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Panem and Class Struggle GROUP # 1 Courtesy of http://www.btol.com/pdfs/hg-TeachingDiscussionGuide.pdf How does Katniss feel about the country
of Panem? Why does she need to make her face “an
indifferent mask” and be careful what she says in public? 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.
Do you believe there is any chance to eradicate class struggles in the
future? Peeta
GROUP # 2 Courtesy of http://www.btol.com/pdfs/hg-TeachingDiscussionGuide.pdf 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?
What does he fear more than death? Is he able to stay true to himself during
the Games? Why does Peeta
join with the Career Tributes in the beginning of the Games? What does he
hope to gain? Why do they accept him when they start hunting as a group? Why
do groups form in the beginning when they know only one of them will be able
to survive? Cruelty and Culture GROUP # 3 Courtesy of http://www.btol.com/pdfs/hg-TeachingDiscussionGuide.pdf What do you think is the cruelest part
of the Hunger Games? What kind of people would devise this spectacle for the
entertainment of their populace? Can you see parallels between these Games
and the society that condones them, and other
related events and cultures in the history of the world? Reality TV GROUP #4 Courtesy of http://www.btol.com/pdfs/hg-TeachingDiscussionGuide.pdf Reality TV has been a part of the
entertainment world since the early days of television (with shows such as
Candid Camera and the Miss America Pageant), but in the 21st century there
has been a tremendous growth of competitive shows and survival shows. Discuss
this phenomenon with respect to The
Hunger Games. What other aspects of our popular culture do you see
reflected in this story? Tributes GROUP
#5 Courtesy of http://www.btol.com/pdfs/hg-TeachingDiscussionGuide.pdf How does the fact that the tributes
are always on camera affect their behavior from the time they are chosen?
Does it make it easier or harder for them to accept their fate? How are the
“career tributes” different from the others? 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? Compare those
ceremonies in real life to the one in the story. |