The Hunger Games

Ladies and Gentlemen, let the 74th annual Hunger Games begin! said Effie Trinket, in the book, The Hunger Games. Although I've read it before, I am reading it again, because I must be one of the biggest fans of the entire series. I have done a previous entry on Mockingjay, the third and final book of the series. But nothing would make sense without a post of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, the second book of the series. This my post about The Hunger Games.

The book starts off with Katniss, the female protagonist, and her best friend Gale. They are escaping to the woods to hunt for their family's survival. You see, they live in District 12 of Panem, the poorest district of all. Distict 12 doesn't have much food to feed its starving. As Katniss says, starvation is not an uncommon cause of death, here in District 12. Katniss and Gale are from one of the many starving families in the district. That is why they must hunt for their families. When they are eating breakfast, Gale offers to runaway from Panem's control. Katniss has high doubts that they could. We couldn't even make 5 miles, she says. SPOILER ALERT: Gale's offer really becomes true, but in the final book, Mockingjay.

All this happens on reaping day. That is when one male and one female tribute between the ages of 12-18 is reaped to participate in the annual Hunger Games. When it is time for the reaping, Effie Trinket, an escort from the Capitol of Panem reaches into the glass bowl which contains female names. She grabs one from the very top and she says... Primrose Everdeen. Katniss's little 12-year-old sister slowly walks to the stage to take her place as tribute. Then, Katniss screams out, PRIM! PRIM! NO! I VOLOUNTEER! I VOLOUNTER AS TRIBUTE! And there, Katniss takes her sister's place as tribute. I think that is very caring, considering what sort of dystopian world they live in.

Then, a male tribute is reaped. His name is Peeta Mellark. The boy with the bread. Katniss says that when she and her family was on the verge of dying, Peeta was kind enough to throw her a loaf of bread. Peeta was the reason Katniss survived. And now, one of them, or even both of them were going to die. That would be a tragedy.

When Katniss is in the tribute parade, she and Peeta are wearing costumes that respresent their district. Their district mines coal, and their stylists want to burn it. So Katniss and Peeta are on fire! And during their interviews, Katniss Everdeen becomes known as The Girl on Fire. And Peeta introduces a love for Katniss. They become known as the Starcrossed Lovers.

When they compete in the Games, Katniss learns that Peeta was trying to protect her. Tributes start to die one by one. But around the end of the Games, it is announced that two tributes can win if they are from the same district. Katniss protects Peeta, nurses him, and feeds him. When they become the last two standing, their is an announcement that only one tribute can win. Peeta throws all his weapons to a pond. Katniss had her arrow pointed at Peeta's heart, before she knew that she couldn't go back to her district without Peeta. So Katniss takes out some poisonous berries, and gives half of them to Peeta. They decide to eat it on the count of three. When the berries touch their mouths, the announcer, Claudius Templesmith says, that two tributes can win the 74th annual Hunger Games. I  felt so happy at this change. When they were about to eat the berries, I felt as if I were there, and my heart racing, saying no, no, no! But it did give a happy ending!

But maybe the happiness is temporary. After all, death is something very common. The Capitol won't care. Maybe there are more to come. Maybe someone will swallow the berries later. But until then, May the odds be ever in your favor.

Anne of Green Gables

This summer, I wanted to try a classic, because I have never read a classic before. I went to the library and found all sorts of classics in the "Assignment" section. I found Anne of Green Gables, a book lots of my friends requested. When I read the first chapter, I immediately found the book interesting. I read on and on. I loved it!

Anne is the most believable character I have ever read about. She has a certain charm that helps her win everyone over. The first person she wins over is Matthew Cuthbert, her adopted father. She wins Matthew over so fast, you don't have time to just say, "wait, what?" Anne wins Matthew over because on the ride to Green Gables, the Cuthbert Farm and household, Anne is spilling out all of her history, her life, her dreams, and her imaginations. Matthew just can't help liking her. As they head towards Green Gables, Anne sees beautiful places, which she renames with the help of her own imagination. At that part I really knew that everyone would end up loving Anne, of Green Gables.

As the story goes farther, Anne makes many mistakes, and with each mistake, comes a lesson. As Anne tells her adopted mother, Marilla Cuthbert, Matthew's sister, she never makes the same mistake twice. And she doesn't. But one day, her mistake goes too far. Anne starts school in Avonlea, the town where she lives in. There is a fourteen year-old boy named Gilbert Blythe in her class. He makes fun of Anne's bright red hair, which she hates. Anne gets so mad, that she loses control, and breaks a slate in half on Gilbert's head! Ouch!

Another time, she really goes overboard. Anne buys a permanent hair dye, which was said to turn her hair to a nice raven black. But instead, her hair turned green. Anne cried and cried, and thought her life was over. Marilla was surprised about this.  She tried to wash the dye off Anne's hair.  Nothing worked. Marilla had to do the last thing she could. Cut Anne's hair short. Anne looked in the mirror and said that she was ugly, very ugly. And she learned her lesson of being vain. Anne was never again vain.

One day, Anne and her friends were playing pretend. Anne was walking over a pond on a bridge. Suddenly, a screw became loose, and the bridge started sinking. Anne's friends ran for help. Anne was all alone. She was almost down, when Gilbert came rowing a canoe. He told Anne to hop on, and once they reached land, he asked Anne if she could forgive him of his old fault. Anne was so stubborn, she said no. A big no! I felt bad for Gilbert. I wished Anne would've said yes. That would have been way better.

As Anne grows older, she tries to get a scholarship for a college. I felt really happy when Anne got the scholarship. I felt happy for Gilbert too, when he got the job of teaching in the Avonlea school. But then, something tragic happens. Matthew Cuthbert passes away! Anne cries the whole night. Anne knows that she will miss Matthew. I know I will too.

Then, Marilla starts to get headaches. She visits a doctor about it and he tells her that if she does anything like crocheting or knitting, she'll go blind. So Anne stays at Green Gables and gives up her scholarship. She decides that she wants to help Marilla at Green Gables. I think that is very sweet of Anne.

Then, the word is out that Gilbert gave up his teaching job, so Anne could have a job and teach at the Avonlea school. Everyone thought that it was so sweet. I do too. So Anne forgives Gilbert of everything in the past, and they start fresh. Anne is an amazing character. She really does win everyone over at the end. Of course, she is, Anne of Green Gables, her charming self. That is what makes her so important.

Mockingjay

In the dystopian world of Panem, a nation in the that is located where Canada and the United States once were, there is a Mockingjay. A Mockingjay that means your work is done, a Mockingjay that means someone is safe, a Mockingjay that means war. Not war like when you fight with another country, this war is one where more than half the country rebels against the government, and they end up fighting harshly among themselves.  This is the time of Katniss Everdeen. She was a contestant in The Hunger Games, she is a victor of the Games, she is a soldier, she is a rebel, she is The Girl on Fire. But there is one more thing. Katniss Everdeen is the Mockingjay.

 

After escaping her second Hunger Games, which is known as the 75th annual Hunger Games, or the Third Quarter Quell, Katniss is transported from District 12 to District 13. Everyone thought that District 13 didn't have any human life in it for 75 years, because before that time, District 13 rebelled, and Panem's Capitol launched toxic grenades and other sorts highly dangerous bombs to destroy all life there. And they did.  When Katniss arrives, she is treated with great respect, but hates it there. She still has her mom, her little sister, Prim, her best friend, Gale, and her intoxicated mentor, Haymitch, but she is missing someone. Peeta Mellark. Katniss is missing Peeta Mellark, her ally in all two Hunger Games, her partner, and her admirer. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol when the Quarter Quell Arena was exploding. The Capitol brainwashed him. They used poisonous venom to turn all his memories of Katniss into a very scary and scarring one. They made Peeta think Katniss was an evil mutt created by the Capitol, out to destroy everyone. The Capitol destroyed his love into hate. I wouldn't want to live in a world like that. Children, teens, adults, and the elderly are mistreated and tortured. The Capitol is cruel and does not believe in anything that has to do with humanity. I am so glad that I live in 2012.

As Peeta broadcasts his hate on the Capitol television, Katniss broadcasts her strength, her ability to fight, and her hate for the Capitol. Katniss also broadcasts a response to Peeta's want for a cease-fire. Which Beetee, another victor of a previous Hunger Games, and a contestant in the Quarter Quell (who escaped with Katniss), uses to show the Capitol, cutting from a talkshow that includes Peeta. When President Snow, and Peeta sees this, they get angry. Suddenly, Peeta says, "Katniss... you... dead by morning." The camera goes to the floor, Peeta screams, and blood splatters the floor. Once again, the Capitol does not believe in humanity. Children and teens abused all the time. President Snow is someone who holds a black heart. As long as he gets his resources, money, and a good show, he has no worry about anything he does. Even if he destroys the life of millions.

The rebels break Peeta out of the Capitol, and brings him to District 13. When he first sees Katniss there, he chokes her. As Peeta and Katniss both heal, they are sent to fight in the Capitol. When they are hiding in the underground Capitol, they hear scary, hissing voices, that says Katniss. Then, they see those mutts. They look like half lizards, and half human. They eat anything. They ate many members were sent out with Katniss and Peeta. I feel horrible for everyone. How did President Snow even get elected? He's nothing but evil.

As the book ends, the Capitol surrenders, and President Snow dies. Peeta is 99% healed. Although Katniss does say that sometimes he clings on to chairs with the Capitol-manipulated memories. But everything turns out well. I think it is a beautiful thing to end the book with the lullaby Katniss sang to an ally in her first Hunger Games, as she died. The ending is beautiful, but as Katniss says, "But there are more games to play."