Analysis of the Novel The Hunger Games Written by Suzanne Collins - Book Report/Review Example

The Hunger Games In Suzanne Collins novel The Hunger Games, the media is used in a variety of situations for the purposes of spreading propaganda and for the purposes of social control. The themes and perspectives developed by the media are aligned to condition the minds of the audience to think towards a predetermined direction. The images used, and the portrayal of individuals character, attitude, and reactions in managed in such a way that yields some elements of ideas that are particularly meant to illustrate a certain agenda (Bartlett 12). As such, there is no aspect of objectivity since all actions are strategically aimed towards serving the interests of the people and powers in control of media. It would be important to consider some of the specific examples from the text as an illustration of the power of the media to shape public agenda and spread information that is essentially compromised and subject to the interests of some forces. In this novel, the tributes are brought in the media with the intention of creating some false kinds of impression regarding their lives and talents. The audience is treated to some superficial images and characters that have been blown out of normal proportion and beyond objective truth for achieving some patterns of thought from the audience. Katniss and Peeta are made to give some highlights about their unique abilities and shed light on certain issues that relate to their personal lives (Collins 21). In this manner, the media actively promotes the ideals of sensationalism and deliberate falsification of information for the sake of entertaining the audience. The unethical control and management of people’s minds is one of the strategies that the media uses to achieve its objectives. Rather than capturing the natural sequence of things, the media engages in calculated moves that are pointed towards a predetermined direction. In essence, it might be important to consider the fact that some of the issues that attend to the role of the media in controlling the society relate to its ability to privilege certain issues above others. The media sets the agenda for the society by assigning some issues a higher level of significance as compared to others. The author captures the media as particularly subjective. She also brings out the media as serving the interests of the powerful and dominant forces in the society. As such, the fate of Katniss and Peeta is reduced to the whims of the powerful individuals who seek to control the manner in which the two tributes will end up in the war. The attempted suicide by the two was a triumphant demonstration against the stifling influence of the media. In this regard, it becomes necessary to consider the fact that much of the issues that are captured in media are meant to serve the private objectives as determined by the media. The two protagonists, Katniss and Peeta engage in actions that define their public images in a way that differs significantly from their private images. Constantly, the two characters are under pressure to live their lives in ways that conform to the tastes of the society. The media subjects them to some kind of force that stifles and challenges their sense of being. They sacrifice their private interests for acquiring new identities, which are necessarily represented outside the domain of normalcy. The information relayed by the two individuals and their respective actions are brought out to appear as some actions that are directed towards winning favors. As a result, there remains some kind of magnet that ties the interest of the audiences to the propaganda that is relayed by the media. This matter represents the forces that actively support the creation and development of themes and directions as understood within the society. For instance, Katniss and Peeta are coached on the manner of behavior and character before they appear for television interviews. Therefore, most of the information that they offer to the public are deliberately falsified in order to capture the essence of freedom as represented within the realm of actuality. Similarly, the media portrays some false kinds of information regarding the hunger and adversity, which afflicts the people in the societies represented in the novel. The enormity of the suffering is lessened by the media focus on other superficial issues, which effectively sidesteps on the real concern. However, Katniss demonstrates the ability to use the power of the media to her advantage. She is able to win public support by manipulating the minds of the people through measured actions, reactions, and responses that win the support of the public. Her threat to commit suicide makes it possible for the managers to change the rules of combat so that she is allowed to form a fighting team with Peeta. She also uses the media to bring out certain actions of sensationalism, which are strategically meant to challenge the system. Katniss songs to the dying Rue and her actions of decorating the deceased have the power of redeeming the situation from the callous and mean atmosphere to a more humane and sympathetic reality. She also attends to the injured Peeta until he recovers and ensures that both of them survive the challenges to share in the glory. These actions bring her out as a girl with a high sense of humanity and concern for the plight of others (Egan 36). These actions, as portrayed in the media, were important in conditioning the minds of the public towards a favorable assessment of her character and values. In this manner, Katniss is portrayed as possessing the power to challenge the status quo. She is the conscience of the society in the sense that she represents a high degree of morality, love, compassion, and other positive values in a society that only believes in violence and meanness. Villainous characters whose interest rests with advancing the course of adversity and human suffering contrast her. Her actions attract the admiration and concern of the readers. She is the hero of the situation and seeks to represent herself as an individual with a thoroughgoing concern for human suffering. The novel represents production and consumption in a range of complex patterns that relate to the struggle between classes. Particularly, the novel portrays the manner in which a few selfish and powerful individuals hold the society captive. The few powerful individuals own the systems of production, which gives them power over the poor majority. In essence, it might be argued that the few rich individuals as represented in the society have the power to engage in systems of production and use their financial power for controlling the larger society. As a result of this reality, there is a determined effort on the path of the rich individuals to articulate certain values that align with the needs and concerns of the society. The issues captured in this matter are necessarily related to matters of self-interest and the preservation of certain interests, which are articulated across the classes. The owners of the systems of production eventually determine the consumption patterns of the poor. For instance, they create laws that determine the actions of the poor. The imbalances created in consumption create tensions and some determined struggle by the poor to acquire some bigger stakes in the management of the resources (Faux 41). As such, it becomes necessary to consider the fact that the actions of Katniss were representative of the efforts by the poor to gain access to the means of production and a complete reversal of the patterns of consumption. Conflicts and strife are considered as some of the direct consequences of the struggle. It is particularly important to consider the fact that some fighting of the tributes is controlled the rich. The imbalances in the production and consumption patterns represented in this text mirror the realities that afflict modern societies in which a few powerful forces control the system and actively shields the majority from engaging in any independent actions and self-fulfillment. The acquired privilege of controlling other people’s lives eventually lead the powerful individuals in extending their influence into other areas of life with the intention of acquiring more or complete influence into the lives and interests of the poor. The underprivileged class eventually seeks their self-determination in ways that fuel the class struggle across the two divides. Works Cited Bartlett, Myke. The Appetite for Spectacle: Violence and Entertainment in The Hunger Games. PDF, 2012. Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games Trilogy. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2011 Egan, Kate. The World of the Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2012 Faux, Jeff. The Hunger Games Economy. PDF, 2012. Read More