Speculative fiction, that does not fit into the conventions of the real world (Neugebauer 2014) and realist fiction, possible stories with no appearance of the supernatural (Lukens 2003, p. 14) present a misogynistic view of females and their role in society. Misogyny is defined as dislike, contempt or prejudice against women (Oxford Dictionary 2017). Both speculative and realist fiction present misogyny in one way by portraying women as a damsel in distress. In these genres of fiction, there is also a tendency to objectify and sexualise women, in that they are not seen as people with real human emotions, needs and wants, but as objects of a man’s desire and affection. Lastly, speculative and realist fiction genres, focus on the …show more content…
This damsel is also considered a passive character, who is portrayed in many ways (Curtis 2015, p. 16). One of these many ways is in the form of sleep. In fairy tales, the passive female character is often seen as asleep, such as Aurora in Sleeping Beauty (Perrault, n.d.) and Snow White in Snow White (Grimm & Grimm, 1812). Sleep is considered one of the most passive states (Nolan 2009, p. 6), which is why women are often viewed in this perspective, their sleeping state is a symbol for their projected view in society. These princesses are awaiting their prince to save them from this state, further reiterating the damsel in distress stigma. This archetype has been prevalent in literature since very early, such as Sleeping Beauty, but is still existent in modern literature, especially aimed at young adults. In fantasy novels such as The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer (2005-2008), Bella Swan, the protagonist, is portrayed as this damsel in distress, needing Edward to save her from herself. This is most prominent in the second instalment of the saga, New Moon (Meyer, 2006). When Edward leaves Bella in a bid to save her, as “[Edward is] no good for [Bella]” (p.61), she enters a state of numbness, unable to function without him, leading to Bella making seemingly reckless decisions, such as jumping off a cliff (p. 316). This demonstrates how lost Bella is without Edward, and how reliant on him she had become. Thus, illustrating the
Literature is not simply a reflection of society; it is in actuality much more powerful. Literature draws upon society and creates its own meanings and images. It possesses the power to either nourish or discourage societal values and ideals. Hence, stereotypical views on gender relations in society are reinforced by literary depictions of men and women. The American literary canon is a collection of books that are widely accepted as influential in shaping Western culture. Stereotypes are evident throughout these texts, and often serve to justify the continuance of traditional roles. More specifically, women seem to be the target of cataloguing and other negative depictions. Classic books that are identified as part of the American literary canon tend to portray female characters in a way that emphasizes their inferiority. The depiction of females in classic American literature promotes a stereotypical view of women in American society.
The book “Lord Of The Flies” is about a plane crashing onto an Island and no adult supervision left for the group young boys left behind. Once all of the boys that were scattered along the island gathered, they realized that they were left on there own and can do whatever they want to. The boys then created a structured civilization that doesn't quite strive throughout their time there. In the novel, “Lord Of The Flies” written by William Golding the novel supports philosopher Thomas Hobbes’ theory of the “Ruthless Savage” because the boys are portrayed as bullies and careless. The movie “The Hunger Games” shows several of the same qualities as the novel “Lord Of The Flies”.
The book “The Hunger Games” was written by Suzanne Collins and it’s the first book out of the trilogy she has written. Collins uses a mixture of modern and classical as elements in this story and it allows for any age reader to enjoy it. Some the literary devices she uses in the book are setting, symbolism, and themes. It’s everything you could want in a book because it has a little bit of each genre, like action, romance, comedy, and even mystery. This book will have you sitting at the edge of your seat on minute and then grabbing for a tissue the next. When reading this book, “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins and looking at the setting, symbolism, and theme it’s easy to sense the different tones and emotions going on in the story.
Social stratification is a concept used within sociology that explains the divisions and social inequalities of large groups of people within a particular society. The Hunger Games (2012) is a film that demonstrates this through amplifying how the power of the rich members in a polarised society are taking control of the poor and separating them in different districts which create specific social rankings. This essay will use the perspective of conflict theory to examine how Australian society is also effected by social stratification and therefore divided in social classes which effects their access to social equalities.
The Hunger Games, a novel by Suzanne Collins, is the story of 16 years old, Katniss Everdeen, who fights to death for her district. The Hunger Games is an event hosted every year by the Capitol of Panem, where a randomly chosen boy and girl both need to represent each of the twelve districts that the capitol is composed of. When Katniss little sister, Prim, is chosen to be the representative for District twelve, Katniss volunteers to take her place and fight along her male counterpart, Peeta. The reason I choose this book for my book report is because Katniss is not your typical 16 year old girl. Not only is she her family’s provider but she’s also skillful, strong, rebellious, and unsentimental heroine. These are characteristics that society would mostly link to a 16 year old boy rather than a girl.
The “Hunger Games” trilogy is a story of war, depression, love and survival. It is written in such a way that you connect with the characters; for example, the infamous love triangle of Katniss, Peeta and Gale. By the end, everyone was chanting “Team Peeta” or “Team Gale” as to who Katniss will finally be with. Aside from that, however, the people of the country of Panem were under the control of the Capitol and needed a way to become free from its grasp and that of President Snow. But before the science behind this story is revealed, one must be brought up to speed on how the story all began.
As a result of the abuse female characters have faced, it has become an objective for authors to prevent this. There have been clear strides recently, putting women as the protagonists, and not in a manner that has them dealing with persecution. The amount of strong, female characters is a large stride in the right direction to end the conflict regarding women’s roles in literature. However, this sudden influx of women in literature may lead to the reversal of the issue; the absence or abuse of men. While certainly literary equality is the end goal, to flip the issue would be just as bad and lead to sexism on the opposite spectrum. To truly mend the rift between genders, there must be no discrimination, the idea that an author is trying to use sexist undertones by not writing the lead as a female should not have to be an idea that readers think about when analyzing modern books. While even still there are issues of gender inequality in literature, there must be moderation from both ends for a resolution to be possible. The only way for equality to be achieved is with the absence of sexist ideals from all
Economics is the study of scarcity within a systems of rules. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins’ can be translated into such, with hunger being scarcity and games being a system of rules. In the Hunger Games, we are introduced to a country called Panem. The country of Panem is divided into twelve different districts and the Capitol, where the government resides. Each district has their own different specializations and they have distinctive economies. The government regulates the trade and each district rely on trade from each other district and the Capitol for the goods they don 't produce. All of the districts and the Capitol is interdependent.
Fiction is often thought of as being “fake” or “false” interpretations of real life. While the people and events that occur in fiction are generally imagined, the most successful of these works appeal to audiences as being realistic to some extent. An example of this imagined interpretation of reality in fiction is the portrayal of women. One association given to women of many genres is that of the needy damsel. With that said, examples of heroism and wit have grown over time, adjusting with the trends of feminism today. While women are often considered delicate and in need of protection in fiction, across the genres of gothic, science and mystery, there are also many depictions indicating the contrary.
Reading literature, at first, might seem like simple stories. However, in works like William Faulkner's “A Rose for Emily,” Katherine Mansfield's “Miss Brill,” and Kate Chopin's “The Storm,” the female protagonists are examples of how society has oppressive expectations of them simply because of their gender.
A place where anything can happen, waiting for you, ready to attack without making a sound and kill you. This will be the stomping grounds of the twenty-four tributes, which will battle to the end, until one tribute is alone standing to become the victor. In the novel The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins. Panem is described as having a cruel government. The Capital uses children from the ages of twelve through eighteen to battle to death. Katniss Everdeen is a sixteen year old. She took the place of her sister Primrose as tribute to fight the bloody battle in hopes of winning and becoming the victor so she may return home to protect Prim from unseen mishaps. Katniss will have many challenges in her way, if she wants to win and come home to protect her family from starvation. She will have to work through her impulsive, mistrust, and self-doubt to stay alive and make victor.
In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Katniss Everdeen has three searches. Throughout the book, she looks for safety, truth, and hope.
In the “Hunger Games”, citizens in thirteen districts are subordinates to the citizens of the capital. These subordinates were forced to work for the capital and were given no mercy — there were public beatings for crimes and even their kids were killed on a comical television show for the capital citizens. These ideas, which Suzanne Collins used in her book, can be traced to our own past. Similar to the forced labor and abuse the Capital imposed on the district members in the “Hunger Games”, blacks in early United States were treated very poorly. Ironically, many people living in the United States after the Revolutionary War were still oppressed, slavery still existed, and discrimination was prevalent. Slavery did get banned in the
“It’s taken the fantasy genre decades to grow out of its image as a juvenile boys’ club obsessed with cleavage and crossbows” (Griner). Though science fiction has attempted to break the gender stereotypes against female characters, the genre still has a long way to go. Currently, the majority of female characters are still portrayed as over-sexualized, and dependent on male characters. When women are shown in heroic female roles, they are still belittled for not being a man. Seiter claims that “Many of the more stereotyped features of the portrayal of women…are also accurate reflections of the sexist reality of our society” (21). It is unfortunate that this claim is accurate, but it is. Science fiction is a fictional genre, providing an opportunity to break all stereotypes and create a world from scratch. But gender stereotypes have been ingrained into the world, making them difficult to break when producing fictional stories. Sexism has created a gender bias in science fiction that needs to be changed.
Thesis: In recent years during the 21st century more and more people in the media have been calling out fairytales for their anti-feminist attitudes with sexism, body standards as well as societal comments about women being dependent on men.