Hunger Games
The Hunger Games “Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch– this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy” (Collins, 18). Imagine living in a world where the only source of entertainment is controlled under a totalitarian government. A world where the regimes ideology of “good television” is forcing twenty-four adolescences to fight to the death and the last man standing is the winner. The dark, twisted ideology of The Hunger Games has become a yearly ritual for the citizens who live within the Districts of Panem. The Hunger Games were established because of the uprising of the Districts against the Capitol (Collins, 18). For the past seventy five years, Districts One through Twelve has provided one girl and one boy, called tributes to participate in the brutal tournament (Collins, 18). Many individual from the Districts find these games as a cruel and malicious attempt to seek vengeance from the Districts that had once upraised and rebelled against the Capitol’s order. Though some may feel that the games are appalling, their actions say something completely different. Because of their refusal to challenge or boycott these inhumane games, the morality of Panem as a society seems to be nonexistent when it comes to the lively hood of others in reality television.
The acceptance that the country has for the Hunger Games could stem from the fear they have towards their Government. Throughout the novel, the government’s relationship with the twelve Districts is seen and viewed as an unhealthy and corrupt one. After the Dark Days, and the signing of The Treaty of Treason, the Capitol used their powers to abuse and manipulate the citizens of Districts One through Twelve. As a way to humiliate and torment the twelve Districts, the Capitol requires them to treat the Hunger Games as a festivity” ( Collins, 19). Panem’s government system is not run as a democracy, but as a dictatorship.
The acceptance that the country has for the Hunger Games could stem from the fear they have towards their Government. Throughout the novel, the government’s relationship with the twelve Districts is seen and viewed as an unhealthy and corrupt one. After the Dark Days, and the signing of The Treaty of Treason, the Capitol used their powers to abuse and manipulate the citizens of Districts One through Twelve. As a way to humiliate and torment the twelve Districts, the Capitol requires them to treat the Hunger Games as a festivity” ( Collins, 19). Panem’s government system is not run as a democracy, but as a dictatorship.
Cited: Page Colins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Toronto: Scholastic, 2008. Print. Shaffer, Andrew. "The Joy of Watching Other Suffer." The Hunger Games and Philosophy. Ed. George A. Dunn. Irwin, William, and Nicolas Michaud. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons, 2012. 75-88. Print.