blog post # 5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games

The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins 

Significant Elements:

1. The reaping 

2. The dress with flames

The reaping helps reveal character traits about one of the main characters, Katniss Everdeen. The trait that is revealed is courage, as well as bravery and protectiveness. Every year, representatives from the Capitol go to each district and hold the reaping. When a child is 12, they are eligible for entry in The Hunger Games and their name is put in the reaping bowl once (1st year - 1 name in bowl). When a child is 13, their name is entered twice to represent their second year of eligibility. This pattern goes on, so when they reach their final year (18) their name is entered 7 times minimum. However, if the child wants to purchase a tesserae (a one-person supply of grain and oil for a year) your name goes in one extra time per purchase of tesserae. Katniss had taken a tesserae for each of her family members, putting her name in the reaping bowl a lot of times, leaving her little sister Prim, only in the reaping bowl once. When the day of the reaping comes "Effie Trinket crosses back to the podium, smoothes the slip of paper, and reads out the name in a clear voice. And it's not me. It's Primrose Everdeen."(Collins 20) "I volunteer!" I gasp. "I volunteer as a tribute!"(Collins 22) By Katniss volunteering herself as a tribute, she is risking her life and putting her younger sister's before hers. The Hunger Games only has one winner, and by losing, you are dead. Even knowing this, she doesn't hesitate to put herself forward. This shows how much courage she has, as well as bravery, and the protectiveness she has towards her younger sister. 

The dress with flames helps reveal the changed Katniss has experiences throughout her journey to the Hunger Games. The dress is worn for the opening ceremonies. Her stylist Cinna had designed it for her to "wow" the audience, give them something that wasn't the usual, and the crowd loved it, more importantly, Katniss loved it. It represents the new Katniss, not the poor young girl back at District 12, scavenging for food, trying to keep her family alive. Now she is "Katniss, the girl who was on fire." (Collins 67) Now she is someone memorable, someone unique. She is a courageous warrior, going to participate in the Hunger Games, fighting until death, to win the Hunger Games. 

MLA: Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print.