Blog #8

At first i did not know what to expect from Hunger Games. I honestly had no idea what the book was about or that it could be so good. As i read on i made many connections with the book and what i see every day in present day America. To me reading the hunger games was very much like a reality TV show, in the aspect of us knowing every detail, thought, and emotion of Katniss (Which is exactly what we get from Reality TV). I really like how Collins used the influence of Reality TV along with Roman culture. As i read along i began to see connections between roman colosseum entertainment and Reality TV, this was somewhat humorous to me. I soon realized that Collins is almost making fun of people on Reality TV, in Roman times the entertainers were slaves or prisoners forced to fight to the death, their desperation led to an exciting show, not to mention a bloody one. This is exactly what TV producers do! they bribe the contestants with a reward to entertain and audience! (i.e money, happiness, love, etc.) In the Hungers Games the participants were rewarded with fame and life.

Then, in a eureka moment it was clear to me that Collins was trying to show that we throw ourselves into these "survival" simulations for other peoples pleasure. The pure irony of the situation is ridiculous. TV producers took an age old form of entertainment and threw a spin on it to draw in viewers. The worst part is that it works, people still watch, and networks keep producing these shows. Why is it that we need something to seem "real" to be entertained? People are so fixated on the reality of other peoples lives they forget to live their own.