Blog #8

I really like the book. It was one of the best books that I have read in a long time. I am actually looking into buying the second and third book of the trilogy. I see this book joining in on the "conversation" of the other books by the theme of not following what you truly believe. In 1984, Winston felt that the Big Brother was a dictatorship and that he could not take it any longer. That is why Winston eventually rebelled by writing in his journal and meeting with O'Brien. However, when he got caught, he went back to his original state of being obedient and not having individuality. In Culture Jam and Feed, they talk about humans need to all be the same, which leads to the lack of individuality. In Hunger Games, people do not question the purpose of the Games. They just do what they are told without question. No one raises the question of why their teenagers are being slaughtered just for the fun of it. No one tries to halt the games, they just watch the Games which help create more violent games for the contestants. I feel that I responded to Katniss more than any other character in the book. I usually root for the underdog and obviously in the fight against the Careers she is definitely an underdog.

Harry Potter and the Third Task

When reading this book especially the parts during the actual game, I though of the book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In the book, Harry is chosen as a contestant in the tournament known as the Triwizard Tournament, unfortunately for Harry is not able to withdraw from the competition and is forced to compete. This tournament that Harry finds himself in, consists of three tasks that challenge his survival and wizard skills. Unlike, Hunger Games, the tasks that the contestants find themselves in do not require nor allow the killing of each other. The tasks require the contestants to fight on their own. However, in the last task of the tournament, all of the contestants are placed in a maze together. Being that Harry is a wizard, the maze is enchanted and has in the past caused many contestants to become bewitched; this occurs in the book. Harry is attacked by a fellow contestant that becomes bewitched. Harry does defend himself and another contestant but he does not kill the bewitched contestant. This story is definitely different than Hunger Games, but when I watch the Harry Potter movie the other day, I thought of Hunger Games.