Argumentative Essay On The Hunger Games

Essay on The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games are a vicious and bloody battle to the death between children, publicised on live television for the population to watch. It seems a far cry from our own reality shows such as Survivor and Big Brother. After all, the government doesn’t kill children on television. But they are more alike than one might realize. Their success hinges on if their viewers are pleased with it, the contestants need to play a role in both situations, and they are never exactly what they seem to viewers.

First off, both our reality shows and the Hunger Games both need to please viewers. This is obvious with the former – without good ratings, reality shows will get canceled. But with the Hunger Games, bad reception might mean rebellion, which is unacceptable to the Gamemakers, just as it is unacceptable for reality show producers to get their show canceled. Look at how scared the Capitol got when they almost had no victors at all. They were worried that if the districts didn’t like the show, they would turn off the TV and start rebelling instead. This shows that they have to please viewers to keep their system working, like on reality TV. Another example is that the both reality producers and Gamemakers alike have to ramp up the show every year to keep interest. If the Hunger Games were just a warning not to cross the Capitol, they could just execute the tributes publicly, no need for an arena. But because it is a reality show, it has to be interesting. For example, in the first season of the Hunger Games, there was probably no Cornucopia, no feast and no sponsors. But to make it more interesting, they added gimmicks like that, much like Survivor, who adds things like returning players, an additional tribe, and ...

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...ith their district partner if she was watching. The tribute could not be able to find their district partner, or their partner is located too close to their enemies. The Gamemakers could then label the tribute as a selfish idiot who did not want to share the glory of winning, even if the tribute really wanted to find their partner. No one questions the Games validity because everyone wants to think that what they are watching is true. It is the same with reality TV.

The Hunger Games is, at its most basic, is just an amplified version of reality shows aired right now. They both need their audience engrossed in it; all contestants need to play a role to win, and what really goes on is not always seen. You wouldn’t think that we might be headed to a path to the Hunger Games, but we might be. The shows we watch are not so different. May the odds be ever in your favour!