The novel Hunger Games, by Susan Collins, should be a must-read. This
is because it teaches life lessons, it shows maturity in kids who can read it,
and makes students uncomfortable enough to make them rethink their ideas about
gratefulness.
Learning life lessons helps kids grow
and become better adults in the future.
Katniss, being from district 12, is rather reserved and does
not like making friends. So when it comes time to make impression and receive
sponsors she is having a hard time Cinna tries to help her. Cinna tells Katniss
calmly, "Remember, they already love you…Just be yourself" (Collins
123). The life lesson to be “yourself” is one of the
biggest life lessons. It tells kids that they are you they are for a reason.
And that you can be “loved” for “yourself.” Once kids learn to be themselves
they will become more comfortable with them selves and be willing to be
themselves. Life lessons like these will help kids in the future. These life
lessons can translate into things that they can use if they “remember” them in
situations that might be hard to solve when a person doesn’t know himself or
herself.
I agree that this book teaches many life lessons to the readers and especially about learning how to be yourself. But I do not agree that it should be a must read book. There are not only many gory killings but there is also the glorifying of immoral actions throughout the book. When Katniss ends Cato's life because he has asked her to and is in pain is one example. But also when Peeta and Katniss try commit suicide together by almost eating the berries. Many people reading this book do not even realize that these are immoral actions and they could even start to see them as justified or good things to do. That is why this should be a challenged book and explained to its readers.
ReplyDeleteHow does this book really glorify immoral actions though? It is told through the point of view of Katniss, who is a pretty moral person. She did what she had to to survive and try to show the Capitol she isn't merely a puppet in their games. She herself knows that all this killing that is going on isn't good and the whole time she is having this inner struggle to do what is right. This book doesn't glorify the immoral actions, it shows the actions and how it affects the person negatively. This is when the reader has to decide for themselves to do what is moral in their own life.
DeleteI agree that this book should be a must-read. You would think that a book about killing one another, resembles nothing but violence and poor decision-making, but this book has much more to offer. This book expresses the idea of bravery, courage and perseverance! These ideas can be lessons for the reader as they read the novel. Although the novel contains quite a lot of violence, the killing is done for survival. This book gives lessons to the reader, and should be a must-read.
ReplyDeleteI think that this book should be a must-read as well because even though people are being killed, you can see how some people struggle with the killing. Katniss is devastated by Rue's death and would rather die in the place of her sister. She does this while remaining to her true character while, at the same time, she learns more about herself and the world. Through the brave act with the berries at the end, it also shows that even though "superior" people say you can/cannot do something, it it up to you if you listen to them. It is up to you if you stay true to yourself and refuse to give up hope.
ReplyDeleteI agree that although this book has much violence, even the violence has some redeeming social value. The violence shows us what a society becomes when it judges people and forces them into unfair categories. The book makes us see that when violence is used as entertainment, that society becomes immoral. So I agree that this book should be a must read book.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this book should be a must-read. Like you said, it gives the reader a an understanding of comfortability within themselves. This was a very good point since so many people (not just teenagers, but people of all ages) pretend to be someone they are not. I also agree that if people start to believe in themselves at a young age, it will help answer difficult questions later on in life. This book is a great example of people figuring out who they really are and how they can put that to action.
ReplyDeleteI agree, this is an amazing book that definitely causes readers to step outside of their comfort zone by approaching a topic that is in a sense, morbid because kids are killing other kids. However, this book shows Katniss who is able to find herself amidst all of the trouble that she has faced. It is valuable that readers see her as an example in so that they can find themselves even tho their lives are probably nearly as difficult. In what other ways do we see other characters finding themselves amidst all the troubles going on within the novel?
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