In my opinion, there are many different ways to approach a series like The Hunger Games. The books have become extremely popular both nationally and globally, and are therefore subject to massive amounts of criticism and analysis. When I was going through our group notes, trying to find a topic that stood out to me as something to easily connect to the Hunger Games, I was immediately struck by one of our bullets on the day we discussed games as social practice. It reads: "Find some case where some kind of “outsider” has emerged in a sport that has challenged or changed ideas about social identities or that social practice." The task was to find a person in society who was a true outsider in their field, and somehow managed to have success in it. I couldn't help but see how this statement translates directly to the occurrences in the Hunger Games, with the evolution of Katniss Everdeen as a force both in the games and in Panem as a whole.
Before the 74th Hunger Games, it was uncommon for someone like Katniss Everdeen to win the tournament. For years, it was dominated by careers from districts that breed their children to win. However, Katniss had a distinct advantage with her years of hunting in the woods to support her family. She first identified herself as a true "outsider" at the tryouts in front of the sponsors, when she used one of her arrows to spear the buffet of food set out for the rich members. No one had ever so vehemently shown their distaste for the actions of the Capitol's citizens, so from the start she was a player to look out for once the Hunger Games commenced. Panem was soon captivated by her actions - from the way she took care of Rue to her staged love with Peeta, Katniss was defying all expectations of what tributes are supposed to act like in the arena. Her final action in the last book - the attempted double-suicide of both her and Peeta - is something the creators of the games could never have imagined. The action was so obviously disobedient to the rule of the Capitol that President Snow himself paid a visit to Katniss at the start of the second book, in which he threatened not only her life, but the lives of her family members, if she did anything to incite a rebellion on her victory tour of the country.
Before the Hunger Games began, Katniss never would have been anyone's pick to win the tournament. District 12 was usually dismissed early in the games, and Haymitch was their only surviving winner. However, with her hunting skills and creative, unorthodox methods, Katniss was able to emerge from the games victorious, alongside her supposed lover, Peeta. Their victory in the games changed so much about the way they worked that the 75th Hunger Games, a Quarter Quell, required two former tributes from each district to go back into the arena. As District 12's only options were Katniss, Peeta and the old, drunkard in Haymitch, it was very clear who was forced to go back. As this latest version of the games progressed, the beginnings of a revolution was occurring in the districts, and the second book ends with Katniss being rescued from the arena and taken to District 13. The entire country would soon be thrown into a civil war against the Capitol - with Katniss as the poster child for the revolution - and all of it began with the defiant actions of Katniss in the first book.
Not only did Katniss defy social identities of the role of District 12 tributes, she caused almost every citizen of Panem to realize the idea of self-determination, as they soon decided that they had had enough of being controlled by the Capitol and President Snow. Suddenly, the practice of the annual Hunger Games and the extraordinary wealth in the Capitol compared to the twelve other districts seemed inhumane, and Katniss truly was the mockingjay that got the entire process started. Even at the end of the third book, when the new President Coin put forth the idea of a final Hunger Games using Capitol children, Katniss' supposed role was to go along with the idea. She was then to shoot President Snow and allow Coin to take control, but she once again pushed the boundaries of reasonable expectation by publicly murdering President Coin. The series is filled with these kinds of twists and turns, but each of them serves a distinct purpose - to prove that Katniss Everdeen is not controlled by anyone, and that at every opportunity she gets, she is inherently wired to rebel against the current status quo. In class on the day we discussed the quote I used above, some of the people we came up with that changed the social practice of their sport included Magic Johnson, the Williams' sisters, and the Jamaican bobsled team. However, none of them can hold a candle to the actions of the Hunger Games' Katniss Everdeen.
- Alex Jacobs
Before the Hunger Games began, Katniss never would have been anyone's pick to win the tournament. District 12 was usually dismissed early in the games, and Haymitch was their only surviving winner. However, with her hunting skills and creative, unorthodox methods, Katniss was able to emerge from the games victorious, alongside her supposed lover, Peeta. Their victory in the games changed so much about the way they worked that the 75th Hunger Games, a Quarter Quell, required two former tributes from each district to go back into the arena. As District 12's only options were Katniss, Peeta and the old, drunkard in Haymitch, it was very clear who was forced to go back. As this latest version of the games progressed, the beginnings of a revolution was occurring in the districts, and the second book ends with Katniss being rescued from the arena and taken to District 13. The entire country would soon be thrown into a civil war against the Capitol - with Katniss as the poster child for the revolution - and all of it began with the defiant actions of Katniss in the first book.
Not only did Katniss defy social identities of the role of District 12 tributes, she caused almost every citizen of Panem to realize the idea of self-determination, as they soon decided that they had had enough of being controlled by the Capitol and President Snow. Suddenly, the practice of the annual Hunger Games and the extraordinary wealth in the Capitol compared to the twelve other districts seemed inhumane, and Katniss truly was the mockingjay that got the entire process started. Even at the end of the third book, when the new President Coin put forth the idea of a final Hunger Games using Capitol children, Katniss' supposed role was to go along with the idea. She was then to shoot President Snow and allow Coin to take control, but she once again pushed the boundaries of reasonable expectation by publicly murdering President Coin. The series is filled with these kinds of twists and turns, but each of them serves a distinct purpose - to prove that Katniss Everdeen is not controlled by anyone, and that at every opportunity she gets, she is inherently wired to rebel against the current status quo. In class on the day we discussed the quote I used above, some of the people we came up with that changed the social practice of their sport included Magic Johnson, the Williams' sisters, and the Jamaican bobsled team. However, none of them can hold a candle to the actions of the Hunger Games' Katniss Everdeen.
- Alex Jacobs
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