The Hunger Games 1

"...He tells of the history of Panem, the country that rose up out of the ashes of a place that was once called North America. He lists the disasters, the droughts, the storms, the fires, the encroaching seas that swallowed up so much of the land, the brutal war for what little sustenance remained. The result was Panem, a shining Capitol ringed by thirteen districts, which brought peace and prosperity to its citizens. Then came the Dark Days, the uprising of the districts against the Capitol. Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated. The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gives us the Hunger Games.

The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts must provide one girl and one boy, called tributes, to participate. The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death. The last tribute standing wins.

Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch - this is the Capitol's way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion. Whatever words they use, the real message is clear. 'Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there's nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last once of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen.'" (Collins_18-19)

This passage explains why the Hunger Games were created and how Panem came to be. It explains why people don't stand up to the government that controls everything about their lives. If the government or the Capitol didn't have so much control over everyone, people in district 12 could go to district 1 and try to get better lives for themselves, but they cant. They're stuck mining for coal and being at the bottom of the food chain, basically. Not only that, but parents and family members have to fear that their kin will be picked at a reaping every year and die in the Hunger Games, and they have to watch while it happens! 


The people of Panem are in the worst situation ever. I'd hate to live in this society, I'd freak out every time the reaping came about, afraid I'd be picked. And even if it was illegal to train before, I'd still try and make it so I wasn't going to go into the games completely clueless to surviving. 


In this story, being human means to do what you were born to do, depending on what district you're in and if you're between the age of 12 and 16, then you can be picked to go into the hunger games, you go. You just do what you're told by the Capitol, or they'll make your life a living hell, basically. 


It's kind of like the districts in the movie In Time because you cant really go to different parts of the country in that society either.