Sunday, March 2, 2014

Reading Log #4 : The Hunger Games



The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins                                                             March 2, 2014



After Reading the novel by Suzanne Collins it interests me to discuss about the world and how reality shows, including the threats of war, authoritarian governments and obsession with fashion that influence us daily. This book realizes me the reality of how the old government govern their society during their times. In the novel, there was this world called the Panem. The Panem is an authoritarian society, this is the product of a horrible disaster during the dark days. Because of this, it resulted to the establishment of twelve districts ruled by the government in the capitol. Peacekeepers and local government are instituted in each district, but the rulers in the capitol have strict control over everything and everyone in each district.

The Governance of this authoritarian society only shows how unfair the rulers of our Government are. First they were using their positions just to make control of everything including the properties of the other people and the people.  Second they’re making fun of using the Government fond which is intended to the people, and instead of using it and sharing it to the poor ones they’re using it for their own sakes, goods and needs. This matter only shows that if the ruling systems, including the rulers are not totally making their duties, it will lead the people of the society to make a rebellion and revolution.

"When I was younger, I scared my mother to death, the things I would blurt out about District 12, about the people who rule our country, Panem, from the far-off city called the Capitol. Eventually I understood this would only lead us to more trouble. So I learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts."
A passage by Katniss Everdeen
The Hunger Games (Page 6, Chapter 1)

This passage spoken by Katniss describes a few of her characteristics. And because of that I admire Katniss’s attitude and her inherent understanding of the injustices perpetuated by the Capitol. Katniss learned in her life that prudence suggests a stoical outlook which she adopts in order to provide her family. And this forced attitude of her is the one that she will challenge throughout the adventure in order to rediscover who she is deep down.

Nowadays, when you don’t have a job, you don’t have a money, and when you don’t have a money you will not able to buy food, and when you don’t have a food you will going to starve to death. That is why we need to have a job for us to survive and live. We all know that our parents are the one who provides our needs, they give us food, clothing and shelter. They’re also the who took care of us.
In the novel, Katniss is the one who provides food for her family, that started when her Father died in the mine explosion and her Mother who should be the one to took care of finding food for her daughters had a trauma because of her husband’s death. Katniss hunts in the woods so she can barter it in the market and when she has the money she’ll going to buy food for her family. And with that Katniss’s experience, I can imagine and picture out my father who is the one who works for us to send us money to buy food and to send us to school. I can imagine how hard his work is, plus working far from us, it makes me sad. I can imagine the sweat flowing in to his face because of the heat of the sun while he is doing his work.

Like my father, Katniss is the provider of her family and because of her, her family always got a food to eat. I know that working to make your family alive is hard, but because they are your family, you’ll do everything just to feed them, give their daily needs, not just daily needs and food, but of course also your love and care for them.

Let me share something, when I am alone I always thought of the future, what will happen to me, what is my life going to be, what is my work going to be and everything. I also thought what would happen to my family. Then I always thought that someday I’ll be the one who’ll find a work just to provide my family’s needs. I want to be like Katniss, not literally to be like Katniss’s, but her attitude, her love and care for her family.

After reading this novel, some things cross my mind, and I wonder, what if didn’t volunteered to be the tribute? What if it’s really Primrose’s turn to be a tribute? Is she going to die or live? What is going to happen to Katniss? Is she going to forgive her Mother for being irresponsible? And the last thing, Katniss did take the place of being the 74th Annual Hunger Games tribute, what if she died? What is going to happen to Primrose and Mrs. Everdeen? Is her Mother going to be normal again?
“May the odds be ever on your favor” – The Hunger Games

The odds are ever on Katniss’s favor. After the triumph that Katniss had, I think she not going to hunt in the woods to have food, because they do have now the money to buy REAL foods, not like the food that they were used to eat but something different. I think someday, Katniss will go to learn love Peeta. We all know that we cannot force someone to love us, but we can teach them how to love us process by process and time to time.


Part 2
Entry #1

Katniss Everdeen


The role of Katniss was played by Jennifer Lawrence
 
 The narrator and main character of the novel The Hunger Games. Katniss was the female tribute from District 12. She lives with her Mother and her sister Primrose, she is also the one who provides her family after her father died in a mine explosion.
I can truly say that Katniss is one of my favorite characters in the book The Hunger Games, and I also commend her for being the one who uses hunting to provide her family’s needs also for taking care of her sister Prim and her mother after her father died in the mine explosion. I’ve learn many things from Katniss, one is for being so strong in volunteering the hunger games, it only shows that Katniss really loves her sister and she’ll do everything just to protect her. And another one, for being strong and willed teenager trying to survive and win the game, this shows that Katniss really has that determination to win the game for her Family especially to Prim and to her District.



Peeta Mellark
The role of Peeta was played by Josh Hutcherson


The male tribute from District 12 and a son of a local baker. Peeta is loyal and brave, and will do whatever it takes for Katniss to survive because he has been in love to her since they’re five years old. Peeata was described as being medium height, strongly built and has ashy blonde hair.
I like Peeta’s attitude, especially when he will do everything just to make Katniss win the game. In the novel, Peeta showed how in love he was to Katniss, first in the scene where Peeta burned some bread, and instead of giving it to pigs because his Mother was angry with him and let him feed the pigs with the burned breads, she threw and gave it to Katniss. Also when they were in the arena, he let Katniss pretend to be also in love with him, just to get sponsors for them to survive. I also like Peeta, because even if it is so hard for him to let Katniss pretend that she’s in love or they’re both in love with each other, he still accept Katniss and love Katniss with all his heart.


Gale Hawthorne

The role of Gale Hawthorne was played by Liam Hemsworth


Katniss’s best friend and partner in hunting in their district. Katniss describe him as an attractive boy. They met when Katniss was just twelve and he’s fourteen. Like Katniss, Gale’s father died in the mine explosion, so he is also the one who provides his family’s needs. Gale’s call Katniss as “Catnip” even if he knows her real name. In the novel, Gale treats Katniss more than bestfriends, and to make it clear, he’s also in love to Katniss. And when Katniss volunteered to be a tribute, he kept a promise to Katniss that he’ll be the one to took a good care to Prim and her Mother, and also not to let them starve.


Primrose Everdeen
 The role of Primrose Everdeen was played by Willow Shields

Katniss beloved sister, and the novel Katniss used to call her Prim. Primrose is much more innocent and child-like not like Katniss.  Katniss makes it her life's priority to protect Prim from the hardness of life, and Prim thus serves as a personification of Katniss's deferred innocence. In the novel, Prim has a pet goat named Lady, and works sometimes to help their mother with her duties as a healer. Primrose was the one who was picked to be the tribute, but Katniss don’t want to make her sister suffer, Katniss took the place. Primrose serves as Katniss’s motivator and inspiration to win the game, she let Katniss promise to win the game for her and Katniss did.


Mrs. Everdeen 
 The role of Mrs. Everdeen was played by Paula Malcomson

Katniss’s Mother, her name is not mentioned in the novel, but she has the important role in Katniss life. After Katniss’s father's death, her mother was paralyzed by her grief, so much so that she did not provide for her daughters. This helplessness is what caused Katniss to begin hunting and gathering to protect the family. The mother has since recovered and works as an apothecary (which in Panem means a non-traditional "healer"), but Katniss has never forgiven her for having disappeared as she did. The mother was from a middle-class family, and married beneath her station when she married Katniss's miner father.


Haymitch Abernathy
The role of Haymitch Abernathy was played by Woody Harrelson
One of the two sole District 12 citizens to have won the Hunger Games, and the only one surviving. As such, he serves as a mentor to his district's tributes. He is a heavy drinker, which makes him seem a buffoon to most, but once Katniss and Peeta impress him, he proves himself a rather adept mentor through establishing their unified front strategy. Though Katniss professes to despise him, she realizes through the novel that they are very much alike in their craftiness and ability to suppress their emotions.

 Effie Trinket


 The role of Effie Trinket was played by Elizabeth Banks


The District 12 escort, who is a happy and bubbly person. She drew Primrose's (Katniss' sister) name during the reaping causing Katniss to volunteer as tribute. She wears many different colored wigs and helps Katniss and Peeta get sponsors in the Games. She constantly bickers and argues with Haymitch. Very proper, she hates it when people do not have proper etiquette.

Cinna


 The role of Cinna was played by Lenny Kravitz


     Katniss's stylist for the Games. Gentle and kind, and, in the early stages, one of the few people she trusts on her team. He helps realize Haymitch's unified front strategy by dressing Katniss and Peeta similarly. He also devises the "fire" theme that distinguishes Katniss as "the girl who was on fire." 
                                           
    President Cariolanus Snow
 

The role of President Snow was played by Donald Sutherland

The President of Panem. Though he seems genial enough, his anger towards Katniss at the end of the novel suggests an uglier side. 




 

The difference between the Book and the Movie
  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FovFG3N_RSU


Before I read the book, I’ve already watched the movie Hunger Games, and at first I was amazed by the movie. It’s kind of fascinating to me, because first the role players really suits to the characters in the story. And when I heard there will be a sequel to that movie, I was determined to read the book, the book has three series, first the one that I’ve read “The Hunger Games” followed by “Catching Fire” and the last one is “The Mockingjay”. When I was reading the book, I was shocked because, the book was tad different to the movie, even if the movie was based in the novel, there are still some part in the book that was not shown in the movie, at first I was upset but still I cannot blame the movie also the directors because how in the world you can put the whole story of the book in a 2 to 3 hours movie? Right? So, still I can say that this movie and novel is one of the best movie and book I’ve read and watched.

And my Part 2 entry, I used the pictures of the actresses and actors who played the said role, so that you or we can really picture out how incredible and amazing the character is.


 

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