments have a highly strict government. Their governments are so controlling of their people that they use brute force in order to help re-educate them. For example, in 1984 the main character, Winston Smith was trying to go against their government, The Party, and because he tries to do so, he is placed in The Ministry of Love and brutally beaten by the man whom he assumed was a part of the Brotherhood, O'Brien. O'Brien claimed
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.
A common theme that’s developed in The Giver, by Lois Lowry, and The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, is that people need their rights and freedoms. In both texts the citizens have no power nor rights. In The Giver, if people make honest mistakes they are released, a nicer term for being killed, not to mention they have no trail, and this is only one right the citizens don’t have. The receiver of memory is the only person in the community that sees what is wrong, because they have the memories of the past. One receiver, Rosemary, kills herself so the memories would go to the citizens, and influence them to rebel. Although she failed because she did not have enough memories to give the people, she influenced the next receiver, Jonas, to give
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.
The movie and the book are different in many ways but at the same time they have a lot of things in common, the movie doesn't have as much details as the book does but it is a very good movie. In the movie you can very easily see and understand what's going on being you are watching the whole thing with your eyes. The movie also shows you how the students have to fight each and everyday just so that they protect themselves in the streets, the streets is all they know because well they were born and raised in the streets so they learned all about it & are about it. In the movie you can clearly see the struggle they go through, and how the streets are & when they're in school. School is supposed to be a safe place for all kids.
A dystopian text often consists of a society that is based on a utopian ideal of a “perfect” society. Despite being a fictitious setting, the more realistic a dystopian text seems, the more disturbing it is for the audience. The novel The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, takes place in the Republic of Gilead that was formerly the state of Massachusetts. Massachusetts has been reformed to a place where puritan traditions and beliefs are the only customs allowed. Gilead and its totalitarian government oppress women to the extent where rape is a norm in their society. The novel The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, is about a contest held in the country of Panem, where twelve teenagers are forced to fight one another until only one survives the battle. The people of Panem are mandated in watching this contest, as a reminder of the previous uprising that was stopped by their totalitarian government called the Capitol. Atwood depicts Gilead in a way where it is almost possible for the society in Gilead to
The pyramids of power found in both series are extremely similar. Snow represents the “president” of the capitol. He makes all of the major decisions and tells the lower inhabitants what they should or shouldn’t do. Just below him are the citizens of the capitol. They represent the doctors, lawyers, and other professionals of modern day America. Individuals who complete these tasks appear to belong to the upper class and hold a majority of the wealth for a nation. Next, the higher districts in The Hunger Games hold the jobs that are essential for the society to thrive, yet do not hold a substantial amount of wealth. I compare these people to the middle class of our society. Lastly, the final few districts in The Hunger Games handle the down and dirty tasks, similar to the lower class. 1984 portrays big brother and the inner party as the heads of their hierarchy. The outer party exists just outside of big brother and the inner party, handling the important jobs. These include, but are not limited to, erasing previous history, manufacturing important materials, and finding the people who go against big brother. Lastly, the proles are given the worst of the worst. Their jobs are dirty and fit the level they retain in
Technology is another important theme. Without the constant telescreens, microphones, and computers, the Party would be all but powerless. Big Brother is the main figure of the Party. The main symbol that drives these themes is the telescreens. It is representative of the party always watching and controlling everyone at all times.
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...
Throughout time humans have struggled with the unknown, with the fear that once life is over nothing remains, that the only thing awaiting them is oblivion. To combat these fears we create various religions, belief systems, and faiths to reassure ourselves that we are not shouting into the void, that something will come out of our existence. Prime examples of these belief systems are Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism which emphasize a spiritual world. In dystopian novels, characters are often placed in situations without faith or religion such as The Giver by Lois Lowry, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the removal of faith forces characters to rely solely on themselves and helps depict the hopelessness in their world. The erasure of faith leads one to believe that it is a selling point of our society and should be kept intact, which is why Octavia Butler’s use of religion is odd in the genre. In Butler’s novel Parable of the Sower the narrator Lauren Oya Olamina creates a new religion called Earthseed and aims to offer her society hope for the future while they suffer the corruption and disintegration of the only world they know. Parable of the Sower states the function of religion, and specifically Earthseed, is to unite people in a single hope as the world goes to hell.
After reading the book and watching the movie 1984 there were similarities and differences between the two. The novel is about manipulating people in believing in something that isn’t really there and about erasing history. Both the book and film focused on: authority, government, and war. The book and film follow the theme of conformity to control society.
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.
Under Big Brother and the Inner Party are the Outer Party and the middle class and then the very bottom is the Proles which make up eighty-five percent of the population. The Hunger Games takes place in Panem where the leaders are President Snow and his officials followed by the people that live in the Capitol. The social status gets lower as the “Districts” do.