Thursday, January 5, 2012

The Hunger Games

Over Christmas Break, I read the entire Hunger Games Trilogy. These books ignited something in me that I had not felt in a long time--that feeling that you get when you realize that  as you have been reading something you have held your breath and suddenly have to remind yourself to let it out.

I. Loved. These. Books.

But why am I mentioning them here? There is nothing about religion or even really about science within them, right? Well, not exactly. But there will be more on that later in the course, as The Hunger Games will make quite the showing later on. For now, here's a trailer for the upcoming movie...and I can't wait to talk more about this story with you. But for now, let's get that conversation started. Have any of you read the books? If so, what did you think of them and why?

6 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Ben, Thanks for you comment. I see some of your points, though I am not sure I agree, but I think you are right in pointing out that propaganda and "reality" play a big role int he books I also think you should probably edit your post so that it starts with "Spoiler Alert!" just in case we have people in class who haven't finished the books yet and still want to be surprised :)

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  3. Yeah I got halfway through your post Ben and stopped reading it because I want to read the books! The trailer looks very interesting..though the whole series reminds me of Harry Potter's "Triwizard Tournament." haha. What other books should we be prepared to read this semester, Professor?

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  4. I couldn't figure out how to edit so I'm just reposting it.

    SPOLIERS BELOW

    I read the books over Thanksgiving break after hearing about all the hype for the upcoming film.

    I loved the series right off the bat. The first book established a really thrilling setting with a strong protagonist. I did, however, think that Peeta was a very boring character and annoyed me through most of the book. My problem was that my love for the series began to decline with the second book. I felt that Katniss's goal of saving Peeta was mentioned far too many times on each page and the repetition took away from the otherwise interesting Hunger Games. The twist in the final chapter involving District Thirteen and the previous victors knowing about it was a great touch and closed the book well.

    The last book ruined the series for me, though. I expected the story to really expand with it finally not revolving around the Games. I was met with disappointment when the story was a complete copy of the first. District Thirteen took the place of Capitol with its propaganda and forcing Katniss to be its pawn. The love triangle with Peeta and Gale became even less interesting and ended too "happily ever after." The assassination of Coin was easily predicted in the beginning of the chapter but did provide a good tie-up for that storyline. The big issue with Mockingjay was that it was too propaganda driven and Collins had so many strings of story going that she couldn't tie them up. Most parts that did receive closure lacked the "oomph" present at the end of the first book.

    SPOILERS ABOVE

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  5. I've only read the first book of the series, and it wasn't even on purpose per se; my brother who was in sixth grade at the time was reading it for his in-class book group and my mother was slightly horrified that they were reading such a heavy/violent book at that age and asked me to read it to give her my feedback. I completely agree that it took my breath away, but I'm not sure that was a good thing. The writing and character development were good, but for me personally, the reason I haven't read the subsequent books is because the story of this "dystopian society" forces the reader to think about some unpleasant aspects of our own society. For example, how much we tend to dehumanize people for our own entertainment, how important it is to be well-liked or attractive (the line, "so it's your job to make me pretty" especially stuck out to me), and general human nature when put in a position of power. Obviously, this book took all of that way to the extreme, but still...it makes you think.

    Overall, I thought it was a fascinating book, and I would recommend it to others. However, as I was reading it, I felt the same kind of horrible attraction one feels when they witness a car crash for example; no matter how upsetting it is, it's hard to tear your eyes away. In that way, I felt almost disappointed in myself for continuing to read every night, just as I imagine I would feel disappointed for watching the Hunger Games on TV if I were a member of the society described in the books. But like I said, how can you not? I suppose it's a tribute to the author for being able to make fiction hit so close to home, (for me at least).

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  6. Katherine,

    Thanks for your comment. I think you point out something important, and I understand the feeling that you mention. I caught myself wondering if I were like the people watching the hunger games, because I so wanted to know what was going to happen. But I think that is part of the author's brilliance. She makes you question yourself as you read. I know that it was hard for me to even turn on the TV for a few weeks after I finished them. I think that pause, though uncomfortable, is also a good thing, and something we will be discussing more in class.

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