Bread plays a vital role in Panem culture and often surfaces subtly in various instances throughout The Hunger Games. In these instances, bread often presents itself as a physical substance, as well as, well-crafted symbols. The importance of bread as a symbol in Panem can be seen from various viewpoints (i.e. social, political, and economic status), and its physical significance is revealed in the diet of Panem citizens.
The physical substance of bread is relevant as it is a source of livelihood for families in Panem. After reading the article Bread & Symbolism, it is understood that bread is one of the only products that provides nearly the perfect amount of nutrients without contributions from other additives (i.e. meat, etc.). With this
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The article Bread & Symbolism notes that bread has played a significant role in connecting people to religion, culture, and tradition through its symbolization of positive emotions. Throughout many of the beginning chapters, bread is often shared or given as an act of kindness and respect. For instance, in the first chapter, Gale and Katniss share bread and through this action, kindness and friendship are displayed. This is also repeated in Katniss’s memories of Peeta sharing bread with her in a time of need, as well as, Mr. Mellark’s assurance that her family will be fed while she competes in the hunger games. In both instances, Katniss mentions the gift of bread supplied her with a sense of hope and kind feelings. The occasion in which Peeta gives bread to Katniss may be a symbol for culture and tradition. During the first few chapters, Katniss notes how after the passing of her father, Peeta provided her family with two loaves of bread after viewing her condition. This bread could have a deeper symbolism with religion and tradition due to the association of bread with the body of Christ, which could be an indirect representation of eternal life and the life
The 1920s was a hard and painstaking era in American history. Many family's throughout New York lived in absolute poverty and saved week to week just to make enough to eat and pay the rent. Many Immigrants flooded the streets desperate for work while living conditions were harsh and many starved. This is just the case of the novel Bread Givers, written by Anzia Yezierska. In this story we follow Sarah Smolinsky, an ambiguous independent Jewish girl "trapped" by her religious traditions. Her story unfolds as she breaks away from her controlling parents and moves to work and go to school for hopes of being a school teacher. Her life is not easy and she must endure countless sacrifices just to get by. With the determination of her will she graduates college, but returns to her father to take care of him in his old age. In the begging of the story Sarah hates her father, and everything about him, and this relates to her hatred of his God and his traditions. From hatred of her father she refuses her Jewish traditions and religious beliefs to make a better life for her self in America. After accomplishing her goals, she can't ignore the emptiness of her fathers love. Sarah yearns with a wanting to be loved by her father. She begins feels remorse for him, and starts to remember her past and where she came from, returning slowly to her once lost traditions.
Bread in the novel Night by Elie Wiesel is sometimes a symbol for relief. A symbol for a time where Elie, his father, and other prisoners had a time of rest in the harsh conditions. On page 73 Elie and his father have a huge sense of relief it says “So? Did you pass? Yes, And you? Also.” “We were able to breathe again. My father had a present for me: A half ration of bread.” Elie and his father passed the selection meaning that they still have a chance to live and survive. Before they saw each other after the selection they had no idea if they would ever see each other ever again, but when they found out that they both made it all that worry and stress went
Moving from the unpleasant life in the old country to America is a glorious moment for an immigrant family that is highlighted and told by many personal accounts over the course of history. Many people write about the long boat ride, seeing The Statue of Liberty and the “golden” lined streets of New York City and how it brought them hope and comfort that they too could be successful in American and make it their home. Few authors tend to highlight the social and political developments that they encountered in the new world and how it affected people’s identity and the community that they lived in. Authors from the literature that we read in class highlight these developments in the world around them, more particularly the struggles of assimilating
Unfortunately, they also became a reminder of Rue’s death, an awful scene embedded in Katniss’s memories. Overall, Collins has exposed the mockingjay pin as a message that the capitol is not as invincible as they seem; they accidentally shaped something beautiful out of their devious plans. The pin symbolises Katniss herself; a girl who would soon be known as the
The next theme is about the competition. The Hunger Games are very different from what we think of games to the Capitol and the whole of Panem. T...
Initially, Collins utilizes symbols to show the relationship between roman and Greek mythology and the novel. As Katniss and Gale hunt before the reaping, she says, “The result was Panem, a shining capitol ringed by thirteen districts (18).” Panem is the outcome of the fallen continent of North America. Panem correlates with ancient Rome and how the government divided its land into provinces much like Panem and the thirteen districts. Panem means “Breads and Circuses”. Which was the lifestyle of Rome at the time. The bread is referring to the specific job each District was entailed. Such as district 12 and coal mining or District 5 and electrical power. Circuses indicate the gladiatorial game held each year as a way to show the provinces that the government is in control; much like the Capitol uses the games to keep the Districts from rebellion. Similarly, while Primrose is being chosen as the girl tribute to represent District 12, Katniss shouts, “I volunteer as tribute (22)!” As Katniss took control of the situation at hand, her act...
to survive and thrive. Not only this, but it is also has an important societal function. Food is an important part of celebrations and sometimes dictates roles in societies. In Medieval society food was important for banquets, what was eaten by a person could denote what class a person was from, and was often mentioned in the literature. For my project I presented desserts, bread, and a couple of drinks. As far as the bread is concerned I made one loaf using beer and one loaf using water. The desserts were a strawberry tart, and Daryols, which is basically a custard or pudding pie. I also made two alcohol drinks, Mead, though very weak, and spiced wine.
... Thus, it is with these three key points that the government of Panem has been able to keep the Games going on for so long, without the system collapsing in on itself. Furthermore, The Hunger Games also shows us just what we as a species could become with the right to social influence and conditioning by an authoritarian force. The peoples of the Capitol and Districts have been taught and conditioned for decades to accept the Hunger Games, especially so in the case of the Capitol, where its citizens applaud and enjoy the Hunger Games, much like many Romans enjoyed the Colosseum in ancient times. It is a rather frightening, but realistic, look at what any of us could become with the right social influences and conditioning.
After accepting Suzy’s offer to dinner, Thomas and Victor sit down to watch cowboys vs. Indians on TV while Suzy serves them fry bread. Thomas tells Victor it’s almost as good as Arlene’s. Victor says that’s impossible and that his mother cooks the best fry bread in the world. Then Thomas starts to tell a story about how there was a huge feast on the reservation with over 100 Indians. They had deer meat and a lot of mashed potatoes and some fry bread. But Thomas goes on to say that the fry bread made all the difference in the world. And that “a good piece of fry bread turned any meal into a feast”. The problem was that there were only 50 pieces of fry bread. So Arlene ripped each piece in half to feed everyone. The story ends up being untrue but it shows just exactly how important fry bread is to this film. Suzy is able to relate to Thomas and Victor simply by feeding them fry bread and talking about it. It breaks down the tension between these strangers. Thomas’s story shows how important fry bread is among the people at the reservation. It can change a regular meal into a feast. The idea of feast seems so much grander than a meal, it means people coming together to celebrate. For Native Americans fry bread, a symbol of their culture, is reason enough to celebrate. They may have been persecuted for centuries, but they can hold onto their heritage through fry bread. The filmmakers make Thomas’s story especially memorable through lighting and framing. When Thomas is telling his story we are watching images of Arlene preparing the bread. At one point she holds the fry bread over her head to tear it. The image seems almost Christ like. During the last supper Jesus breaks bread in a similar way. The lights are directed towards the bread which makes it pop on screen. Arlene is standing at the head of the table and is perfectly centered in the shot. The combination of lighting and framing makes the fry bread
Max Despail wrote a critical essay that was published in the book Of Bread, Blood, and the Hunger Games: Critical Essays on the Suzanne Collins Trilogy that specifically focuses on “[t]he unusual culture, rooted somehow out of contemporary America, [and how it] reveals its complexity through social habits best portrayed in its use of food” (70). The novel’s culture may seem unusual; however, it is not that far off from the society of today. Yes, America does not have a reaping to select one man and woman to represent each ‘district’ in an annual game that children fight to the death leaving one victor, but America does have a steady line between classes that derives around food. Katniss lives in the poorest district in Panem, and is required to slip past the fence that confines her home to find food to feel herself and her family. Peeta, living in the same poor district, works at his family’s bakers; however, he is not usually allowed to eat the bread that is baked. On the contrary, the people in the Capitol do not have to worry about if they are going to eat because they know they will. This shows the complexity of food in relation to the societal
Bread can also represent the physical body of Christ and the Communion. This is demonstrated in the Bible, “As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’” (Matthew
The sustenance provides an inner look on a person’s own worth and integrity. The need to be one’s self is a basic need and want of life, but it is also very difficult in achieving. That is why it is so important for Katniss to simulate the theatricality made by the capital, and give the people what they want, which is for the stimulated to be real. The question of reality is raised by Peeta, who realized that his fear is that, after all his memories were replaced and has been through physical and psychological torture, that he is still himself. We also know that the last time that he had asked this question was in the cave with Katniss in the first hunger games. It is because of the wealth of the capital that they have control over the 12 districts. Also in the game it is said that the higher the district you are, the poorer you are, and the lesser the advantage you have over the other tributes. This proving that the Capital controls the wealth of the districts and uses it against the districts. Even in the games, the rich battle against the poor because in the games, tributes from districts 1 to 4 team up against
In a not-too-distant, some 74 years, into the future the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 13 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games; these children are referred to as tributes (Collins, 2008). The Games are meant to be viewed as entertainment, but every citizen knows their purpose, as brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts. The televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eradicate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. The main character throughout the series is a 16-year-old girl from District 12 named Katniss Everdeen.
The Hunger Games- “a futuristic dystopian society [Panem] where an overpowering government controls the lives and resources in twelve different districts” (The Hunger Games). The overpowering government lives in the Capitol of Panem and from there controls the citizens of the twelve districts through propaganda and other means. The Capitol has all of the economic and political power in Panem; they have complete control. The leader of the capitol is the harsh, dictator-like figure, President Snow. President Snow’s methods for keeping order in the districts are through Peacekeepers and the annual Hunger Games. The Peacekeepers are an army that monitors each district. Any sign of rebellion, and the Peacekeepers take care of it, usually by killing the rebel in some way. The annual Hunger Games are used to remind all of the citizens of Panem about the uprising in the now obliterated District 13. The Hunger Games, in a way, brainwashes all of the citizens, but a select few such as Katniss Everdeen, to believe that an uprising would be horrible and is not necessary and that the Capitol does what is best for all of the citizens. In
These are the first words of this passage, they are important because they clearly show that this man has been through countless horrific experiences, and as a result he has lost the will to live. He has accepted that death is around the corner, and so chooses to give up his ration of bread, to help his fellow prisoners. The act of kindness of giving up his bread, shows that these men are still able to be kind to one another, they still have their sense of decency. Which is rather a contrast to what has been seen by these men throughout the book and their time in the camp. It would have been expected that in their time spent being abused, they would have lost their ability to be kind. Instead there is evidence that the rules of the Lager, where every man is for himself, are no longer being adhered to, they have chosen to remain respectable men, by offering to help each other, and by not accepting the bread offered to them, shows that they still have the...