Excuse me Collins, as I pick my jaw up from the floor...

[Belethiel]

Tell me about the moments you were just floored by The Hunger Game's content and subtle brilliance, and her use of symbolism? (sure, she's heavy handed with it, but all of her metaphors work.)

Did you know that Cinna (not the character, historical figure) was a Roman politician who plotted against an emperor? There are many parallels to the Capitol and ancient Rome.

Also, remember when Gale put an arrow in some bread and gave it to Katniss in the early chapters of The Hunger Games? I think that symbolized Katniss and Peeta. ;o

We all know that in some districts, to compete in the Hunger Games is a privilege, but in the end their lives are lost or ruined because of it. This is a parallel to reality television with it's promise of easy fame and fortune and how it can lead to a damaged reputation, or possibly the false promises of Hollywood and other lies of the entertainment industry.

Tell me about your discoveries. When did these books amaze you with moments like this where you realize a bit of fridge brilliance?

AND DO NOT FORGET TO HIDE YOUR SPOILERS.

[those city lights]

I really liked how The Hanging Tree was weaved in - like through Finnick tying nooses in his rope and little things like that.

I also can't help but notice some parallels to Fahrenheit 451. I was sold when the Star Squad was Squad 451. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES xD

I also really like the names she picked, how all the plant/flower names all matched. Katniss, Hawthorne, Primrose, Buttercup, even Posy (sorta lol)

Idk, maybe not exactly what you were thinking but...>.>

[Miss Husstler]

I cried when Prim died.
Obviously the moment was devastating in itself - but the fact that Katniss's sole purpose, from the very first chapter of the series, was to keep her alive.

But the Capitol can take everything away from you.

[Belethiel]

those city lights

I really liked how The Hanging Tree was weaved in - like through Finnick tying nooses in his rope and little things like that.

I also can't help but notice some parallels to Fahrenheit 451. I was sold when the Star Squad was Squad 451. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES xD

I also really like the names she picked, how all the plant/flower names all matched. Katniss, Hawthorne, Primrose, Buttercup, even Posy (sorta lol)

Idk, maybe not exactly what you were thinking but...>.>

I noticed that too! And I loved Fahrenheit 451! It's another dystopian novel in which "Keep the people happy with entertainment" (for the Capitol, not the districts) plays a role, so it kind of makes sense. The hero of that novel's firemen squad was named 451, and he was quite the rebel, but in a different way than Katniss. 451 is also the temperature at which paper burns, bringing to mind fire. Fire represents Katniss. emotion_awesome

[The Girly-Wolf]

Belethiel

There are many parallels to the Capitol and ancient Rome.

Besides, of course, the blatant statement in the third book of panem et circenses? ;3

Quote:

Also, remember when Gale put an arrow in some bread and gave it to Katniss in the early chapters of The Hunger Games? I think that symbolized Katniss and Peeta. ;o

Meh. That one's debatable. While the bow and arrow was Katniss's tool, it wasn't hers alone and it wasn't her 'symbol.' Her symbol, the one she most readily and willingly identified with, was fire. The bow and arrow were iconic for her, sure, but I'm not sure they quite made it to symbolic.

[Belethiel]

Unofficial Leah C

Belethiel

There are many parallels to the Capitol and ancient Rome.

Besides, of course, the blatant statement in the third book of panem et circenses? ;3

Quote:

Also, remember when Gale put an arrow in some bread and gave it to Katniss in the early chapters of The Hunger Games? I think that symbolized Katniss and Peeta. ;o

Meh. That one's debatable. While the bow and arrow was Katniss's tool, it wasn't hers alone and it wasn't her 'symbol.' Her symbol, the one she most readily and willingly identified with, was fire. The bow and arrow were iconic for her, sure, but I'm not sure they quite made it to symbolic.

The referances to Rome were sometimes too obvious to count as a fridge brilliance moment, but if you start reading about Rome, you'll be like "HOLY CRAP I DID NOT KNOW THAT, HOW DID COLLINS KNOW THAT?! WHY DIDN'T MY HISTORY CLASS TEACH THIS?!" Authors who do lots of research, for the win!

There's a lot to the names of her characters, you just don't figure it out until later if you look up what they mean. xD Harry Potter was like this, too, and with the latin it used.

Did you know the word Avox literally means "without a voice"?

[The Girly-Wolf]

Belethiel

Did you know the word Avox literally means "without a voice"?

That was one of the things that actually struck me as kind of blatant... I mean, I knew 'vox' because it turns up now and then in Latin song texts and it's not that different from our English word "voice," or the Spanish word "voz." And then the prefix "a" means "not" or "without" (such as in "asexual" wink .

But sometimes I just think that damn near everything in Western culture eventually leads back to Rome. :3

[Belethiel]

Unofficial Leah C

Belethiel

Did you know the word Avox literally means "without a voice"?

That was one of the things that actually struck me as kind of blatant... I mean, I knew 'vox' because it turns up now and then in Latin song texts and it's not that different from our English word "voice," or the Spanish word "voz." And then the prefix "a" means "not" or "without" (such as in "asexual" ).

But sometimes I just think that damn near everything in Western culture eventually leads back to Rome. :3

OOOoohhh... why didn't I put that together? I was that kid who remembered dinosaur names and what they meant when I was little. I love latin roots. o3o

Gah. It's 1 AM where I live. I'm too tired to say intelligent things...

[Kawaiii Kit]

The rebellion against the capitol reminded me of the American Revolution where as Britain was a bully to the 13 colonies like the Capitol is a bully to the 13 districts. They got tired of the bullying so they rebel against their leaders and in the end take them down to start anew.

[Tanabata Wish]

Finally a real discussion about the books and not just another Twilight 'team' garbage thread!

Anyways, the first thing that really struck me about the books was the fact that they were written in present tense. Every other present tense book I've read has been somewhat awkward to read because the tense felt a little unnatural, like even the author was struggling with it (and perhaps I'm just not reading the right ones). The Hunger Games not only displayed proficiency in present tense, but it was actually very well written and so easy to read that after a few paragraphs, I stopped noticing.

My favorite thing about the books was how relevant they are to some of the things we see in America today. I especially thought it was brilliant how much the story focused on the role the media plays in affecting how society views the world around them, especially when it comes to conflict. Throughout the entire story, Katniss is forced to do and say things because of how they will be portrayed on tv and how people will view her as a result, and it's very clear just how important that is in the story. I think that's very relevant to our world today, where so much of our time is spent tuning in to what's on the television or the internet.

***Spoiler Alert!***

I especially loved the end of the series. I've heard a lot of people say they disliked Mockingjay, particularly because it was such a depressing book with a depressing ending. Yes, it was sad. And I was absolutely hearbroken in so many ways as I read it. But I was not disappointed. In fact, I think I would have been disappointed if things had all worked out for everyone and they all lived happily ever after. That just wouldn't have been appropriate. There was something very haunting to me about the end of Mockingjay---everything from Prim's death to Katniss killing Coin instead of Snow to the fact that she doesn't talk to Gale anymore after that despite the fact that they've been so close. It just showed perfectly how devastating war really is and how lasting the scars left behind can be. It was a brilliant ending, in my oppinion. It took me a while to really accept the reality of it because I wanted a happier ending for everyone, too. But now I realize that Collins ended the series exactly how it needed to end.

[Tanabata Wish]

Kit --x1

The rebellion against the capitol reminded me of the American Revolution where as Britain was a bully to the 13 colonies like the Capitol is a bully to the 13 districts. They got tired of the bullying so they rebel against their leaders and in the end take them down to start anew.

Ooh, that's an interesting parallel. I've never thought of that.

[Kawaiii Kit]

WishingTreeCreation

Kit --x1

The rebellion against the capitol reminded me of the American Revolution where as Britain was a bully to the 13 colonies like the Capitol is a bully to the 13 districts. They got tired of the bullying so they rebel against their leaders and in the end take them down to start anew.

Ooh, that's an interesting parallel. I've never thought of that.

haha my mom and I discussed it one day xD

[Rain on your Back]

Unofficial Leah C

Belethiel

Did you know the word Avox literally means "without a voice"?

That was one of the things that actually struck me as kind of blatant... I mean, I knew 'vox' because it turns up now and then in Latin song texts and it's not that different from our English word "voice," or the Spanish word "voz." And then the prefix "a" means "not" or "without" (such as in "asexual" wink .

But sometimes I just think that damn near everything in Western culture eventually leads back to Rome. :3

Not even gold and silver can

That would be because nearly all western culture that existed before the Roman conquest was wiped out and replaced by Roman culture. Which was influenced by Ancient Greece, by the way.

break the two of us...

[Belethiel]

wiggbat

edit: umm, spoiler?

Gale giving Katniss the bread with an arrow in it may not have alluded to Katniss and Peeta's relationship, but the toast was a pretty cute little detail to include.

Every district has a little tradition they do after the official marriage ceremony. In District 12 the bride and the groom build a fire in the hearth of their new home, toast some bread together and eat it.

bread + fire = toast

Peeta is "the boy with the bread". Katniss is "the girl on fire". Yay!

xD That's awesome.

Not really a spoiler, but if you do have a spoiler, change the text color to white, or make the text so small that you have to zoom in on it to read it. like this.