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 …show more content…
It is not said but possibly assumed that this was done to keep the district from rising up together. In order for the government to justify the Hunger Games, it keeps its minor districts in a constant state or poverty, requiring the children to take food rations in return for having their name entered in the lottery. Each ration counts your name once and if your name is called, you must enter the Games and fight your fellow district members to the death (2008). These acts while claiming they promote courage, honor, and determination in its citizens and participants do nothing more but enforce the submissiveness and loyalty of the society. Through both of these things, the American values of activity and work and efficiency and practicality (2003) are the only ones that survive to our grandchildren’s generation. That is unless you find racism and group superiority to be a valid type of value. It does not seem that in any state that education, democracy, equality, progress, or freedom (2003) are even thought of let alone key to the running of the society. These values differ from that of the Capitol, which is exempt from the Hunger Games. It appears that their only purpose is to use the goods and services that the districts create and to do so unscrupulously (2008). The citizens of the
In the Hunger Games each District is expected to provide a curtain thing to the Capitol. If the District does not fulfil that duty the Capitol could punish that District in whatever they think they deserve. For example District 12 provides coal, District 7 provides lumber, and District 9 provides grains. They are also expected to follow the Capitol. This example is shown in Fahrenheit 451 that the citizens are expected to give up all of their books, send their children to kindergarten early, and learn the same way everyone does and by the way of the government. Both in the movie and the novel they are expected to do things by the way of the government and whatever the government wants them to
The first book in the Hunger Games trilogy has sold over 28 million copies in the U.S alone and an astonishing 65 million copies total across all three novels. The Hunger Games is a clear example of how a corrupted government can negatively impact the world. This fictitious novel is set in Panem, a country that is separated into thirteen poor districts and the very wealthy Capitol. Every year, the Capitol forces every district to send two kids ages 12-18 to fight in what is called the Hunger Games; a brutal fight to the death. This is what the Capitol does to show the districts that they are the follows to the almighty leader as well as provide entertainment.
In the novel The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, “Government control” is emphasized through the Capitol being prosperous financially which enables them to have control over the poor districts. An example that shows this is “Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there is nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you...” This shows that the Capitol will emphasize that they are better than the districts using The Hunger Games and that since the districts
Their treatment and control of the poor districts can also fall under structural functionalism. Looking at each district as if they were gears in a motor, if you would remove one the system as a whole would start to fail. Looking at it from that perspective one would argue that if there was not a class system in this case a district system, who would mine coal or fish to support the capitol? This is a key question when examining the structural functionalism of the “Hunger Games”. Since the rich elitists of the capitol lack the ability of self-sustainment the poor serve a purpose, and without
The story is set in a post-apocalyptic North America called Panem. There has been a civil war and the continent has been divided into twelve districts serving a central capitol. Most of the districts are poor, while people in the capitol live rich, lavish lifestyles. Once each year, as a reminder that the districts cannot overcome and need the capitol, each of the twelve districts is required to provide one male and one female, deemed tributes, between the ages of 12 and 18 to compete in the Hunger Games. Tributes are drawn at random, but individuals can volunteer to represent their district. Once chosen, tributes have a two week training period until they are thrown into the arena and the games begin. The
The Capitol has an even more devious structure to keep its citizens in line, though, the Hunger Games. Every year, each district must supply, through a lottery process, two tributes both aged 12 to 18, one male, one female, who is forced to fight to the death in a large outdoor arena until one remains. The expectation is that the Hunger Games be treated as a spectacle, a great place for entertainment that all citizens are obliged to follow as an audience. The Games explains how the Panem citizens are at the mercy of the Capitol since it keeps them depressed by making them complicit in the atrocities as an audience.The reaping system is unfair because the poor get the worst of it.Your name goes into the pool of seven then you fight to the death
The dystopian genre makes parallels between the fabricated society and actual society. The reality TV element of the games demonstrates the link between the society of Panem and our society. From child beauty pageants to a rich family that no one knows why is famous, these shows are watched by many in today's society. People forget that these people are real and living their own lives compared to the “scripted” TV shows with paid actors. Capitol dwellers are obsessed with their image, making body modifications to look young and to stay in trend. This aspect of the novel makes a comment on plastic surgery and image in today’s society (Frade, 2014). The use of the hunger games as a social event shows that Capitol views the people in the districts as lesser individuals and are willing to watch people die for their entertainment. The games are watched “At homes and community halls around the country, every television set is turned on. Every citizen of Panem is tuned in” (Collins, 2008, p. 124). There is a disconnection from the people in the Capitol and the children fighting in the games. To the Capitol, those children are just part of an elaborate game, but for the Districts, those children are daughters, sons, brothers, and sisters. The view of humans as lesser individuals can be translated into society today. The top 1% of the population that control most of the wealth have power over the individuals that have less money. The Capitol is comparable to the top 1% and the Districts are comparable to the rest of the world. The geographical aspect of
The title “Hunger Games” evokes a clear message: the way people living in the districts see this terrifying event as something fun, calling it a “game”. The whole event is shown on screens in all the different districts and people gather and enjoy watching their tributes. This clearly relates to a televised sporting event in which participants compete to win. The enthusiasm of the population is seen especially during the opening ceremony with “the pounding music, the cheers “. Moreover, the Games recall the gladiatorial Games of Ancient Rome in which armed competitors, some voluntary and others not, would fight to death. The fact that the games are televised and discussed in Panem’ s media also recalls today’s reality television, and the novel consequently draws a parallel between the gladiatorial Games and reality TV.
Firstly, “The Hunger Games” is set in a futuristic period where war and rebellion have caused a serious problem with the development of society (or its progress). Basically, in the Hunger Games Universe, both men and women are thrown into a situation where the success of their families and hereditary lineages is based solely off of social status. Even in the beginning of the movie, it is made clear that people from differing districts cannot simply make normal exchanges and social interactions with each other due to the cruel and brutal nature of the social bar that was raised extremely high off the bat. In other words, in order to be viewed as successful in the Hunger Games universe, one must be in an elevated social class position so as to be respected and accepted by the upper-class members of society (those members being the men and women fortunate enough to be located in districts one, two, or three). This fact is highlighted in the scene where Peeta graciously gives Katniss a purposefully burnt loaf of bread in order to help her feed herself and her family alike. However, Peeta gets beaten for his act of kindness by his mother because bread is seen as the only way to efficiently make a stamp or impact in the society in which they found themselves living in. Therefore, food and clothing were always in high demand due to their value in making connections with
In The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins expresses two themes. The first one is that we can’t let the government use their power to treat, and use people like they want, they are oppressing them. “At one o’clock, we head of the square. Attendance is mandatory unless you are on deaths door. This evening, officials will come around and check to see if this is the case. If not you will be imprisoned.” (Collins, 16) we can see that the Capitol forces the people to participate in the reaping by threatening them. “When I was younger, I scared my mother to death, the things I would blurt out about District 12, about the people who rule our country, Panem, from the far-off city called the Capitol. Eventually I understood this would only lead us to
Dystopia essay analysis The hunger game & v for vendetta The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, describes a dystopian nation Panem is divided between 12 districts and the Capitol. Each year two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games where teenagers are forced to fight to the death so the world can be entertained, because they want remind 12 districts the consequences of disobey and the war; let them be afraid of Panem. Katniss Everdeen; a sixteen year old girl who volunteer to be Tribute for her sister,Primrose Everdeen, she survived from the hunger game with her partner Peeta Mellark, but president Snow thinks Katniss Everdeen brought hope to people in 12 districts, and this is
In the movie film The Hunger Games, the nation of Panem is a society very dissimilar to our own. This nation once began with 13 districts, until the thirteenth district chose to take action against the oppressors. They were quickly put down, the remaining 12 districts were punished and were forced to fund two participants which were known as tributes , a boy and a girl of young age to the Capitol each year to compete in the Hunger Games which is a brutal fight to the death. The winner of the huger games is then rewarded with a number of rewards, as well as their home district receives an extra amount of food for one year. The government of Panem administrates these annual “games” as a reminder
The Hunger Games, the movie, was adapted from the popular young adult novel by Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games is sometimes described as another cliche love story for which the young adult genre is infamous. Despite appearances, The Hunger Games illustrates a complex and creative dystopian world with a much deeper underlying message, including topics such as, politics, history, and celebrity worship. The setting appears to be a futuristic version of America. This future America is very classist, and the tyrannical government is sure to keep the classes divided by heavily oppressing the working class. The working class is divided into twelve districts, which used to be thirteen districts until the thirteenth district was annihilated as a result of its uprising. In response to the thirteenth district’s resistance, the President created a game called “The Hunger Games” in an effort to instill obedience in the remaining twelve districts. Through the course of the movie, we learn that “The Hunger Games” are not only a mechanism to force obedience on the working class, but also to serve as entertainment for the elite society who live in the Capitol. The Games require 24 randomly selected children from the working class districts to fight to the death in an elaborately staged battle, all of which is filmed and broadcasted to the entire nation, working class and elite alike. Thesis: The Hunger Games, the movie, has a hauntingly feasible storyline and clear references to real
"Life’s just not fair. Why should I eat this food? Why is my family so poor? Why do I have to listen to my parents? Everything is horrible in my life!" Chances are, everyone has thought of at least one of these sayings before. Every day, there are complaints slurred out like rabbit reproductions. However, these complaints are minuscule compared to the amount of suffering in The Hunger Games. Set in a post-apocalyptic North America now called Panem, there are 12 districts each responsible for its assigned production and a tyrannical government city called the Capitol. Since the 75 years of the 13 district’s failed rebellion against the Capitol, there has a been a Hunger Games every year. The Hunger Games was an annual event in where 24
After the Dark Days, when Panem was in rebellion against it’s Capitol, the Hunger Games were established. Every year in reminder of the district’s infancy, one girl and one boy would be chosen to participate. In a vast outdoor arena, the tributes would fight to the