AbrahamsenLENS4

Brynn Abrahamsen Dr. Sherry Literature for Young Adults LENS 4 Critical // The Hunger Games // Suzanne Collins novel // The Hunger Games //is action packed and full of twists and turns that keep the reader on the edge of their seat from page to page. The novel is written through the perspective of a sixteen-year-old girl named Katniss. This book raises issues concerning the idea of power and resources within the society. I believe that this book will be great to teach in the classroom because it will drive students to think and reflect on their own society. Collins engages the reader throughout the entirety of // The Hunger Games //. In // The Hunger Games //, the Capitol holds all of the power over the outlying twelve districts. All of the twelve districts are held at some form of disadvantage compared to the Capitol. In this society, the bulk of resources belong to the Capitol who are also the rule makers. Katniss resides in district twelve where her and her family do not go a day without being hungry. At one point in time they were near starvation as many of the people in district 12 encounter. Though the lifestyle that Katniss lives in district 12 is harsh, it aids her when she becomes a tribute for the killing spree of the Hunger Games. Upon entering the Hunger Games Katniss is not a tribute who has been working towards this battle for most of her life as some of them have, known as the “Careers”. Being on the weaker side of the fighters, she must fend for her own in the arena. With that being said, Katniss’s upbringing and lifestyle end up aiding her throughout the Hunger Games. Within the arena she hunts and gathers for survival. Unlike the Career tributes who rely solely on the food and shelter that they come across in the cornucopia, Katniss mainly relies on what she finds in nature and not what is given to her. She doesn’t need the food that has been supplied from the Capitol in the arena because she survives in the Hunger Games just like she had to learn to survive in district 12. It is clear that for Katniss the social role that she had outside of the Hunger Games enables her success within the combat. As a teacher, I think that teaching this novel to young adults will be a great experience. I think that while reading the novel it would be interesting to hear the students thoughts about the events that are taking place and how they would handle the Hunger Games if they were in Katniss’s position. While I was reading the book I felt great injustice toward the districts and the Hunger Games that the tributes had no choice but to participate in. I believe that by reading this book students will be able to make clear decisions as to where they stand on how this particular society works. I also think that students will find ways to relate // The Hunger Games // to their own society. For instance, when I came to the passage in the novel when Katniss is first experiencing the Capitol, I thought of the Capitol as America and Katniss as a foreigner of a third world country. The reason I say this is because I have had the experience to visit a very poor country in Africa and when doing so I came to realize how much // stuff // American’s possess and for no good reason. Katniss takes into consideration all of the materialistic things that come along with the Capitol as I realized how many materialistic things Americans have compared to other countries. As I related // The Hunger Games // to this aspect of my society, other students will relate the novel to another aspect of society. This novel will open many learning opportunities within the classroom and will allow students to reflect on issues that they see in the society that they live in.