THE HUNGER GAMES

Ultimate Reading Guide

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ABOUT THE HUNGER GAMES

In this gripping young adult novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present, the nation of Panem consists of a shining Capitol surrounded by 12 outlying Districts, in the ruins of the area once known as North America. In this stratified society where the Capitol controls all resources, 16-year-old Katniss and her friend Gale forage for food in the woods surrounding their impoverished District. The main support for both their families, Katniss and Gale are apprehensive about the approaching annual Reaping, when two “tributes” between the ages of 12 and 18 will be chosen by lottery from each of the 12 districts to compete in The Hunger Games, a survival contest on live TV in which teenagers fight to the death.

When her beloved younger sister Prim is chosen as one of the “tributes,” Katniss volunteers to go in her sister’s place. Her fellow tribute from District 12 is Peeta, a boy with whom she soon develops a complicated relationship. After traveling to the Capitol and undergoing elaborate training and preparation, Katniss and Peeta are launched into the Game. In the terrifying events that follow, Katniss must marshal all her skills to stay alive and all her emotions to remain a caring human being in the face of the stark brutality of the Games. “It’s hard to choose one element that inspired The Hunger Games,” says Suzanne Collins. “Probably the first seeds were planted when, as an eight-year-old with a mythology obsession, I read the story of Theseus. The myth told how in punishment for past deeds, Athens periodically had to send seven youths and seven maidens to Crete where they were thrown in the Labyrinth and devoured by the monstrous Minotaur. Even as a third grader, I could appreciate the ruthlessness of this message. ‘Mess with us and we’ll do something worse than kill you. We’ll kill your children.’

“Other early influences would have to include watching too many gladiator movies, which dramatized the Romans’ flair for turning executions into popular entertainment; my military specialist dad who took us to battlefields for family vacations; and touring with a sword fighting company in high school. But it wasn’t until the much more recent experience of channel surfing between reality TV programming and actual war coverage that the story for this series came to me.”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS for The Hunger Games

Relationships and Identity

What are the roles that Katniss plays with Gale, Prim, and her mother?
How do those relationships define her personality?
How does her early encounter with Peeta affect their relationship once they are tributes?

Know Your Audience

When Peeta declares his love for Katniss in the interview, does he really mean it?
Why do they need to impress sponsors and what are those sponsors looking for when they are watching the Games?

A Conflict of Interest

Why does Peeta join with the Career Tributes in the beginning of the Games?
Why do groups form when they know only one of them can survive?

Fight or Flight

Why does Katniss ignore Haymitch’s advice to head away from the Cornucopia?
Did she do the right thing to fight for equipment?
What are the most important skills she has for staying alive in the arena?

Partners and Friends

What makes Katniss and Rue trust each other to become partners?
What does Katniss gain from this friendship besides companionship?

REFLECTION AND ANALYSIS for The Hunger Games

An Elaborate Performance

How does the fact that the tributes are always on camera affect their behavior from the time they are chosen?
Does that make it easier or harder for them to accept their fate?
Why are the tributes given stylists and dressed so elaborately for the opening ceremony?
Does this ceremony remind you of events in our world, either past or present?

Rue and Symbolism

Discuss the meaning of the mockingjay call and its significance for both Rue and Katniss.
What is the effect on the audience and the Gamemakers of the way Katniss honors Rue after her death?
What is the importance of symbolism as the story progresses?

Performance vs. True Self

Before the Games start, Peeta tells Katniss, “I want to die as myself . . . I don’t want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I’m not.” What does this tell you about Peeta’s character?
Is he able to stay true to himself during the Games?

A Controlled Environment

How do the Gamemakers control what happens during the Games?
Why does Katniss think, just before the final interview, after she and Peeta have won, that “the most dangerous part of the Hunger Games is about to begin”? (p. 359)

RESEARCH AND PROJECTS for The Hunger Games

Class Struggle and Social Control

In 1848, Karl Marx wrote in The Communist Manifesto, “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.” Discuss this statement as it applies to the society and government of Panem.
Cite examples in history and in our world today.
Do you believe that humanity has a chance to eradicate class struggles in the future? Why or why not?

Social and Historical Parallels

What parallels can you identify between the Hunger Games, the government that supports them, and actual cultures in the history of the world?
Compare the concept of the Hunger Games to the ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.
Compare the government of Panem to the ancient Roman world. worldhistory.org/Rome
How is the ruling class in the Capitol similar to the patricians in Roman times?
Are there other times in history that are reflected in the way this society is depicted?

ABOUT CATCHING FIRE

Katniss and Peeta have returned to their home District, but the return is hardly triumphant. Haunted by nightmares of the brutal deaths in the arena, Katniss is confused by her feelings for Peeta, while her relationship with her hunting partner and oldest friend, Gale, is changed in subtle ways. Most challenging, though, is her relationship to the leaders in the Capitol. Her act of defiance in attempting a double suicide at the end of the Games forced them to allow both her and Peeta to live, and there are intimations that Katniss has now become a symbol for rebellion in the Districts. The Victory Tour, designed to remind the people in the Districts of the power of the Capitol, may be having quite a different effect this year.

Then President Snow announces plans for the Quarter Quell, the 75th anniversary Games. Every 25 years the Capitol devises a new twist for the reaping, and this year they announce that the tributes will be chosen from among the victors of previous Games. Thrown into the arena once more with Peeta, Katniss’s strategy must be different this year, but even Katniss doesn’t realize the implications of these Games and the outside forces that are gathering strength to undermine the entire society.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS for Catching Fire

Katniss and Gale

How did Katniss’s participation in the Games change her relationship with Gale?
Why does Gale refuse Katniss’s offer to try to escape into the wild?
What does he mean when he says, “It can’t be about just saving us anymore”?

A Relationship in the Spotlight

How do the events of the Victory Tour affect Katniss and Peeta, their relationship to each other, and their feelings about their future?

Government and Control

Why do you think President Snow comes to Katniss’s home?
What does he mean when he says, “… you have provided a spark which left unattended may grow into an inferno … ”
Why do the Capitol officials attack those who befriended Katniss? Why is Cinna attacked just before Katniss is placed in the arena?
What effect does this have on Katniss?

Decency vs. Determination

What makes Katniss say, “No wonder I won the Games. No decent person ever does.”?
Is she being too hard on herself?
What makes her realize that fighting the Capitol is more important than running away?
What is the importance of her meeting with Bonnie and Twill in the forest?

Titular Symbolism

What is the meaning of the title?
Identify at least two of the ways in which the theme of “catching fire” is represented in this book.

REFLECTION AND ANALYSIS for Catching Fire

Haymitch’s Legacy

What do Katniss and Peeta learn when they watch the video of Haymitch’s Hunger Games, the Second Quarter Quell?
How does it affect their understanding of Haymitch and the mockingjay symbol?
In what way did Haymitch trick the Capitol?

Resistance and Respect

How do both Peeta and Katniss mock the Gamemakers during the “talent show” portion of the training?
Why do they each take the chance of offending those who will control the Games?
How does this change their feelings for each other?

Resistance and Community

When does Katniss realize the importance of forming alliances with the other tributes?
Why does Finnick save Peeta’s life? Describe the relationship between Katniss and Johanna.
What important contribution does each one of the allies make to keep the group alive?
What is the role of the unseen “sponsors”?

Knowledge and Power

What does Haymitch mean when he tells Katniss, “You just remember who the enemy is —that’s all.”
Who is the enemy? Is Peeta or Katniss more important to the rebellion?
Why were Katniss and Peeta not aware of the plans for the rebellion?
Why were they kept in the dark when other tributes knew about it?

RESEARCH AND PROJECTS for Catching Fire

Abuses of Power

Why do you think the Capitol devises a special reaping for every 25th Game?
Do you believe the requirements were decided in the past or were they designed for this Game to force Katniss and Peeta back to the arena?
What does the Capitol hope to gain by sending previous victors back to the Games?
Why does the Capitol believe that a sense of hope is so dangerous in the districts?
Compare this to actual historical conflicts you have studied when one group of people tried to control and exert power over others in their country.

Symbols of Resistance

What is the significance of the mockingjay image?
What does a symbol like this mean to the people in the districts and the people in the Capitol?
Discuss how the mockingjay species developed and why their song is important.
Identify symbols that have had meaning in historical struggles and fights for freedom.
What symbols are important to people in struggles today?

ABOUT MOCKINGJAY

Katniss has been rescued from the Quarter Quell, along with several of her allies in the Games, but Peeta is now a prisoner of President Snow in the Capitol. As she recovers from her trauma in the arena, Katniss becomes aware that the rebellion has begun in earnest, orchestrated by District 13, the place she once believed was obliterated in the last war. Gale, along with his family and Katniss’s sister and mother, has escaped the destruction of District 12 and all are now settling into a new life in the vast underground installation that comprises District 13.

Katniss is reluctant at first to assume the role planned for her—the face of the rebellion, the Mockingjay. Only after a televised interview showing Peeta in the hands of the Capitol does she understand what she must do, using the costume created for her by Cinna before he was killed. But she is uncomfortable with the orchestrated and controlled handling of her “image” and the militaristic members of the rebellion, especially the calculating leader, Coin. Determined to be the one to assassinate President Snow and to help bring about the downfall of the Capitol, Katniss once again finds herself in an arena—only this one represents a life or death struggle for the entire society. Katniss faces critical choices: Whom should she trust? What should her role be? Do ends justify means? What is right and wrong? What truths must she follow?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS for MOCKINGJAY

Home and Security

What is Katniss’s greatest challenge when she returns to see the ruins of her home?
What is the meaning of the rose she finds on her dresser?
Why does she keep repeating facts about herself?
Why does Katniss take the cat Buttercup back to District 13?
What role does Buttercup play in the story in later chapters?

Love vs. Power

Discuss how the relationship between Katniss and Gale is changing in this book.
Did Katniss ever love Gale the way he wants her to love him?
Does Gale truly love Katniss?

Performing the Mockingjay

What influences Katniss’s decision to take on the role of the Mockingjay?
Discuss the conditions she requires.
How does Coin react to those conditions?

Growth and Sisterhood

Discuss the changing nature of Prim’s role in the story as she grows older.
Identify times when Prim helps Katniss when no one else can.

Romance and Female Agency

How does Katniss feel when she overhears the conversation between Gale and Peeta about which one of them she will choose?
In the end, why do you think she makes the choice she does?

REFLECTION AND ANALYSIS for MOCKINGJAY

Control vs. Leadership

What makes Katniss say, “In some ways District 13 is even more controlling than the Capitol”?
Discuss the feelings between Katniss and Coin. Why do they distrust each other, even though they are fighting on the same side of this conflict?
Do you believe that Katniss is a threat to Coin’s power?

Trust and Betrayal

Why does Katniss feel guilt and insecurity when confronting Peeta, and what makes her say, “Finally, he can see me for who I really am. Violent. Distrustful. Manipulative. Deadly”?

Truth and Closure

Why does Paylor allow Katniss to enter the rooms where Snow is being held?
Does she know that Snow will reveal the role of the rebels in Prim’s death?
Do you think Snow tells Katniss the truth?
Do you think that Katniss assassinates Coin to avenge Prim, or because she believes it is for the greater good of the country?
How does Katniss escape retribution for Coin’s death?

Questionable Motivation

What are Coin’s motives in ordering Peeta to join Katniss’s squad in the Capitol?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having him on the squad?
When Boggs transfers the Holo to Katniss, why does he say, “Don’t trust them?” Who does he mean?

RESEARCH AND PROJECTS for MOCKINGJAY

Media and Influence

Discuss the role of “propaganda” in our own society today on television and beyond, and the techniques that are used to influence our thinking.
How do these techniques compare to those used by the Capitol and the rebels of District 13 in Mockingjay?
What can viewers do to be sure they are not being swayed by propaganda, both in the story and in our own world?

Actions vs. Their Results

When Katniss learns of the work Gale is doing with Beetee, using the psychology of trapping as much as the mechanics, she says, “Seems to be crossing some kind of line.” Gale’s reply is that they are “following the same rule book President Snow used.” Do the ends in this battle justify the means, as Gale seems to imply?

Living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Research the symptoms and treatment of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). How is this condition portrayed in the Hunger Games books?
Discuss the many ways it can appear in real life.
How does Katniss counteract her symptoms?
How does each of the tributes that have been in the arena cope with these problems, including the older ones like Haymitch?

ABOUT THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined—every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Hobbes vs. Locke

Which character in this book most exemplifies the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes that all humans are essentially selfish and need a strong central government?
Which characters develop that belief through the events of the story?
Which characters believe, as John Locke did, that humans should all be treated equally for the common good? How do these characters act as a result of their beliefs?
Do you think the decisions they make are evil or necessary? Do you think they believe their actions are evil or necessary?

“Monstrous” Origins

Discuss how the Mary Shelley quote about the creature created by Dr. Frankenstein relates to the characters in this book. Which of them had the “promise of virtues” destroyed by “the loathing and scorn” that were “manifested toward” them?
Do you believe that people can become “monsters” through the way they are treated by others?

Loyalty and Motivation

Compare the family backgrounds of Coriolanus and Sejanus. How do their childhood experiences affect how each feels about the Capitol, the Hunger Games, and being mentors to the tributes?

A Natural Performer

Describe Lucy Gray Baird’s appearance at the reaping and why it has the effect it does on the audience, in District 12 and the Capitol. In what ways does she represent the quotation from Wordsworth— “Sweet is the lore which Nature brings”?

Choices and Human Nature

Why does Coriolanus decide to meet the train that brings the tributes to the Capitol, and why does he stay with the tributes? Describe the ways that he is influenced by Lucy Gray and how she responds to him. What makes Lucy Gray believe him to be trustworthy? Does he betray that trust?
How do Coriolanus’s and Lucy’s views of human nature influence the way they see each other, their communities, and the decisions they make?
Which philosophers from the epigraph at the beginning of the book represent each of their viewpoints?
Why do you think Sejanus went into the arena? Why does Dr. Gaul insist that Coriolanus go in after him? What does the time they spend in the arena tell us about the nature of both Sejanus and Coriolanus? What does this scene tell us about Dr. Gaul’s motivation?

The Power of Song

How do Lucy Gray’s songs affect Coriolanus when she sings in the Capitol? Why is he disturbed by some of her ballads and not by others? How else does he respond to her songs in the Capitol? What is the difference when he hears her sing in District 12? Beyond the Capitol
How does Coriolanus feel about being forced to join the Peacekeepers? Why does he request to be sent to District 12? Why does Sejanus follow Coriolanus to District 12?
How do Coriolanus’s and Sejanus’s personalities affect their behavior in the District?

REFLECTION AND ANALYSIS for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Experiences and Actions

In interviews, Suzanne Collins has mentioned philosopher John Locke’s concept of tabula rasa, or blank slate, which states that we are all products of our experiences. Coriolanus, Sejanus, Tigris, Lucy Gray, and Lysistrata all experienced similar deprivations and trauma, but they each take different actions.
Choose one or more of the characters listed above and explain how their experiences influence how they behave and the decisions they make.

Love vs. Power

What effect does Lucy Gray have on Coriolanus in the beginning and at the end of the story?
When does he begin to feel that she can actually win the Games?
Discuss the influences on the personality of Coriolanus that would cause him to distrust Lucy Gray and abandon her in the end.

Protest Music

What is the significance of the event that inspires the “Hanging Tree” song? What does Coriolanus learn from that experience?
Why do you think Coriolanus instantly dislikes the mockingjays?
Discuss Lucy’s comment to him in the Capitol, “The show’s not over until the mockingjay sings.” Morals vs. Self Preservation
Why do you think Sejanus decides to help the rebels in District 12?
Why does Coriolanus betray him by sending the jabberjay message to Dr. Gaul? Describe his feelings as Sejanus is executed.
Relate the happenings in District 12 to the Rousseau quote: “Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains.” What are the “chains” that hold each of these characters?

Chaos, Control, and Contract

Consider the relationship of Coriolanus to Dr. Gaul. What are his feelings about her at the beginning of the story and at the end?
What is the importance of the essay he writes for her on chaos, control, and contract? What do each of those concepts come to mean to Coriolanus?
How do those concepts relate to the philosophies of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau in the quotes at the beginning of the book?

What’s in a Name?

Discuss the title of this book. Why do you think it is called a “Ballad”?
Who are the Songbirds and who are the Snakes, and what philosophies do they align with?
How do birds and snakes play a part in the narrative?
Why do you think the author added an epilogue, and why is Coriolanus referred to only as Snow in the epilogue?

RESEARCH AND PROJECTS for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Humanity and Government

Read the quotations from Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau at the start of the book. Rewrite each quotation in modern language to help explain and make it more clear.
Which of these quotations aligns the most closely with how Coriolanus sees the world?
Which of them describes the views of Sejanus?
How do the actions of Coriolanus and Sejanus reflect these different views of human nature?

Ancient Roman Influences

Names of the characters in this book are carefully chosen. Many of the citizens in the Capitol are named after ancient Roman figures—choose one and do some research to see what similarities they might have.
Other names are used too—Sejanus and Coriolanus have the last names of Plinth and Snow. What might be the reasons Suzanne chose those names?
Look up the history of the ancient Roman named Coriolanus, whose life is part history and part legend. How does his story compare to the life of Coriolanus Snow? Why would Suzanne Collins use that name? Why might she have chosen the last name of Snow?

Musical Influences and Impact

Music is especially important in this volume. Identify instances in which music reflects or influences events or characters, both in the Capitol and in District 12 and from the Panem anthem to the Hanging Tree song?
What is the importance of the old folk ballads, especially in District 12?
Research the growth and development of ballads and story songs in the Appalachian regions of the United States and their historical counterparts, in particular the ballads of “Tam Lin,” “Clerk Saunders,” and “Barbara Allen.”
Can you identify other songs that have evolved from an historic incident to become symbolic to a group of people, either in American history or in another country?

Upon the Lonesome Wild

Compare the life of Lucy Gray Baird to the poem “Lucy Gray” by William Wordsworth.
The romanticism of Wordsworth’s poetry celebrates individualism, the natural world, and free expression of emotion. How are these values reflected in the lifestyle of The Covey?
How does Lucy Gray’s fate in the poem presage the ambiguous ending of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?

ABOUT SUNRISE ON THE REAPING

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

Discussion Questions for Sunrise on the Reaping

Family and Relationships

How does Effie’s relationship with the District 12 tributes differ from Drusilla’s?
Discussing Lenore with Haymitch, Snow states, “You love her. And oh, how she seems to love you. Except sometimes you wonder, because her plans don’t include you at all.” (129) What has Lenore Dove kept hidden from Haymitch? How does that affect him? Why do you think Lenore Dove hid things from Haymitch?

Rising to the Occasion

In what ways do Haymitch’s actions at the reaping set the tone for his behavior during the entire Quarter Quell?
When we first encounter Maysilee, Haymitch describes her as “the most stuck-up girl in town.” (10) What are the attributes that cause him to describe her that way? How does she use those attributes to her advantage in resisting control from the Capitol and forging alliances with the other Tributes, including Haymitch?
What is it about Haymitch that allows Plutarch and Beetee to trust him? To what degree does he trust them in return and why?

Manipulation and Control

With so much of his experience dictated by other people—like Snow, Plutatch, and the Gamemakers—at what moments does Haymitch take charge and make his own decisions?
Plutarch says he is trying to overthrow the Hunger Games while remaining in favor with Snow. Whose side do you believe he’s on? Why?
Which tributes use mental prowess to navigate the Games, as opposed to technology, weaponry, or brute strength?
What are some of the strategies that Snow uses to keep control of the districts?

Strategies and Partnerships

How do Haymitch’s feelings for Maysilee transform from loathing to grudging respect to love? Can you pinpoint the moment that she became a sister to him?
Why do tributes form alliances at the start of the Games when they all know that only one person can win, not a group?
How are the dynamics of alliances impacted in the Games with twice as many tributes?

REFLECTION AND ANALYSIS for Sunrise on the Reaping

Propaganda and Public Opinion

Plutarch tells the tributes, “Public opinion is driven by emotion. People have an emotional response to something, then they come up with an argument for why it logically makes sense… Make the audience feel for you, they’ll figure out intellectually why you’re the right tribute to support.” (199) In what ways do Haymitch and the other tributes use the fact that they are always on camera to their advantage? How is it to their disadvantage?
The final parachute delivered to Haymitch, toward the end of the games, leads him to realize, “I am completely in Snow’s power and his to manipulate. His puppet. His pawn. His plaything. It is his poster I am painting. His propaganda. I am trapped into doing his bidding in the Hunger Games, the best propaganda the Capitol has.” (322) Why is it significant that it is milk that was delivered by the parachute? What is a poster in the context of the Hunger Games? Why is Part III of the book titled “The Poster”?
In what ways do Snow and those involved in the creation and promotion of the Hunger Games control the narrative throughout the story? How does the audience, composed of citizens in the Capitol and in the Districts, impact what is shown during the Games?
Watching the recap, Haymitch finally sees how his experience differs from the story that the Capitol is going to tell going forward. Why is he so critical of himself? After the Games are over, why does he play along with Snow?

Playing the Long Game

Lenore Dove tells Haymitch that she once read, “sometimes the only thing you can control is your attitude to a situation.” (119) How does this advice influence him during the Games?
What does Snow mean when he tells Haymitch that he will “orchestrate his death based on his behavior”? (129) How does this threat play out in the book?
On the victor’s tour, Plutarch tells Haymitch, “You were capable of imagining a different future. And maybe it won’t be realized today, maybe not in our lifetime. Maybe it will take generations.” (377) What kind of character does it take to work towards a goal they may not be there to realize? Identify a historical figure with this type of character.
What does it mean when Pa told Sarshee, “Don’t let them paint their posters with your blood.”? (49)

Conditioned Compliance

Talking to Haymitch the day of the reaping, Lenore Dove declares, “And that’s part of our trouble. Thinking things are inevitable. Not believing change is possible.” (10) Why do the Districts send their children to the Games every year? What would happen if they refused?
There is a moment of confusion in the training he alludes to? How do the citizens of Panem freely gym where the tributes are all armed and have an give their power away? opportunity to attack their captors. (103) Why
The opening quotation by David Hume reads, don’t they? “Force is always on the side of the governed,
Discussing Capitol rule, and the Games more the governors have nothing to support them specifically, Plutarch states, “I still don’t think the but opinion.” Describe the ways the Capitol fear they inspire justifies this arrangement we’ve controls the population of Panem, which vastly all entered into.” (104) What is the arrangement outnumbers its leadership.

RESEARCH AND PROJECTS for Sunrise on the Reaping

The Power of Song

Clerk Carmine points out that “music can be a bridge to better understanding between people.” (68) Describe the impact that music making has for the Covey. Compare that to a time in your life where music was a bridge to understanding with another person or people.
Identify parallels between one the songs of District 12 and that of a folk song from the past: https://folkways.si.edu

Implicit Submission

The opening quote from David Hume notes, “Nothing appears more surprising to those, who consider human affairs with a philosophical eye, than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few; and the implicit submission, with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers.” Identify examples of this in the real world, both historical and contemporary.
Scottish philosopher Adam Ferguson theorizes that nations who give too much power away to their leaders fall into despotism and tyranny. Research Ferguson’s writings on civil society and use them as a frame to analyze the social and political systems in Panem.

Literary Tributes

Edgar Allen Poe’s poem The Raven is a consistent refrain in the story. Explain how it is used to both support and break up the text. Describe the ways in which it enhances the text.
Annotate and analyze the various lyrics in the songs of the Covey, identifying connections to real world events, literature, and music.
Imagine a conversation between George Orwell and William Blake, whose quotes open the novel, where they discuss truth, lies, and propaganda in Sunrise on the Reaping.

Technology, Blind Spots, and A.I.

Upon meeting her, Haymitch summarizes Wiress’s strategy of using a blind spot to win the Games the previous year as following light beams, and he doubts she will be a useful mentor. (88) Compare and contrast the two character’s paths to victory in the Games, identifying literal and figurative blind spots that Haymitch uses to his advantage.
Plutarch mentions to the tributes while filming propos that there are ‘tools’ for editing that were “abolished and incapacitated in the past, ones deemed fated to destroy humanity because of their ability to replicate any scenario using any person.” (201) Research the ethical debates surrounding A.I. and reflect on why technology such as this was abolished in Panem.

Comparing the Books

QUESTIONS AND ANALYSIS

Should Violence Be Justified?

Suzanne Collins has said that she wants to examine aspects of “just war theory” in these books (New York Times interview, Oct. 18, 2018). What is your understanding of that term?
Societies have been trying to justify war against others throughout history. What would constitute a “just war”?
Can you justify the treatment of the Capitol toward the districts?
Can you justify the uprising of the districts against the Capitol?
What could stop this cycle of destruction?

The Evolution of the Games

Compare the early Hunger Games in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to the contest in Sunrise on the Reaping and the ones described in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.
How do you imagine the changes in the Games came about over the years?
What aspects of Lucy Gray’s Hunger Games appeared in later years?
What part did Snow play in making those changes? What part does Plutarch play?
How does the relationship between Haymitch and his younger brother Sid mirror that of Katniss and Prim? What other similarities do you think Haymitch and Katniss had while growing up?

Narrative Structure

The first three books in the series and Sunrise on the Reaping are three parts of nine chapters, while The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is three parts of ten chapters. Many plays have three acts. How does that affect the action in each book?
What is distinct about each section?
What similarities are there between the first, second, or third sections in each book?
What are the outer, inner, and emotional journeys of Coriolanus in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?
In interviews, Suzanne Collins has shared that when she is planning out her book, she determines “the dramatic questions of the story for the outer, the inner, and the emotional journeys of the protagonist.” (Interview with Suzanne Collins, suzannecollinsbooks.com) What are the journeys of Katniss in the Hunger Games books?
How do the journeys progress separately throughout the books, and how do they converge?
How do the narrative journeys of Coriolanus and Haymitch converge with and enhance that of Katniss’s in The Hunger Games Trilogy?
How is Lenore Dove connected to and inspired by Lucy Gray? How are they both connected to Katniss Everdeen?

The Normalization of Violence

Why are all citizens of Panem required to watch the Hunger Games on television as the Games progress through the years?
How does this affect the people?
Why don’t they rebel earlier against the brutality of the Games?
What is the importance of the propos that are created for the rebellion in Mockingjay and the way they are used?
Discuss the effect of television and reality TV in your own life.

Fiction vs. Reality

Compare the society in Panem (the government, its tight control on the population, and the forces for the later rebellion) to others that you have studied or encountered in books or films.
Consider historical and contemporary nations as well as fictional worlds. What does Panem have in common with these cultures, and how does it differ?
What can we learn about our own world from studying and reading about historical and fictional societies?

Music and Resistance

Discuss the role of music throughout this series of books. What is the significance of the “Hanging Tree” song? How many ways does that song play a part throughout the series?
Research the history of the song “Strange Fruit” sung by Billie Holiday and discuss its similarities and differences to Katniss’s song.
Research the role of music in uprisings in history, e.g., the American and French Revolutions, the American Civil War, and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

Social Manipulation

Discuss the concept of Panem et Circenses that Plutarch explains to Katniss.
What is the effect of easy food and entertainment on the citizens of the Capitol?
What is the effect of hunger and the lack of resources on the Snow family?
How does this society compare to that of the Roman Empire?
Why do the districts in Panem seem to have no concept of history before “The Dark Days”?

Art and War

The poet Wilfred Owen wrote in the early 20th century, “My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity . . . All a poet can do today is warn. That is why the true Poets must be truthful.” Discuss this quote in relation to Suzanne Collins’s writing about the conflict between the Capitol and the rebels.
What warning must the people of Panem heed if their new government is to succeed?
What warning must we heed about our own society and government?

Exploring “Real” Entertainment

Reality TV has been a part of the entertainment world since the early days of television, with an increase in quantity and sophistication through the 21st century. How is the world of The Hunger Games a reaction to these shows?
How do these books influence the way you perceive the “reality” of these shows?
What other aspects of popular culture do you see reflected in this story?

The Victor Alliance

Why are Finnick and Johanna important to Katniss? Compare her connections to them in Catching Fire during their time in the arena to their relationship in Mockingjay.
Discuss how Finnick and Johanna each help Katniss prepare for the final fight.
What is the effect of Finnick’s “propo” about his treatment by President Snow?

Fiery Symbolism

Discuss the symbolism of fire throughout the series.
How does Katniss change from the synthetic “girl on fire” created by Cinna for the opening ceremonies in The Hunger Games, to the girl whose spirit “catches fire” for the rebellion, to the girl who nearly dies by fire in the overthrow of the Capitol in Mockingjay?

HISTORICAL AND LITERARY CONNECTIONS

Learn More: The Legend of King Minos

Suzanne Collins was inspired by the Greek legend of King Minos of Crete who demanded that seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls be sacrificed periodically in the labyrinth of the Minotaur until the hero Theseus volunteered to go in place of one of the youths and was able to slay the monster.
The story can be studied in Edith Hamilton’s Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes and in Mary Renault’s fictionalized version The King Must Die.

Learn More: The Ancient Roman Empire

The names of the residents of the Capitol and District 2 recall those used in Roman times.
Study of the Roman Empire will yield many connections to The Hunger Games trilogy— the autocratic rule of The Capitol, the political machinations of President Snow, training of youth for a fight to the death to amuse the Capitol’s citizens, and the politics of the rebellion.
Even the name of the country, Panem, comes from the Roman phrase, “panem et circenses”—the bread and circuses which the Romans provided to control the population by keeping them contented and entertained.
Reading classic literary novels of Rome, such as Howard Fast’s Spartacus and Robert Graves’s I, Claudius and Claudius the God will enhance those connections.

Learn More: The Medieval World

Joan of Arc is an historical figure brought to mind by Katniss and the way she is manipulated for political and tactical reasons.
Joan’s peasant upbringing, determination, and sheer grit in the face of her enemies in 15th century France make a fascinating comparison to the role Katniss takes on for the rebellion in Mockingjay.

Learn More: Shakespeare’s Plays and Adaptations

There are a number of themes in Shakespeare’s plays that can be compared with The Hunger Games books, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping.
You can read Julius Caesar to see more about how Roman history connects with themes of power and the downfall of the powerful.
You can compare Snow’s hold on the presidency to the tragic results of ambition and thirst for power in Macbeth.
The star-crossed lover theme can be compared to Romeo and Juliet, and the effort involved in bringing down a despotic ruler plays out in Richard III.
For another view of Richard III, see Josephine Tey’s compelling mystery The Daughter of Time (Touchstone, 1995), exploring the idea that history is written by the victors in any conflict.

Learn More: Art as War Critic

Wilfred Owen, a young man who fought and died in the trenches of Europe in World War I, wrote poignant poetry about the futility and horror of war.
His poems were used as text for Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, written for the re-consecration of Coventry Cathedral, an historic building destroyed in the Battle of Britain during World War II.
This musical piece was meant to be a warning to future generations about the futility of war: www.cco.caltech.edu/~tan/Britten/britwar.html

Learn More: Class Struggles in Literature

In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, set during the Dust Bowl years in the United States, extreme hunger leads ordinary people to seek extraordinary ways to stay alive in the Great Depression.
Steinbeck vividly depicts the struggle between poor farmers, bankers, and property-owners, a class struggle that is echoed in the difference between the Capitol and the districts in the Hunger Games series.

Learn More: Society and Control in Literature

The futuristic novels Brave New World, Nineteen- Eighty-Four, and Fahrenheit 451 all reflect the rigid control and stratified society of the populace that we see in The Hunger Games trilogy, while The Lord of the Flies explores how vicious young people can become when forced to survive in a wilderness setting.
Research the cultures and events in their own lives and times that led Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Ray Bradbury, and William Golding to create these bleak novels.

Learn More: Ritualistic Murder in Literature

“The Lottery,” a short story by Shirley Jackson, first published in The New Yorker in 1948, is a chilling tale of ritualistic murder committed as a fertility rite in small-town America (The Lottery and Other Stories, 2nd edition, by Shirley Jackson, Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2005).