Hunger Games Workshop #1 - Themes & Ideas

The themes/ideas we are looking at in The Hunger Games:

- Rich vs Poor

- Hope and Rebellion

- Struggle for Power

- Power of Propaganda

For the ideas/themes we will first brainstorm

- Explain what it means

- Find two examples of it in the film

- Describe how the example shows the theme/ideas

- Explain why the idea/theme is important to the story

- Then we will co-construct a SEXXXY paragraph.

Rich Vs Poor

- Rich: More opportunities, privilege & power

- Poor: No/Far less money, less opportunities, no power, disadvantaged

Definition: Theme of "Rich Vs Poor"

More than just money, it is about who has more power, privilege, and opportunities.

Rich:

President Snow, District 1 citizens, Capitol citizens, Caesar

Capitol - Do not get reaped for The Hunger Games, surplus food- excess in variety, acess to cleaner,                            brighter, and more exotic clothing, far larger, prestine and more architectually innovative                                buildings- example of power, privilege & opportunity. Technology- faster and more convenient                       ways of travel (airships, trains). Medicine - trackets, blood sacnners, healing balms. 

               Children - Presents, get to play, luxury of a life without working.

Poor:

District 12, district 11, 

District 12- Buildings- broken, unsecure, unlivable conditions, made from wood, smaller, don't have access                    to materials to make anthing better, lack of access to power. Clothing- bland, dull, well-worn,                       raggedy, lack of variety, old style, mens best outfits- button-up shirts, trouser/shorts, held up by                       suspenders/belts (don't fit properly.) Womens best outfits - dresses, shirts/skirts, not well fitted.                       Coal miners- dark colours hide dirt & coal, less sun damage. Technology- no access to                               medicine, people are ill, lack of transport, fence is not electricified, (can't keep secure/no access                    to power) Can't gain acess to food, food is hunted or rationed out, name added to reaping in                       exchange for food. Children - must work, lack of rest/play, live in fear of being reaped, lack of                       opportunity/choice of occupation- most will be coal miners.

In 'The Hunger Games,' setting is used effectively to show the theme 'Rich vs Poor.'Rich vs Poor is about more than money, it is about opportunity, power and privilege. For instance, we can see the idea of privilege reflected in the physical environments of District 12, and the Capitol. In District 12, the buildings are worn out, broken down, and unsecure- whereas buldings in the Capitol show modern design, vaiation in materials and are built on a grand scale. This makes the audience think abotu the differences in wealth and power between the two locations. District 12 has nothing whilst the Capitol are safe and secure with their surplus of food, water, clothing, technology, and buildings. The purpose of this was to show that Katniss Everdeen has come from a place of less privilege and power so her success in the games is very unlikely. Coinciding with this is the use of colour. In District 12, there are lots of browns and greens whilst in the Capitol, we see a futuristic palette of metallic greys, silvers, and blacks. The use of settings and colour effectively show us the imbalance of privilege between those living in places like District 12 and the Capitol.