beetee's briefings
Read the books along with the careers of the Cornucopia. With every chapter they will discuss elements of the book: techniques used, themes explored, parts that relate to other books in the series and how they would like the scene to be portrayed in the movie, if at all. If you would like to use these pages for assignments we are very happy for you to do so, but please make sure to credit 'The Golden Cornucopia' in your bibliography, as we take plagiarism very seriously.
Warning, this page contains major spoilers.
THE CAREERS ARE CURRENTLY READING: The Hunger Games, Part One, Chapter Four
Warning, this page contains major spoilers.
THE CAREERS ARE CURRENTLY READING: The Hunger Games, Part One, Chapter Four
The hunger games, part one, chapter one
The first paragraph into the book and we already know that there is something big coming, something to be afraid of, when Katniss mentioned that Prim must have had nightmares about the reaping. We also get a glimpse of Katniss' mother's personality, and how beaten-down and worn she is, also how Katniss feels about her mother, saying, "My mother was very beautiful once, too. Or so they tell me."
We learn that Katniss is not a feminine girl, judging by the way that she dresses. We get a description of the beaten-down District 12, and learn that crawling under the fence and hunting is a normality and a routine for Katniss, seeing as she describes it so well and her favouring spots in the fence.
Katniss tells us in a routine kind of way that her father was killed in a mine explosion, describing graphically that he was "blown to bits". This shows that she had not only accepted her father's death, but is not ashamed to hide her feelings and can be rather blunt. Maybe a faint flashback scene of this in the movie would be fantastic.
Katniss introduces us to the leaders of her country Panem, the Capitol, where even discussing topics that are unhelpful to Capitol propaganda will result in death. This is very similar to the story "1984" by George Orwell. The characters in 1984 and The Hunger Games are strikingly similar, as is the idea that one supreme body rules over a starving country in a post-apocalyptic time.
I would really love this next scene to be perfect, where Katniss approaches Gale, describing how she only really ever feels at ease when she is in the woods. The fact that Gale has a nickname for Katniss shows that they have a strong and lasting relationship, as well as a back story. Cheese and bread are shown to be extremely rare delicacies for both Katniss and Gale, who have been described as among the better fed families in District 12, which paints an image of the worse off people of the district.
We learn even more about Katniss' mother, and an insight into why Katniss dislikes her so much. "But to be honest, I'm not the forgiving type" shows not only that Katniss does not want to forgive her mother, but also builds up her strength of character so that in Mockingjay she will never truly forgive Gale or President Coin, whom she kills instantly
After a little more confirmation that Gale and Katniss are both the sole caretakers and providers for their families with little help from their mothers, the injustice of District Twelve is shown, starting with a pan around the Hob, where Greasy Sae is explaining that she can put fake beef in the soup, and Katniss and Gale having to trade two fish for some salt; and then almost immediately they are at the mayor's house, where Madge appears in a pretty, expensive dress with flowing blonde hair and an expensive gold pin- this is a bold contrast which will, sadly, not exist in the movie because of the removal of Madge's character from the movie.
This injustice continues when the reaping system is explained, showing that the poorer people end off worse.
Tension is slowly being built towards the reaping with Prim's nerves, and Katniss' thought: "I protect Prim in every way I can, but I'm powerless against the reaping", and seeing someone so previously blunt and strong falter at the mere thought of her sister being harmed is only adding to the tension that is being built.
The repetition of Katniss hoping to herself "It's not me, it's not me, it's not me" only adds to the tension, which is finally broken when Effie reads the name out. "And it's not me. It's Primrose Everdeen."
-Written by Haymitch Abernathy
We learn that Katniss is not a feminine girl, judging by the way that she dresses. We get a description of the beaten-down District 12, and learn that crawling under the fence and hunting is a normality and a routine for Katniss, seeing as she describes it so well and her favouring spots in the fence.
Katniss tells us in a routine kind of way that her father was killed in a mine explosion, describing graphically that he was "blown to bits". This shows that she had not only accepted her father's death, but is not ashamed to hide her feelings and can be rather blunt. Maybe a faint flashback scene of this in the movie would be fantastic.
Katniss introduces us to the leaders of her country Panem, the Capitol, where even discussing topics that are unhelpful to Capitol propaganda will result in death. This is very similar to the story "1984" by George Orwell. The characters in 1984 and The Hunger Games are strikingly similar, as is the idea that one supreme body rules over a starving country in a post-apocalyptic time.
I would really love this next scene to be perfect, where Katniss approaches Gale, describing how she only really ever feels at ease when she is in the woods. The fact that Gale has a nickname for Katniss shows that they have a strong and lasting relationship, as well as a back story. Cheese and bread are shown to be extremely rare delicacies for both Katniss and Gale, who have been described as among the better fed families in District 12, which paints an image of the worse off people of the district.
We learn even more about Katniss' mother, and an insight into why Katniss dislikes her so much. "But to be honest, I'm not the forgiving type" shows not only that Katniss does not want to forgive her mother, but also builds up her strength of character so that in Mockingjay she will never truly forgive Gale or President Coin, whom she kills instantly
After a little more confirmation that Gale and Katniss are both the sole caretakers and providers for their families with little help from their mothers, the injustice of District Twelve is shown, starting with a pan around the Hob, where Greasy Sae is explaining that she can put fake beef in the soup, and Katniss and Gale having to trade two fish for some salt; and then almost immediately they are at the mayor's house, where Madge appears in a pretty, expensive dress with flowing blonde hair and an expensive gold pin- this is a bold contrast which will, sadly, not exist in the movie because of the removal of Madge's character from the movie.
This injustice continues when the reaping system is explained, showing that the poorer people end off worse.
Tension is slowly being built towards the reaping with Prim's nerves, and Katniss' thought: "I protect Prim in every way I can, but I'm powerless against the reaping", and seeing someone so previously blunt and strong falter at the mere thought of her sister being harmed is only adding to the tension that is being built.
The repetition of Katniss hoping to herself "It's not me, it's not me, it's not me" only adds to the tension, which is finally broken when Effie reads the name out. "And it's not me. It's Primrose Everdeen."
-Written by Haymitch Abernathy
This is how I imagined Katniss' house to be.
the hunger games, part one, chapter two
The tension built from the previous chapter with repetition of one word is evaporated, not dropped, when Katniss recalls a story from her childhood. This happens several times throughout the series, and it seems to become a self-defence mechanism for her. She recalls memories of her father teaching her how to hunt, the day her father died, and, on several occasions, the day when Peeta threw Katniss the bread when she was starving.
Prim begins her march up the stage with her "hands clenched in fists at her sides", and we begin to see a strangely different side to Prim. Prim has been described by Katniss thus far as small and innocent, docile and beautiful, but after her name has been drawn at the reaping, Prim already forms this hard exterior and a show of strength unseen before. This may show how the tributes all "get into the zone" to be able to kill other tributes. This transition would be different for Katniss, considering she kills animals frequently, but for the children of the 'better' districts (the career districts) who have never experienced this kind of barbarism, it would be very difficult and could very well send them insane, as shown by Finnick's wife, Annie Crestia, who went mentally insane after surviving the games. This leaves the audience with a fresh sign of how emotionally detached a tribute will become.
Already, as Katniss tells Prim to let go of her, Katniss is beginning to form an even tougher exterior, and she explains that this is because the tv crew is filming her every step. Effie Trinket gives us a little insight into the shallow mind of the Capitol, who see the Games as an exciting, fun part of every year. Even though Effie does not see Katniss as just an object (seeing as she asked her what her name was, and acknowledging she was leaving family behind), she still believes that Katniss is truly rejoicing that she is going to be sent off to an arena to die.
The whole selection process is beginning to remind me of Aztec sacrifices, where, quite similar to the reaping, the names of all of the virgin girls are cast into a lot and drawn. The girls would have had strange feelings: the first would be of the terror in the way that they would die. The second would be a feeling of duty, that they would be the ones to keep their gods happy so that terrible things did not happen to their village. There are groups of women (think about the prep teams) who tend to the virgin's every need until the day of the sacrifice, and there are week long celebrations (again, think about the Capitol) before and after the ceremony.
The silence emaciating from District 12 when Effie calls for them to applaud may be a reason for the Capitol to begin having an eye on Katniss, even before the chariot ride or the training sessions. To have an entire district remain silent in a bold show of dissent to the games, and giving Katniss a farewell which acknowledges her humanity (imagine hearing "not just a piece in their games" said by all of District 12) and should give her hope that she has an entire group of people behind her. More hope, which is again quashed out on the reaping of Peeta Mellark's name. Again Katniss enters her self-defence mode by telling the story of "The Boy With The Bread".
The Boy With The Bread seems to be a very peaceful story for Katniss, considering she repeats it so often to keep herself calm. When Peeta joins the Careers and makes a kill, we hear Katniss think: "Already the boy with the bread is slipping away from me". So this memory is tranquil and peaceful for her.
Prim begins her march up the stage with her "hands clenched in fists at her sides", and we begin to see a strangely different side to Prim. Prim has been described by Katniss thus far as small and innocent, docile and beautiful, but after her name has been drawn at the reaping, Prim already forms this hard exterior and a show of strength unseen before. This may show how the tributes all "get into the zone" to be able to kill other tributes. This transition would be different for Katniss, considering she kills animals frequently, but for the children of the 'better' districts (the career districts) who have never experienced this kind of barbarism, it would be very difficult and could very well send them insane, as shown by Finnick's wife, Annie Crestia, who went mentally insane after surviving the games. This leaves the audience with a fresh sign of how emotionally detached a tribute will become.
Already, as Katniss tells Prim to let go of her, Katniss is beginning to form an even tougher exterior, and she explains that this is because the tv crew is filming her every step. Effie Trinket gives us a little insight into the shallow mind of the Capitol, who see the Games as an exciting, fun part of every year. Even though Effie does not see Katniss as just an object (seeing as she asked her what her name was, and acknowledging she was leaving family behind), she still believes that Katniss is truly rejoicing that she is going to be sent off to an arena to die.
The whole selection process is beginning to remind me of Aztec sacrifices, where, quite similar to the reaping, the names of all of the virgin girls are cast into a lot and drawn. The girls would have had strange feelings: the first would be of the terror in the way that they would die. The second would be a feeling of duty, that they would be the ones to keep their gods happy so that terrible things did not happen to their village. There are groups of women (think about the prep teams) who tend to the virgin's every need until the day of the sacrifice, and there are week long celebrations (again, think about the Capitol) before and after the ceremony.
The silence emaciating from District 12 when Effie calls for them to applaud may be a reason for the Capitol to begin having an eye on Katniss, even before the chariot ride or the training sessions. To have an entire district remain silent in a bold show of dissent to the games, and giving Katniss a farewell which acknowledges her humanity (imagine hearing "not just a piece in their games" said by all of District 12) and should give her hope that she has an entire group of people behind her. More hope, which is again quashed out on the reaping of Peeta Mellark's name. Again Katniss enters her self-defence mode by telling the story of "The Boy With The Bread".
The Boy With The Bread seems to be a very peaceful story for Katniss, considering she repeats it so often to keep herself calm. When Peeta joins the Careers and makes a kill, we hear Katniss think: "Already the boy with the bread is slipping away from me". So this memory is tranquil and peaceful for her.
the hunger games, part one, chapter three
This scene is obviously going to be mentally disrupting and alarming, considering Katniss tells us it is the final time to say goodbye to her family. In Mockingjay, Gale says, when Peeta asks of him who she will choose, "She'll choose who she thinks she needs to survive." Survival is a massive theme in the Hunger Games. Even when Katniss could be saying her goodbyes, she is busy telling her mother and Prim how they are to survive without her. The fact that she has even thought to make a pact with Gale about what will happen to their families if they are sent to The Hunger Games further solidifies Katniss' determination to survive and never give in, even if 'the odds are definitely not in her favour'.
Katniss' promise to Prim is perhaps the most defining moment in the entire book. Katniss has already displayed her love for her younger sister, considering she just volunteered to die a horrible, bloody death for her, and would obviously to anything to keep her safe and happy. So if she makes a promise to little Prim, it will happen, as she states: "And I know, because of Prim, I'll have to." If we were to imagine the Hunger Games without Prim, and Katniss herself being drawn, what would happen? I do believe that Katniss would still fight, but I don't think she would have that level of apathy for fellow players- I believe she would fight at the Cornucopia, join the careers, kill mercilessly, etc. Katniss would not have taken Rue up as an ally, considering Rue reminded her so much of Prim. Obviously, without Prim's death, Katniss would never have found the need to assassinate President Coin instead of President Snow. So Prim is absolutely vital to the storyline, as she gives Katniss a sense of femininity and caring that Katniss would not otherwise possess.
Madge's tone in telling Katniss she should wear the Mockingjay pin is perhaps quite an insight into her character, her family, who have been seen as the kind of bourgeoisie of District Twelve. The idea that they even own a pin with a mockingjay on it (which is a major slap in the face to the Capitol) is a big eye-opener, because it may show that the family has cause to dislike the Capitol's hold on Panem.
Katniss' promise to Prim is perhaps the most defining moment in the entire book. Katniss has already displayed her love for her younger sister, considering she just volunteered to die a horrible, bloody death for her, and would obviously to anything to keep her safe and happy. So if she makes a promise to little Prim, it will happen, as she states: "And I know, because of Prim, I'll have to." If we were to imagine the Hunger Games without Prim, and Katniss herself being drawn, what would happen? I do believe that Katniss would still fight, but I don't think she would have that level of apathy for fellow players- I believe she would fight at the Cornucopia, join the careers, kill mercilessly, etc. Katniss would not have taken Rue up as an ally, considering Rue reminded her so much of Prim. Obviously, without Prim's death, Katniss would never have found the need to assassinate President Coin instead of President Snow. So Prim is absolutely vital to the storyline, as she gives Katniss a sense of femininity and caring that Katniss would not otherwise possess.
Madge's tone in telling Katniss she should wear the Mockingjay pin is perhaps quite an insight into her character, her family, who have been seen as the kind of bourgeoisie of District Twelve. The idea that they even own a pin with a mockingjay on it (which is a major slap in the face to the Capitol) is a big eye-opener, because it may show that the family has cause to dislike the Capitol's hold on Panem.
