The Hunger Games
By Suzanne Collins
1.
Text Overview:
In a post-apocalyptic
society, there is division of the people of Panem, formerly North America, into
districts ruled by the Capitol. The Capitol
is a modern city where the residents live in luxury by garnishing resources
from the districts. The Capitol holds an event called the Hunger Games to punish
and remind the Districts of their rebellion and of the Capitol’s absolute power.
The Hunger Games require two tributes, a boy and a girl chosen at random by the
Capitol, from each of the twelve districts to participate in a battle of
survival and warfare until one tribute is left standing, all of which is
televised and watched by the citizens of the Capitol and Districts.
In District 12,
Katniss Everdeen becomes the female tribute by volunteering to take the place
of her younger sister. Katniss is a hunter, strong-willed and is viewed as a
strong contender in the Hunger Games. As
she travels to the Capitol from District 12 with her male counterpart, Peeta
Mellark, the stark contrast between the poverty and bleak existence of her
district and the lavish lifestyle of the Capitol leaves them awe struck. They
begin a preparation process for the Hunger Games including interviews, training
and an opening ceremony where it becomes clear that the tributes from the
wealthy districts have long-term training in order to guarantee a winner.
Once the games
begin, Katniss encounters fires, wild animals, forms alliances, and faces
combat in the game arena. In the end,
Katniss and Peeta are the last tributes standing and the co-victors of the
Hunger Games as they made a gesture that they would rather both die than kill
one another. Katniss was the main perpetrator
of the mutual victory, which was viewed as an act of rebellion, and in the end
she realizes that she is viewed as an enemy of the state.
2.
Rationale:
I decided on The Hunger Games for a few reasons. First,
I think it’s smart to capitalize on what our students are already reading and
use it to generate excitement and interest in the classroom. It could be taught
to high school students, I think it could be taught to most junior high
students as well. Second, I think it’s a book that is easily accessible without
being shallow. It addresses issues that are pertinent in today’s global picture
as there are themes of oppression, equality, the value of human life, independence,
political power/role of government, and the capability to enact change. Third,
I think that it could be taught in conjunction with other dystopian novels,
literature from other eras, or with an historical era to provide depth through
comparison.
3.
Teaching Ideas:
1. Many students have read The Hunger Games or seen the movie, which allows for a wide berth of
options and differentiation. I think it could be an easy way to engage students
in writing assignments based off of comparing/contrasting the book to the movie
or in tracking as character development throughout the three books if you have
students who want to read the other books in the trilogy. Another option could be to compare characters
or dystopian settings from another book such as Divergent, The Maze Runner, Lord of the Flies, The Lottery, etc.
Students could have choices about how to make the assignment meaningful or
challenging to them and as a teacher I would be able to help guide them to an appropriate
choice.
2. I see this as a good option to read as a parallel to history
in understanding oppression, rebellion, and warfare states. The story of
Katniss and the oppression of her District allows with parallels with Nazi Germany,
Roman Gladiators, or even Boko Haram and current events in Nigeria. The point would be use interest in the book
to bring a humanizing factor to events that can feel impersonal.
3. The Hunger Games
could be used as a discussion point on American culture and society down to the
microcosm of a junior high or high school. It could be used as a tool in
teaching students to think of themselves in the context of their environment
and in developing their own personal narrative.
4.
Obstacles:
One issue with
teaching The Hunger Games is that it
has been on the banned/challenged books list due to its violent content. The argument can easily be made that our
students are reading it anyway and seeing the movies, but in a classroom
setting at least the nature of the violence can be addressed. The description of the violence is not overly
graphic or glorified, but is designed to be thought-provoking. The other issue
parents tend to have is the lack of strong parents for Katniss. Her father was killed in a mining accident
and her mother was debilitated and depressed by his passing, which left Katniss
to pick up the pieces for her and her sister.
The reality is that many of our students can relate to growing up
outside of the typical family structure and Katniss’ perseverance should be a
positive illustration and encouragement to students. Knowing that those are the
objections and having reasons/lessons that show that The Hunger Games can be an effective tool in the classroom should
be sufficient.
5.
Additional Note:
The Hunger Games is a great text to use because of its popularity.
Finding a way to use what kids are already reading, what they want to read and
what is speaking to them should be capitalized on to move their education
forward. Many teachers are using it in their classrooms already and there are
plenty of lesson plans and ideas available online.
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