Hughes-Blaum-LENS4

Kelsey Hughes-Blaum Dr. Sherry Literature for Young Adults 22 March 2011 Lens 4 – Reader as Writer The Hunger Games With its enormous fan base and all of the hype surrounding the possibility of a movie release, it is clear that // The Hunger Games // is an excellent read. Yet, there are cases where even a “good read” isn’t necessarily well written. However, this definitely does not apply to // The Hunger Games. // I believe that // The Hunger Games // is such a popular book amongst young adults mainly because of the way Suzanne Collins wrote and organized the story. Suzanne Collins depicts the events that occur in The Hunger Games in way that makes like you’re there, in the story, experiencing what Katniss is going through. Her skilled use of imagery appeals to multiple senses throughout the novel. An example of this occurs when Collins describes Katniss’ reaction to Primrose’s name being called out in the square, “[i]t was as if the impact had knocked every wisp of air from my lungs, and I lay there struggling to exhale, to do anything...trying to remember how to breathe, unable to speak, totally stunned as the name bounces around the inside of my skull” (21). The amount of detail put into illustrating Katniss’ feelings allows the reader to imagine a similar sensation. One of my favorite passages in // The Hunger Games //, in the sense of imagery, occurs early on in the novel when Katniss says, “I was washing up in a pond when I noticed the plants growing around me. Tall with leaves like arrow heads. Blossoms with three white petals. I knelt down in the water, my fingers digging into the soft mud, and I pulled up handfuls of the roots” (55). Immediately, we can picture the leaves and the blossoms. When she speaks of digging her fingers into the mud, I instantly thought of playing in muddy ponds as a child. I appreciate Collins’ use of such imagery because, with a story line that can feel so far away, it allows readers to feel closer to Katniss and the other characters because we are given such a clear picture of setting, events, etc. Another aspect of Collins’ writing that I found to be extremely effective was the way in which she organized the events in the novel. In my opinion, there were absolutely no dull moments in // The Hunger Games //. I think this is an especially important aspect, along with many others, to consider when selecting young adult literature for students. When students can stay constantly engaged, it allows for better discussion, analyzing, synthesizing, etc. Analyzing Suzanne Collins’ writing has caused me reflect upon my own. Sometimes in my writing, I neglect the fact that my audience cannot necessarily see the “pictures” in my mind that are inspiring my writing. Therefore, I definitely want to work on practicing with different writing techniques, specifically imagery, in order to appeal to multiple senses and present these “pictures” more clearly to my readers. Finally, I have a revived appreciation for well thought out textual organization. Stories can be so much more effective if you lay out the events in a way that maintains energy and suspense.