Megan K's blog

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, is told in the eyes of the main character Katniss.  I think that if it was told in a different person’s, like possibly Peeta’s, point of view, the story would be very different.

If the story was told in Peeta’s point of view, I probably would never really know what Katniss would be thinking.  Instead I would probably start to understand Peeta better.  All I know about him is that he is the baker’s son and is very strong.  He also claims to be in love with Katniss, but she thinks it’s just an act to get people to feel bad for them.  I think that in Peeta’s mind he really meant it. 

Katniss describes him as someone who can change a persons mind with just his words.  If the story was in the point of view of Peeta, I would know how he comes up with such witty and inspirational words.  During the interview that each contestant of the Games does, he didn’t look nervous at all to Katniss.  I wonder if he really wasn’t nervous or he was nervous and was good at hiding it.  I would probably know all these things if the story was told in Peeta’s eyes.

In The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, there are a lot of significant things that happen.  One of the most significant things is when Katniss volunteers to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games.

To become a tribute, a player in the Games, you have to be between the age of 12 and 18.  Your age depends on how many times your name get put into a giant ball.  You can also put your name in more times than needed in exchange for food and oil.  Katniss’ sister, Prim, had only one piece of paper with her name on it, but she got pick even though the odds were against it.  Since the one thing that Katniss tried so hard to prevent was Prim becoming part of the Hunger Games, she volunteered to take her place.    

I think this is significant because it shows how much Katniss loves her sister.  Even though she new that she might not be coming home, she still went to the Games to protect her.  This event kind of starts the whole story.  It’s also when Katniss’ life changes, and her courage and strength is put to the test.

In the book I’m reading, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the main character, Katniss, and her sister, Primrose (Prim), have names that may mean more than they appear to.

Katniss and Prim’s father died in a coal mine explosion when Katniss was just eleven years old.  Their father knew a lot about hunting and had a great knowledge on various types of plants.  Katniss is a type of edible plant, and the author gave her that name because at one point in the book it talks about when her and her family was starving, she found katniss plants, and found hope that they would make it.  Her father always said “find yourself and you’ll never go hungry.” 

A primrose is beautiful flower and can be used as an herb.  She helps her mother, who is kind of like the doctor of the district, work on wounded or sick people. She is also very gentle with all living things.  In the book, Katniss describes her “as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose.”

I now fully understand the authors reasoning for the names she choose for these two characters.

In the book I’m reading, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the setting is what was once North America now the country called Panem.  In it is a city called the Capitol and surrounding it is twelve districts.  The Capitol forces the districts to follow there laws just like a dictation.  The author was very clever to make the new country Panem almost completely opposite of the America we know.

I think that the thing I like the most in this book is that even though it is technically the same land, America and Panem are so different.  In America there is a democracy where we, the people, choose who’s in charge.  In Panem the twelve districts are forced to do things like mine coal or work in fields of crops all day, and give nearly all of there goods to the Capitol.  If someone didn’t do there work or follow the rules the “Peacemakers” would either beat them or kill them right on the spot, but in America, we would have a fair trial and the ability to fight for our innocence.  They are also not allowed to communicate with the other districts or go beyond the boundaries, unlike how we practically run our country on communicating with each other. 

When the districts tried to rebel, they were defeated and severely punished.  They are forced to participate in the Hunger Games where a girl and a boy from each district must fight until there is only one still alive.  They do this because “this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are in their mercy.”  If anything like this would ever happen in America, we would do everything and anything to stop it right away.