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Austin Smith Heather Wright English 113 6 December 2013 The Hunger Games: A Struggle of the Classes When most people think about The Hunger Games the! either think about t"ent!# four teenagers being put into an arena "here the! "ill fight to the $eath or %atniss an$ &eeta falling in lo'e because the! "ere able to be brought together b! the horrible games( )ut neither the actual fighting in the games nor the stor! of %atniss an$ &eeta are reall! the basis of the plot to The Hunger Games( *he plot is actuall! the struggle bet"een the t"el'e $istricts an$ the ruling of the cruel Capitol( *he stor! takes place in &anem "hich is +orth America after it has gone through se'eral natural $isasters an$ "ars( ,ne ma-or "ar "as the uprising of the thirteen $istricts against the Capitol( *he Capitol $efeats the $istricts in the "ar an$ completel! $estro!s the thirteenth $istrict .Collins /0( *he result of the "ar is the Hunger 1ames( *he Hunger 1ames is a remin$er to the $istricts of their loss in the "ar that the Capitol "ill al"a!s resi$e o'er them an$ intimi$ates them so that a rebellion shoul$ ne'er happen again .Collins 1/0( During the times of the Hunger 1ames each $istrict has to gi'e up one !oung man an$ "oman bet"een the ages of t"el'e an$ eighteen to the Capitol "ho "ill put them into an arena an$ "atch them fight to the $eath .The Hunger Games0( *he Capitol is using the Hunger 1ames as a means to assert its $ominance o'er the t"el'e remaining $istricts an$ let them kno" "ho is in charge( *he Capitol makes tra'el bet"een the $istricts forbi$$en apart from 2official $uties3 .Collins 410( 5f the! catch an! traitors the! cut out their tongues so that the! ma! not speak an$

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force them into a life of ser'itu$e .Collina 660( *he Capitol $oes not care about the people in the $istricts an$ the $istricts $o not care about the people in the Capitol( Some people in the $istricts e'en mock the sill! 'oices of the people of the Capitol .Collins 6#/0( *he $istricts closest to the Capitol are treate$ more fa'orabl! than those farther a"a!( *he! ha'e better li'ing con$itions an$ are "ealthier than the outl!ing $istricts( *he! e'en set up schools to sen$ their !oung chil$ren to in or$er to train them to kill an$ fight so that the! "ill be prepare$ for the Hunger 1ames( Chil$ren in these $istricts $o not ha'e to "orr! about the reaping of tributes because there "ill be 'olunteers for the games( Cato e'en "ants to nee$lessl! kill &eeta because it "oul$ 2bring pri$e to his $istrict3 .The Hunger Games). +ot onl! $o the other $istricts ha'e to "orr! about their chil$ren being reape$ for the Hunger 1ames but the! also ha'e to "orr! about getting enough foo$ to sur'i'e( 7ost of the $istricts are poor an$ are surroun$e$ b! high electric fences toppe$ "ith barbe$ "ire .Collins 40( *he fences are not usuall! electrifie$ though because the Capitol onl! pro'i$es them "ith a fe" hours of electricit! a night an$ that is if the! are luck! .Collins 80( )ecause the fences are not al"a!s electrifie$ some people "ho are so hungr! 'enture outsi$e of them to hunt for foo$ an$ resources to bring back to their families or to sell on the black market e'en though it is punishible b! $eath .The Hunger Games). Ho"e'er people "ith chil$ren that $o not "ant to 'enture out into the forest to risk their li'es are able to enter their chil$ren9s names into the reaping for the Hunger 1ames more times each !ear in or$er to recei'e e:tra grain an$ oil .Collins 130( *he Capitol $oes not care about these poor $istricts at all e:cept "hen it comes to the Hunger 1ames( *he! $o not e'en pro'i$e these people of their countr! "ith foo$ electricit! or e'en hot "ater .The Hunger Games). %atniss e'en remarks 2District *"el'e( Where !ou can star'e to $eath in safet!3 .Collins 60(

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5n comparison to the $istricts the Capitol is hea'en( *he! are able to take all of the 'aluable resources from the $istricts in or$er to make their o"n li'ing ;uarters better( *he! ha'e 'er! fanc! an$ la'ish furnishings an$ 2glistening buil$ings shin! cars an$ "i$e pa'e$ roa$s 3 "hich the poorer $istricts ha'e none of .Collins 8<0( *he! ha'e ga$gets "ith $o=ens of buttons "hereas $istricts har$l! get an! electricit! at all( Also "hile the $istricts are star'ing the Capitol has almost an! t!pe of foo$ imaginable( %atniss pon$ers this in her hea$> 2What must it be like 5 "on$er to li'e in a "orl$ "here foo$ appears at the press of a button?3 .Collins 680( *he Capitol takes the $istricts resources make the Capitol e:tra'agantl! rich gi'e a little back to a fe" $istricts an$ gi'e absolutel! nothing back to the poorer $istricts because the! -ust $o not care about them( *he members of the Capitol ho"e'er are not e:actl! cruel an$ mean( *he! -ust un$erstan$ things from a $ifferent point of 'ie"( %atniss9 escort Effie *rinket for e:ample is onl! $oing as she has been taught( She repeate$l! tries to get %atniss to use goo$ manners because using goo$ manners is the proper thing to $o( She kno"s the $ifference bet"een right an$ "rong she has -ust been brain"ashe$ b! the Capitol into thinking that the Hunger 1ames are actuall! goo$ for the people of &anem( She e'en sa!s 25t9s one of the "on$erful things about this oppurtunit! # that e'en though !ou9re here an$ e'en though it9s -ust for a little "hile !ou get to en-o! all of this 3 referring to the la'ishness of the Capitol .The Hunger Games). %atniss sees this because she thinks> 25t9s har$ to hate m! prep team( *he!9re total i$iots( An$ !et in an o$$ "a! 5 kno" the!9re sincerel! tr!ing to help me3 .Collins 630( 7ost people in the Capitol are ignorant an$ -ust "ant a goo$ sho"( *he! "atch the Hunger 1ames as most people in the "orl$ to$a! en-o! realit! tele'ision( *he! use an e:treme amount of mone! in or$er to sponser tributes in the games not e:actl! for sa'ing their li'es but

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so that the! can continue to be entertaine$ b! their fa'orites( Half of "hat the Capitol likes about the Hunger 1ames is their fashion an$ attracti'eness in the para$e an$ inter'ie"s( *his is "h! the Capitol falls in lo'e "ith %atniss an$ &eeta "hen the! come out on fire $uring the para$e an$ again "hen %atniss spins in her inter'ie" $ress( When talking to %atniss about the Hunger 1ames an$ ho" she coul$ possible "in 1ale sa!s> 2*he! -ust "ant a goo$ sho"( *hat9s all the! "ant3 .The Hunger Games). *he Hunger 1ames can easil! be compare$ to ancient @ome "here the! sent !oung sla'es an$ prisoners into the colosseum to fight animals or each other to the $eath( Ho"e'er ignorant the people of the Capitol ma! be the presi$ent of &anem is not( 5n the mo'ie "e get a look into &resi$ent Sno"9s 'ie" of things( We see him talking "ith the hea$ 1amemaker Seneca Crane in his rose gar$en( He sa!s that if the! "ante$ to intimi$ate the $istricts then the! "oul$ 2roun$ up t"ent!#four of them at ran$om an$ e:ecute them all at once 3 because it "oul$ be a lot faster( He then sa!s that there is a "inner because 2hope is the onl! thing stronger than fear( A little hope is effecti'e( A lot of hope is $angerous(3 He reali=es that %atniss has been pinpointe$ as a Capitol fa'orite in these games because of her 'olunteering for her sister making a fier! entrance in the tribute para$e an$ the score of ele'en she ma$e $uring her personal training( He sa!s that 2a spark is fine as long as it9s containe$(3 He reali=es that %atniss coul$ spark up too much hope an$ so he tells Crane to contain the spark that is %atniss E'er$een .The Hunger Games). Aater on Seneca tells Sno" that the! shoul$ use %atniss as an un$er$og but Sno" a$'ises against it( Crane still $oes not kill %atniss E'er$een an$ she thought up a plan to $ef! the Capitol "ith the berries( Bor this reason Sno" has Seneca Crane kille$ .The Hunger Games). &resi$ent Sno" has no "orries about the people in the $istricts at all e:cept that the! might start a re'olution against him(

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During the games a little girl name$ @ue from District Ele'en helps %atniss sur'i'e but is kille$ b! one of the Career tributes( %atniss struggles "ith @ue9s $eath because @ue remin$s her of her t"el'e !ear ol$ sister &rimC "ith her !outhful beaut! kin$ness an$ innocence( %atniss pa!s respect to @ue b! co'ering her in flo"ers an$ gi'ing her the three finger salute "hich is the greatest s!mbol of respect in the $istricts( *he mo'ie then cuts to District ele'en "here the people are gi'ing %atniss the same sign of respect( We then see riots breaking out an$ peacekeepers ha$ to be brought in from the Capitol in or$er to stop the sprea$ of the riots in the streets .The Hunger Games). )efore entering the games &eeta makes the statement> 25 $on9t "ant them to change me in there( *urn me into some kin$ of monster that 59m not((((5 keep "ishing 5 coul$ think of a "a! to sho" the Capitol the! $on9t o"n me3 .Collins 141#1420( %atniss thinks of a "a! that the! can $o this "hen the Capitol tries to make them kill each other( She pulls out the poisonous berries an$ the! are both going to eat them kno"ing that the Capitol "oul$ not let them both kill each other( She is right an$ the! are both allo"e$ to li'e( Ho"e'er e'en though the Capitol people belie'e that it "as out of an act of lo'e most people $o not especiall! &resi$ent Sno"( He kno"s that she $i$ "hat she $i$ to rebel against the Capital an$ he is afrai$ that if a little girl from District 12 can rebel against the Capitol then other people might think that the! can as "ell( With the riots in the streets in District ele'en an$ the stunt that "as pulle$ in the arena &anem coul$ see an uprising in the near future(

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Works Cite$ Collins Su=anne( The Hunger Games. +e" Dork> Scholastic 200/( &rint( The Hunger Games. Dir( 1ar! @oss( Aionsgate 2012( DED(