Masculinity In The Hunger Games

Words: 1658
Pages: 7
Open Document
Constructing an intense and thrilling variation to the term “Battle Royale”, The Hunger Games is an action-packed science fiction thriller about a society overrun by a totalitarian government, ruling over Panem with an iron fist. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is a poor citizen of District 12 trying to provide for her family, but soon falls into the chaotic life of competing in the annual Hunger Games. Struggling to survive during the games, Katniss finds the truth on what the government is all about in Panem, soon finding hidden clues leading to the mysteries of the big brother. The movie represents the major issue of brutality combined with masculinity in sports, whether it is for pure entertainment or just for the sake of the sport. …show more content…
Constructed on the idea of a dystopian future, Gary Ross creates a world where government is in control of everything and is not to be trusted for the sake of staying alive. With the Capitol as the head of the districts, people live out their daily lives frightened by the fact of a “big brother” watching over every movement. Ross is achieving the stereotypical science fiction movie, with the future being overrun by a totalitarian government but takes a twist in which most films never do. With the districts split apart and the divided classes working on their own, they combine for one thing, a sporting event. Each year 24 participants are selected to be competitors of the Hunger Games, a brutal battle royale where each player must kill all other players to be crowned champion. As every athlete knows, death is certain unless you are the victor. The purpose of the Hunger Games is to bestow entertainment for the …show more content…
As citizens of a modern, westernized world, we view many sports as masculine and brutal but in a subtler state. Football is one of America’s top sports, with players hitting each other almost every second of the game and suffering consequences such as concussions or different injuries, but we view it as pure entertainment. The Hunger Games relate towards sports in western society, but it takes sports as entertainment with a pure brutality view. For instance, in the beginning scenes of the game, many of the districts run for the only available weapons in sight towards the middle, chopping off heads and stabbing people to get ahead in the race of the top. This brutality is not viewed lightly as many of the fans cheer for their district as other districts weep for their loss. This is compared to the fans of a major sports team, as when a player scores the winning touchdown the fans cheer for their team, while the other team mourns over the lost. The issue is whether masculinity is a major component of the games and why should it continue to play a part in the society of Panem. We continued to argue over the dangers of contact sports and the impact it has on the players, but in the film the citizens of the Capitol continue to push for the games to happen, promoting masculine sports as pure entertainment for the upper class. As the
Show More

Related Documents: Masculinity In The Hunger Games

Essay about Collaboration Potential and Hurdles of Greater Collaboration Between China and India

inequalities? (Class, Gender, Sexuality etc.) Lit-Review Hip-Hop and Masculinity The image of the urban U.S. American pimp functions as a powerful symbol of Black masculinity throughout modern hip-hop culture. This image immortalizes establishes certain stereotypes that characterize Black males as violent, beasts and Black females as hyper sexed, valueless mules.…

Words 5684 - Pages 23

Lecture 5 Essay

McMaster University Social Sciences 2O03(e): Canadian Children Lecture Hall: MDCL 1305 Sept 8th to Dec. 5th 2011 Wednesday Evenings: 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Professor G. Voros Office: KTH 217 Ext 27897 Office Hours: Fridays 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Meetings by appointment only The purpose of the course is to study the perceived versus the actual status of Canadian children within our society. A number of topics could be considered including the following. a) Introduction: The Historical Evolution…

Words 6270 - Pages 26

CNPS 427 Lecture Essay

CNPS 427 January 14, 14 Counselling as a Profession – School Counselling - client-centered Main activities and roles of Counsellors and Guidance Workers Clinical (individual, group, family/couples) Intake and assessment Therapy/guidance Writing session reports (ease notes) To have reminders of what treatments you have implemented thus far and what treatment you have in plan Follow-up Referral File matches w/ clients – communicate with other professionals (eg. Physicians) about this client (saving…

Words 8815 - Pages 36