Tagged: the hunger games
The Hunger Games and The Third Servile War
The Third Servile War is probably one of the most famous wars you’ve never heard of. What I mean by that is that everyone knows about Spartacus’ rebellion from the movie Spartacus, but few people know that there really was a Spartacus and he really did start a rebellion that morphed into what the Romans knew as the Third Servile War. In Roman history, it was a monumental event that forced the Romans to reconsider their treatment of slaves and paved the way for later legislation to give slaves some protection (you could be charged for murder if you killed a slave during Claudius’ reign!).
What really struck me when I read The Hunger Games is that the Third Servile War is startlingly similar and is probably at least what partially inspired Suzanne Collins’ depiction of the rebellion of the Districts. First I think we need a little background on the inspiration behind this and then we’ll go more in depth into why there are so many similarities.
The Third Servile War didn’t start out as a war. It started out as a breakout from a gladiator school in Capua that included some two hundred slaves and gladiators. Unsurprisingly, with that many people involved, the plot was discovered and the rebel slaves had to fight their way out of the school. Spartacus was among them and he was naturally looked to as a leader, but what most people forget is another man who was a key player: Crixus. Crixus was a Celt who had also been captured to fight in the gladiator schools of the Roman Republic and he didn’t like his situation any more than Spartacus did. He and Spartacus, even though it may not have started out that way, became the ringleaders of their little revolt. Continue reading
Why is The Hunger Games so Popular?
Since it was announced that The Hunger Games would be made into a movie, the series has become even more popular than before. I don’t know about you, but ever since I wrote my piece on the allusions to the Roman Empire in The Hunger Games, I’ve been thinking about the series quite a bit. And with the movie release only yesterday, I have decided to examine the reasons behind the Hunger Games phenomenon.
1. Katniss is more of a unisex narrator.
Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight series was (and still is) popular, but it will never reach the popularity level of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Other than the quality of writing, the main difference is the target audience. Twilight appeals to women, both young and old, but that means it’s only targeting 50% of the population at most. This is because Bella Swan is a very helpless, extremely feminine protagonist that every girl wants to be. Harry Potter, on the other hand, appeals to far more than just 50% of the population because he is a boy, but he is not so overly masculine as to turn away girls.
Do you see what I’m getting at here? Generally speaking, protagonists must be written almost as if they are unisex if they are to achieve a high level of popularity. Katniss is a female protagonist, but she is far from a damsel in distress and her point of view is not so overtly feminine that it turns off male readers. And that simple fact is what contributes to the series’ immense popularity. Continue reading
The Hunger Games and Ancient Rome
As I mentioned before in my review of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games is really one huge allusion to the Roman Empire. For those of you who don’t know what an allusion is, Dictionary.com defines allusion as “a passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication.” There are a lot of allusions in The Hunger Games, but I have always been fascinated by Roman history, so now I will attempt to go into more detail about all of the allusions to the Roman Empire I found in the trilogy.
1. The Games themselves.
The Roman Colosseum as we know it was started by the emperor Vespasian and finished by his son Titus Flavius in 80 A.D. It soon became popular for its spectacular gladiatorial games, animal fights and even its mock sea battles when they would actually flood the arena and bring in ships. All these things were meant for the public’s viewing pleasure and they served to raise the popularity of the emperors. The Games that the Capitol holds every year serve as entertainment as well, but also publicly demonstrate its power over the districts. The Hunger Games are every bit as brutal and inventive as the gladiatorial games. Continue reading
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
(Cover picture courtesy of Wikipedia.)
When eleven-year-old Gregor follows his little sister through a grate in the laundry room of their New York apartment building, he hurtles into the dark Underland beneath the city. There, humans live uneasily beside giant spiders, bats, cockroaches and rats—but the fragile peace is about to fall apart.
Gregor wants no part in the conflict between these creepy creatures. He just wants to find his way home. But when he discovers that a strange prophecy foretells a role for him in the Underland’s uncertain future, he realizes it might be the only way to solve the biggest mystery of his life. Little does he know his quest will change him—and the Underland—forever.
Many readers are familiar with Suzanne Collins’ second series, The Hunger Games trilogy, but few are familiar with her first series, the Underland Chronicles. Gregor the Overlander is a novel that would be great for younger readers who can’t get enough of The Hunger Games.
Gregor the Overlander is a story about Gregor, an eleven-year-old boy who lives in New York. His dad has been missing for over two years and no one knows where he went. But when Gregor and his little sister fall down a grate in their apartment’s laundry room, Gregor discovers the Underland, a world of darkness in which humans, rats, cockroaches and bats coexist in an uneasy peace. While he wants to get back home as soon as possible, a prophecy made by the founder of the human city will change his life forever.
Gregor is a strong protagonist like Katniss is, complete with flaws and shortcomings. But the one thing that keeps him going throughout the novel is hope, the hope that he will find his father alive and bring him back home. I was rooting for him to succeed from start to finish because he is such a believable protagonist.
Suzanne Collin’s first book is just as dark as The Hunger Games and she spares Gregor no pain. While this book is written for younger readers, there is quite a bit of death and sadness. I would recommend it for mature tweens and young teenagers.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
(Cover picture courtesy of Wikipedia.)
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survive, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
The Hunger Games is a book that has received quite a lot of hype from the media—and with good reason. Both boys and girls alike can relate to Katniss’s struggle for survival and her love for her family. Suzanne Collins has penned a well-written, fast-paced and engaging novel that certainly deserves to be remembered among the YA greats.
This novel is first and foremost a story of survival. Katniss is a believable (if not completely sympathetic) character with a good motivation: to survive so she can go back and take care of her family. The Hunger Games can also be seen as an allusion to the Roman Empire, what with its gruesome form of entertainment and the decadence of the Capitol while the districts suffer. Students of Roman history will also recognize names like Cinna, Flavius and Octavia. It can also be a commentary on how senseless violence is and the power of fear. The Capitol holds the Games to strike fear in the districts, yet the deaths of 23 children for the sake of it is senseless.
The Hunger Games can also be read as a love story, but this is the one part of the novel that falls flat for me. Peeta loves Katniss and will do anything to see her leave the arena, yet Katniss is prepared to kill him in order to survive. Even near the end, when she supposedly feels a bit of affection toward him, it does not ring true. It seems a bit rushed, like Suzanne Collins wanted to insert another subplot into her novel. Despite this ‘romance’, The Hunger Games is an excellent novel that lets you see it in a different light every time you read it.
I give this book 4/5 stars.