The Hunger Games as a Political Satire?
dc113507 on Apr 8th 2012
“Perhaps this war will pass like the others which divided us leaving us dead, killing us along with the killers but the shame of this time puts its burning fingers to our faces. Who will erase the ruthlessness hidden in innocent blood?”
Divided, tortured, heartbroken and scarred. These are just some words that can begin to describe a people living in a war torn society. Mothers seeing their sons off to fight, knowing they may never come home again, children seeing their father or mother depart for a foreign land, not understanding why they’re going away and being too young to know the enormity of their absence. Writers across time have taken the liberty to write down reactions to the heartache and anguish of war. Literary texts have been written satirizing war, condemning the very nature of its existence as well as the corrupt political heads behind it.
Pablo Neruda’s collection of poetry we read in class is one example of a writer, so fed up with the tragedies of war that he took it upon himself to write reactionary works expressing his disgust. Two such poems that take on an anti war approach are ‘Walking Around,’ and ‘I’m Explaining a Few Things.’ Neruda’s political activist approach in these works expresses the contempt he felt regarding the Spanish Civil War. The reader can see in the poem ‘Walking Around’ that Neruda has had enough of the calamities associated with war. He is ‘tired of being a man..’ He voices his hatred for public government officials when he says ‘..it would be delicious to scare a notary with a cut lily.’ ‘I’m Explaining a Few Things,’ further shows Neruda’s frustration and aggravation with war and society in general. He chastises society for expecting him to write poems flourishing with beauty and decorative language, when he is reminded daily of the horrors of war when he walks in the street and sees the blood of children. Neruda’s poetry forces the reader to see the stupidity and ignorance that accompanies war. Although undoubtedly war has been fought in the past for legitimate purposes, many fail to contemplate the tragedies of war unless if is directly affecting their homes or loved ones, forcing them to deal with it first hand. Neruda’s poem is a reminder of that.
War torn society has been no stranger to our country this past decade. Perhaps you may feel that since the beginning of the War against Terror no writer or scholar has taken the liberty to creatively satirize or ridicule war. However this is not true. The newest phenomenon to captivate our society today, ‘The Hunger Games Trilogy,’ was a result of author Suzanne Collins attitude toward modern day war. Collins was inspired to write ‘The Hunger Games’ while channel surfing the television one day and seeing heinous video clips of war followed by commercials for absurd reality TV shows. Collins is quoted as saying the two sets of footage “began to blur in this very unsettling way,” prompting her to draft ‘The Hunger Games.” The books tackle somber themes that the reader may overlook while burying themselves in Collins enchanting texts. ‘The Hunger Games” makes comments on poverty, oppression and the effects of war on individuals and society as a whole. Twenty-four young men and women, known as tributes, are forced to fight in an arena till their death, until only one is left standing. The entire spectacle is televised for the nation to watch as the drama unfolds. Tributes are forced to adopt a war-mentality, not unlike many soldiers forced to fight in combat in poorer countries around the world today. Although “The Hunger Games” is without question an entertaining, suspenseful book, I think it would be foolish to ignore the warning signs, and critical comments on society being hinted at throughout the books. The heavy importance our society places on trivial Hollywood shows and celebrities is becoming more and more apparent. We all have a tendency to turn a blind eye to the horrors of war and poverty. Similar to Neruda’s poetry, Collins is urging us to see the fault in our neglect of wartime horrors.
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73 Responses to “The Hunger Games as a Political Satire?”
This is an interesting post–very thought-provoking. Have you seen the movie? I haven’t read the books or seen the film, but Im hearing so much about it that I wonder if I should see it.
Your blog is coming along really nicely; this last post, especially, is a great example of how your theme is provoking some original reflection on our class texts. Nice job. You might play with design a little, if you have time. Add a page or two, perhaps, or some links, or embed a video.
Hi Professor! Thanks for the feedback I appreciate it. I have seen the movies and read the book. Although I definitely preferred the book over the movie, which is usually the case, I felt that the movie did a good job of reenacting the plot of the book as closely as a possible. I would recommend it!
I just finished the trilogy and was left feeling hollow, much like the protagonist throughout much of the story. As someone who is currently in the military and away from my family and friends, I feel a bit like a Career from the first book. Trained to fight, I accepted my role with dignity, facing death but with a strategy. Or perhaps I feel more like Peeta after joining the Careers, as I don’t actually enjoy the tasks laid out in front of me but know that, if forced to, I will comply with the rules of the arena. Except our arena is the planet. There may not be any tracker jackers, any mutts devised in brutal labratories, but the rule still remains “Only one survives.” Our Hunger Games is very similar to that inspired by the title; we are competing for resources and only one District, one nation can emerge as the victor. Most of us are tributes, running blindly trying to survive. Whether you are from the Capitol (well off countries) or the lowly District 12 (poor nations) everyone is competing to survive. The rules of the game are simple; call it capitalism, communism, or anarchy the point is simple. There are the haves, there are the have nots, and there are those who are running the game. It doesn’t even matter who you assign roles to, the current systems all seem to end the same way. In the US, whether the Republicans or the Democrats are President Snow or President Coin matters nonewhatsoever. The military industrial complexes and media empires of every nation are the Plutarchs who are happy to switch sides so long as the Games continue. If there is one thing that seems to be certain is that so long as those who spin the Games deliver Panem et Circenses, the rest of us will go on abdicating any power we may have to them. There are no winners, there are only losers and those left to mourn the loss.
This is what I feel after taking in the Hunger Games.
Thank you for this blog post! It put into words the thoughts and feelings that have been eating at me since finishing The Hunger Games and that have been amplified by Catching Fire. I have become incredibly sensitive to the policital, social, and moral themes within the book, and it is incredibly bothersome to me that some amount of the popularity of this series stems from the plot, the writing, the characters without regard to the weighty themes within the book. It speaks about issues within the borders of the US, throughout the world as a whole, and potential future concerns that are too risky to put out of our minds becuase they have yet to materialize. I’m so pleased that others are aware of this, as well. Too many people I talked to are missing the big picture issues (and I am sure there are themes and ideas I am missing from the book as well). My entire political and social perspective has shifted since starting the series, from views on gun control to government involvement and now, thanks to your blog, on the idea of the power behind Hollywood and where we (as citizens of the country and the world) place our values.
Amy thanks for your response! I’m glad that my post spoke agreeably to you. The neglect and overlook that has been shown to the more serious themes present in the ‘Hunger Games’ has bothered me as well. This has driven me to write this post. The somber tone and heavy weight of themes dealt with in the series has gotten buried underneath the popularity and publicity that has accompanied the ‘Hunger Games.’ My political perspective since finishing the series has changed as well. Views of violence in a war time world and the neglectful attitudes of society are critical comments Collins has made with the ‘Hunger Games,’ and I think it would be ignorant to over look theme!
“I had somewhat more to say upon this part of the subject but the post is just going, which forces me in great haste to conclude, Sir,…” ( Jonathan Swift, Mechanical operation of the spirit)
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