I'm thinking about The Hunger Games et al (again) because I'm supposed to be writing a paper about them for a conference presentation in about ten days. So, in re-reading Abbey's post about how well written they are, I'm intrigued. One of my fellow panelists will be discussing the mixed reader-response to Mockingjay, and I'm very much looking forward to her thoughts. I'll do my best to pass them on, but when I'm presenting I'm not at my note-taking, attentive peak. I will try to focus my nervous energy on taking notes, rather than on ripping my fingernails into tiny shreds, in hopes that I'll be a calmer presenter and a more reliable scholar. So I can then hear some feedback from other THG readers (that would be you).
I'm looking at the various faces of rebellion in THG, exploring how Katniss, Peeta, Gale, and Haymitch each has their own peculiar response to the capital's oppression, and none of them are what we might find "typical." I hope I come up with more than that in the next few days.
Hi Dr. Jones! Its Patrina.Thanks for the add to the blog! very excited to read posts and maybe contribute as well. That is awesome about presenting a paper at a conference soon...I hope you are able to get more accomplished. I actually have not read THG, but I have heard much about the series from two of my best friends who have read them. The focus on the idea/theme of rebellion sounds interesting. Since I haven't read the books, I don't have much to contribute, but these questions come to mind: how do the different characters rebel against the Capital's oppression? Is it displayed in an open way or in more of a passive manner? why do the characters choose to rebel? are they attempting to stand up against a force greater than themselves for themselves, for others or for a specific 'cause'?
ReplyDeleteHi Patrina!
ReplyDeleteI'm just coming back to some of these entries (I just responded to your Nineteen Minutes post, but it's taking forever to load).
I think we see both overt and passive rebellion--the big problem for District 12, I think, is that they are so thoroughly interpellated into the Capital's ideologies (not so much about what's okay, but about what's possible) that true rebellion doesn't occur to them until they are almost forced into it. My husband kept getting frustrated with Collins because the characters took forever to figure it out--which, for me, means that Collins was doing her job really well. She created characters that were products of her world, not of ours.