The book trilogy The Hunger Games, is a trilogy about a girl, named Katniss, and her struggle against the power that oppresses her people. The books are set in a future America, though it is no longer called America, it is called Panem. Panem is divided into 13 districts and a Capitol. The districts once decided to rebel against the Capitol, but the Capitol won, and as compensation it asked the districts to send a boy tribute a a gril tribute each year to compete in a thing called the hunger games. The games consisted in releasing the 26 kids into an arena with the knowledge that only the last one standing would be able to go back home, showered with prizes and food for their people.
The games were televised for everyone to see, their viewing was absolutely mandatory. For the people in the districts it was torture seeing their children dying, but for the people in the Capitol, it was the highest entertainment event of the year; and this is were the allegory with Ancient Rome comes into play. The hunger games were blood baths designed to entertain the people. The people of the Capitol were controlled by means of keeping them entertained and well fed and, exactly like the Roman Emperors, President Snow knew what he needed to keep them subdued was Panem et Circences (Bread and Circus). He knew that as long as the people of the Capitol has entertainment and were very well fed, they would never rebel against him. He knew all he needed to maintain his position in power was to keep them comfortable. The Roman Emperors did exactly the same thing. They had games were gladiators fought each other for the glory, while the gladiators fought, the people of Rome were kept entertained by these games. During the games the Emperors used to throw bread into the crowd, feeding them. Their logic was very solid: fed and entertained, what reason did they have to complain? This is how the Emperors maintained their power and popularity.
In my opinion Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games, is a genius. She managed to create a world that showed us how backwards human beings can be. She showed us how even though time moves on, human beings are still as savage and primitive as always, the only difference being that we've learnt new ways to disguise our primitive ways. We are a race that's primitive in the most fancy and sophisticated of ways, and Suzanne Collins has managed to show us this in her wonderful books.
Let the Hunger Games Begin,
And may the odds be ever in your favor.
