Panem In The Hunger Games

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

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

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.

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

The nation of Panem has risen out of the ravaged ruins of what was once known as North America. 74 years ago, the poverty-stricken districts of Panem rebelled against the wealthy, controlling the Capitol. After its crushing victory, the Capitol devised the Hunger Games as an annual reminder to the twelve districts of its authority, and as continuing punishment for the rebellion. Every year, each district must hold a raffle (known as the "reaping") to choose one boy and one girl (ranging from age 12–18) to participate in the Hunger Games, a competition in which each of the twenty-four contestants (known as

Panem, the illusion of impeccable nation. Though, with a closer look, the true appearance of crookedness becomes apparent. America, as well as its future is conforming into the corrupt society of Panem. Life seen in Garret Ross's, "The Hunger Games", shows kinship to a soon and daunting real world future.

In "The Hunger Games" novel, Suzanne Collins compares modern society to the world of Panem through the importance of fashion, entertainment and inequality. There are a lot of similarities in the book that reflect our society the way it is today that were done deliberately by the author as a way of making the reader think about society could be headed down the same path.

It is shocking to see how the Capitol expects the Districts to treat the ‘Hunger Games’ like a festivity, so that they can enjoy the suffering of the tributes as pure entertainment, while being tortuous for the Districts that have to comply. This is illustrated quite well when Katniss says that ‘To make it humiliating as well as tortuous, the Capitol requires us to treat the Hunger Games as a festivity, a sporting event pitting every Districts against the others …’ For the residences in the Capitol ‘The Hunger Games’ itself is an annual event that provides them with a highly-anticipated source of entertainment to pass time and the cause to celebrate. Citizens gamble on the tributes and sponsor their favourites in the arena. The Districts understand that they are more likely to survive if they are seemingly compliant with the laws and the retractions that the Capitol puts on them. District 12 along with other districts comply with the Laws that the Capitol reinforces. Not only are the Districts required to comply but they have to look like and pretend that they’re agreeable to the punishment of having to sacrifice 2 of their young people from each District, every year and then act as if it is a major celebration rather than a tortuous punishment they have to endure year after year. People are addicted to watching the suffering of others, especially those in the Capitol. They love that all of the violence, the bloodshed and the struggle to stay alive is real. They like the

For thousands of years, governments have been oppressing their people. Although their reasons for doing so may have been different, the outcomes were all the same: a revolt of the people. There are many examples of this throughout history, such as in the French Revolution and the American Revolution. The Hunger Games, a tale of a dystopian society filled with maltreatment by “The Capitol,” displays the path to insurrection triggered by the mounting cases of misery brought on by their government, that was attacking lower classes of people. By using common themes of oppression and rebellion found throughout history, The Hunger Games is a striking example of how repression by government will eventually lead to a revolt of the people.

The districts in Panem were divided from rich to poor, districts 1 and 2 were the wealthiest while the other districts like district 11 and 12 were impoverished. This was a strategy for the capitol and those in power, in order to exercise their hegemony to suppress and control the population. The Hunger Games was used to promote the concept of false ‘hope’ and social mobility. Social mobility is a strategy used by capitalists to spread false propaganda about the poor being able to move from social group to another. The capitalists promote the idea of the ‘American Dream’, that with hard work and dedication anyone can be successful and become rich but this notion is false. For example, the people in districts 1 and 2 are privileged and have all the resources and wealth it requires for the people

The Capitol, the governing body in charge of Panem, established the Hunger Games in order to serve as a reminder for the districts to not rebel similar to that of the now nonexistent district thirteen. In the Hunger Games, two representatives from each district are forced to compete in this to-the-death battle. Social stratification plays a major role in the development of this practice- organization. Without social stratification, the games would not be possible because there would be no system present whose sole purpose is to organize the population in to districts. As a result, social stratification has a significant impact on serious crime in the film, such as murder. As for crime of lesser severity, such as street crime, poverty appears to be the greatest factor in the performance of these acts. A prime example of this idea is best illustrated when Katniss steals from the Capitol in the form of poaching. Katniss only commits these acts of crime in order to gather enough food for her family without having to put her name into the reaping bowl, the bowl used to draw names out of in order to determine the representatives selected for the games. In America, women only make up of twenty-six percent of all street crime (Benokraitis, 2016, p. 122). Given how low of a percentage this statistic provides, this shows just how large of a role poverty plays in the influence of Katniss’s actions (Ross,

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.