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 is a book about struggle. Before we even know what the Reaping or the Hunger Games are, we are faced with a story of Katniss’s struggle to survive through starvation and poverty. She struggles with authority and rules by crossing the fence to hunt and collect berries, which is illegal in their district, but gets away with it by selling to the mayor and other authorities around the district. Then, when her sister is called for the Reaping, she is faced with the struggle of putting her in sure deaths way to save her sister. Along the way of the Hunger Games, she struggles to accept Peeta as an enemy, to survive, to accept Rue’s death, and to accept having to kill other humans.
ReplyDeleteLove
ReplyDeleteI think that one of the most important ideas in this story is love. This is because if Peeta had never confessed his love for Katniss, the story would be completely different. I think that if he did not love her, they would still have been training together and Peeta would not have decided it differently. He was clearly doing this to look out for her in some way. If he didn’t confess his love to her, the games would be very different too. Peeta and Katniss would probably be together the entire time because she wouldn’t be second guessing his confession. It is shown that she doesn’t believe that he truly loves her because she says, “If he did, it was probably just part of his act.” This shows that she thinks even him saving her life, is just a publicity stunt.
Also, in another way of love, Katniss’s family comes into play. She loves and cares so much about her family that she would take her younger sister’s place in the games. She worries about everything that her sister will see on television and that changes the way she plays the game. Every time she does anything, she is thinking about her family and what they will be thinking and how it will reflect on them. This makes her do many things that she would not have done if she didn’t believe that the repercussion would be on her family.
The Hunger Games is a book about strength. The book so far shows multiple points where strength is shown in characters in various situations. All of the participants need the strength to kill without remorse, survive, and witness other people die. Katniss and Peeta need the strength to accept the fact that their chances of survival are very poor and they will be competing to the death against each other. “I easily take out a strange bird that must be some form of wild turkey. Anyway, it looks plenty edible to me.” (199). This quote shows that Katniss has the strength to hunt and support herself during the games, which is a huge advantage. “When I break into the clearing, she’s on the ground, hopelessly entangled in a net. She just has time to reach her hand through the mesh and say my name before the spear enters her body.” (232). She needs to accept that Rue is dead and not let it affect her judgment or throw her off track. Katniss also had the strength to volunteer for her little sister, even though the chances of Prim being chosen were very little. “’I volunteer!’ I gasp. ‘I volunteer as tribute!’” (22). When people come to visit Katniss in the tower before the Games, she has to prevent herself from feeling weak and feeble so she can focus on surviving the games. Without strength, survival of the Games is far out of reach and the characters would die very quickly.
ReplyDeleteTo me The Hunger Games is all about power. The whole point of the hunger games was to show people in all 12 districts that they do not have the power, so they put them in this situation of killing each other so they know they can’t do anything about it. Even if that wasn’t enough they make them celebrate the games like it’s a fun tradition. The Capitol is always trying to use their power over the districts to show them what they will do if another revolution happens. They already blew up district 13 and frequently show images of the no longer alive district. The Capitol does this to show that they have the power to do whatever they would like to the people they control. Many people obey the rules because they are scared of the Capitol’s consequences over them. However, just like every society there are people that still rebel and go against the rules. In The Hunger Games, Gale and Katniss give little signs of rebellion saying bad stuff and mocking the capitol. Even when Rue dies, Katniss puts flowers all over her died body to show the capitol they don’t own all of them in the games. The book to shows everyone a drastic way the society works now of days. We don’t send people to fight to the death but we do take drastic things to make people know who has the power. The book shows how Government can take over reactions to what happen in society.
ReplyDeleteThe Hunger Games is a book about strength. The book to me says that it is about strength because that is the only way you will survive in the games. It is not necessarily physical strength but it’s mental. If you have the mental ability to succeed then you will win. For example, when she takes her sisters place it is showing strength and leadership. She is taking control and beings strong for her younger sister that looks up too her. ‘“I volunteer!’ I gasp. ‘I volunteer as tribute”’. Pg. 22 this is showing her mental strength which is needed in the games. Also, an example of physical strength is when she was so hurt from the fire with all her burns, in which she still felt the strength to climb up in the tree and hide away from the Careers’. “If running hurt, climbing is agonizing because it requires not only exertion but direct contact of my hands on the tree bark”. Pg. 181 This is showing her physical strength and her motivation to continue in her conditions, she doesn’t even care she just wants to survive. In order to survive The Hunger Games, you need to be strong; all the weak ones die first, so she must be strong because she is one out of six left in the arena. There are many parts of the story where is shows she is strong both mental and physical. For example, when rue dies, she is strong for her, and put her to rest in peace, and she is winning the games for both of them. Her leaving Rue and not turning back shows her mental strength because she connected with her in a different way and she had to gain strength in her mind to say goodbye. Another way the book shows she is strong is when she uses her bow and arrow to kill the boy from District 1. This shows she is strong because it takes a lot of strength in her conditions to use the bow and arrow, and she used it to kill the boy who had killed Rue. All of these examples show that The Hunger Games is a book about strength.
ReplyDeleteThe Hunger Games is a book about strength. I believe its about strength because to survive the games they need to have the strength to find food, to fight the other tributes, to survive with what little they have. Even when Katniss was in pain she still had the urge to go out and gather food, get to the source of water, and to trust people she couldn't trust before. Even though the game makers are in control Katniss still has the strength to get by any trouble that went her way.
ReplyDeleteShe had the strength to witness people die. Also in the book when peeta is hurt and she has to do everything in her power to help him survive she says that every time her mother has taken a miner home to patch up she has to leave home. Its show katniss can not take watching people in pain or see their problems. But she ends up helping peeta out even though she couldn't take it. Katniss also had the strength to volunteer for her sister. “’I volunteer!’ I gasp. ‘I volunteer as tribute!’” (pg22). Without strength I believe no one would be able to survive a minute in the games.
The Hunger Games is a book about strength. Katniss shows strength when she volunteers
ReplyDeleteherself for the hunger games in place of her little sister. For example, “’I volunteer!’ I gasp. ‘I volunteer as a tribute’” p.22 In order to survive in the lower class districts you need to be strong, not physically strong but know how to fend for yourself and be mentally strong. Katniss is able to hunt and provide for her family because now that her dad is gone she is the main provider. She is mentally strong enough to be able to handle that. When she is in the games she has no weapons or supplies to get food she manages to ration her food that was given to her and eat berries. She is mentally strong enough to know where to sleep and where would be a safe place to sleep. Katniss is strong enough to survive on her own and have the constant worry of being killed and still be able to focus on staying alive for her family; because she knows that without her they will not be able to survive without her. Katniss is also
physically strong, when her hands are still burnt she manages to climb up a tree.
The story of The Hunger Games to me is all about strength, whether it be strength within oneself, or strength for other people. Throughout this story are scenes of characters demonstrating strength, but the most comes from the main character of Katniss. To start it off, Katniss volunteered herself for the games in place of her baby sister Prim. She’s taking responsibility as an older sibling; she’s showing more dominance as the older sibling by standing up and being strong for Prim. Katniss also has to take charge in the house after the tragic death of her father. Her mother is not stable enough to take care of herself or the family, so as young as Katniss is she had to step up. Another way she showed strength in the story is when she took order with Haymitch and demanded respect when they had first met. She had also made it through the confusing love messages that Peeta was giving her that made her unable to think straight. In the games, she plays it smart, and forms an alliance with Rue, and ended up taking care of her and looking out for her. She had the strength to start playing the games and killing people and killed the kid who had killed Rue. Another way this story demonstrates strength is when Katniss survives an explosion and affects her leg and hearing ability. Also she had gotten stung by tracker-jackers, and made it through the hallucinations. Lastly, she showed incredible strength by making it into the final eight, which no one has done from District 12 in a while.
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