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
Socialization plays a big part in this film. From different behaviors and values, to ideologies, socialization determines how society is run. The citizens of the Capitol are very different from those in the Districts. Those from the Capitol dress in flashy fashions, dye their hair in very bright colors, wear lots of makeup, speak in accent, and smell in what they call roses. When we see Katniss and the rest of the citizens residing in District 12, they seem to be dressed poorly in comparison, no makeup or hair dyes, and they certainly don’t smell anything like roses. When the ceremony before the hunger games happens, the children who are a part of it are dressed their best, wearing what is most appropriate to look their finest. They are trying to give the viewers the illusion of them being proper for the televised
Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games, imagines a world where people are divided by district just like the real world does with the high, middle, low classes. This book is full of themes, literary devices and also talks about how the government — in this case the Capitol — oppresses their citizens.
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
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
Reality television has differed throughout the years. At one point it was meant to be a literal depiction of everyday life. Now, reality television has changed to be more dramatic and outrageous than an average person or family’s life. The Hunger Games, in a way, depicts the lives of those who live in the poorer districts where the necessities for life are not in such abundance as in the Capitol. Although children are not forced to kill each other in the districts, there is still the struggle for one’s livelihood. That reality is depicted in the games and it seems that The Capitol takes that theme and develops it into The Hunger Games that we know and love. The Hunger Games suggests that reality television is manipulated to the point where the viewers see what the creators (game makers) want them to see.
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
The Hunger Games is about a teenager named Katniss Everdeen. She lives in a place called Panem. In Panem, there’s the capitol and 12 districts. The president and Capitol citizens live in the capitol. All the districts contribute something to the capitol like food, or power, and in return, the capitol gives the district's security. Katniss lives in district 12. District 12 provides coal but is also the poorest district. Everyone lives off of small animals they can catch. In order to survive, Katniss hunts on illegal land to provide for her mom and her sister, Prim. Every year the Capitol holds an event called the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is were two tributes from each district come to an arena and
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).
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
Through is phlegmatic demeanor lies a sadistic, calculating dictator, yielding unrestricted, absolute power which he fully abused. The people in Panem feared his wrath to the point they did not attempt any rebellious behavior against President Snow, he uses his charisma to legitimize his power over the district. The traditional aspect of authority was exercised by Snow forcing the people to be divided by class based on social status and demographics. Twelve districts were established out of these classes with the goal of having these districts fight against one another until their deaths. Snow ordered children, women and the elderly to participate in the” Hunger Games” tournament, he brandished zero compassion for the citizens he coerced to their
Similarly, the film adaptation of The Hunger Games, also depicts a dystopia controlled by a government that profits from dividing citizens by a strict caste system. At the center of the caste system is the “decadent, exploitative central city called the Capitol” (Miller 1) that is surrounded by the adjoining twelve districts. All of the twelve districts and the Capitol make up the nation of Panem. The nation of Panem is dominated by a social ranking beginning with the Capitol as elitists and working down to district twelve as the inferior district. Subsequently, each district is responsible for the production of a given industry that is necessary for Panem to survive.
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.
In The Hunger Games, Collins depicts a future country at the mercy of its leaders. The Hunger Games is an annual event that was invented as a punishment for the thirteen districts that had rebelled against the Capitol. The book’s protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, critiques the society which she is a part of. The society in the book is in many ways very similar to our society. The Hunger Games critiques reality shows and their extreme entertainment, thereby addressing the late Marxist idea of multi-national or late capitalism. It also critiques war and different strategies of war.
In 2008, Suzzane Collins’ published “The Hunger Games,” which takes place in an undefined future of the United States. This new country is known as Panem, which once held thirteen districts and the Capital; now, it only holds twelve districts and the capital. District Thirteen is the reason why Panem has a yearly event called the Hunger Games. District Thirteen started a war in an attempt to overthrow the Capital. In return, the Capital demolished all of District Thirteen.