Christen Giordano
English 101-068
Matt Stark
October 16, 2013
The Hunger Games The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, is set in a dystopian country called Panem. This country is split up into twelve districts, and the districts are lead by the Capitol. Annually, the Capitol forces children of the districts to fight in the Hunger Games until only one child is left alive. The Capitol uses the games to show their power and to discourage the people of Panem to start another war. The games are very entertaining to the people of the Capitol, and the whole country is required to watch on television. Even though this seems unusual to enjoy watching children fight to their death, this idea has been around for thousands of years.
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The emperors and the rich homeowners of Rome would choose their best slave to become a gladiator and fight in the arena. The masters of these slaves would train the gladiators to become better fighters, thus better representing the strength of their household. (Augustus) In the Capitol, if someone liked a contestant better than another, they would buy gifts to send in aid of the contestant. These people were called sponsors. The people of the Capitol would also place bets on the contestant they wanted to win. (Collins) Ancient Rome’s gladiatorial games shape how Collins wrote about the contestants and the role they played in the arena throughout her novel. In both cultures, the games were lead by the leaders or those who were high in power. In ancient Rome, they were lead by the emperor and in The Hunger Games they were lead by the Capitol and President Snow. The fighters in ancient Rome were purchased slaves and conquered people. (ushistory.org) These people were forced against their will to fight in these games. Much like the gladiators, the contestants in The Hunger Games were forced to fight against their will. The fighters in the Hunger Games were two children from every district, and were chosen at random through something like a lottery. This was called a “reaping”. (Collins) Both of these cultures overlook the fact that the people fighting are humans and cheer the contestants on as they kill
Gladiators were mostly unfree individuals either condemned criminals, prisoners of wars who had lost their citizenship rights, although, some of them were volunteers who were mostly freedmen or very low classes of freeborn men who chose to be a slave for monetary rewards or for the fame. Gladiators were brought for the purpose of gladiatorial combat and would endure branding, chains, flogging or death by the sword and subjected to a rigorous training, fed on a high-energy diet, and given expert medical attention. Gladiators were famously popular in ancient from for seven centuries, from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century AD fairly late in the Public occupied a prominent position in roman society, they would fight in massive
The Hunger Games contribute to the sea of dystopian films, within this film social commentary is exposed in the gruesome scenes of murder preadolescents are forced to commit. In the dystopian film, the totalitarian nation of Panem is divided into 12 districts and the Capital. Each year two young representatives from each district are chosen to participate in The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are televised throughout Panem and are used as part entertainment ,and as part retribution for a past rebellion. The 24 participants are forced to kill one another until there is one left. During this gruesome act the citizens of the Panem are forced to watch. Social commentary is shown throughout the whole movie as subtle evaluations of the society
Most of the gladiators were criminals or prisoners of war that were forced to fight in the arena. Although they were considered slaves, they surprisingly had a better standard of living than most lower class Romans. Because they were financial investments, they had access to doctors and medicine, better food, and exercise. As the gladiator became more and more popular, he would attract greater crowds, making him more valuable, which led to getting him a better lifestyle. For this reason, some free citizens, aristocrats, and even emperors would join in hoping to increase their own wealth. Even slaves would train and fight hard because they could purchase their freedom once they accumulated enough wealth.
Gladiators were a huge part of the Roman society and a large part of Roman culture. The people of Rome loved gladiator battles. The Roman coliseum was built in order to fit the standards of a bloody, brutal battle while also being able to keep thousands of Roman citizens comfortable and entertained.
Throughout the film, gladiatorial games are shown to be one of the most important parts of the Roman society. Gladiatorial games and fights followed a strict procedure and ceremony. They arrived at the Colosseum through an underground tunnel. From there, they were able to access to the arena through a pair of gates reserved to them only. Additionally, the gladiators often marched in groups, with their distinctive uniform and equipment. This is displayed accurately when Maximus enters the arena through a pair of gates and works with a team of other gladiators with similar outfits. However, they did not wear fantasy helmets and bands wrapped around the lower arms and their armors are not always closely historically accurate. Moreover, Roman people loved to watch people battle to death and bloodthirsty violence as a form of entertainment. Spectators in the film cheered and chanted wildly in the Colosseum when their favorite, Maximus was battling with
When most people think of roman gladiators they think of two men inside some kind of an arena fighting to the death with weapons and armor. Yes the roman gladiators were men who fought with weapons but there is so much more to the history of the roman gladiators that a lot of people don’t know. The Roman gladiatorial fights weren’t just fights people could watch but they were a major significance to the way the romans themselves ordered their lives. Being a part of the romans meant attending these games. The roman gladiator’s fights were one of the most popular events that took place during the ancient roman world. There is so much history when it comes to roman gladiators which is why they were so popular and entertaining to watch. To really understand why the gladiators and their
Gladiators have long been regarded as entertainers performing spectacles of great violence for an avid audience. Many scholars debate whether the gladiators could be considered athletes due to the stark differences between the Greek athletes of the Olympics and the Roman gladiators of the arena. There are many myths surrounding the gladiators. Most people think that the gladiators were savage and would fight each other to the death every time they entered the arena. Many people are also unaware of the training that each gladiator would undergo. The virtue of the gladiators is often brought into question because they are seen as vicious and thoughtless. In this paper, the true nature of the gladiators will be investigated by analysing the cultural context surrounding the definition of an athlete throughout history.
There was much more to Ancient Roman gladiators than what they did in the arenas. The gladiators were more than just warriors who fought for the entertainment of the Romans, they were people. They had lives outside of the arena and often lived better than that of the low class Romans. This paper will explore the life of the gladiator, who they were, what parts of society they came from, and the different types of gladiators that existed in the arena. There will be an in-depth look at what happened to these individuals throughout their life and an exploration into gender among these warriors of the Coliseum. The gladiators weren’t just a type of fighter who happened to battle for the entertainment of others, there were different types of gladiators and battles that took place within those arenas.
The first games were for a man named Junius Brutus in 264 BCE in Rome, Italy. Emperor Augustus saw how popular the games were getting, and he had the Colosseum built. Most of the gladiators were prisoners and sent to the arena as punishment, but in the later years, many people willingly became gladiators because of all the fame they got, and the prize if they survived, which was usually gold. Also,in the early years, when the Roman Empire would take over an area, they would take the people of that country and see if they were worthy enough to become gladiators. If the person was too weak, he would be slaughtered, but if they were worthy, they would be sent to gladiator school. The Romans would put the men into categories based on the armies the men were in. For example, the Samnite gladiator consisted of the men from Samnium. The At first, the games were for funerals, but they grew much bigger due to all the attention it got and became a much more popular game, which would be called the gladiator games. The first games were for a man named Junius Brutus in 264 BCE in Rome, Italy. Emperor Augustus saw how popular the games were getting, and he had the Colosseum built. Most of the gladiators were prisoners and sent to the arena as punishment, but in the later years, many people willingly became
In ancient Rome the crazed dictator, Julius Caesar, came up with the idea to make slaves fight against wild animals or other slaves. These slaves, often unarmed, would get brutally slaughtered. During the reign of Julius Caesar tensions in the Roman Republic high tensions could shift power away from the line of Caesars. Caesar used these gladiators to entertain the middle class of Rome called the “Plebeians”. If the middle class remained entertained, he would retain power in his empire. The Roman Emperors used gladiatorial games to distract, control, and oppress Plebeians living during his reign as emperor.
When the archaeologists found the remains of the gladiator school, at the ancient site of Carnuntum, it is said in paragraph 1 and 2 of “ Did Gladiators Always Fight to the Death?”, the text stated that,” These ancient Roman athletes were highly trained professionals who made their living fighting, not dying.” Teachers have always taught their students that they fought to the death. The Gladiators had to beg for mercy, and if the crowd said it was time to die, they killed them, however; that was not the case for the real gladiators. The school’s did not kill the gladiators unless they were too injured to survive, or the customer was willing to pay extra for the death of one of them. x
specialized in combat using particular weapons and armor. They fought organized games in large arenas in front of massive crowds throughout the Roman Empire from 105 BCE to 404 CE (”Ancient”). The Roman people were highly entertained by brutal gladiator fights. Though well trained gladiators gained fame from their wins, there were many things that could go wrong with gladiating. The costs of gladiating outweighed the benefits in ancient Rome because gladiators were very vulnerable, they faced unclear expectations in a fight, and faced a high death rate.
The Hunger Games promotes the idea of a total government control. The Capitol controls everything that the twelve districts do. The world of Panem is divided into 12 districts where each district has its own role to fulfill from luxury to coal mining. "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). This shows that the districts all pay a yearly sacrifice to the Capitol in the form of tributes. Another of showing that the Games is a dystopian society is that any evidence of an act of rebellion will result in the government having to kill anyone who gets in their way. "Look how he take your children and sacrifice them there is nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District 13" (18).
a person struggling with the various conflicts and problems in his life. The fame, together with the luxury the gladiators experienced when not training or fighting adds to the general feeling of nobility. I suppose its this outward nobility, together with the objective of the Gladiatorial fights to reduce aggression within the general public, that made the fights seem morally and ethically acceptable to the Roman masses. Anyway, the Gladiator fights would be held immediately after the midday executions; the Romans would at this point be more interested in skill and prize than blood.
Introduced in around 250BC, gladiators were well-trained individuals who fought against each other to entertain the civilians of Rome. The gladiators fought in the Colosseum, which had a height of about 160 feet and capacity of up to 50,000 people. The Colosseum was also designed to be able to flood and hold ships. The term gladiator comes from the Latin word: "gladius" meaning sword. The profession of being a fighter brought great fame to the individual. The theme of death brought people together to see many young men die in battle. The crowd loved vicious shows that were gory and gruesome. Many gladiators who fought in the Colosseum went on to become tremendous war heroes, due to the intense training provided by the emperor. Gladiators always wore clothing that resembled other nations that the Roman army seized. They were also given unorthodox weapons to fight with and their battles usually illustrated famous ones fought by the Roman army. Sometimes, the ‘damnati ad mortem’, individuals who committed ruthless crimes, went into the arena without a weapon. Gladiators were mostly captives of war or slaves of the rich. Some people saw the fighting as a hobby and spent much time and money picking and choosing from the best of the gladiators. A fanatic of fighting was called a "lanista", or an owner of gladiators. Keeping these gladiators in good health became very expensive over time. Different gladiators were allowed to use different weapons based on their past life. For