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| When have you felt so desperate? |
Speaking of "games", I still am trying to wrap my head around the name. "The Hunger Games". Why is the chosen name? Why are they games? For me, games are fun. I enjoy games. I choose to play games for enjoyment. Let me tell you, I would not be volunteering for these games. As for the "hunger" part, the Districts are all poor and hungry, but the games aren't meant to symbolize this. Unless I am missing something. They are symbolizing the uprising of a no longer existing district 13 who tried to overthrow the government. The games are meant to show that the government forever has control. Does this also serve as a reminder that the government can keep their citizens hungry? Or does it mean that the citizens hunger for these games as a source of entertainment? I find the name interesting and still think about why the author chose it.
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| My Version of "Game" |
In the middle of the chapter, after Katniss has volunteered herself, the crowd salutes. They do not clap. They do not cheer. They bring their three middle fingers to their lips. A gesture, discussed in the book, occasionally seen at funerals to show admiration and say goodbye. I wonder why this is the tribute. We have our own tributes here: flowers, poems, wakes (which obviously wouldn't make sense being she is living), cards, words. This silent salute seems somewhat military-like, but even though it was just read on a page, the emotion and power of it was overwhelming.
I went to look into further detail about who may use a three finger salute. Of course, in girl scouts we had to hold up three fingers and say the Girl Scout Pledge: "On my honor....", but that is different than this. It appeared from my research that the Serbians also use a three-finger salute to signify nationalism. Finally, I found research on the "Kuhnen salute" who was a leader in the German neo-Nazi movement and used a three-finger salute to replace the Nazi salute. From this I start thinking that it would make most sense that it would be a sense of District 12 pride and support for a fellow citizen. It does not appear militant as some of the other salutes may suggest nor does it need words to accompany it such as the girl scout one.
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| Serbian Three Finger Salute |
Delving further into the chapter, I just become further entranced by the story and the truly barbaric nature of what is happening. How is this book so popular when it is so brutal? And what is wrong with Effie Trinket? I can just picture her standing there "Happy Hunger Games!" How does no one want to hurt her? And just as I am getting more and more angry at her and finding out the other tribute and thinking we will finally move on with the games, the author does it again. This is where my re-reading comes into play once more. One moment I am standing in the square with the district 12 citizens awaiting the speech on how the Hunger Games came to be to end and the next moment I am in the mines learning of the death of Katniss' father. She goes into length about her connection the other tribute, a boy, Peeta, which I predict will be important in later chapters, and then poof! we are back in the square.
And the re-reading begins...
So far in the two chapters, I have used re-reading to an almost obscene amount to make sure I was following along and keeping up. I have tried to predict what would come next. The first chapter ended with the words "Primrose Everdeen". Without even continuing, I predicted the terror the family was now facing. The decision Katniss would face because she would stop at nothing to defend her sister. And then with the extensive coverage of the history of Peeta and Katniss, I predict there is more to their story and it will be important to the games. The only problem is, only one can live, and I am sure I will already be attached to both.
Suzanne Collins continues to keep me interested in the story and until the next chapter, I will keep thinking "why 12?", "why the "Hunger Games", "does Panem mean anything?" and lots of other questions that continually pop into my head.
Kristen,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post! You have shared great insight on a lot of the books meanings and they are questions that I'm positive the author had intended for her readers to ask. I too was skeptical about the three finger salute but it didn't even occur to me to research it. To be quiet honest, a fantasy novel like this one, I figured it might be answered later on as I read the book as to what the three finger salute meant. However, it's pretty interesting to read about your findings with the shared gestures of the Serbians and the Nazis.
Re-reading is a big part of trying to make the context comprehensible. It's a great cognitive strategy. Although it could be a bit tedious it is very important for us to always go back and try and figure out what we've just read. I find this to be very helpful when reading anything really.
I also like your strategy of generating a number of questions. Why is it titled "The Hunger Games"? as well as your take on the definition of GAMES. Yes, most of us, at least in our society today, games = FUN. When I read the first two chapters and discovered that there were going to be 24 tributes to play in these games where only 1 survives; I immediately thought of Gladiators. It was such a long time ago where people enjoyed going to coliseums and watching people die. This was fun for them at the time. Same concept with "The Hunger Games" except that it's more like a reality TV show that people seem to enjoy watching.