"The Hunger Games" and the Functionalism Perspective Theory
Maria Maningo
22 January 2018
Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
"The Hunger Games" and the Functionalism Perspective Theory
In a dystopian future, "The Hunger Games" is set in what used to be the United States of America. The movie is illustrated as a post-apocalyptic world divided by a revolution lost by those that wanted a change. As a consequence of the revolt, the powers that triumphed placed upon them a decree that one female and one male child between the ages of twelve and seventeen from each of the twelve districts. They must be delivered to The Capitol and fight to the death, until one victor remains. This phenomenon, hence forth known as The Hunger Games, served as a reminder that revolt will not go unpunished. The main protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, took the place of her little sister after her name was drawn becoming the very first volunteer from District 12. The male tribute was a boy named Peeta Mellark, a baker 's son. After being transported to The Capitol, Katniss, Peeta, and the rest of the tributes are placed in tests, trainings, and judgements by the game makers. They are rated from one to twelve based on their skills and what the tributes show during the individual assessments. The higher the score, the more chances the tributes have of getting sponsors. Katniss received the highest score, an eleven out of twelve. Once the game begins, thirteen tributes have been killed
Human nature seems to be totally different in the next novel. In The Hunger Games, a male and female are selected out of twelve districts every year to participate in the games. The point of the game is to be placed in an inescapable battlefield and fight to the death. If a character wins the games you receive money, food, a house, and prestige. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are a part of the annual game.
Responsibility is key to survival in The Hunger Games because you must be responsible and careful before making a decision that depends on your life. “The price of greatness is responsibility.” (Winston Churchill) In The Hunger Games, two tributes, one male and one female under the age of eighteen, must leave their district to go and compete in The Hunger Games. While in the games all twenty-four tributes must fight to the death to entertain their Capital city.
Katniss is very poor which makes training for the Hunger Games very difficult for her. Unlike her opponents in other districts who train their whole lives for the Games. However, overall she proves to the city and district that she is a tragic hero through her self-sacrifice that led to victory. The Hunger games as you all are in common with was created by a bias capitol.
The Hunger Games is a fairly popular and typical tale that includes a heroine, courage, and bravery. This story can be read or watched through many different lenses such as a Marxist lens, feminist lens, or even an archetypal lens. Through these lenses one can see as a reader or viewer that this is not just a story that fits into one category, but one that can fit into many. Using the Marxist and feminist lenses a viewer can gain a great depth of knowledge into The Hunger Games story itself.
The Hunger Games is a fascinating series that challenges ideas about government and society. The government and elite citizens force the youth of different economic backgrounds to hunt one another for the amusement of the society’s elites and to demonstrate leadership. The districts have no choice but to obey the president's commands unless they wish to be publically humiliated and killed. Does this represent our political system? We have the freedom of speech but if we tried to start an uprising we would be detained and
There are several themes in the book, each one has a significant meaning to the storyline. The first symbol that describes the theme of abuse of power is government control. The reason that they hold the Hunger Games is because it is a dystopian society and most of the districts are poor and the capitol likes it because it keeps them entertained just because they believe that they are superior to everyone else who lives outside the capitol. To explain this more into detail, the government controls all the districts and all the districts have to follow the rules or else there is a serious punishment.
For instance, When the Mayor of district 12 begins to tell the history of Panem at the Reaping, Katniss says, “The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy, called tributes to participate” (Collins 18). The Hunger Games require tributes from each district as a punishment for the uprising that happened in district 13. This punishment by the Capitol is a way to demonstrate to the people that any efforts of revolt against the system in future would result in severe punishments and deaths. Subsequently in the novel, when Katniss questions about the Avox, Haymitch comments, “Someone who commited a crime.
At this point in the story, they have finally reached the surreal moment of winning the Hunger Games. In chapter twenty, page three hundred and forty five, the text states," '... Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark!' I give you---the tributes of District 12!' " Katniss's perseverance has paid off.
In the first installment of the Hunger Games series we are greeted to the character Katniss Everdeen. Katniss and her family reside in the lowly District 12, the coal mining district, where the felling of death and despair is a guarantee. After the death of her father in a coal mining accident Katniss must do whatever she must in order to ensure the survival of her family and herself. Directed by Gary Ross the film was both a critical and financial success.
Theme # 1- No matter what tyrannical environment you live in, your identity can never be changed The Hunger Games focuses on the theme of identity and how it is immutable in any tyrannical environment. This tells the audience that no one can take away your identity and it can only be controlled by you. In the movie, 24 tributes are forced to enter a game where they kill each other in order to survive which led them to losing their identity and becoming pawns to entertain the people of the Capitol.
The Hunger Games: A Modern Day Odyssey? The Hunger Games is about a civilization that randomly selects two members from the different districts. Those two members are then forced to fight in an “arena” in which there is only one victor. In a way the Hunger Games is very similar to the Odyssey. The Odyssey begins years after the Trojan War has ended and Odysseus has not returned home.
“The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins is a suspenseful and frightening story about a 16 year old girl, Katniss everdeen who is born into a small village called District 12. The capitol, which controls the districts hosts an annual Hunger Games each and every year. Two tributes, a boy and a girl from each district are chosen between the ages of 12-18 to compete against 22 other tributes, but only one can win. Katniss is not chosen, but her younger sister Prim is chosen at only 12 years old. Katniss volunteers in Prim 's place and is now in the hunger games.
Peeta Mellark, one of the main characters in the book The Hunger Games, once said, “ My nightmares are usually about losing you. But I am okay once I realise your here.” The novelis about two teens from each district in the country Panem being selected to be in the Hunger Games, a reality TV show that requires them to fight to the death. Over the course of the novel, the two main characters, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, develop romantic feelings for each other.
The Hunger Games trilogy revolves around universal dystopian themes such as :oppression, rebellion, class tension as well as appearance vs. reality ," Collins creates the world that on one hand seems quite improbable and extreme, but on the other, vividly reflects some specific issues in a real world, like social inequalities, ignorance and passivity of the people" (Macanić 7). Oppression is perhaps the most common and prevalent dystopian theme as it serves as a warning against a highly probable dark future through shedding light on the dark side of contemporary trends such as advanced technology and reality TV-shows .The Capitol 's oppression operates on two levels; districts and individuals. The districts in general and districts 11 and 12 in particular have suffered great injustices at the ruthless hands of the Capitol ; however, there is no greater injustice than The Hunger Games themselves not only are the people of Panem forced to surrender their children as tributes for the Capitol 's citizens viewing pleasure for a crime they had no hand in committing ,but they are also forced to watch helplessly as their children are killed in the most brutal of manners .In Catching Fire (2009) , President Snow decrees that " the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors" in order to get rid of Katniss once and for all ,and to further assert the Capitol 's dominance and quell any thoughts of rebellion(172).
Actually, Katniss is not chosen as tribute but she sacrifices herself as a tribute to replace her sister Prim. The plot also explains love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale. Katniss as a central role in this movie looks strong and convincing with a bow and arrow. The analysis of the hunger games will be explain with Marxist theory because this movie related with marxism issue which is social class between capitol and twelve district.