The Hunger Games----KW

Mrs. Hudak

May 13, 2014

Rebellion, which is especially favored by teenagers, is an almost inevitable growth process either in people’s lives or development of society.  How would you feel if you are defeated and controlled?  What would a group do if it is bullied and knocked down to the bottom of society?  Rebellion!  Rebellion indeed!  If you appreciate the beauty of rebellion, you can’t miss the book the Hunger Games which was written by Suzanne Collins.

The setting of this story is sorrowful but similar to me somehow.  It’s similar to me because it reflects to the history. Almost the same thing happened in 17^th century the United States.  The government controlled and bullied the lower class.  In the story, 13 districts were the group that was defeated and bullied.  The Capitol governed the 13 districts unfairly.  People in l3 districts worked hard for the Capitol without a just payment, and innumerable people starved to death.   Finally people in 13 districts couldn’t bear it anymore; they started to fight against the cruel Capitol.  However, the Capitol was more powerful than they thought.  They lost the war.  The 13^th district was destroyed and the rest 12 districts were punished.  As punishment, each of the twelve districts has to provide one girl and one boy as tributes to take part in the Hunger Games.  In the cruel game, competitors have to fight to death and only one cab survive.  The situation becomes even worse.

Even under this situation, people still hasn’t given up rebelling.  The main character, Katniss, for example, is the symbol of rebellion.  Although the Capitol sets an electrical fence to prevent people from getting any closer to the forest, Katiniss goes across the fence everyday to hunt for her family.  When she arrives at the Capitol, she is supposed to smile and be friendly to the people in the Capitol so more sponsors will like her and support her.  However, she just stands asides and feels sick of it.  When she has her “private sessions with the Game makers”, she even shoots “the apple in the pig’s mouth” on the Game makers’ table to attract their attention which can be very offensive.  What’s more, at the end of the games, when Katiniss is asked to make a decision, she chooses the poisonous berries.  Instead of following the Game makers’ order, she decides to die with Peeta.  Katiniss’s courage clearly shows the main theme of the story, rebellion!

What I liked most of this book is also the character Katiniss.  Besides her courage, I also admire her determination and responsibility.  She has an especially tough life.  Her dad, the only support of her family, was killed in a mine accident.  Her mother became sick after she heard the terrible news.  All the responsibilities fell on young Katniss’s shoulders.  She has had to fed her sick mother and her younger sister since she was 11 years old.  She hunts and collects food in the dangerous woods.  Life seems to get better but bad luck picked on her family again.  Her sister is chosen as a tribute to the Hunger Game.  She can’t bear to see her sister to take part in such a cruel game; therefore, She volunteers as a tribute to take her sister’s place in the game, which means death to her.  I am moved by how tough Katiniss is.

After all, the Hunger Games is an exciting and meaningful book.  If you haven’t read it, you should really try it!

----KW