The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

 First impressions The book The Hunger Games reminds me of ‘The Lottery’ written by Shirley Jackson, a short story we read last year for literature I. In both stories human lives are powerlessly depending on a random lottery. Both lotteries are described with great detail and a word choice that makes the reader believe he is witnessing just another innocent and entertaining game on a Saturday night, while at the same time one feels a very uncomfortable growing tension.  I admire the skills of both authors to accomplish these contradictory feelings by its readers.  

At first, I was drawn into the story of The Hunger Games by the reaping and its shocking outcome, especially the moment that Katniss´ sister´s paper was drawn at the lottery (page 24). The rules of the reaping, the poverty and the absurdity of the status of the Capital seemed only to provide a new and refreshing setting.
The chapters after the reaping made me aware of a different message of this book. The glamorous trip by train to the Capital, the luxurious dressing up of the tributes just for the entertainment on television; it is an ironic parallel to all the programs on TV called ´reality tv´. People who get makeovers, or betray their loved ones, or documentaries called ´shock docs´, all programs in which people are exposed in the most awkward circumstances to millions of people only for the sake of the best possible entertainment. A business in which the main goal is sensational images at the cost of vulnerable people. Suzanne Collins has done a great job in writing a story with constant suspense combined with a theme which is very relevant   for young people to think about.

In classThe myth of childhood innocence is not accurate. At the beginning of the eighteenth century Freud’s ideas have led to new understandings of what happens in the mind of a child. Freud found out that already at young age children think about sex and violence. In the book The Hunger Games the idea of a child’s innocent mind is also abandoned, the games involve children at young age to be violent and murderous.

TheoryWhy is Hunger Games such a great book for teenagers?
Firstly, because The Hunger Games includes all the ingredients for a great story.  According to Donald Maass (reader Youth Literature page 21) a great story has intriguing characters, a dramatic meaningful plot, a captivating setting, an appropriate theme, and an accessible, straight-forward style.  How do these cornerstones of a great novel apply to The Hunger Games:
- The Hunger Games has many intriguing characters, one of which is the main character Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen-year-old girl who achieves to survive and win the extremely difficult hunger games.
- Suzanne Collins pulls the reader as from the first page into a fascinating and well described world of 12 districts in North America in the year 2025 with a dramatic plot about games, glamour, killing, friendship and show business.
- The theme about the exploration of eleven extremely poor districts by one absurdly wealthy district alters the young adult’s way of seeing the world definitely.

Secondly, The Hunger Games offer realism, which is as Appleyard states (page 100, 101) an important feature of a story for teenagers. This part of Appleyard’s theory relates directly to the way David Denby explained the success of the Hunger Games in The New Yorker last April:  ‘Perhaps it’s that the books offer a hyper-charged version of high school, an everyday place with incessant anxieties: constant judgment by adults; hazing, bullying, and cliques; and, finally, college-entry traumas. If you stretch the metaphor a bit, the books could be seen as a menacing fable of capitalism, in which an ethos of competition increasingly yields winner-take-all victors’.

Age suitabilityHunger Games is a book which is suitable to read for thirteen years and older. Although some people argue that a book which narrates about children killing other children is not suitable for a thirteen-year-old. More information on this discussion can be read in the 156 posts on the website of ‘Helping Moms Connect’ about the question ‘Is Hunger Games Appropriate for Kids?’.

According to Appleyard (page 97) an adolescent of 13 years is able to think about the future, to construct theories and ideological systems, to develop ideals, and to understand others ‘points of view. They can think about thinking, and reflect critically about one’s own thoughts.  This is the source of adolescent self-consciousness and introspection.  Thus, the adolescent is very well capable of reflecting upon the circumstances and the gruesome choices, fights and killings that the characters of Hunger Games are facing.

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The only thing I recalled of the Wizard of Oz before reading the book, was the movie with Michael Jackson and Diana Ross which I mainly remember as a movie with lots of music and dancing. Now that I have read the book, and come to know better the characters, I have grown fond of them. I liked especially the building up of each character. For example, the Tin Woodman, made of tin because his limps where chopped off, who wants a warm heart very badly, but already is a very kind hearted creature and who is very handy in handling an axe. All the features of a character really fit well together. As a reader, one feels the love of the author for his characters; he really created them with great care and love.

In the second place, I liked the working together of the characters when encountering difficulties. By working together they achieve great things, for example while removing the big sleeping Lion from the field of poppies. As a result, the story creates an overall feeling that it is possible to overcome any problem as long as we work together and encourage each other. So, according to Anne Fine, one of the UK’s leading experts on writing for children, this book deserves a place in a catalogue of books for young people, because readers of this book will feel more enlightened after having read the Wizard of Oz.

The only thing that puzzles me is the age of the target group. Would teenagers be interested in reading theWizard of Oz? On the one hand they would like it, for they can identify with the characters that discover on this journey their own value. This process of finding one’s own value is also a key feature in a young adult’s life. On the other hand, I wonder whether the simple structure of characters that is either entirely good or bad, and nothing in between, appeals to readers of this age. I find it a bit childish.

Furthermore, I find the story of the Wizard of Oz suitable for teenagers, because among others of the wonderful plot. As a reader, one wonders ‘How will Dorothy ever be able to return to Kansas?’ Another important trait that makes it appealing to teenagers is that it has a varying and captivating setting. The different countries like, Munchkin Country, Winky Country, Quadling Country and Emerald city, each of them holding unique cultures and landscapes make sure as a reader one doesn’t get bored and keeps reading. Drawing maps of this different countries and the Yellow Brick Road would be a suitable and helpful class assignment. For, the author describes clearly and with detail the landscape and its colours, what makes it easy for pupils to visualize the setting of the story and consequently put it on paper.

Throughout the story there is a clear pattern. Namely, good beats evil and each character encounters difficulties which help them to discover their strength and as a result get more confident. The Wizard of Oz is a lovely and magic journey along the Yellow Brick road to adulthood.

Will gays get access to marriage in Britain?

The Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales have raised hefty objections to a government’s proposal to introduce the possibility for gays to get married.  According to the Churches, same-sex marriage leads to a fundamental change of values regarding a hundreds of years existing social institute. As for the government, they reassure that the Churches will not have to conduct themselves single-sex marriages. Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, is irate about the attitude of the Church of England. He claims that three in five people in Britain are positive about gay marriage, and therefore have no right to oppose in such a ‘melodramatic scaremongering’ way.

I do not understand the point of view of the Churches. Their main concern should be Christian charity and as a consequence they ought to be glad to seal any bond of love between human beings, regardless their sexes.  A few months ago, I spoke to a religious person about this issue and was surprised to hear her say that she was worried because of the slippery slope: once you allow same-sex marriage, many others will follow and there will be no more offspring at the end...I think this is a real fallacy!

PM under pressure over gay marriage / The Indenpendent 12 June 2012
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/pm-under-pressure-over-gay-marriage-7844369.html

Suicide in Scotland

Researchers in Scotland have found out that suicide rate in Scotland is far higher than in other parts of the UK. Between 2000 and 2006 suicide rates were 79 % higher than in England and for young people even twice as high. How come? Just recently researchers studied the data of the causes which lead to suicide. They report it to be likely that the way patients and doctors coop with mental illness causes a higher rate of suicide. Instead of psychosocial interventions doctors in Scotland tend more easily to prescribe medication for anxiety or depression. However, thanks to action taken by the Scottish government, suicide rates have already started decreasing.

I think it is horrible that people in Scotland have not enough access to professional support while they are suffering from psychological problems. Especially, as it is proven by scientific research that this leads to more suicide among (young) people. Fortunately, the Scottish government is working on a better quality of psychological services for their inhabitants. Besides improving the quality of mental health services, the government also takes it responsibility to increase the amount of professional staff, who can offer a proper treatment to people coping with mental illnesses.

Call for action to tackle 'Scottish effect' on suicide rates / BBC news 10 June 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-18374755

The River Thames: beautiful, dirty and modest

Before 1750, the Thames was the capital’s main thoroughfare. At that time London was ‘a river city’ like Venice. The bustle of the town was talking place on the Thames. Besides entertainment, the river was a host for ships heading for London’s huge trading port.
After the Industrial Revolution, all this changed and the former beautiful river turned into a giant sewer, caused by the flush lavatory which led its cargo straight into the Thames.
Today the river is a quiet place in the capital, but if it is up to mayor Boris Johnson it will be restored to its old grandeur..

The picture of all these people in the 18^th century, enjoying themselves on the river, resembles to the current image of the
jolly-boats that one can see on a sunny day in the canals of Amsterdam. Thinking of it, the words sun, (clean!) water, boats and people fit rather well together, although this is not entirely true because these words could also refer to a dark scenario of war. I suppose ‘freedom’ should be added to these words to keep it nice and peaceful. I hope Mayor Johnson will shortly launch his plan to revive the river again....so, I can experience it while doing my stay abroad next year.

Diamond Jubilee: The remarkable tale of the River Thames / 28 May 2012 / BBC News

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18185000

Why Do We Take Puppy Classes? And not...

The British government intends to launch a programme for advising and guiding all (young) parents through parenthood. Up to now, only parents of young criminals were given parenting classes. Convincing all parents of the importance of learning to become a good parent will demand a cultural change. In order to have a capacity for all parents, the government will take measures to encourage a vast number of commercial businesses to step in to the counselling market for good parenting. There is strong evidence that helping parents at an early stage in building strong and stable relationships with their offspring will improve the chances in life of the children.

I think it is a good thing to encourage parents to get their selves prepared for guiding their kids through life. In most cases, I think it is no longer sufficient to rely on intuition to raise children. Society is complex and demands a lot of different parenting skills to guide kids through childhood. Actually, it is quiet odd, after getting a dog many people are attending puppy classes and yet, expecting and raising a child is still considered to be done without any help.  While raising my own kids, I also sought help at some occasions and I experienced this to be very helpful.  Of course it should always be on a voluntary basis!

Creating the super-nanny state / BBC News 18 May 2012
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18115921

Teaching Thrown on the Market?

The Education Secretary, Michael Gove, wants to change the national pay rate system for teachers into a locally negotiable salary scale. He states, that depending on the employability in different regions, teacher pay rates should vary.  His plan could lead to abolishing national salary scales for teachers and implementing a system of local pay rates for teachers. If it is up to the Education Secretary, a region with low vacancy rates would then offer lower payment to their teachers than regions which are short-staffed.  The biggest teaching unions strongly oppose to this plan and have threatened to go on strike.

I think it is ridiculous to submit teaching to the law of supply and demand as if it were a commercial process.  Education is a basic right for all children and the Government must facilitate this right towards its citizens.  Teachers are a vital link for education and therefore the Department for Education should reward them as public servants, meaning equal pay rates in every part of the UK.
Moreover, teaching is the same in the East, the West or the Middle of the UK, and as a consequence there is no reason whatsoever to assume that teachers should be paid less in either of the regions.

Teachers in regions may be paid less / The Independent / 17 May 2012
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/teachers-in-regions-may-be-paid-less-7758135.html