ASHS Year 12 - The Hunger Games
Description:	A collaborative text book structured and built by staff and students at Albany Senior High School
Subject:	English
Type:	Collaborative text book
Creator/Reviewer:	Hamish Chalmers and Nick Wilson
Date:	11/08/2011
License:	CC-BY-SA
Contributors:	See: History

https://wikieducator.org/English/ASHS_Year_12_-_The_Hunger_Games

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Objectives

Key focusing questions for this topic:

What are the most important events in the novel?
What are the personalities of the central characters and relationships between them?
How does the setting inform a reading of the novel?
What big ideas does the novel explore?
How does the style of the novel relate to its central ideas?

Plot

Activity

Summarise the important events from each section of the novel. Use the questions as guides, include anything else you think is important.
If a section has already been filled out, refine, change (use the discussion tab) or add to what's already there.

Part 1, Chapter 1-9: “The Tributes”

Background

Describe the events leading up to Katniss taking Prim's place as a tribute. Detail what she says about her and her family's background. What information does she give us about Panem?

Katniss Everdeen is sixteen years old and lives in District twelve; the mining district. It is the poorest district out of all twelve districts of Panem. She lives in the Seam, which is the poorer part of her district, with her mum and sister. Her father died in a mining accident when Katniss was eleven(5 years back). For a while after, Katniss' mum went into a state of depression and would hardly even get out of bed which left Katniss in charge.

Katniss has a younger sister called Primrose (shortened Prim), who is twelve years old. Her best friend and also hunting partner, is called Gale. He is eighteen years old and also lives in the Seam. Together, Gale and Katniss go hunting together, leaving District Twelve to go into the forest to hunt for animals and to fish. Katniss' father was a great hunter and taught Katniss his hunting skills.

After Katniss' father had died, Katniss had to feed the family and so learnt how to hunt with a bow and arrow. While hunting in her earlier days, Katniss had met Gale and he had taught her to make traps to catch animals in, in exchange for Katniss' own skills with a bow and arrow. She goes to the Hob, which is the district's black market, to trade items with other district 12 members.

At the start of the book, it is the day of the Reaping. The Reaping is the ceremony where the tributes are drawn for the Hunger Games. There are twenty four tributes chosen from the districts, one boy and one girl from each district. Once a child is twelve their name is entered once for the Hunger Games, twice at thirteen and so on right until they are eighteen where their name is entered seven times. These rules are the same for all twelve districts. However, if someone is poor and starving they can add their their name into the reaping more times in exchange for a tesserae which gives a meager years supply of oil and grain for one person. They can also do this for family members in exchange for their name being entered in more times. Katniss had her name entered into the Reaping twenty times by the beginning of the novel as she offered her own name in exchange for tesserae for herself, her mother and sister every year since she was eleven. Gale had his name entered forty two times as he had five family members and had done the same thing for his as Katniss had done in swapping his name again for grain and oil to for all his family.

The Tribute Ceremony

Describe what happens at the tribute ceremony. What does each of the main characters do? What are the outcomes for Prim, Peeta and Katniss? What does Katniss reveal about her history with Peeta? What does Madge (they mayor's daughter) give to Katniss and what significance does this hold for her?

At the tribute ceremony Katniss' sister Prim has her name called out. She isn't expecting this as she has never put her name down for tesserae. When Prim's name is called out Katniss volunteers herself to save her sisters life. Katniss is upset because she thinks that she will surely die during the Hunger Games as it is always the highly trained and well supplied tributes from the richer districts that win. Then Peeta Mellark is chosen as the boy tribute and Katniss is upset as she recalls how Peeta gave her food to feed her family when she was younger. When Peeta's name gets called out no-one volunteers to take his place even though he has two older brothers, 'Family devotion only goes so far for most people on reaping day.'

Katniss reveals her history with Peeta when his name gets called out and she has a flash back to when she was standing in his backyard, he gives her some bread he purposely burnt because he knows she needs its. He knows her family is poor and dealing with the loss of her father and he wants to help, even though it results in a beating from his mother for burning the bread.

The people of the district are also upset at Katniss being chosen because everyone knows her and buys food off her. They show their resentment towards the Capitol by not clapping when Effie Trinket asks them to applaud their newest tribute. Madge the mayors daughter gives her a gold pin that represents their district to wear, Katniss is surprised because its worth a lot but it is to remind her of her district and to fight to win for them. The mockingjay pin becomes very important to her not because it is made of gold but because it reminds her of her father and how he use to sing to the mockingjays.

Journey to the Capitol

Describe Katniss' thoughts and feelings as she heads to the Capitol. What happens while she's on the train? What are Katniss' first impressions of their mentors, Effie and Haymitch?

On the train Katniss is firstly shocked by the speed of it as she has never been on a train before. She explains how fancy the train is and is surprised to find she has her own room with a private bathroom including hot and cold running water. The draws are filled with fine clothes. She explains how her first shower felt; “It's like summer rain, only warmer.”

At supper Katniss and Peeta enjoy the food they are given as they have never had so much food and at such good quality before. Her first impressions of Effie is that she is shallow and doesn't understand how thoughts of the upcoming games are affecting them. Katniss doesn't like how Effie seems to enjoy the whole idea of the Hunger Games, and the fact that Effie's view of people from the poorer districts of Panem is simplistic, in that she has never been hungry or understands the hardships they have to deal with. Effie thinks of some of the previous candidates as subhuman. “The pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upset my digestion. “

Her first impression of Haymitch is that he is just a drunk (the only competitor from District Twelve that ever won the games and the man who was responsible for training her and Peeta) that doesn't care if her or Peeta win or lose. She doesn't like him, because she believes the other tributes from previous years may have had a chance if he had tried harder to train them. When she goes back to her room after supper, Katniss starts to think of older memories about how Peeta and the dandelion had given her hope to save her and her family's live. She starts to get upset and feel incredibly lonely as she imagines her home.

Katniss is woken in the morning by Effie and goes to have an enormous breakfast. She eats as much as she can hold down as she figures she better eat a lot before the Hunger Games. As Haymitch drinks more alcohol with his breakfast, Katniss explains how much she detests Haymitch and starts to blame him for all the other Tributes doing so badly every other year. Peeta smashes Haymitch's glass of alcohol when he makes a joke about staying alive and Haymitch punches Peeta before Katniss stabbing a knife into the table between Haymitch and the liquor bottle as Haymitch tries to reach for it. This shows Haymitch that Peeta and Katniss may have some skills that could be useful for the Hunger games and so agrees to stay sober for a while so he can help train them for the games.

Katniss seems shocked by her first views of the Capitol. She explains about the artificial colours everywhere, the massive buildings, and about the weirdly dressed people who have different coloured painted faces, will different from her home district.

Preparation - The Stylists

List Katniss and Peeta's stylists. What image are they creating for the audience? What is Katniss' impression of Cinna? How do things go for the District 12 team in the lead up to the training?

The chapter starts with Katniss' stylists; Venia, Octavia and Flavius, who are preparing her for the opening ceremony in the Capitol. Peeta is being prepared by his stylist, Portia and her team. Katniss' stylists give her a manicure and exfoliation, before Cinna (Katniss' main stylist), does her hair and make up. He is the one who designs her look including her clothes, make up, hair, etc, for the duration of the games. For the opening ceremony he has designed Katniss and Peeta outfits that are literally on fire. At first Katniss thinks he is a madman, even though he has a calm and normal demeanour. This is because he looks a lot more normal than the other stylists, who have dyed skin and hair whereas Cinna has keep his natural skin colour and brown hair. She thinks he is a madman because of the idea of lighting their clothes on fire as an effect for the audience. The fire is the main image he wants to create because district 12 is known for it's coal which fuels the Capitol's fires. The audience at the ceremony are in awe of the synthetic fire outfits, and they get the most attention out of all the tributes. This means the others are already out to get revenge before the games have even begun.

Training

Describe what takes place during training for Katniss and Peeta. Explain the ratings and sponsorship system. Describe who the career tributes are and their respective backgrounds.

Training for Katniss and Peeta is quite simple and not very focused with only one order from Haymitch: for them to stay together when in public. Throughout the trainings and classes Katniss and Peeta try not to show their strengths, nor their weaknesses in order to have an edge over the other tributes from various districts.

When training, Katniss and Peeta learned some important survival skills, like snares “A simple excellent trap that will leave a human competitor dangling by a leg from a tree.” This is also important as this is how Rue gets caught later on. This is also where Rue first gets introduced when she is 'shadowing' Peeta and Katniss

The relationship between Katniss and Peeta starts to develop as they argue about one another's strengths and weaknesses.

The sponsors are introduced at this point. They are the people from District that can offer to help a tribute when they are in the games. They usually raise money to send them food or medicine which helps for surviving in the arena. This is where the image that the stylists create of the tributes is so important. If the sponsors like a tribute, they are more likely to send them useful items in the arena, therefor maximising their chances of survival.

The Career tributes, aka the 'Careers' of the Hunger Games are tributes that are chosen, yet beforehand, or for their whole life have been trained for the games. Shown how to use weaponry, how to survive etc. These tributes usually come from the richer of districts, such as Districts 1, 2 and 4. These are districts that have much more funding and take a lot more pride in the games. To the tributes from these districts, it is more a privilege than a punishment as it is to the poorer of districts.

The Interview

Describe Caesar Flickerman's character.

Caesar Flickerman is the man who has hosted the Hunger Games interviews for more than 40 years. The interviews are a major televised event where the audience begins to form their impressions of the tributes personalities and it is important the Katniss and Peeta come across well here. Flickerman is a direct and confident person when asking the questions but also does what he can to put the tributes at ease during the interviews. Caesar adds humour to the interview and creates a positive atmosphere which contrasts (for the readers) with the tragedy of the hunger games. He is very good at getting the crowd involved and excited.

What can we infer about the culture of the Capitol from his manner in the interview? Describe Katniss' analysis of how she comes across to the audience in her interview. Explain why it is important for her and Peeta to project a certain image to the audience. Describe the surprising ending to the interview.

Part 2, Chapters 10-18: “The Games”

The Party

Describe the discussion between Katniss and Peeta on the roof. How does this change their relationship?

The night before the Hunger Games begin, Katniss goes up to the roof of the hotel because she can't sleep and needs some fresh air. She finds the door already open and sees Peeta's silhouette against the lights. She tells him he should be getting some sleep but he says he can't because he's preoccupied by the Hunger Games.

Peeta says if he has to die he wants to go out as himself. He doesn't want the Capitol to change him; to make him to someone/something he isn't. He wants to show the Capitol that they don't own him; that he is more than just a piece in their Games. This is an idea that is later understood by Katniss when Rue dies. This discussion improves the relationship between Katniss and Peeta as they confide in one another their fears of killing being killed.

In the Arena

Describe the area the tributes first find themselves in, the terrain and the cornucopia. What does Katniss and the other tributes do when they first arrive? Describe Katniss' initial strategy? Where does she go and what does she do to survive?

The cornucopia is a giant golden horn shaped like a cone with a tail. The mouth is seven metres high, spilling over with the things that will give them life in the arena. Containers of food, water, weapons, medicine, garments and fire starters. Around the cornucopia are other supplies too. They're on a flat open stretch of ground. Behind the tributes opposite Katniss is a drop off, a cliff or slope and to her right is a lake. To her left and behind her are pine trees.

Eleven tributes die during the initial struggle. When Katniss and the other tributes first get into the arena, most of the tributes run straight for the cornucopia. Katniss' initial strategy is to run to the pine trees until she sees the bow and arrow on the roll of blankets about 40 metres away. Peeta distracts her just as the horn goes so she goes back to her initial strategy of running straight to the pine trees because she wont have enough time to make it to the bow and arrow. Instead she settles for the first bag she can grab, along with bread and plastic. She has to fight for the bag with a boy from district 9. However, he ends up getting a knife in the back splattering blood upon her face.

As she sprints to the forest she hears a whistling noise. She lifts her backpack just in time to protect herself from a knife thrown by Clove, the girl from district 2. Katniss makes it to the forest where her plan is to find water, as suggested by Haymitch.

Conflict Begins

Describe the first thing the Gamemakers do to drive the tributes together. What does she discover about Peeta at this point? Who does Katniss meet when she's up the tree with the tracker jacker nest and what does she do to distract the careers?

Katniss makes it to the forest and continues to throw herself deeper into the forest further away from the other opponents. Once she feels she is far enough away from the other tributes for a while she stops to think, and remembers what Haymitch said about once she is in the arena. “Find a source of water”, Katniss begins to worry that her only source of water may have been the lake near the cornucopia, where the blood bath battle taken place earlier. She then sees wildlife on the forest floor and assumes there must be some source of water near by. It is getting dark now so Katniss scouts for a tree that would be high enough and dense enough to hide her from the tributes in case of night hunters, she finds a tree and mounts herself to a branch strapping her sleeping bag to a branch.

Katniss slowly drifts off but before she knows it a someone lights a campfire below. She then hears foots steps getting closer and closer to the fire, she knows that lighting the fire is likely to bring the career tributes in. As she guessed, moments later she heard a girl scream, confirming she was dead. Katniss hears the tributes discussing the girl and is shocked to discover that Peeta is with them.

The next day Katniss decides finding water and some food would be the top of her priorities, while looking out for other tributes of course. Katniss goes back to the dead fire and finds the girl who screamed last night dead on the ground, she then searches the sight for any food supplies or equipment but it appears that the tributes and Peeta have taken it all.

Katniss that day tries to find water, she follows the ground downhill, as she was positive that there would be water down the hill, after hours on end she finally reaches a small pond, and by that time she is exhausted. She reaches down to fill her bottle. With the action in the arena slowing down the game makers decide to speed things up a little. To bring the tributes closer they start huge fires that force Katniss to run for her life towards the lake again.

Starved and dehydrated Katniss struggles to escape from the fire and burning fireballs hurled by the gamemakers. She eventually manages to get to safety but suffers some burns on her leg.

The Loss of a Friend

Who is Katniss' first ally? Describe how they both learn to trust each other. What do they do to hit back at the careers? What other tribute does Katniss learn about during this? What happens to Rue after the mines explode and what does Katniss do that she's never done before? What do we learn about District 11?

Katniss' first ally is Rue, a 12 year old girl from district 11. They meet each other in the tree tops where they climbed to hide from a group of tributes and learn to trust each other when Rue points out a tracker jacker nest just above where Katniss lies. Katniss cuts the branch the nest is attached to, dropping the tracker jacker nest onto the tributes below and some of them are killed.

Another tribute Katniss learns about is Foxface, who is fast and can hide from anyone. She is observed stealing from the career's food to keep her alive.

Katniss learns some things from Rue about district 11, the main food producer of the districts. Initially, Katniss thinks the people in the district must have plenty to eat, but Rue explains that the workers would be beaten publicly if they ate any of the crops.

Later, after they realise the careers have all of the food, Rue and Katniss decide that they need to do something about this. They think of a cunning plan to destroy the food but need a distraction. Rue will set three fires a short distance apart from each other, while Katniss runs to the Cornucopia. Katniss learns the food has been booby-trapped with mines from the plates the tributes started the Games on. Showing off her steady aim, Katniss fires three arrows into a nearby hanging bag of apples which detonate the mines and the food with it. Katniss is surprised by the magnitude of the explosion and is deafened in her left ear.

After the explosion of the Careers' supplies, Katniss made her way towards the third fire set up in search of her young ally Rue, from district 11. She noticed something was wrong when she arrived at the third fire and saw it had been prepared but not lit.

Katniss then decided to go search for Rue. Katniss hears Rue scream for Katniss who screams back without thinking, Katniss arrives at Rue to late. Rue has been stabbed with a spear by the boy from district 1. Katniss grabs an arrow and her bow and shoots the boy straight through the neck. She then realises this is the first time she's killed another person. Katniss sings to Rue until she died, then decorates Rue with flowers to show the Capitol she was more than just a 'part' of their games.

Changing the Rules

What does Katniss do to say goodbye to Rue? What does this reveal about how the Hunger Games is changing Katniss opinion of the Capitol and what she's prepared to do in response to this? What announcement is made at the end of chapter 18? What is Katniss' reaction to this?

To say good bye to Rue, Katniss sings a lullaby to her , the same song her sister liked as a baby. This is very significant for her as she has not sung anything since her father died. After she hears the cannon fire to signal Rue's death she thinks about what Peeta said when they were on the roof earlier and how he wants to show the The Capitol that they don't own him. She decides to do something to “shame them, to make them accountable”, to show that Rue was more than just a piece in their games and that she is too. So Katniss decorates Rue's body with flowers. She walks away knowing they will have to show the body, the audience will know she did it, and that she cared for Rue. Katniss then walks away without looking back when the Mockingjay signals the hovercraft is approaching.

At the end of chapter 18 a rule change is announced that says both tributes from the same district will be declared winners if they are the last 2 alive. Katniss' first reaction is to shout out Peeta's name. She realises her mistake and shuts up but then sets out to find Peeta and help him. She is very quick to go find him which shows that she does care about him and maybe even stronger feelings.

Part 3, Chapters 19-27: “The Victor”

Finding Peeta - Needs restructuring

Why does Katniss think the Gamemakers have chosen to change the rules? What does Katniss discover about Peeta; where he is, what he was doing with the careers and what state he's in? Describe how Katniss and Peeta's relationship develops while they are in their rocky shelter next to the river. Describe what they tell each other about their respective backgrounds during this time.

An announcement in the arena explains that the rules of the games have been changed so that there can be two winners. Katniss believes this is because the audience would be upset if Katniss and Peeta or Clove and Cato had to kill each other at the end. She also thinks it is a result of her and Peeta playing the part of 'star crossed lovers'.

After some searching, Katniss finds Peeta lying in mud, next to the bank of a stream. Because of his camouflage she completely misses him until he speaks out. On the train Peeta has told her he does the icing on the cakes at his families bakery, and it is implied that he is a good artist. She then realizes Peeta's main strength that he showed the Gamemakers was his camouflage ability.

Katniss and Peeta's relationship progresses a long way in the rocky shelter. Katniss realizes that they have to play the part to get gifts from sponsors, but she also starts to have genuine feelings for him. The playing was crucial for Peeta to survive, as the needed nourishment suitable for him and also medicine. Because this was so important, it was a constant and strong interaction, so it is no surprise that Katniss starts to get feelings towards him. She starts to realise how upset she would be if he dies but still thinks that their relationship is mostly a farce to convince the audience to support them.

They talk about their past to further engage the audience and get their sympathy and things start to get a bit intimate. They start kissing and cuddling up together as they go to sleep. Peeta asked Katniss to tell him a story, the story she told was how she got Prim's goat for her birthday, and how Gale and her go hunting for food to keep their families alive and fed. He tells her the story about how he fell in love with her, in year 5 when his father wanted to marry her mother.

Saving Peeta

Describe Peeta's condition at this stage.

Peeta's condition is bad. He has various cuts and bruises including a few tracker jacker stings which still had the stings in them. But his main injury was a deep cut on his thigh that went to the bone that had some level of infection as it was full of pus. At this point Katniss tried her best to heal Peeta including draining his leg of pus (much to her disgust) however all this was to no avail as after a day or so blood poisoning had set in.

What incentive do the Gamemakers provide to drive the tributes together once again?

The game makers call together a feast at the cornucopia they offer each District group something that they need badly. For instance Cato needed body armour to protect him self from Katniss's arrows. Katniss badly needed powerful medication for Peeta's badly infected leg.

What does Katniss do to get the gift she needs to save Peeta?

To get the gift, Katniss drugs Peeta with the sleep syrup that she got from a sponsors parachute so she could get away without Peeta trying to follow her. She then hides in a bush till the table rises out of the ground on a hidden platform. When she runs out she has a fight with Clove and ends up with a nasty cut on her head. Thresh kills Clove and saves Katniss because of what she did for Rue.

Describe what happens with Thresh, Cato and Clove at this point. Describe what events take place that lead Katniss to think Peeta might be sincere in his love for her.

After the feast Cato try's to save Clove but it is too late and she dies. Thresh run away with his bag and the bag and Cato's bag as well. Cato dicides to chase after him and hunt Thresh down. About a day or so later the horn sounds for the death of thresh telling peeta and katniss that them and Cato are the only three left.

The Final Battle

What do the Gamemakers do to the water supplies in the arena to drive the tributes together for the final battle? Which other tributes have been eliminated before Katniss and Peeta make their way back to the Cornucopia? Describe what the Gamemakers do to make this more dangerous. What item does Cato have at this point? Describe the events on the Cornucopia. What do Katniss and Peeta threaten to do after this?

Peeta and Katniss were driven towards the lake as the Gamemakers drained all the water from the whole forest except for the lake next to the cornucopia. They planned this so Peeta and Katniss had to face Cato.

Peeta and Katniss were waiting by the cornucopia for Cato when they saw him sprint out of the forest. They were confused when he sprinted right passed them with a shocked look on his face, followed by an army of wolf like creatures (or mutations of the dead tributes) called muttations by Katniss.

They soon realised that they should run, so they followed Cato willingly. Once Katniss reached the gigantic horn, she turned around and saw Peeta slowly limping towards her, Katniss then noticed the raging mutant wolfs coming closer to his back leg so she started to scream “ Peeta run!”, finally Peeta took her hand and they both scrambled up the horn where Cato was.

Once they reached the summit Katniss was trying to hold off the wolves by shooting her bow an arrow at. Once she turned around after trying to hold them off unsuccessfully, she sees Cato holding Peeta in a head lock instantly she aims an arrow at Cato, and before she could think about the consequences Cato yells out, “stop!, if you shoot me he goes down with me”.

Due to Peeta's instantaneous intelligence he marks an X on Cato's hand with blood, marking where to shoot him. Katniss releases the arrow sending it flying into Cato's hand, he then crashes to the ground where he is mauled by the wolves. Katniss just manages to catch Peeta as he falls.

They then watched in disbelief as Cato surprisingly holds on his limbs by the body armour he wrapped around himself. After the hours passed slowly and still hearing the agonizing pain Cato is going through, Katniss stands up and decides to shoot Cato in the head to get the torching over and done with. After hours on end waiting for the speaker to come on and claim their victory, the voice finally speaks “ Sorry, change of rules only one tribute from a district can survive not two!”. Katniss looks at Peeta with a worried expression.

Katniss and Peeta then stand back to back with the berries that had been used previously to kill Foxface in hand. They threaten to commit suicide to sabotage "The Hunger Games" so that there is no victor. As they go to eat the berries, the voice of Caesar Flickerman comes over the speakers and announces that there will be two winners this year. Katniss and Peeta then spit the berries out before they have swallowed any.

Aftermath

What is Katniss worried that the Capitol might choose to do as they leave on the arena on the hovercraft? Describe the events which take place after the games end. Describe Katniss and Peeta's relationship at the end of the novel.

Katniss is recovering in a private hospital room in part of the arena, contained to her bed by a pressurised anaesthetic attached to the restraint around her waist. She has to stay here until all of her bruises and cuts and injuries are all gone.

She meets her team after these few days and they take her back to the 12th floor in the tribute building. Here she gets fed by proportions and Cinna dresses her. Katniss then realises how skinny she is and that she has to wear temporary fake breasts because Haymitch wouldn't allow them to adjust them surgically.

Haymitch warns Katniss about the Capitol and how she and Peeta have to be madly in love or they would be in serious danger. He said Peeta hasn't been told because “he's already there” meaning that Peeta truly felt for Katniss where Haymitch thought that Katniss wasn't.

Katniss and Peeta have a very emotional and passionate first meeting and have there ceremony of watching the “highlights” of the Games.

Peeta and Katniss are kept apart until the next day at the interviews. Katniss has to watch what she says because of the danger until Katniss finds out about and sees Peeta's new leg.

Soon after this Peeta and Katniss are on the train home and at the fuel stop on the way Haymitch and Katniss tell Peeta about their plan and he gets very upset thinking that Katniss did it all for the Games and that she didn't care about him at all.

Peeta says “one last time, for the cameras” and he takes her hand. Katniss is confused about her feelings for Peeta, her feelings for Gale and her fear about what the Capitol will do next.

Characters

Activity

Fill out the tables for each character. Ensure you examine your novel to verify each entry before putting it into the wiki.
If a section has already been filled out, refine, change (use the discussion tab) or add to what's already there.

Primary Characters

Katniss Everdeen

File:KatnissEverdeen.jpg

Brief physical description

Long black hair, typically tied in a braid down her back, with grey eyes & olive skin.

Personality

Katniss is a realist, and not inclined to take an over positive view of anything. She is also quite practical, but occasionally given to bouts of impulsiveness. All though she is practical and methodical, she also relies on her instincts, whereas other characters who are methodical may be more inclined to think more than react on instinct. This habit of instinctual action may be the reason she also shows impulsiveness. Tying in with this practicality and realistic view of the world is a very skeptical personality. This natural skepticism may be the reason she can rely on instincts, as they are naturally cautious and aware of the circumstances. She is strong, and practical. Katniss doesn't let anything sentimental get in the way of her survival. She relies on her own instincts to judge people, doesn't trust many people. She took on the task of fending for her family when her Father died, which is evidence of her strong will not only to survive but her mental strength. Not many eleven year olds could look after their family while finding it hard to survive themselves.

Motivations

She is motivated by her family, mainly her sister, because she has to look after them after her father died. She progressively feels stronger and stronger about her dislike of the Capitol and as they novel progresses is motivated by will to resist them.

How She Changes

The story is told in first person. We can understand her thoughts and opinions this way. It makes us feel like we know Katniss. As a reader we can connect with Katniss. The author makes her seem real because she often makes mistakes with her judgements. The author describes everything about Katniss including the setting she is in, what her motovations are, her background etc.. this makes her seem real and gives her a deeper connection with the reader. Because we know what her past is and how she was bought up, we are able to see why she does what she does.

Characterisation

[What things (specific techniques and otherwise) does Collins do to make this character seem real?]

Peeta Mellark

File:Peeta.gif

Brief physical description

Ash blonde hair, blue eyes, strong mesomorphic build.

Personality

He is very methodical, using his strengths to adapt to the wild. When running from the Career tributes with an injured leg, he uses his knowledge of icing cakes to cover himself in mud and camouflage into the ground. Peeta is very quiet and reserved, he keeps to himself and doesn't like to share his opinions. He has very strong emotions and despite his best efforts to conceal them he is a easy person to read. He is a very creative person seeing as he is the bakers son. He is a very sentimental person and is clueless about how to survive the Hunger Games in terms of skill and tactics. Peeta is an extremely caring boy, he is forever aware of other people and their feelings and how circumstances may affect them.

Motivations

Peeta is motivated by his want/need to protect Katniss because he is in love with her, he takes every opportunity to help her in the games to further her in the competition. He also has a much more explicit dislike of the Capitol at the beginning of the novel and does what he can to resist their control.

How He Changes

[What evidence is there to suggest he changes? His ways of thinking and decisions.]

Characterisation

[What things (specific techniques and otherwise) does Collins do to make this character seem real?]

Image

[Create and scan an image of this character. Add an item or items that are associated with them.]

Secondary Characters

Character	Brief physical description	Personality	Motivations	Characterisation	Function	Image
Gale	He has the same grey eyes as Katniss, straight black hair and olive skin.	When he sees Katniss after the reaping to say their goodbyes instead of weeping he gets straight to the point and tries to help her by giving advice on what weapons to grab, etc. He also reassures her by letting her know that he won't let her family starve.	Katniss is his best friend and so he cares about her a lot. He doesn't want her to die and having seen her hunting skills, he believes that she can win the Hunger Games.	The author made Gale seem more real by giving him a background story and also showing Katniss' emotions towards him.	From Gale we learn how hard life is for everybody in district 12, as there is another similar character to reinforce the impressions we get from Katniss. We also learn from thier joint adventures and stories more about the history of Panem, the dark days and resentment towards the capitol.	[Create and scan an image of this character. Add an item or items that are associated with them.]
Rue	She is small and agile. 12yrs old.	She reacts well considering she is very gentle and small. She focuses on just staying alive and not killing anyone.	Because she is young and weak she is very happy to make a partnership with Katniss who is older and wiser.	She talks about her home and her background. This makes her story seem very real and helps the readers to feel more attached to the character. She's not just a person with a name but one with a story and previous life before the games.	She talks about what her district does and what she does there and we learn about her family and Thresh. She talks about climbing the trees and the birds.	[Create and scan an image of this character. Add an item or items that are associated with them.]
Haymitch Abernathy	Paunchy middled aged man	Hes often drunk, he spends all his money on alcohol. Hes always sarcastic, but after being pushed he acts as a true mentor to Katniss and Peeta. he is also prone to violent outbursts	He won the Hunger games 25 years ago and now mentors the new tributes every year. He wants the tributes from district 12 to win, but finds it hard when each year he sees them die.	He is always intoxicated, so he doesn’t have to think about his past in the hunger games and all the tributes he has sent to their deaths.	That winning the games didnt do anything good for him, because all he does is get drunk and watch the tributes die each year. Exept when Katniss and Peeta win.	File:HaymitchAbernathy.jpg
Effie Trinket	Tall, and wears a pink wig.	She is a very proper person who is always on top of things, and has perfect manners. She also wants to get a better job and get out of being the escort and MC for district 12	Effie Trinket is driven by her determination to have one of districts 12 tributes finally win the hunger games.	Collins uses repetition of offensive outfits and an annoying voice, along with an Katniss's inability to understand her to create a picture of an unpleasantly real woman	We learn a lot about the people of the capitol, both how they act and think, from Effie.	[Create and scan an image of this character. Add an item or items that are associated with them.]
Cinna	Cinna is portrayed as very stylish but simplistic. His natural hair color is assumed to be brown, with green eyes.	He is a very calm person. He doesn't worry about the games itself and try's not to think about them. He only seems to be interested in the fine costumes made for the tributes from district 12 and has a heart to protect Katniss	Cinna is a new designer to the hunger games. He chooses district 12 to design cloths for not because he has to but because he wants to even though at this point district 12s tributes have been known to not be very strong competitors.	Collins makes Cinna a realistic character by making him be a normal person even though he is a crazy fashion designer. Cinna also seems a real person by being a friend to katniss and careing about her outfits to make sure she gets lots of support.	We learn that not all people from the capitol are ignorant and self-superior as the initial impression would tend to be. we can see that some empathize and try to help people from the districts.	File:CinnaTHG.jpg
Prim Everdeen	Long blonde hair and blue eyes, petite build.	She is young and has had Katniss to look after her she is still a child, and reacts like a child. We see her attitude and personality almost contrast with Katniss, because Katnisss has had to toughen up to support and provide for her family.	Her age	Her fear and dependence on Katniss makes Prim seem real. The stories that Katniss tells about Prim, i.e. the goat story, give Prims character depth.	We learn why Katniss is the way she is, i.e. Why she is so tough mentally and personality wise.	File:PrimroseEverdeen.jpg 250px
Katniss' mother	Was once beautiful, but now she looks worn out after her husband died. She has blonde hair.	She leaves her children to survive and support themselves because she is so tormented by her husbands death she can't look after them.	The loss of her husnand is a leading factor in the way she behaves in the lead up to the story, and how she relates to Katniss.	The way she totally shuts down when Katniss's father dies adds a bit of realism, because it is not an ideal way with dealing with a problem. The idea that she is not perfect adds realism to the character.	She shows the depression and dark side of some of the citizens of district 12, and how they are resigned to living in such poor circumstances.	[Create and scan an image of this character. Add an item or items that are associated with them.]
Avox Girl	Red hair and Porcelain skin.	She is a forgiving person, from what we know because she tells Katniss it is not her fault.	Her past experiences and horrors with the Capitol makes her who she is.	The fact that she is the sole representation of a group of people give the character depth, and reality.	We learn something about Katniss's past,and also the past and present of Panem.	[Create and scan an image of this character. Add an item or items that are associated with them.]
Caesar Flickerman	A false smile and positive expression and a calm demeanor.	He reacts in the way that will cause the most desirable reaction from the crowd, or in damage control if something is damaging to the Capitol	Ratings and desire for public affirmation.	A greasy cheesiness reminiscent of old TV presenters which the readers can relate to. Also, his diction and dialogue with cheesy jokes for the crowd also give some realism to the character.	We learn how easily lead the people of the Capitol are.	[Create and scan an image of this character. Add an item or items that are associated with them.]

Other Important Tributes

Character	Brief physical description	District origins	Skills	How they are a threat to Katniss and Peeta	Image
Cato	He is very large.	District 2	He can use all types of weaponry he is good at hand to hand combat.	He is a killing machine, who has been raised as a career tribute to enter these games with a major advantage over the others.	File:CatoTHG.jpg 200px
Clove	She is very beautiful.	District 2	She is strong.	[Create and scan an image of this character. Add an item or items that are associated with them.]
Thresh	He is very large tall and buff. He is an African Panem as with all the people of District 11.	District 11	He is very able he can fight and use weaponry at a high standard. He is use to troubling circumstances.	He is very strong very able to kill people and he seems ready to do this.	File:THG Thresh drawing.jpg
Foxface	You don't know much about her because of the limited 1st person perspective. The only thing we certainly know about her is that she has a 'fox face' or fox like features. She has a small nose, small eyes or whisker-like frown lines. Most likely red-haired.	District 5	She is thrifty and smart and knows how to get the best out of all situations but that is her downfall in all situations she must get her something	She is very good at hiding and staying out of trouble. In the Games, Peeta and Katniss almost never see her.	[Create and scan an image of this character. Add an item or items that are associated with them.]

Important Relationships

Activity

Write interview questions for each of the following pairs of characters below as though you are interviewing them for a documentary. The aim of this documentary is to explore the characters' relationship as accurately as possible. You may want to choose one of the following pairs of characters or choose your own. Write the characters' answers to the questions. Where there are two characters they should both answer but may not agree with each other. Ensure your interview questions and characters refer to specific events in the novel. You can video this interview or put a written version on the wiki. Ensure your questions cover: What their relationship was like at the beginning. How it changed. How their different personalities effected the relationship. How the relationship was at the end of the games.

Katniss and Prim

[insert interviews here]

Katniss and Peeta

Katniss and Gale

[Insert interview here!]

Katniss on her relationship with Rue

Interview with Katniss about Prim

Katniss and Haymitch

[Insert interview here!]

Katniss and Cinna

[Insert interview here!]

Allusions and the Significance of Names

A bust of Julius Caesar

Definition

Allusion, 1 : an implied or indirect reference especially in literature; also : the use of such references

2 : the act of alluding to or hinting at something

Many authors choose names for characters and locations that relate to things in the world outside of the text. Phillip K. Dick (author of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" which formed the basis for the film "Bladerunner") was a science fiction author who had a particular obsession with the meanings of names. Names will often relate to other things which in turn provide material to influence our reading of a text.

Example - Caesar Flickerman
Julius Caesar was a powerful dictator in ancient Rome. There is complex historical debate over whether he was a good ruler or not and the Roman senate eventually murdered him over concerns about the extent of his power. The games and the idea of a barbaric and violent spectacle were very much a part of Roman life with gladiators dueling to the death just as the tributes do in the novel. Flickerman relates to television and reality television shows and the flicker part of the name also suggests his character is insubstantial or fake. Suzanne Collins has also said her inspiration for the novel came while she was changing channels between war coverage and a reality TV show. This got her thinking about a combination of the two; this relationship is illustrated in the two parts of Caesar Flickerman's name.

Character	Significance of Name
Katniss Everdeen	Katniss is an arrowroot plant which is in relevance to her ability with a bow. Also the plant is incredibly resilient and can survive in harsh conditions. The Katniss plant is common and edible so Katniss simply needs to find herself to survive
Peeta Mellark	Peeta is similiar to 'Pita' which is a type of bread which relates to his name and the fact that he is a bakers son.

Setting

Definition

The context and environment in which a situation is set; the background.

Panem's Backstory

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A coal mine, perhaps similar to those in District 12.

Activity

Write a historical article detailing Panem's history, wars etc. and infrastructure. Explain the relationship between the different districts and what resources they use to survive. Include an analysis of the Capitol's power over the other districts and the nature and function of the Hunger Games. You may have to infer some of this information from what we learn in the novel.

Locations within the novel

Activity

Construct a tourist brochure for one of the following locations in the novel or choose your own location. You are trying to encourage people to visit this location. Include illustrations that accurately depict what this location looks like. Describe what the location is like. Be as accurate as possible even though you may use adjectives that aren't particularly encouraging. You may construct this with electronic tools or scan the finished product. Ensure you adhere to WikiEducator's copyright requirements when designing this resource.

District 12

[Insert brochure here!]

The Capitol

[Insert brochure here!]

The Arena

[Insert brochure here!]

Style

Symbolism

Definition

Symbolism is the consistent use of an image, object, character or concept throughout a text that represents another idea or concept other than itself.

Activity

Fill out the following table of symbols in the novel. Some of the symbols have been provided for you.

Symbol	Denotative / literal meaning (what is it?)	Connotative / symbolic meaning (what does it represent?)	Image
Fire	Something combusting/burning. A rapid, persistent chemical change that releases heat and light and is accompanied by flame, especially the exothermic oxidation of a combustible substance.	Spirit, passion and danger.	File:FireDrawing.jpg 100px
Reaping	Gathering, taking away. To obtain as a result of effort.	Symbolizes death, grim reaper . Reaping is when Tributes are announced to enter the hunger game which could end up as their death	[Draw an image of this symbol in action]
Mockingjays	literal meaning = cross of mocking bird and jabberjays. Jabberjays are created by the capitol and were used to spy on enemies of the Capitol. Jabberjays have the ability to memorize whole human conversations and repeat them whenever.Capitol used jabberjays to gather words from the rebels. Jabberjays however have also been used by the rebels who used the jabberjays to feed false informations and lies to the capitol once the people in the districts realized how their private conversations were being transmitted by these birds. The Capitol ceased using the jabberjays after some time and abandoned them to die off in the wild.However by the 75th Hunger Games, the Capitol had replenished the population of jabberjays and used them in one of the arena which drew in and trapped tributes such as Finnick Odair and Katniss Everdeen with sounds and voices they knew from their home. Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians	The mocking jay represents rebellion and freedom. The mocking jay is a bird that the capitol couldn’t control. The capitol underestimated the biologically created male Jabber jay’s ability to survive and in turn they mated with female mockingbirds and created the mocking jay. The rebels use the bird as their icon, it symbolises their right to be free.	150px
Cornucopia	This is where all the tributes started and regrouped during the conclusion of the game. It is a symbol of food and abundance dating back to 5th century BC. Also it is a food of worship and holiness.	This is the only place where the gamemakers can have a physical input into the game. In Greek mythology Zeus give the cornucipia back to Amalthea. This horn gives the owner what he wishes for. The gamemakers can send in crucial supplies to the tributes for a 'feast'. Cornucopia highlights that the gamemakers can still manipulate the outcome of the game. They can decide who dies and who lives. This helps to demonstrate that even the tributes are still within the control and the boundaries of the gamemakers and ultimately the Capitol. Capitol is like Zeus, the unchallenged leader of Panem and its residents.

Figurative Language

Definition

Figurative language is a word or phrase that moves from everyday literal language for comparison, emphasis, clarity, or freshness. Metaphor and simile are the two most commonly used figures of speech, but others like hyperbole, puns, and personification are also figures of speech.

Figurative Language Analysis Process

Identify the two things in the comparison (vehicle and tenor).
Decide which is the thing that carries the meaning (vehicle).
Identify the denotative/literal meaning for the vehicle.
Identify all possible connotations/associations for the vehicle.
Decide which connotations are relevant in the text.

Metaphor Example

An Aviation Machinist uses a ratchet to install inserts in the spindle hinge of the rotor blade mount of an SH-60F Seahawk.

Quote: "I swear that the Gamemakers are progressively ratcheting up the temperature in the day time..."

Technique - Metaphor: The reason this is a metaphor is that one cannot literally ratchet up temperature. Something can only be ratcheted if it is a physical object, not a concept or measure of something.
Vehicle: ratcheting up...
Tenor: the change in temperature.

Effect: The vehicle, "ratcheting up" suggests a calculated action as opposed to the natural occurrence of weather. It also emphasises the Gamemakers' control over the tributes.

How this effect is created: If someone ratchets something they are usually doing it for a specific reason, eg: a mechanic may ratchet a part into an engine. The control idea relates to the fact that ratcheting is a specific action designed to exercise control over a physical object.

Link to theme(s) / big idea(s): Links to survival and control.

Quote: "... to the street, where citizens of the capitol were buzzing around"

Technique - Metaphor: The reason this is a metaphor is that the citizens of the Capitol were not nor would be able to ' buzz' around. The word buzzing is used to describe a sound, but is often used to create an impression of activity, experienced through vision. The word buzzing is also often associated with bees..
Vehicle: buzzing...
Tenor: The citizens of the Capitol.

Effect: The vehicle, 'Buzzing' Gives the impression of activity. A deeper meaning can be seen in its relation to bee's. Bee's are seen to always be busy, working under orders from the queen, not thinking about what they are doing. The link to bees and insects could also be a physical one, as the Citizens of the Capitol are described to be colourful and strange. .

How this effect is created: The citizens are moving around the capitol, enabling it to continue functioning, not knowing or caring about people of the districts and how they live, similar to the behavior of bees. Link to theme(s) / big idea(s): Links to ????

Close Reading

Activity

Close reading. Find a passage with a specific technique or where Collins does something with language that creates a particular effect. Name the technique or describe what she is doing with the language. Describe the effect it creates. Explain how it creates this effect. Explain how it is linked to any themes / big ideas.