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Description:

If The Hunger Games was your jam, Mockingjay will be your jelly.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

You say you want a revolution? Well, you know… we all want to change the world.

00:20

Okay, so maybe the Beatles said it best. But when things aren’t to our liking, a

00:24

revolution is sometimes in order. In Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy,

00:29

the people of Panem have gotten sick and tired of being treated like garbage.

00:32

They don’t like having to sacrifice their children to the Hunger Games, and they certainly

00:37

don’t like the “Capitol” forcing them into poverty.

00:40

So…they organize… …and attempt to overthrow the government.

00:43

For the face of their rebellion they choose Katniss Everdeen, co-winner of the last Hunger

00:48

Games. Because of her defiance to the Capitol, she

00:51

now symbolizes Panem’s mounting frustration. But is this chain of events how a revolution

00:55

begins here in the real world? How plausible is Panem’s coup?

01:00

Well let’s take a look at another Revolution and compare…

01:03

How did the gears of war get started in the American Revolution?...

01:07

So, pretty much everyone in the colonies was unhappy with the British.

01:11

People would get together in small groups to express their dissatisfaction and organize

01:16

revolts, however they couldn’t exactly send out chain emails to all of their friends.

01:21

So all they could do was rebel on a smaller level.

01:24

Their hope was that their actions would create a spark that would light a fire.

01:27

And the courageous acts of a few colonists inspired the rest to fight.

01:31

But things go down much differently in the Hunger Games trilogy. First thing, the whole

01:35

revolution happens pretty much at once, rather than sporadically and in different locations.

01:40

Secondly, while they are just as much under the thumb of their government as the colonists…

01:45

…the citizens of Panem have a place called District 13 to prepare for battle.

01:50

All in all, it is a much more organized plan than any other Revolution in our world’s

01:54

history. So have we concluded that Collins’ depiction

01:57

of revolution is unrealistic? Or is it a sign of the times?

02:01

With the growth of technology, everything in the world is changing, and war is no exception.

02:06

Today, you can create a website promoting a cause, and before you know it, you have

02:09

a million hits. Even Egypt created a large number of pro-democracy

02:13

protests that merely began as a Facebook page. Because the Hunger Games takes place in the

02:18

future, the people of Panem have access to the same types of technology that we have.

02:22

So this begs the question. Is the uprising in Panem credible? Or are you a cynic?

02:28

Shmoop amongst yourselves. And may the odds of arriving at a conclusion be ever in your

02:33

favor.

02:33

YouTube blurb:

02:33

You love The Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen is your hero. You might even organize a revolution

02:33

yourself, if you didn’t get quite so queasy at the sight of blood. But hey – you really

02:33

don’t have it so bad. About the only thing you’re randomly selected for is a Best Buy

02:33

gift card. (Careful – it’s a scam.)

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