Panem et circenses hunger games

I doubt we could actually live day-to-day with full knowledge of the gulf between us and the rest of the world. So we distract ourselves the same way the powerful have always distracted: bread and circuses.

Slacktivism is the trend du jour. Most of us have never been to any of these countries or really anywhere in the Global South. Our constructs of them amount to a latter-day incarnation of the Noble Savage. Even more problematic is our participation in The Hunger Games. The books and film are primarily entertainment.

Just like the Games in the story. Use them to draw you into those realities. To meet the people behind the stories. To effect real and lasting change. In addition to exploring the wonders that are the Lone Star state, JR. He's haunted by the Batman, who is in turn haunted by the myth of redemptive violence. Setting Panem in the location of the present-day United States, and retaining parts of U.

But the metaphor gets more complicated because of the Ancient Roman influences of Panem. The result is a triple metaphor that uses Panem to draw connections between Ancient Rome and the modern United States, and it suggests that the modern United States has something like its own panem et circenses strategy in place, with reality television taking on the role of the gladiatorial Games.

For one, that formula is designed to keep the people content, but the people of Panem are decidedly not content, at least not in the poor districts.

In fact, the Hunger Games, unlike the gladiatorial Games which appeased the masses, play a significant role in their dissatisfaction. The Games were created as a reminder to the districts of their powerlessness after their uprising against the Capitol ended in defeat, and it is the children of the districts who are drafted involuntarily into the Games to be killed. Second, a key element of the panem et circenses strategy missing from Panem is the bread.

Rather than commenting on the fictional Panem, it instead comments the real United States in the ways described above, thus offering a valuable criticism of modern culture in the U.

In the wake of the rebellion, the Capitol established the Hunger Games, an annual event in which twenty-four children between the ages of twelve and eighteen, one boy and one girl from each district, are chosen from a lottery and entered into a gladiatorial competition where they must fight each other to the death until only one remains standing. The event served two purposes. The first was to demonstrate the overwhelming power the Capitol had over the districts by taking their children by force and forcing them to slay each other in a no-rules competition.

It was proof that the Capitol's control over its people was so inexorable and unstoppable that they could do something so sadistic as to force the children of their conquered foes to slay each other in a battle royale.

The second purpose was purely for entertainment. The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in the same vein as a reality show, its tributes practically considered celebrities and the events themselves dramatised and glorified. The second rebellion formed in the aftermath of the 74th Hunger Games. It was sparked by Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark 's near double-suicide at the end of the games, which was interpreted as an act of rebellion by many residents of the districts.

As a result, it caused many to rebel by the start of the 75th Hunger Games , which was also the 3rd Quarter Quell. During the Quarter Quell, in which past victors were reaped into the games, Katniss shot an arrow attached to a piece of wire, which was connected to a tree, into an imperfection in the force field surrounding the arena.

The tree is then struck by lightning, which causes the force field to malfunction and stop working. She was rescued and transported to District 13, which had been rebuilt as an underground city-sized bunker before being bombed during the Dark Days. Beetee and Finnick are also rescued.

Peeta, Johanna , and Enobaria are captured and held by the Capitol. In an attempt to end the rebellion, the Capitol destroyed District 12, echoing the faked destruction of District 13 during the first rebellion.

As requested, Katniss Everdeen was to kill President Snow. However, in the heat of the moment, Katniss killed Coin and Snow died from what is rumored to of been from either suffocation or because of choking on his own blood. The flag of Panem after the Second Rebellion. Appears in the Mockingjay Part 2 Trailer. The nation of Panem was separated into a total of thirteen nation-states known as districts, twelve of which are recognized as operational by the Capitol, and each being responsible for producing, procuring, or refining goods in a particular industry as dictated by the Capitol.

All of the districts are subject to the unrelenting will of the authoritarian Capitol, and have no known influence concerning the national politics of Panem beyond their own individual territories.

The districts barely interact with each other since it was illegal, so each district generally has a unique culture unaffected by the other districts. Welfare levels vary significantly, and are often dependent on the goods it produces; some districts, such as 10 , 11 and 12 , are far more impoverished than wealthier districts like 1 , 2 , and 4 , though no district is nearly as wealthy as the Capitol itself. The Capitol , hence its name, is the capital of Panem and serves as the nation's central seat of government.

It is located in the western part of the country, in an area formerly known as the Rocky Mountains, and is surrounded by the thirteen outlying districts while it is a prominent territory, it is not considered a district in-and-of-itself.

District 1 's industry is manufacturing luxury items for the Capitol. Due to the nature of its industry, District 1 considered the wealthiest district, the only other wealthier place being the Capitol itself. It is a Career District, where prospective tributes often train for years to compete in the Hunger Games, but little else is known about the district. At the end of Mockingjay , memorials were made for the fallen tributes and victors from District 1, meaning District 1 has of Panem's memorials in their district, notable ones being Cashmere , Gloss , Glimmer and Marvel.

District 2 's industry is masonry, but also manufactures weaponry, makes trains , and supplies the nation's Peacekeepers. The main military complex in the district is known as the Nut. Citizens of District 2 are sometimes called "the pets" of the Capitol. They are the biggest supporters of the Capitol and therefore are pampered and given many extra conveniences. Some notable tributes are Clove , Cato , Enobaria and Brutus. District 3 's primary industry is general electronics of many types, though it is known for also making various mechanical products such as automobiles and firearms.

Their tributes are skilled with electronics. Some notable tributes are Wiress and Beetee. District 4 's industry is fishing, thus most residents have experience using nets and tridents, making fishhooks from scratch, swimming, and identifying edible sea life.

It is considered a Career district , and notable victors from this district are Finnick Odair , Mags , and Annie Cresta. Finnick was an important ally of Katniss Everdeen in the Quarter Quell. According to the Mockingjay podiums, District 4 had 6 victors. District 5 's industry is power. Foxface , a clever tribute nicknamed by Katniss in the 74th Hunger Games , was from District 5. In the 75th Hunger Games the man from District 5 was the first person to die, while he attacked Katniss.

District 6 's industry is transportation. In the 75th Hunger Games, two of the past winners ended up becoming morphling addicts. Another known tribute from District 6 was Titus. Little else is known about District 6. According to the Mockingjay podiums, District 6 had 4 victors. District 7 's industry is lumber and many of its residents have experience with hatchets, axes, saws, and other tree cutting tools.

Also, Katniss notes that this district's children begin work at an early age. Katniss and Peeta had to travel through District 7 to get to the Capitol. Johanna Mason and Blight came from this District. According to the Mockingjay podiums, District 7 had 7 victors. District 8 's industry is the production of textiles, and they have at least one factory that is primarily used for making Peacekeeper uniforms. It was the first district to rebel after Katniss Everdeen spurred the revolution.

The rebellion worsened conditions for residents and some, including Bonnie and Twill , escaped. However, Bonnie and Twill never made it to safety in District Cecelia and Woof were victors from District 8. According to the Mockingjay podiums, District 8 had 4 victors.

District 9 's industry is grain. Little is known about this district, just that there are lots of farmland for grain. In the 74th Hunger Games, the boy from District 9 was the first person to be killed in the book.

According to the Mockingjay podiums, District 9 has 5 victors.