Summary
Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins is written through the viewpoint of the main protagonist Katniss Everdeen. She lives in Disrict 12, in the country known as Panem, which is on top of what used to be North America. Panem was comprised of 13 districts, and in it's centre was the Capitol. Once the districts planned to overthrow the Capitol, and ended up losing the war. To prove their superior strength and end all retaliation, the Capitol blew up District 13. To make the district pay for trying to take over, the Capitol takes a boy and girl from each district and forces all 24 of them to fight to the deah for entertainment. Katniss' sister prim and a boy named Peeta, who saved her life by giving her some bread to eat when she was almost starving to death, are chosen to compete as tributes in the 74th Hunger Games. Katniss volunteers for her sister. Katniss and Peeta have to pretend to be in love so that they can get sponsors. Katniss teams up and becomes friend with a girl named Rue from District 11, and Peeta joins a group of people nicknamed 'Careers', a group consisting over the district 1,2, and 4 tributes. Later Peeta betrays the Careers to save Katniss. Shortly after Rue dies it is announced that there can be two victors from the same district. Katniss finds Peeta wounded, and heals him. In the end they are the only two left, so they think they won, but it is announced that the rule about two victors will be retracted. Peeta and Katniss decide to commit a double suicide so no one wins. Just as the berries go in their mouths the announcer says that they are the winners of the Hunger Games, and before the poisonous berry kill them they spit them out. After a long time in what seems to be a hospital of some kind, they are released and interviewed. When they arrived back home and there is a swarm of reporters and new camera. Katniss and Peeta agree that this is the last time they have to pretend to be 'star crossed lovers'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eByVNknCjkI
Protagonist
The main protagonists are Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch. Katniss and Peeta are the protagonists because they are fighting against a cruel and flawed justice system. Katniss and Peeta start that spark that ignites a revolution, when they defy that Capitol's rule that there must be a victor by trying to kill themselves. For example, "There must be a victor (pg. 344)." and, "If Peeta and I wereboth to die, or they thought we were...(pg. 344)". Haymitch is also a protagonist because of his assisting them in training, and willing to help and prepare them. For instance, "All right, I'll make a deal with you. You don't interfere with my drinking, and I'll stay sober enough to help you," says Haymitch, "But you have to do exactly what I say (pg. 58)." Protagonists, such as Katniss, fight against what ever they believe is worth fighting against, and is usually the main character.
Antagonist
There are multiple antagonists in "The Hunger Games". The overall antagonist is the Capitol. The Capitol is the reason Katniss was placed in the arena and forced to kill or be killed. The second main antagonists would be the Careers. The Careers came form districts that received special training from the Capitol, and almost always win. "It's technically against the rules to train tributes before they reach the Capitol but it happens every year. In District 12, we call them the Career Tributes, or just the Careers. And like as not, the winner will be one of them(pg. 107)." The Capitol and the Careers are the antagonist because they work against the protagonists (the heroes of the story).
Theme
Theme is the main idea or message in a literary work. In "The Hunger Games" there are more than one themes. The overall theme is injustice, and cruelty. The people of the districts are not treated as human, but as mere puppets, be forced to fight to the death and do as the Capitol wants. Another theme in the story is the effects of war. The worst effect of war is the Hunger Games itself, and the sorrow and trauma it has caused for the districts. Throughout the book, the central theme always is injustice.
Conflict
Conflict is disagreement and fighting/feuding among two or more people(s). There are two kinds of conflict; internal and external. Internal conflict is in a way fighting against your self, or different aspects of a single personality. Katniss' internal conflict is whether to be herself or to put up an act for the Capitol and act in a way that will make her liked. The external conflict is Katniss vs. the Capitol, as well as Katniss vs. the other tributes. Katniss is physically fighting the tributes, and at the same time fighting the Capitol and Gamemakers by showing them that she is not a pawn.
Author's Perspective
Suzanne Collins is well known for the "Hunger Games" Trilogy, but also has written other stories and worked on tv scripts. According to Suzanne Collins "The Hunger Games" was "... very much based on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, which I read when I was eight years old.(Suzanne Collins)". She was watching tv and surfing the channels, flipping between war coverage and a reality show where a group of young teens were competing for something. "I was really tired, and the lines between these stories started to blur in a very unsettling way. That’s the moment when Katniss’s story came to me (Suzanne Collins)". In a way, Katniss is a futuristic Theseus. As punishment for displeasing Crete, Athens was forced to send seven boys and seven girls to Crete, where they were thrown into the labyrinth and devoured by the Minotaur."The Hunger Games reflects this same concept but in it's own way.
Source: http://www.biography.com/people/ernest-hemingway-9334498
Motif
The reoccurring element, motif, in "The Hunger Games" is the constant cruelty. The first example of this is the Hunger Games. The Capitol sends children to fight to the death for entertainment. There is also a sense of cruelty in the actions of the Careers. The Careers seem to enjoy hunt down humans and killing. They see the whole thing as a game, and always win because their district in trained and fed well. It is also cruel the way that the Peacekeepers/the Capitol treat the districts so unjustly.
Book Review:
"The Hunger Games" is a book about a nation that sends 2 kids from each of the twelve districts to fight to the death in a huge arena on live tv. I think this is a good work of literature and an interesting novel. It has adventure, drama, some science fiction, and a good plot. I would give it 5/5 mockingjays. I would suggest an age group of 11 and up. There are some pretty graphic chapters in the book, and the would not be someone you want to expose to a young kid. At 11 and up, the readers are more able to understand the bigger words, and can more deeply enjoy it.
Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins is written through the viewpoint of the main protagonist Katniss Everdeen. She lives in Disrict 12, in the country known as Panem, which is on top of what used to be North America. Panem was comprised of 13 districts, and in it's centre was the Capitol. Once the districts planned to overthrow the Capitol, and ended up losing the war. To prove their superior strength and end all retaliation, the Capitol blew up District 13. To make the district pay for trying to take over, the Capitol takes a boy and girl from each district and forces all 24 of them to fight to the deah for entertainment. Katniss' sister prim and a boy named Peeta, who saved her life by giving her some bread to eat when she was almost starving to death, are chosen to compete as tributes in the 74th Hunger Games. Katniss volunteers for her sister. Katniss and Peeta have to pretend to be in love so that they can get sponsors. Katniss teams up and becomes friend with a girl named Rue from District 11, and Peeta joins a group of people nicknamed 'Careers', a group consisting over the district 1,2, and 4 tributes. Later Peeta betrays the Careers to save Katniss. Shortly after Rue dies it is announced that there can be two victors from the same district. Katniss finds Peeta wounded, and heals him. In the end they are the only two left, so they think they won, but it is announced that the rule about two victors will be retracted. Peeta and Katniss decide to commit a double suicide so no one wins. Just as the berries go in their mouths the announcer says that they are the winners of the Hunger Games, and before the poisonous berry kill them they spit them out. After a long time in what seems to be a hospital of some kind, they are released and interviewed. When they arrived back home and there is a swarm of reporters and new camera. Katniss and Peeta agree that this is the last time they have to pretend to be 'star crossed lovers'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eByVNknCjkI
Protagonist
The main protagonists are Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch. Katniss and Peeta are the protagonists because they are fighting against a cruel and flawed justice system. Katniss and Peeta start that spark that ignites a revolution, when they defy that Capitol's rule that there must be a victor by trying to kill themselves. For example, "There must be a victor (pg. 344)." and, "If Peeta and I wereboth to die, or they thought we were...(pg. 344)". Haymitch is also a protagonist because of his assisting them in training, and willing to help and prepare them. For instance, "All right, I'll make a deal with you. You don't interfere with my drinking, and I'll stay sober enough to help you," says Haymitch, "But you have to do exactly what I say (pg. 58)." Protagonists, such as Katniss, fight against what ever they believe is worth fighting against, and is usually the main character.
Antagonist
There are multiple antagonists in "The Hunger Games". The overall antagonist is the Capitol. The Capitol is the reason Katniss was placed in the arena and forced to kill or be killed. The second main antagonists would be the Careers. The Careers came form districts that received special training from the Capitol, and almost always win. "It's technically against the rules to train tributes before they reach the Capitol but it happens every year. In District 12, we call them the Career Tributes, or just the Careers. And like as not, the winner will be one of them(pg. 107)." The Capitol and the Careers are the antagonist because they work against the protagonists (the heroes of the story).
Theme
Theme is the main idea or message in a literary work. In "The Hunger Games" there are more than one themes. The overall theme is injustice, and cruelty. The people of the districts are not treated as human, but as mere puppets, be forced to fight to the death and do as the Capitol wants. Another theme in the story is the effects of war. The worst effect of war is the Hunger Games itself, and the sorrow and trauma it has caused for the districts. Throughout the book, the central theme always is injustice.
Conflict
Conflict is disagreement and fighting/feuding among two or more people(s). There are two kinds of conflict; internal and external. Internal conflict is in a way fighting against your self, or different aspects of a single personality. Katniss' internal conflict is whether to be herself or to put up an act for the Capitol and act in a way that will make her liked. The external conflict is Katniss vs. the Capitol, as well as Katniss vs. the other tributes. Katniss is physically fighting the tributes, and at the same time fighting the Capitol and Gamemakers by showing them that she is not a pawn.
Author's Perspective
Suzanne Collins is well known for the "Hunger Games" Trilogy, but also has written other stories and worked on tv scripts. According to Suzanne Collins "The Hunger Games" was "... very much based on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, which I read when I was eight years old.(Suzanne Collins)". She was watching tv and surfing the channels, flipping between war coverage and a reality show where a group of young teens were competing for something. "I was really tired, and the lines between these stories started to blur in a very unsettling way. That’s the moment when Katniss’s story came to me (Suzanne Collins)". In a way, Katniss is a futuristic Theseus. As punishment for displeasing Crete, Athens was forced to send seven boys and seven girls to Crete, where they were thrown into the labyrinth and devoured by the Minotaur."The Hunger Games reflects this same concept but in it's own way.
Source: http://www.biography.com/people/ernest-hemingway-9334498
Motif
The reoccurring element, motif, in "The Hunger Games" is the constant cruelty. The first example of this is the Hunger Games. The Capitol sends children to fight to the death for entertainment. There is also a sense of cruelty in the actions of the Careers. The Careers seem to enjoy hunt down humans and killing. They see the whole thing as a game, and always win because their district in trained and fed well. It is also cruel the way that the Peacekeepers/the Capitol treat the districts so unjustly.
Book Review:
"The Hunger Games" is a book about a nation that sends 2 kids from each of the twelve districts to fight to the death in a huge arena on live tv. I think this is a good work of literature and an interesting novel. It has adventure, drama, some science fiction, and a good plot. I would give it 5/5 mockingjays. I would suggest an age group of 11 and up. There are some pretty graphic chapters in the book, and the would not be someone you want to expose to a young kid. At 11 and up, the readers are more able to understand the bigger words, and can more deeply enjoy it.