Literary connections abound for this novel. Specifically, Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery" portrays a similar tradition in which a member of the community is chosen to be sacrificed according to established rules, regardless of the inhumanity of the act. For a full text of this short story, click here: What are others?
...And what about today's popular culture connections, such as reality TV? In the novel, the Capitol's bored residents watch televised battles to glean vicarious excitement by watching the tributes' anguish and violent battles. Of course, the tributes from the Districts more closely resemble gladiators from the Roman Empire's Collosuem than our culture...Or do they? Our culture's reality TV allows us to watch others 24 hours a day, and participants often hurt and embarrass themselves for our entertainment.
Click here to watch a preview for the upcoming season of "Survivor" on CBS. The catchphrase for this television show is "outwit-outplay-outlast." Sound familiar?
For more information on why America loves reality television, read a Psychology Today article.
Is our culture so different from that of Panem's? Is reality TV at risk of making us insensitive, or eroding our empathy for others? Read, watch, think, and comment on the connections between our culture and the fictional world of Panem.
While I don't think our society has the stomach to watch people die, I can definitely see a connection between the novel and reality TV; and let's be realistic, reality TV is only entertaining if someone is having a melt down, a love triangle, or if someone gets partially injured by attempting to do one of the stupid challenges the producers create to weed out the weak.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of the tie to "The Lottery" and really like the idea. There's a connection between controlling people through fear. I only hope that in the sequel to Hunger Games Katerniss will break the tradition! I can't wait to read it and find out.
I agree, I don't think we could see that either; Americans are not so devoid of heart that we would do that. But it's a good critique of the elements we already have in our society in a "gone wild" type of runaway situation. And you're right, the drama that entertains us is way more trite than the Hunger Games. Good thing!
ReplyDeleteI don't think our society is as extreme as the one portrayed in Hunger Games, but I do think that we have become desensitized to violence. With the increase of graphic depictions of killing and gore in video games, movies, and television shows, it is inevitable that people will have less and less of a reaction to gore and bruatlity.
ReplyDeleteI also think that there is something about watching someone else experience emotional turmoil that intrigues us. I wonder if it is because it allows us to feel relief that we are not in their position.
As I read through the chat session and I read this post, I don't think we are that far from this. You pointed out the gladiator fights which my students can't fathom being real, yet they happened and people watched. During the Great Depression, Americans got involved in dance marathons. These marathons went on for months. The competitors were in in for the money and the viewers and sponsors were in it for the spectacle. People actually died right there in front of a live audience. How different is that from this novel?
ReplyDeleteAs far as reality TV goes...it is very contrived and definitely has someone giving specific direction. You can tell by the "twists" that are introduced. It's very much like the "announcements" and changes in environment in the novel.
After reading the chat session as well as the posts, I definitely see us as being close to and capable of allowing this kind of entertainment to be public. I’m glad you mentioned the gladiators, because people were killed horrifically and people watched! My students can’t fathom that as a reality until I tell them about the marathon dances of the Depression. Contestants entered because they desperately needed money and food. They would be in it for months and made to run and do all sorts of competitive feats after they had gone for days and weeks of limited sleep. People actually died right there on the floor in front of a live audience with sponsors to boot! It’s not that far from the novel.
ReplyDeleteAs far as reality TV goes…it is most definitely directed. That is obvious from the “twists” that are brought in much like the announcements and environmental changes in the novel. I’m sure the producers tell the contestants what they’d like to see and they choose the contestants who they feel will “deliver the goods.” “Real” reality shows would be boring!
Wow, I just looked at an overview of the dance marathons http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=5534 and I can't get over how much of this book is becoming parallelled with the world in the past 80 years. The marathons even had a tagline "Ladies and Gentleman: How long can they last." Sounds a little like "may the odds ever be in your favor". Thanks for the info.
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