Few defining characteristics depict a book appropriate for middle schoolers to be taught in the classroom setting. Literature presented to young, impressible, students must be relevant enough to enrich and intrigue without boring them. Deciding whether children in middle school (7th and 8th grades) should be assigned to read an explicitly violent series such as Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games in class is a matter that has been debated numerous times since the first book came out in 2008. The Hunger Games trilogy is a series where children are annually forced to fight in a nationwide spectacle known as the Hunger Games. Many people believe that middle schoolers should not be allowed to read this at all, much less made to read it in the classroom. The part that puts parents off is that it is a graphic series that revolves around a teen protagonist who fights to the death with others of her age. Parents will not be able to avoid the topic altogether as increasing amounts of children begin to converse about the books and the movies. Protective parents and teachers are hoping to shield their children from violence by not letting them indulge in The Hunger Games. They are worried of any harm that kids may get from the series that seems to make violence among children acceptable. On the other hand, more liberal parents and instructors are allowing their youths to partake in the craze despite the blood involved in the stories. They argue that the story’s messages are something they want their children to see for themselves. The political and social aspects of the books are ideas that could be used to teach bigger, real-world lessons that students often sleep through. The Hunger Games books can open the minds of middle-schoolers to worl...
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12 March 2014.
Grossman, Lev. “Writing ‘War-Appropriate’ Stories for Kids: A Conversation with Suzanne
Collins and Francis Lawrence.” Time.com. Time Magazine Inc. 19 November 2013.Web. 12 March 2014.
Pols, Mary. “The Katniss Conundrum: Is She Okay for Kids?” Time.com. Time Magazine Inc.
21 Nov. 2013. Web. 15 March 2014.
Simmons, Amber M. “Class on fire: Using the Hunger Games trilogy to encourage social
action.” The Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 56.1 (2012): 22-34. Print.
Sprecher, Anna. “And May the Visuals Be Ever in Your Favor.” People, Ideas, and Things Journal. 4 (2013). Web. 10 April 2014.
http://pitjournal.unc.edu/article/and-may-visuals-be-ever-your-favor-analysis-visual-metaphors-hunger-games
http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2012/03/24/the-desensitization-of-the-hunger-games-tween-in-the-work-life-merge/
The article also talks about how the hunger games draws the children. Rea, Steven. A. A. Rea. “The Hunger Games: A fantasy film reflecting reality”. Inquirer Movie Critic.
Love and hope, together are a timeless literary thematic duo, which continue to inspire countless variations and sub-genres of romance literature. For the last many centuries, romance as a genre, is arguably the most popular of all narratives. However, the theme of love often takes presentences and overarches other thematic interpretation of stories. So why then are people seeking romance in the literature they ready? Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games with the intent to introduce her young adult readership to a number of politically charged themes. Although Collins's work is acknowledged for successfully presenting themes of sacrifice, versions of reality, and power, her audience conversely identifies with the debatable sub-them of love. Social forums, such as the Official Hunger Games Facebook Website exposes an insider's perspective of sort, which reveals public perceptions and interpretations of Collins's work. Even though the purpose for the fan-website built around The Hunger games is to provide a discussion space. Participant's discussions however, unintentionally reveal a...
After hearing a brief description of the story you might think that there aren’t many good things about they story. However, this is false, there are many good things in this book that makes it a good read. First being that it is a very intriguing book. This is good for teenage readers because often times they don’t willingly want to read, and this story will force the teenage or any reader to continue the book and continue reading the series. Secondly, this is a “good” book because it has a good balance of violence. This is a good thing because it provides readers with an exciting read. We hear and even see violence in our everyday life and I believe that it is something teenagers should be exposed to. This book gives children an insig...
In a blink of an eye, one’s life can change forever. On September 4, 1957, it was Elizabeth Eckford’s first day at Central High school in Little Rock Arkansas. Elizabeth was among the nine black students who had been selected to enter Little Rock Central High School, an all white school. Approaching the high school, there were hundreds and hundreds of people yelling and chanting against her. Elizabeth was the only one out of the nine that came to school that day so she was known by everyone by her face and name. In fact, her face was on the cover of numerous news channels, newspapers, and magazines not only because of the integrating of the high school but because of how badly most of the townspeople and students reacted towards Elizabeth.
When Gary Ross’ 2012 adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ famous novel ‘The Hunger Games’ exploded on screens, it was received as an action-packed, thrilling story of survival, determination and over-coming corruption. Audience’s watched in equal parts awe and horror as Katniss was thrust into Panem’s battle arena and fought for justice, family and friendship. However, if we as an audience think more critically about the film; if we think beyond the wild costumes, gripping action and skilful performances, we can see that the story explores complex philosophical ideas that strongly relate to the experiences of humanity in the real world.
As it is inevitable that children will grow up to be exposed to the world's evils, which are shown in novels like Fahrenheit 451, teaching the context and meaning of those evils in a learning environment allows for more of a educated understanding and a fuller grasp on the issues within. By reading controversial novels in schools, students in middle and high school will benefit tremendously by being exposed to them in a learning environment. Although teachers and parents have control as to what the students are exposed to at a young age, Fahrenheit 451 should not be banned from middle and high schools as it depicts the effects of censorship on a dystopian society through use of controversial material which doubles as
Suzanne Collins has, through her writings, used great imagery to expose the meaningful side of ‘The Hunger Games’, the side that is not all about what takes place in the arena. The Capitol’s rule over the districts, the reality-show part of the Hunger Games and the Mockingjay pin are all fragments of deeper meanings that create the basis of all that the story is. Suzanne Collins has depicted the country of Panem as a place overruled by a large city, known as the Capitol. The Hunger Games is apparently a means to keep peace and a fair punishment for the rebellion of the districts, where district 13 was obliterated in the mess. However, Collins has spun this interpretation around and unveiled a different perspective – that The Hunger Games is
One reason I believe the hunger games series access should not be limited to 9th grades is the idea that 9th grader should be more mature. People challenge this book because they think that the hunger games is to too violent kids or that it could cause nightmares. And I agree with that if we are talking about little kids. But we are not talking about little kids we are speaking about 9th graders who are in high school. That idea that a high school student who is not allowed to read this book because the school district says it too violent is preposterous. The truth is teen are exposed to more things worst then the book. Due to video game movies and the web. In fact younger kids can say they have played a violent game that has nudity, death or gun violence. In parts of the hunger games book Suzan Collins uses a part of a story to give a better idea of what cattiness feels. Like in chapter 18 of the hunger game “Rue's death has forced me to confront my own fury against the cruelty, the injustice they inflict upon us--------, I feel my impotence. There's no way to take revenge on the Capitol. Is there?"(Collins, 236) and another example is when k...
The Hunger Games, a film based off of a novel written by Susan Collins, was released in March of 2012. The film, and the book it was based on, chronicles the struggles of a girl named Katniss Everdeen, a girl who lives in a poverty stricken province or “District”, until untimely circumstances forces her to play in the Hunger Games, a gladiatorial like contest where children between the ages of 12 and 18 are forced to fight to the death. A contest that was set up by an oppressive and authoritarian government, and has thus far been sustained via the forced obedience of the rebellious Districts, the brainwashing and conditioning of Districts 1 and 2, and the conditioning of the residents of its Capitol. The movie has a variety of messages, most especially in regards toward social control and social conditioning. With these ideas in mind, a case could very well be made that The Hunger Games, throughout its two hour long run time, shows a very realistic look at a socially conditioned society and what humanity can become with the right amount of conditioning and control by an authoritarian force.
In our Society when you don't follow the rules, you become an outcast to the rest of the society. Suzanne Collins’ novel series, The Hunger Games criticizes our society and its demands for people of specific genders to act in certain ways and become certain things. Stereotypes concerning gender are prevalent in our society and all over the world. However, The Hunger Games gives a very refreshing tone of “mockery” to these stereotypes. Katniss Everdeen isn’t your typical 16 year old girl, and neither is Peeta Mellark a typical 16 year old boy, especially when they are fighting everyday just to survive. The Hunger Games is a work of social commentary, used to convince us that there can’t and shouldn’t be any defined “roles” based on gender. A mixture of “stereo-typical” gender roles within a person and their actions is what people need just to survive in our world that is changing every day.
The Hunger Games is set in world called Panem that was once America, before the Capitol was overcome in some unexplained, apocalyptic war. As punishment for that aggression, the remains were divided into 12 districts. Every year each district has to send one boy and one girl between 12 and 18 years old, chosen by lottery, to compete in a nationally televised event called “the Hunger Games.” The purpose of this is to create a mass killing spree with only one survivor. What really twists this storyline is when two tributes from the same district fall in love and fight to protect each other until they are the last ones left in the games. The two go to extreme measures to keep one another out of danger. “You're still trying to protect me. Real or not real," he whispers. "Real," I answer. "Because that's what you and I do, protect each other” (Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games). Because the hunger games is such a gruesome event, the things Katniss and Peeta did for each other aren't typical things couples would give up for eachother. These two would share supplies and weapons along with going as far as killing off an attacking enemy. Seeing how far Katniss and Peeta were willing to go to be with each other gave me a better understanding of why Romeo and Juliet fought to never let anything get in between them. Even though Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capulet and the two families have an ancient rivalry they did not let that stand in the way of being with each other. “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name! Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, ...
The children are the real losers because they are the ones that are not able to read the classic works of literature, which are the backbone of classroom discussions all across the United States. The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) defines censorship as: “The removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational materials. of images, ideas, and information.on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in light of standards applied by the censor” (Miner 1998). In schools there are three types of censorship, one type is a “parent” who doesn’t want their child to read a particular book. Another is a parent, teacher, administrator, or school board member who argues that no one in the class, or school, should read the book in dispute.
The Web. The Web. 1 Apr 2011. http://0-www.jstor.org.library.acaweb.org/stable/3527981>. Parker, Michael.
The Hunger Games novel written by Suzanne Collins reflects significant issues in the reality world nowadays which relate to the humanity, the poverty, the violence,… It describes the issues through the characters and what happens in the story, and the most significant issue occurs throughout the novel is the gap between rich and poor people. In the beginning of the novel, Suzanne Collins describes clearly the scene of the poverty, the terrible fear of the 12-district’s villagers, in contrast to the wealthy of the Capitol’s citizens. The inequality of social classes becomes the theme of the novel because of its relation and the effects to the plots of the story. And the reason, which leads to that issue, is the policies of the dictatorship government controlled by the Capitol. The Capitol’s operation has affected the villagers’ rights, has made the districts become poorer and has kept them away from development. The Hunger Games novel’s theme – the inequality of social classes – is proved by the details in the story, which becomes a huge problem for the poor districts. This essay will examine what happens in the novel and why there is a big gap between people in one country, Panem.