Creative Writing Prompts

Check out this link: Prompts for Independent Writing

It will allow you to access a bunch of different websites that might provide an interesting or useful prompt for you.

Analyzing The Hunger Games

We’ve read Parts One and Two of The Hunger Games. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the plot, characters and setting. We know that, basically, The Hunger Games is about a young woman named Katniss who’s competing in an event called the Hunger Games that’s held every year in Panem.

However, there’s a lot more to the book than that basic plot summary. Today, we’ll examine that next layer of the story. Here’s your job:

First, consider this statement: The Hunger Games is a book about _________________

Fill in the blank with one of these words:  CONTROL  FRIENDSHIP  POWER  LOVE  FAMILY  BETRAYAL STRENGTH

The word you’ve chosen will be your TOPIC.

Next, you’ll consider this question: So far, what does the book SAY about the topic you’ve chosen? As you write, you’ll be developing your BIG IDEA.  Write about your choice of topic, using evidence from the text to support and analyze your idea. Remember the work you did yesterday…what did it tell you about the story? Incorporate evidence into your writing, and make sure you analyze the evidence for your readers, helping us understand your big idea.

When you’re done, add your response to this post by commenting (let me know if you’re having trouble doing that…)

Your response should be at least one to two thoughtful, detailed paragraphs. It should include specific evidence from the story, and should avoid plot summary. It should be clearly written and organized. Don’t forget to proofread!

The Hunger Games: Names and references

The Hunger Games is full of imagery, character development, and symbolism. Names are especially significant, and so are some historical references. We'll examine some of those things today. Make sure you jot down some notes in your journal.

First, let's take a look at the name of the country: Panem. Skim this article to find the reference--where did the name of the country come from? What does it mean?

Now, let's look at some character names: Katniss, Gale, Rue, Cato (check out information here about a couple different Roman guys named Cato), Primrose (or, Prim). Peeta is likely a variation on Peter--check out the etymology of the name Peter. Also, there are a lot of references in Roman history to people named Cinna. One of them was killed for his role in conspiring against Caesar; another was a poet who was killed because he was mistaken for the guy who helped assassinate Caesar. In fact, a lot of the names of the folks from the Capitol are from Roman history.

Think about this question: How do the origins of the characters' names help us understand the characters better?

Next, check out this link, to the Greek mythology story of Theseus and the Minotaur. Interesting, eh? Think about the ways that this story and The Hunger Games are similar.