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Hunger Games....
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Hunger Games....
Hunger Games....
Hey buggies! I'm back. I wanted to talk about the Hunger Games, and this was the best place I could think of to share my opinion.
I want to start off by saying that I'm totally willing to hear and consider anyone's argument that is contrary to my opinion. I want to know what you have to say, otherwise I wouldn't be posting. Here goes.
I don't like the Hunger Games. I can't even begin to express my abhorence for the graphic and disturbing content that it contains. Kids killing kids. Think about that. Kids killing kids. Kids being burned, speared, shot at--the carnage of dozens of kids lying around a bloody battlefield. It's one thing to have adults fighting in a just war, but kids killing each other merely to win a game? It's absolutely ghastly. I understand that the author is trying to convey a point about reality TV and totalitarian goverment, but what it all boils down to is the brutal killings of kids. I also understand that it's an exciting series, but just take a moment to think about it. When you watch that movie, you are watching kids being slaughtered in front of your face--kids being brutally murdered--this is NOT appropriate pre-teen/teen material! I simply don't understand why the author had to use such a barbaric premise to convey her thoughts. One might say, well, people were opposed to Harry Potter and kids were dying there too! Yes, they were, but they were fighting an ultimate evil; they were fighting a battle for peace. But in the Hunger Games, it's all a GAME. Just look how today teens are being completely desensitized to violence. It's just sad.
Whew. I'm glad I got that off my chest. Admins, I will understand if you need to take out some of my graphic descriptions, but I would appreciate it if you would not edit it so much that the buggies reading this won't get how violent it is.
submitted by Mary Jo, age 16!!, here
(April 9, 2012 - 6:33 pm)
(April 9, 2012 - 6:33 pm)
Ho dear. Well, I can tell you my dad at least found it unsettling. But he agrees that the point of the series isn't to desensitize kids to violence- actually if you're hearing the reactions it's sort of re-sensitizing people.
What do you think of Lord of the Flies? That has kids killing kids.
(April 9, 2012 - 9:29 pm)
Hello, Mary Jo.
Anyway, I didn't like the Hunger Games either, but not because of the violence or anything, even though the idea is sort of disterbing. I just really really hated the writing.
(April 10, 2012 - 10:05 am)
To the top!!
(April 10, 2012 - 9:06 am)
Welcome back Mary Jo! :)
I understand your point that The Hunger Games is about kids killing kids, and they aren't really fighting for anything etc., but the books (my opinion) are very important to read. I think they sort of show what could happen if we don't fix things. It seems to be sending out a message. For example: all the kids are dressed up in really beautiful clothes before they go out and kill each other because if they look nice they have more sponsers. This, I think, is criticizing the whole image thing...
I want to write more, but I have to go riding.
(April 10, 2012 - 10:43 am)
No one ever said that dystopian fiction had to be nice. A nice dystopia would defeat the whole point of the genre, and the Hunger Games are a classic dystopia, totalitarian government and all. It's no more or less disturbing than something like Brave New Wolrd or what have you (and, actually, I found BNW way more disturbing than HG because, well, I'd take dead kids over the creepy "free lust/no relationships" society any day. DO NOT WANT D:).
It is supposed to be horrific and disturbing and barbaric. It wouldn't be the Hunger Games if it wasn't.
(April 10, 2012 - 11:40 am)
Not appropriate teen, preteen material? It most definitely is not. However, considering what they teach us in Humanities and Social studies, it doesn't really seem that bad. We recently had a debate about the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Social studies, and the side against had a very graphic visual presentation. We've read Night by Elie Wiesel in Humanities.
Violence, unfortunately, is very much a part of education.
(April 10, 2012 - 5:39 pm)
I do agree with you in some points. (btw, HI MARY JO!! :D:D:D) It really makes me frustrated when kids as young as ten years old read these! It is completely not appropriate. My friends and I all agree that it's a "freshman" book. 14 and up. (Obviously that's just our opinion and its up to your parents...) I mean, I'm in the movie theater and have a group of 7-10 year olds behind me. I was furious. That's way too much for a child of that age to handle.
I watched a Youtube video of a "review" by a Catholic priest. I'll have to find the link again so you can look it up. He said something like: "doesn't it remind you of Ancient Rome? The gladiators who fought to the death were fed well and treated well for days, then sent out to die in an arena in front of an audience." Sound familiar?? Suzanne Collins took that and made it futuristic. The priest also said that those kind of murders, he believes, are at bay because of Christianity and our freedom of religion in now-a-days time, but that, who knows, it could come back. Because Ancient Roman arenas WERE real. Those things DID happen. Now, children having to kill fellow children is pretty awful, and you have to have a twisted imagination to come up with all that, but, it does show what happens when we let the government have too much control. (hmm... is that what we're allowing now?? YEAH!)
(April 10, 2012 - 6:30 pm)
The movie is all special effects, and the book has no pictures, so you can IMAGINE it without gory deaths.
(April 10, 2012 - 8:25 pm)
I agree with Robyn D. on the age thing. My sister was begging to read the books, and my mom almost let her, but I told her that they're technically 14 and up, though you can start them when you're twelve. Kids eleven and under are too young.
(April 11, 2012 - 12:56 am)
HEY! I am NOT too young!!!
I think it depends more on personality and maturity than age.
(April 11, 2012 - 3:08 pm)
Exactly! Kids under 14 should NOT be reading this! I liked the first two books, but Mockingjay was in my opinion really, really bad.
(April 11, 2012 - 4:10 pm)
Don't get me wrong, I love these books, except for Mockingjay.
(April 11, 2012 - 8:23 pm)
Oh my gosh......that IS disturbing. I read the book too.
(April 11, 2012 - 11:25 am)
Percy Jackson has a lot more violence, and you never seemed to object to that series.
(April 11, 2012 - 12:24 pm)
I agree with Tiffany W. It depends on the person. My sister has read them, and she's ten. She can handle them, completely. We already know about violence. This is something that I find interesting: most adults aren't disturbed by adults killing other adults, but they are disturbed when kids kill kids. Most kids, on the other hand, aren't disturbed by adults killing adults or kids killing kids.
You stop being totally, completely innocent when you stop believing in Santa. You stop being innocent at all when you understand that the world is really, really not a pretty place.
Someone mentioned something about Suzanne Collin's imagination, and I have to say I disagree. If it's possible to imagine all the good things in the world, isn't is possible to imagine all the bad things as well?
(April 11, 2012 - 9:19 pm)