1984 And Hunger Games Comparison Essay

From a structural perspective, movies and novels appear as polar opposites. A film uses actors, scripts, and a set in order to create a visual that can grab and keep the attention of their viewers. However, an author strives to incorporate deeper meaning into their books. Despite these differences in media, 1984 and The Hunger Games present unique, yet similar ideas. Complete governmental control develops as an apparent theme of both 1984 and The Hunger Games. 1984 uses the concept of big brother for the sole purpose of instilling a dependence on the government for every aspect in the citizens’ lives. Similarly, the capitol of Panem in The Hunger Games censors information from the people so that any idea of revolution will be instantaneously

Big Brother relies on the thought police for an ever-present sense of fear in the minds of the people. It starts at such a basic level: just thinking in a way that goes against them can lead to torture, or even death. Furthermore, the children use their innocence in order to spy for the government. The pure and most basic humans of our society have turned into a rat ring for a futuristic world. The Hunger Games has a more physical take on governmental enforcers. They are called the peacekeepers. In contrast to the psychological nature of 1984, the peacekeepers use public displays of violence in order to silence rebellion. For example, an old man stands with Katniss during her speech. He is the first to raise his right hand in protest of the capitol. Peacekeepers quickly grab the man, shoot him, and end the speech in front of all twelve districts. Readers/viewers witness the extreme situations that total governmental control could possibly bring

The pyramids of power found in both series are extremely similar. Snow represents the “president” of the capitol. He makes all of the major decisions and tells the lower inhabitants what they should or shouldn’t do. Just below him are the citizens of the capitol. They represent the doctors, lawyers, and other professionals of modern day America. Individuals who complete these tasks appear to belong to the upper class and hold a majority of the wealth for a nation. Next, the higher districts in The Hunger Games hold the jobs that are essential for the society to thrive, yet do not hold a substantial amount of wealth. I compare these people to the middle class of our society. Lastly, the final few districts in The Hunger Games handle the down and dirty tasks, similar to the lower class. 1984 portrays big brother and the inner party as the heads of their hierarchy. The outer party exists just outside of big brother and the inner party, handling the important jobs. These include, but are not limited to, erasing previous history, manufacturing important materials, and finding the people who go against big brother. Lastly, the proles are given the worst of the worst. Their jobs are dirty and fit the level they retain in