To begin with, the science fiction dystopian adventurous film, The Hunger Games, directed by Gary Ross, inspired a novel, written by Suzanne Collins. Published in 2008, The Hunger Games was one of the first novels in the sequence, where it presents to the readers and audience a future dystopian society, where a government that's overpowering controls the people and resources of what's known as tribes, the twelve different districts in the colony. Every year, two young representatives from the twelve districts are chosen by lottery and are forced to participate in the annual, Hunger Games. This game is broadcast through Panem, a party entertainment. These twenty-four representatives are forced to abolish their competitors. When sixteen-year-old, Prim is selected as the District twelve female representative, Katniss, her older sister volunteers to take her place. Together with Peeta Mellark, the male representative for District twelve is headed by train to the Capital to prepare for this brutal game. There were several themes and issues in this film. One of the main themes that are used throughout this series is government control.
Firstly, we witnessed that in the capitol's rules, how they control districts, and their choice of entertainment. The Capitol demands rules such as individuals are not allowed to leave their district home unless it’s for the Hunger Games. To fulfill this rule all the districts are surrounded by fences to keep them inside, and to keep the outsiders outside. The Capitol also has a very strong connection to the districts. The Capitol uses each of the districts for its resources. The people work to the bone and take their resources from them now and then, especially from district twelve. Then the major control is the capital forcing twenty-four children to be a part of the annual Hunger Games, each year.
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To add on, as you can tell the issue in this film, is the oppression by the people from the Capitol. The Hunger Games is away from the government to display its power and was designed to warn the people not to rebel against them. “The districts began rebelling against the capitol which resulted in the unfortunate event of a total civil war breaking out. And yet, the capitol predictably took the title of “winner” by taking destruction seriously and erasing District 13’s civilization forever. Now, the Hunger Games was the result of this happening and must go on,” said the mayor, announcing the annual Hunger Games to the crowd. The idea of power was being abused and corrupted by the government. The people are ruled and controlled by brutal individuals who will do anything to stay in power. For instance, when Gale talked about running away, Katniss reminded him that the government would most likely punishment, like cutting their tongues off if they tied. I believe The Hunger Games was just a way for the government to keep themselves in control of the people, pressuring fear in them. This reminded me of what's currently happening in our real world, in our society. Currently, in China, in Xinjiang, the Uyghur Muslim people are being tortured and abused physically and mentally by the Chinese government. It’s weird because it's specifically only Muslim individuals who are being targeted. These innocent people are being tortured by the government, and being forced to do things that are prohibited for them. The people were feared and abused by the government, which is similar to The Hunger Games.
In addition, for this social issue of government control, I believe it is trying to convey that whenever one is deep in oppression, it is right for one to stand up. Like every dystopian text or film, it's always a group of people being targeted and in limited access, and in the end, there's that one person, who stands up and fights for what they believe is best. For instance, In the Hunger Games, Katniss stands up and refuses to kill Peeta, and joins forces with him to go against the Capitol. To add on, just like in Harrison Bergeron. This dystopian society is attempting to achieve a perfect world. This society focuses on the idea of equality, where strength, self-beauty, and intelligence have been oppressed by an authority, and in the end, Harrison goes against this idea, going against Handicap General and her men.
To add on, as you can tell there is no sympathy in The Hunger Games, but violence the population of the Capitol has to demand. The victims are dying bloody deaths while the crowd cheers and we encourage the killer. Taking the children, only to lead them to their destruction, destroys the hopes and the futures of the families and the communities of those involved. This is the Capitol's way of reminding the people to feel powerless and at their mercy. Simply put, it is Capitol’s way of saying ‘We could have wiped you out and we still can, so you better keep in line', which, therefore, provokes hatred. This unequal distribution of wealth and social status scatters the individuals of many districts apart from each other. It is an effective procedure for the Capitol to prevent a future rebellion as the level of hatred that exists between the people of the community prevents cooperation in any attacks on the Capitol. I also noticed that the distrust and division made by the games also take place on the people’s levels. For instance, the people who take bets on the two volunteers whose names will be drawn. Not only do these individual members make mockery and entertainment out of people's misery, but they also further divide the community between those who are affected by the games and those who are not.
With the influence of the book, it had led to a campaign launched by the socially activist group and the Harry Potter Alliance, called ‘The Odds In Our Favour’ where it had been inspired by the author’s work. The reading made them believe that it was a reflection of America. This movement helps promote health care, voting, food, housing, and employment for the homeless. If Collins's books raised consciousness and led to concrete actions, then the idea has fulfilled its job and Collins has succeeded in establishing her message.
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