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I wasn’t sure what to get from the library so I looked at what the librarians recommended. The title seemed interesting enough so I decided to check it out.

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I think it’s a good opening since it gives background info and then shifts to the actual perspective of the narrator.

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The author starts by explaining it's a society dominated by men.

After that, the author connects to the story being told from a girl named Marya. She has a talented brother (Luka) and is cleaning the chicken coop for the grand appraisal of Luka.

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Page 46-47: “The chickens were very particular about the state of the coop, and if there was any kind of disruption, they tended to register their displeasure by pooping with great alacrity.

I think alacrity means eagerness since the chickens would poop much more than usual when there was a disturbance and the narrator is fond of the animals she cares for so it fits the tone.

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Unknown Words - Arbitrary and Authoritarian

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Unknown Words - Arbitrary and Authoritarian

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Page 211: “I assure you, this directive is not an arbitrary one, nor are we being needlessly authoritarian.”

I think arbitrary means random since “not talking about your past” does seem unnecessary and authoritarian means overly strict in the way they reinforce it (No free time to chat).

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Page 156: “...inquire about how her compatriots have gotten on since last they dined together…”

I think compatriots means fellow ladies in this case since they are talking about dining etiquette.

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Page 12: “I think she should go, Mama,” interrupted Luka, voice bouncy and bold. “The coop is almost clean and we’re ready. It will be good for Marya.” … And that did it. Mama’s face relaxed, brightened. “All right,” she said. “After you are done and the coop is impeccable. Impeccable!”

This shows that their mother thinks that Luka has much better judgement than his sister, listening to him rather than Marya on the same topic.

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Pages 161-162: "Therefore, Mademoiselle, you have knowingly broken a very simple rule. No lunch for Rose Hall today." The other girls groaned. Marya could not help herself; she burst up from her desk and snapped, "You're punishing everyone because I had to go to the bathroom?"

This is the second major time Marya's had an outburst towards a powerful figure. This shows that even though she knows it's wrong, Marya will stand against what she thinks is unfair.

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Arev may be a sorcerer but he is also an extreme coward. Even though they have a sure way out of danger, Marya and Elana end up going to the school to warn them.

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Thematic Concept: Corruption
Thematic statement: With power can come corruption and lies
This was all a way for the government to identify female sorcerers and claim they were witches, allowing men to stay in power. Once this was revealed, they didn't want the news to spread so they compromised.

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Page 143: “Now, would you please stand up and introduce yourselves? Mademoiselle?”  Mademoiselle is usually used for fancier, more formal occasions and originated as a French word. Throughout the book, people from Dragomir use it to refer to each other, using a more sophisticated vocabulary than usual.

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Katya asks why they had sorcerers and Kel had witches. The sorcerer Arev doesn't get why she didn't understand after his confusing analogy that didn't address the question. Madame Szabo says: "I can't imagine why that wasn't clear."
Their meanest teacher doesn't like Arev that much either and makes snarky comments. Maybe she's not that bad of a person after all.

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Mood: Optimistic
The mood is optimistic since Marya started out as a girl who did not belong. She got sent to this far away school but it was all a lie to keep an eye on possible sorceresses. Even after this huge betrayal, the girls have a chance to create better lives for others like them in the future.

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Ana Maria tells everyone that she's wealthy and was only sent to the school as a temporary punishment. However, she ends up staying and somewhat becoming friends with the girls there after her parents refused to associate with her.
She used to be the meanest of the group but afterwards she was less boastful and dropped the matter entirely. It affected everyone's mood.

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While the sorcerer's guild was visiting Marya's house to test Luka, Anton (Their goat) had snuck in and started eating the draperies. However, only Marya knew and everyone downstairs had no clue until Anton ran down, attacked the sorcerer, and jumped out a window.
This is how she ends up going to Dragomir Academy: Standing up for herself and a goat.

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Pg 210: A voice cut through the room like an icy breeze
Compares a voice's chilliness to an icy breeze. The speaker was likely strict and harsh.

Pg 305: Marya’s mouth opened slightly, like a door that had fallen off its hinge.”
Compares her mouth to a door that fell off its hinge; her mouth fell open in shock.

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Figurative Language - Hyperboles and Metaphor

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Figurative Language - Hyperboles and Metaphor

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Pg 61: Everyone froze… Marya turned to ice (Hyperbole). Everyone stopped where they were.

Pg 61: “Marya,”: Papa growled, a bear about to attack (Metaphor)
Compares her papa to an angry bear; her dad is really angry

Pg 72: “Madame Bandu opened the door, and when she saw Marya, she knelt down and put her arms out. Marya collapsed into them, letting herself dissolve into the embrace…” (Hyperbole)
She didn't actually dissolve, just fell forward into a hug.

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Pg 257: “The autumn night wind was creeping in and toying with the old servants’ bell on the wall"
Wind doesn't creep or toy with things. It just blew in from a window and started ringing the bell in the room.

Pg 301: "The fire was dying..."
Fire is not alive so it can't die. This just means the flames were smoldering and running out of fuel.

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"For almost two years, her life was Baby Pieter - his meals, his naps, his diapers, his soft curls, his little arms wrapped around her neck, his warm body pressed against hers at night. The fever came during the day and he died during the night. She was eight, then. It happened while she was sleeping."

This flashback is used to give a partial reason for why Marya’s parents don’t like her. It comes from a few years before the story and gives us context of the family situation.

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Part of the story is similar to the various witch hunts that occurred as a result of people blaming their misfortune on scapegoats. In the story, they believe that witchcraft was an evil that had been wiped out when in doing so, the “heroes” strengthened a deadly plague on the land.

Video: (Witch hunts, Ted-Ed) https://www.ted.com/talks/brian_a_pavlac_ugly_history_witch_hunts?language=en

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Brian A. Pavlac: Ugly History: Witch Hunts

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In the German town of Nördlingen in 1593, innkeeper Maria Höll found herself accused of witchcraft. She was arrested for questioning, and denied the charges. She insisted she wasn't a witch through 62 rounds of torture before her accusers finally released her. Other accused witches weren't so "lucky."

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Connection (Other texts, movie, tv show)

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Connection (Other texts, movie, tv show)

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In the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the government had a lot of control over all the districts. It was corrupted and led to sacrificing other's children in a competition for glory.

In this story, the government was also corrupt, sacrificing potential defenders against the sickness called the Dread due to wanting to keep men in power. This actually strengthened the Dread, killing civilians while higher-ranking ones stayed in safe rooms. Once exposed, the government used bribery to keep the school's true purpose a secret.

Hunger Games Totalitarian Government: https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/hunger-games/themes/power#:~:text=By%20Suzanne%20Collins&text=Well%2C%20the%20main%20source%20of,of%20the%20districts%20across%20Panem.

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Power

Who has the power?

Well, the main source of power in The Hunger Games is clear: the totalitarian government of the Capitol. Because the Capitol holds most of the country of Panem's wealth, the government there is able to control the people in all of the districts across Panem. The Hunger Games, then, are the ultimate display of the government's power and were designed to warn the populace against rebellion. In the Hunger Games, the citizens of Panem become nothing more than pawns in an elaborate game of life or death. Since only one teenage contestant, or "tribute," can win, the tributes are forced to kill teens from the other districts and one from their own district. It's all symbolic of how the Capitol prevents the people in the districts from joining forces and rebelling - the Games keep the people of the districts divided and fighting among themselves. Worst of all, the government broadcasts the event live on television, reinforcing the idea that the tributes are giving their lives for little more than the entertainment of the Capitol.

Let's not forget, though, that this book is also about ways to resist the kind of power that the Capitol represents. While the people of Panem might not have the Capitol's money, they do have other ways of fighting back. Remember when District 12 gives Katniss their salute? Or when Katniss covers Rue's dead body in flowers? These symbolic gestures call attention to the fact that there are actual people in the Hunger Games - real live humans, not just game pieces. In that sense, these small moments of defiance can be very powerful.

Can you find other instances of people resisting the government's authority in the novel?

Questions About Power

1. What, exactly, makes the Capitol so powerful?

2. Why does Katniss cover Rue's body with flowers?

3. Why is the romance between Katniss and Peeta so popular with audiences?

4. Why won't the Gamemakers let Katniss and Peeta eat the berries?

5. Why does Katniss say that the post-games interview is the most dangerous part of the Games?

Chew on This

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JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Power Who has the power? Well, the main source of power in The Hunger Games is clear: the totalitarian government of the Capitol.

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Books of spells sometimes claimed that "You may fascinate a woman by giving her a piece of cheese." Some people believed that cheese had magic properties and that witches could use it for cursing others.

In the book, Marya describes their strictest, meanest teacher as a "cheese witch" and her roommates adopt the name as well (Behind her back of course).