1.    1. What major changes do you think Katniss and Peeta have gone through since the beginning of the novel?

A: I believe that Katniss and Peeta have become more hardened since the beginning of the novel. Both of them have seen more bloodshed in the span of several days than most people see in a lifetime. This experience must have made Peeta and Katniss much tougher emotionally.

2.      2..How do you think Katniss’ life will change once she gets back to the Seam? Do you think she will continue to hunt because she enjoys it? Will she still go to school?

A: Katniss seems like someone who is very humble and not one to show off so I believe her life will not change very greatly. She may move into the house that all the other winners of the competition live in but I think the only thing she will use her money for is to buy food for her family, and Gale’s for all he’s done to help her. I also think she will continue to hunt because it seems like something she genuinely enjoys doing.

3.      3..Do you think Gale’s view of Katniss will have changes since he saw her in the Hunger Games?

A: I think Gale’s view of Katniss will change slightly because he will realize that she is dangerous and has the capability to kill but I don’t think his view of her as a person will change.

4.      4..How do you think Gale will react to Peeta and Katniss’ intimacy during the games? Will he have an adverse reaction?

A: I think Gale will attempt to seem like he does not care about how Peeta and Katniss acted during the game but I do think it will affect him. Peeta and Gale may even end up fighting to spend more time with Katniss.

      5.  Do you think Katniss will attempt to contact Rue's family in order to give them      some   sort of closure over Rue's death and try to give them some money to try   and pay them back for Rue's help.

           A: Yes, I believe Katniss will contact Rue's family and offer monetary assistance.

6.                  Peeta said that no matter what happened in the arena he wanted to stay as himself. Did             he achieve this?

            A: Yes and no. Peeta did go back to kill that one boy but he also did everything he could               to protect Katniss from the careers.

7.                  After reading the Hunger Games and seeing how often Katniss acts and makes things up             has your view of reality T.V shows changed?

            A: No, my view of reality shows has not changed. I always knew reality T.V shows were    more acting than reality.

8.         Do you think there is a parallel between the class based system of the Hunger Games      and the feudal system of medieval times?

            A: Yes I do. It seems that after dealing with whatever disaster hit society the world          devolved a thousand years back into the heavily class based system of medieval Europe.

9.         Do you think Haymitch's character has changed over the course of the book?

            A: Yes, I think it has changed. It seems that when Haymitch realized that Peeta and          Katniss were true fighters that had a chance of winning his entire attitude changed. At         the end of the book he even warned Katniss of what could potentially happen to her.

10.       Do you think that the wolf hybrids at the climax of the book were actually modified         versions of the contestants or simply animals made to look like the contestants as ploy     against whoever was still alive.

            A: I think it was a ploy because modifying the minds and bodies of the contestants to       resemble werewolves seems like a lot of work for such a menial task.

Suzanne Collins

Bestselling author Suzanne Collins first made her mark in children’s literature with the New York Timesbestselling Underland Chronicles series for middle grade readers. Her debut for readers aged 12 and up, The Hunger Games (September 2008), immediately became a New York Times bestseller, appealing to both teen readers and adults. It was called “addictive” by Stephen King in Entertainment Weekly, and “amazing” by Stephenie Meyer on her website, and was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2008 and a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice.

Catching Fire (September 2009), the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy, debuted at #1 on the USA Todaybestseller list and simultaneously appeared at #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. It was named a Time Magazine Top Ten Fiction Book of 2009, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, and a People Magazine (Top 10) Best Book of 2009.

Foreign rights for The Hunger Games and its sequels have been sold in 39 countries to date. Movie rights for The Hunger Games have been optioned by Lionsgate, and Nina Jacobson’s Color Force production company will produce the film with Suzanne Collins set to write the screenplay. In April 2010, Suzanne Collins was named to the TIME 100 list of “the world’s most influential people.”

Suzanne Collins has also had a successful and prolific career writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains It All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. She received a Writers Guild of America nomination in animation for co-writing the critically acclaimed Christmas special, Santa, Baby!

Suzanne Collins lives with her family in Connecticut. For more information about her, please visitwww.suzannecollinsbooks.com.

Journal 4

Well, this is my fourth and final journal, so as Shivu did imma mix it up! So I've decided to make a Grinds my Gears segment based on my major and minor dislikes of the book. First off, the whole idea of the Hunger Games was to show that rebelliousness would not be tolerated and to show that the Capitol owned them. Pardon my language but how the hell would taking innocent children's lives show that they were owned? I mean correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't that just make people rebel even more due to angry? A more efficient way of doing what the capitol intended would be policing around and punishing those who openly opposed instead of punishing weak innocent children. BUT then of course the whole book never would have happened. On to my second dislike of the book, Peeta and Katniss' "star crossed lover story." Come on man! give me a break I thought this was an Action story! Now all of a sudden I'm reading about two poor teens making out in a cave? Hold on playa I want a action packed thriller with tons of action, Katniss running from Cato, He launches a knife at her but BOOM, she dodges it! that kind of thing. I think it was just a little overboard  and dramatic the way they acted in the cave. Those are the two major things that bugged me while reading. But lastly a little side note, the whole gift from sponsors thing didn't make sense to me, how did the get little parachutes to land exactly where the tribute was? and when Peeta and Katniss where in the cave how did they get gifts, does a cave not have a roof? Well i guess that's it for what grinds my gears about Hunger games. Let me know what grinded your gears!

Journal #4

Journal #4

When Katniss made the alliance with Rue, I don’t think she knew that i twas going to be really hard if Rue died, because she reminded Katniss so much of her little sister Prim. When they plan to set the distraction towards the career tributes, and the morning after Katniss cannot find Rue, she gets worried, and that’s when i know that i twas not a good thing because you knew that Rue was going to be killed and it would hurt Katniss. When Katniss hears a scream, she kind of knows that Rue is in danger, she follows the scream and sees Rue trapped in a net and then all of a sudden she has a spear go through her heart.

With Katniss gathering wildflowers and decorating Rue’s body and giving her a proper barial it’s a good thing because it can give some closure between her and how Rue reminds Katniss of her little sister. Katniss also thinks that it shows the Capitol that she is a real person and not just an entertainement piece for the people watching the hunger games.

Katniss knows that the game is on now and that she has to fight for Rue because in her last words Rue told Katniss she has to win the games for her and to sing to her as she dies.

Journal #3

Journal # 3 Alliances

When katniss decides to make an alliance with Rue, she knows that Haymitch might be upset but Katniss knows what she’s doing. In her alliance with Rue, I think it is a good thing because Rue isn’t that much of competetion towards Katniss. There’s bad things about it too, Rue reminds Katniss of Prim, her little sister. That’s a bad thing because she probably will be killed throughout the games and Katniss will see. Or if Katniss has to do it herself so that she could win the hunger games.

I twas a good idea like i said to make an alliance because otherwise Katniss wouldn’t have known stuff like; Peeta isn’t with that group anymore, or that that group has a bunch of food, and how to turn her sunglasses into night vision glasses. Rue is very helpful for Katniss, with the information and the help with her burns. It’s a very good thing that Katniss gave her some food and helped her out to because, otherwise it’s just Rue giving all her help towards Katniss and her not repaying the favor.

When Rue tells her how the career tributes have a big food supply, and that’s when Katniss knows its time to start planning. She has a very good mind for the games, because she knows how to strategize and plan for ahead. I think she has more confidence because it is two of them planning to go hunt for the food supply and not just her because I don’t think Katniss could be able to do it herself, because of all the things shehas been through, throughout the hunger games.

Final Entry!

Since this is my final journal I’m going to talk about something different, what I didn’t like about the book. First off, I did like this book. It had a good plot, good characters and a great setting so most of my complaints are minor and don’t take much away from the rest of the book. I don’t have very many complaints but the few that I do were a little annoying. First, although I like the setting and think it’s great I don’t like that fact that the author did not go into very much detail about its history. One of the reasons I kept on reading the book was to discover more about the world but that never really came. I had hoped there would be more detail about how the world got to where it is now given, to keep the reader coming back for more. I know that this is the first book of a trilogy but it would have been nice if we knew more about the world, so we could care more about the characters struggles. Another complaint I have is about the Peeta-Katniss love story. It was a little interesting when it didn’t take away too much from the action, but near the end of the book it was almost exclusively Peeta and Katniss sitting in a cave kissing each other the entire time. Maybe some people liked that but I wasn’t a big fan of that, I felt that the time focused on that could have been better used to focus on the action in the arena, such as how Cato bested Thresh. Also ,this is just nitpicking, but Gale may as well not have even been in the story. He was there for a few chapters but then basically thrown away and references a couple of times. Those are my complaints, once again I did enjoy the book but I thought I would just share some of thoughts on what could have been better. I’ll be sure to read the other two books in the series when I get the time.

Journal #4

Overall I really enjoyed reading the Hunger Games. There was never a point where I felt bored of reading it. The author, Suzanne Collins, created a great novel for teens that is filled with twists, adventure and love. I find that Katniss is a very interesting character. She has had her share of sadness, when her father passed away and when she was scavenging for food and received help from Peeta, that make you express sympathy for her. But then you read about how much she sacrifices for her family, and how hard she works to hunt and get them food and you realize she is very responsible. Katniss is a very caring person. She enjoys her journey to the Capitol and all the delicious food that comes with it. However she is constantly keeping Prim and her mother in her mind while she is training for the games. Also when she notices the Avox that she didn’t make an effort to save in the past, she apologizes for not helping her. Katniss has proven throughout the novel to be an amazing survivor. Her whole life has been based on staying alive so she develops the skills to hunt, trap and defend herself. These skills along with a strategically thinking mind are what help her win the Hunger Games in the end. I believe what makes Katniss the most interesting is the fact that she is not like the normal main character in every book. After reading the first few chapters of the book I was sure that she would fall in love with Peeta. It was a great surprise that she was the one being loved instead of the other way around, which made this novel far different than most. In conclusion, this is a novel that I would recommend to others and can’t wait to read the second in the series.

Journal 3

In this journal I am going to talk about how I think Katniss feels about the whole situation with Peeta. As we all know after the rule change now allowing two winners from the same district, Katniss finds Peeta and they team up. When she finds him, hes pretty beat up with a particularly big gash in his leg. They camp out in a small cave while she nurses back to moderate health. Katniss makes a realization during her time with Peeta. The more they keep up the "Star Crossed Lover" act, the more gifts they receive from sponsors. Well at least its an act for Katniss, as we know Peeta is truly in love with her as he states in his interview. Katniss and Peeta kiss on numerous occasions and the gifts keep rolling in, mostly food to keep the two going. Deep down I think Katniss is starting to develop some feelings for Peeta but not nearly as much as he loves her. I think it is a scenario where   an obligated fake love is shown but then a legit love comes out but in this case the legit love is not very strong or at least coming from Katniss. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Katniss must be thinking of how things will be if they are to return home with Gale awaiting her return. There has always been something between Gale and with him watching the games on TV, seeing all of the romance between the two will he be upset? Will he fight Peeta for the love of Katniss? What do you guys think?

Journal #3

In this journal I’m going to talk about what effect the novel Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has on me.  All in all the book excited and interested me greatly. I finished the book pretty quickly, in about week, for these reasons. The book had a great amount of suspense and the author did not go into too much detail about the setting of this book early on. One of the reasons I kept on reading and reading was because I was hooked on this novel’s setting. The books dystopian future setting is great because of how different it is than the current world we live in. The sharp contrast of this society to the one we currently live in is very refreshing because it makes for a book that stands out from all the books about vampires, werewolves and wizards. I also felt that the author handled the plot very well. The book has a lot of great twists as well that made me want to continue reading. For example when Peeta was following the careers around and even went back to finish off one of the other contestants I wondered what was going on in his head and why he was doing this. Aspects like that made me want to continue reading this book. Another intriguing aspect was the back story behind President Snow. Not much at all is revealed about him other than the fact that he is extremely intimidating; similarly Haymitch’s backstory is a mystery as well. What caused a man so rich to fall so far? 

Journal #3

Throughout reading the novel I have noticed a few symbols. Firstly, Katniss’s mockingjay pin that was given to her by the mayor’s daughter to represent district 12. A real mockingjay is a bird that was originally a jabberjay formed by the Capitol to repeat information that they heard from the districts. Once the Capitol had no more use for the birds they left them in the wild and they mated with mockingbirds. They no longer can repeat messages, only songs or tunes. The mockingjay is a sign of rebellion to the Capitol, because they are something that the city couldn't’t control. The mockingjay reminds Katniss of her father because before he passed he used to sing to them and they would repeat his song. It is also associated with Rue, who had a love for music. She would sing a song to the birds to let the rest of her district know that they were finished working.
Secondly, dandelions symbolize hope. This is because after she had seen the dandelion she knew that she would have enough food to feed her family. Most people see these as nothing but weeds, but for Katniss it means keeping her family alive.
Lastly, food is a great symbol for wealth. The author puts huge emphasize on how the amount and variety of food in the Seam compared to the Capitol. In the Capitol they can have anything they wish to eat at a push of a button and they eat far more than they need. In the Seam there are many families that die from starvation and are lucky to be full after a meal. Also they have to work very hard for there food.

Journal #2

I think it was extremely wrong for Katniss to pretend to be in love with Peeta. She completely took advantage of his feelings to be able to win the Hunger Games. Her main reason for pretending to love him and kissing him was to get more gifts from her sponsors, which would help her win. She didn't care much for how Peeta would feel afterwards. I only believe Katniss healed him when he was wounded because she felt as if she owed him for basically saving her life twice in the past. However it could be possible that she helped Peeta because she cared for him as a friend. However, this is highly unlikely based on how much she disliked him during the training. It seems to me that Katniss has more romantic feelings for Gale rather than Peeta. This part of the book reminds me of the reality show “The Bachelor”. This show is where there is one bachelor who goes on dates with twenty-five women who wish to get married with him. A certain number of women are eliminated each week, until the bachelor is left with his final woman he wishes to marry. The reason why this show relates to The Hunger Games is because just like Katniss there are sometimes woman who go on the show for the wrong purpose. They see the show as a way to become famous, since every couple who is formed on The Bachelor is followed my paparazzi and documented in magazines. These woman lie about their feelings to achieve their goals just as Katniss does. In conclusion, I find if you were to relate what Katniss is doing to a real life situation she comes off as a rather careless person.

Journal 2, Capitol Hospitality

This journal will be talking about Katniss and Peetas stay at the Capitol Prior to the games and the differences between the capitol and district 12 (the seam). Along with all the other contestants, Katniss and Peeta have made the trip down to the Capitol for pre-Hunger Game activity. In the book the Capitol is a very rich place and the Seam in District 12 can be compared to a present day ghetto. While reading i noticed the transition from the Seam to the Capitol was drastic like turning a baby to an adult instantly. In the seam, food is are hard to come by and is often illegally sold and hunted, whereas in the Capitol, Katniss and Peeta were introduced to intricate dishes that were new to them.  Each District is also assigned a stylist crew to decide the wardrobe of the contestants. Since Katniss and Peeta are from a poor district they receive a rookie stylist named Cinna who is only making his first appearance as a Stylist at the Hunger Games. At first Katniss thought Cinna would be mean and arrogant but as we get to know more about him Katniss develops a trust in him. Cinna prepares Katniss and Peeta for the opening ceremonies in matching fire costumes that literally burnt bright! This flaming entry to the games won the two contestants the hearts of many sponsors for the Games who may later be more generous in giving gifts to them. Later on, each contestant gets a training session in front of judges who will give them a score. Katniss goes last as she is the girl from the last District. Most of the judges are tired and just want to go home and don't pay much attention to Katniss and this upsets her. Her rage escapes the chains that held it back and she shoots an arrow right through the apple in the mouth of the pig at the judges table nearly hitting a judge, then she storms out. On the day were the training scores are announced Katniss prepares for a low score, but the opposite happens, Katniss scores a remarkable 12 which was the highest of any other contestant. I thought she received a high score because the judges liked the intensity she showed and her impressive accuracy

Journal #2

In this book I’m going to talk about a couple of the major themes this book touches on. One of these is the clear cut theme of society. The citizens of the Districts, specifically places like The Seam, are lower class. Therefore they live in far poorer conditions than the ones the people of the Capitol live in. There is also the fact that the citizens of Panem have little to no control over where they stand in society. In this world you are either born poor or born rich and if you’re born poor it is incredibly likely that you will die poor as well. I found the class based system within this book is extremely similar to the medieval feudal system. The citizens of the districts are the peasants, the peace keepers are knights, the people of the Capitol are the lords and the leader of the country is the king. In fact, it’s a little bit ironic. After the disaster that destroyed America overall society devolved into the archaic and forgotten feudal system. It is obvious after reading the book that there’s nothing the people of this country can do to change their class levels either, it all depends on where the person in born. The people of the Capitol can push a button and have their food appear on a platter before them whilst the people of the district have to ,illegally, forage and hunt in the woods around their district. This society is extremely unbalanced and as with almost every totalitarian government to have previously existed eventually the people will riot. 

Journal 1

In the first few chapters of the book The Hunger Games, the reaping takes place. The reaping is a grand draw with all the names of the people aged 12 to 18 in which one boys name and one girls name is picked to go to the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are an annual thing in which all the contestants fight untill death until one contestant is left. Each person in the age brackets name is entered once at age 12, twice at age 13 and so fourth. But in exchange for extra food you can have your name entered extra times.  This process is called a teserae. Katniss is the protagonist and she lives with her sister Prim and their mother. Katniss' father was killed in a fatal mine explosion and since then Katniss has taken responsibility for the food and care of the family by hunting and receiving teseraes due to the slum sad behaviour of her mother who hasn't been the same after the family tragedy. Katniss has a friend Gale who she hunts illegally with and they have become very close almost like family, but Katniss want more than that? I think so. Just before the reaping he tells Katniss to look pretty there, this gives her a fuzzy feeling inside which means she must have some feelings for him. Skipping ahead to the reaping, this year is prims first time being entered but since she is only entered once there is a low probability of her getting picked, but it happens, she is picked to got to the Games, but then Katniss comes to the rescue of her sister by volounteering to go in place of young innocent Prim.
#SWAG

Journal Entry #1

Firstly, the Hunger Games are a brutal challenge where two teenagers, one boy and one girl, from every district are forced to compete in. It was created by the Capitol to entertain themselves. If I was someone living in one of these districts i would stand up to the rich people in the Capitol. The Capitol uses the games to keep the less wealthy citizens in terror. The Hunger Games should not be allowed to happen, they are giving up young lives for foolish entertainment. If I was someone living in one of these districts I would stand up for proper rights. The Capitol would not be stronger than all the people in the districts working together. These teens shouldn't have their death determined by a lottery draw. They shouldn't have to live in horrible conditions where they barely have enough to eat and rarely get to use electricity. Secondly, Katniss made a very brave decision to stand up for her sister, Prim. I don't think this was the best decision for her family. Since Katniss is leaving her family she won't be there to provide for her sister and mother. After her father's death in the mine, she has become the main caretaker, which is a huge responsibility. Prim and her mother do not have the skills to hunt, trade and gather. Katniss developed these skills throughout her life, this would make her the better competitor over Prim. For this reason I can understand why Katniss would volunteer to replace her sister. But if Katniss does not win the Hunger Games her family will most likely suffer of malnutrition.

10 discussion questions on Character

1. Q: What kind of relationship do you think Katniss had with her father before his passing?
A: I think they were close, I also think she was more of a son to him because the book states that he taught her about weapons and about hunting which is usually a male task (not trying to be sexist). Also even 5 years later she wakes up screaming for her father to run from the fatal explosion that killed him.

2. Q: We are introduced to Gale, based on Katniss' tone, word choice, and emotion when she speaks of him do you think she wants to be more that bestfriends?
A: Yes, but i think there relationship is more of a brother sister since they are so close. I think she wants a more serious relationship because she is jealous when Gale speaks highly of other girls. She also states that hes the perfect catch, hes strong, handsome and can hunt. Also when he tells her to look pretty at the ceremonie, she blushes and gets a warm feeling inside.

3. Q: Katniss has her doubts about Peeta mellark, did you think he was being genuinly nice or did he have a malicious plot unvailing?
A: I believe he has malicious plans because his life depends on him winning the games, therefore he would not be genuinely nice to the enemy, I think he's trying to soften up Katniss to make her an easier kill.


4. Q: How do you think Peetas relationship with his Mom is like?
A: Not so good, first reason i believe this is that when she finds Peeta outside for too long near the beginning of the book when he gives the bread to Katniss, she slaps him and demands his immediate return inside. Secondly when she goes to visit Peeta before the games, she says that district 12 might finally have a winner this year hinting not at him but at Katniss.


5. Q: Katniss makes an alliance with Rue a small girl, why do you think she trusts Rue and makes the alliance even though she could easily kill her?
A: Because Rue reminds Katniss of Prim, a sweet innocent little girl that was sent to the games against her will, leaving her family behind. Also Rue saved Katniss by warning her about the beehive above her head.


6. Q: Why do you think Katniss tries not to get to attached or associated with Peeta?
A:  Because she thinks he may have malicious plans slowly unveiling. Also if they get to close killing each other will be a harder task mentally.


7. Q: Do you think other contestants fear Katniss?
A: Yes, especially after her score of 11 in the training session.


8. Q: Is Katniss confident that she will win the games?
A: I believe so, I think she feels she has to win or poor Prim will suffer dearly due to the unsecured care of her mother.


9. Q: When Peeta distracts Katniss to throw off her timing when she eyes down the arrows, do you think he was trying to protect her from the dangers of going in to the action or wanted to slim her chances of survival?
A: I think he was trying to protect her because he states that he loves her in his interview. Initially I thought Peeta was a snake and would simply kill Katniss when the games begun, but now after all the kissing and caring that Katniss has given Peeta, I now think that he genuinely cares.


10. Q: The games have proven that they can take a large mental toll on contestants, do you think mental instability will get to Katniss eventually?
A: Yes i think she will encounter a small mental breakdown but will quickly recover when it matters most.

The Hunger Games Review-By TIME Magazine

I used to tell my daughter stories about a family of mer-cats--kitties with fish tails--who lived in the East River and how they were persecuted by a mean purple octopus. I spent considerable time and effort coming up with nonviolent ways for the mer-cats to defeat the octopus at the end of each story. Finally one night I asked my daughter Lily, who was 4 at the time, how she thought the mer-cats should handle the problem. She chirpily replied that the mer-cats should find a sharp rock and then stab the octopus till it died. Ha, ha, ha! Kids.

If the time ever comes, Lily might do pretty well in the Hunger Games. As described by Suzanne Collins in her young-adult novel of the same name, the Hunger Games are an annual spectacle in which a group of children are forced by the government to fight one another to the death on TV. A sequel, Catching Fire (Scholastic; 400 pages), will be out on Sept. 1. The Hunger Games is a chilling, bloody and thoroughly horrifying book, a killer cocktail of Logan's Run, Lord of the Flies, The Running Man, reality TV and the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. But it inspires in readers a kind of zeal I haven't seen since the early days of Twilight. Stephen King is a major fan. So is Stephenie Meyer.

The Hunger Games is set in an unspecified future time when things have gone pretty spectacularly badly for humanity. The world, or the bit of it we can see, is dominated by a ruling caste who live in luxury in a city called the Capitol. The rest of us live like peasants in 12 districts that are strictly cordoned off from the Capitol and one another. Life in the districts sucks: it's mostly hard labor--mining coal and farming and working in factories--in dismal conditions.

To make things even dismaler, once a year each district is required to give up two of its children, chosen by lottery, and enter them in the Hunger Games. The kids are dropped into an enormous arena strewn with traps and hazards, with a heap of weapons and supplies in the middle. The last child alive wins a lifetime of luxury and celebrity. The action is filmed and broadcast to the entire world.

We experience this ordeal through the eyes of Katniss, a resident of District 12, a harsh, cold region mostly given over to coal-mining. She is a passionate 16-year-old who hates the Capitol and is devoted to her family; she volunteers for the Games to take the place of her sister, whose name came up in the lottery. Katniss is a skilled hunter and sheer death with a bow and arrow. She doesn't like to kill. But she doesn't want to die either.

Whereas Katniss kills with finesse, Collins writes with raw power. After a life spent in freezing poverty, Katniss experiences pleasure--warmth, food, pretty clothes--with almost unbearable intensity, and that's where Collins' writing comes alive. (Not sex, though. The Hunger Games isn't just chaste, like Twilight; it's oddly non-erotic.) Likewise, Collins brings a cold, furious clarity to her accounts of physical violence. You might not think it would be possible, or desirable, for a young-adult writer to describe, slowly and in full focus, a teenage girl getting stung to death by a swarm of mutant hornets. It wasn't, until Collins did it. But rather than being repellent, the violence is strangely hypnotic. It's fairy-tale violence, Brothers Grimm violence--not a cheap thrill but a symbol of something deeper. (One of the paradoxes of the book is that it condemns the action in the arena while also inviting us to enjoy it, sting by sting. Despite ourselves, we do.)

Katniss survives the first novel, and the second finds her back in the arena, where she will try, in her words, to "show them that I'm more than just a piece in their Games." The Hunger Games and Catching Fire expose children to exactly the kind of violence we usually shield them from. But that just goes to show how much adults forget about what it's like to be a child. Kids are physical creatures, and they're not stupid. They know all about violence and power and raw emotions. What's really scary is when adults pretend that such things don't exist.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1919156,00.html#ixzz1f3eDWswn

Journal #1

In this entry I'm going to talk about what makes the book for me. For me the setting makes the book. The book takes place in the country of Panem which roses from the “ashes of America”. So far in the book it's not explicitly explained how America was destroyed but it is implied that a global nuclear war was the cause. About 75 years before the book takes place all of the districts rebel and go to war with the Capitol. They lose this war ,district 13 is destroyed and in order to spite the various districts and keep them under control the Capitol creates “The Hunger Games”. Basically two tributes, a boy and girl, from all the districts are put into an arena and told to fight to the death. The world of The Hunger Games is a very dystopian world that's ruled by a totalitarian government. The people who live in the Capitol evidently live easy going lives where they have almost no worries and can look forward to the Hunger Games where they can watch people murder each other their enjoyment. It’s obvious that in comparison to the lives led by the people of the Capital the men and women of the district live harsh and strenuous lives. It’s clear that the Capitol does not want to deal with another war with the people of the districts and in order to prevent this possible war they flaunt all the power they hold over them. It’s clear when this story begins people do not like their lives but they simply go with them, not thinking anything they do will make a difference. Does this setting remind any of you guys of any movies or other books? It reminds of the future talked about in the “Terminator” movies.

Betrayal or strategy ?

Katniss slowly falls for Peeta's personality as they work together throughout the training. What makes her bring her guard down? She swore she was going to do this alone because she was not going to jeopardize her spot in the games. But Katniss soon changes her mind and starts working with Peeta, trustfully.

In the games Katniss over hears a group of competitors passing by while eliminating another player. What she hears is nothing to feel good abou.t Then she hears his voice. The voice of her partner in training. The boy who had taken the beating from his parents just to give her a loaf of bread. Has Peeta betrayed her? Was this his plan all along? Is this a big joke and his plan to kill the group he's with or is he actually plotting to eventually kill Katniss?

It's just like those games of dodgeball when you make an alliance with your friend on the other team, and you play but randomly in the middle of the game she hits you, and you're out. Yes, you had an alliance but if she wanted to win, she had eliminate you. Of course this is a much different situation but the same terms. They didn't MAKE an alliance but it was clearly obvious. They were always together and they both kind of knew each other's strengths, weaknesses and strategies. They came from the same district! That's what made it kind of obvious that they wouldn't kill each each other unless it came right down to it.

Journal #1

Katniss is a character that has a lot of responsibility, she is considered the mother because her mom isn't helping at all so, Katniss gets all the food and all the other supplies her sister and mother need. She hunts often with Gale, a hunter she met a couple years back while hunting. They do better when they hunt together. The day of The Reaping Prim, Katniss's sister is nervous, but Katniss insists that she is going to be fine. When Katniss hears her sister's name called she knows that she has to do something and she sacrifices everything just so that her little sister could be free. If it came to a situation like that, I think I would do the same and sacrifice myself for my sister because I would want her to be safe. I wouldn't want her to have to lose her life, when I could save her. Even though she thinks she doesn't have a chance I think she doesn't know what she is capable of when she is fighting for her family and her friends. She has good survival skills, and she knows when to use them. I don't think she knows that she actually has a chance in winning the games. I think this because she is willing to fight on behalf of her sister. As long as she thinks properly and stays calm, she will have a really good chance at winning the Hunger Games.

Reminder

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