The Hunger Games

               I've recently began rereading a book I read last year called "The Hunger Games", written by Suzanne Collins. It's about how a nation that has risen from the ruins of North America, called Panem, has an "amazing" Capitol that is surrounded by 12 districts. The Capitol's city may seem marvelous and just simply amazing but the Capitol doesn't reflect from it's city. The Capitol keeps control of the surrounding 12 districts by forcing them to send in 1 girl and 1 boy between the age of 12 and 18 to fight to the death on live television for "entertainment", every year. Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12, the poorest district of Panem. She volunteers to stop her younger and only sister, Prim, from going to the arena.

             I've starting writing an argument essay in my ELA class and wanted to connect the essay question to the book. The essay question is ," Are Child Soldiers Victims or Perpetrators of Crime?". For this book, I'm changing the question to, "Are Career Tributes Victims or Perpetrators of Crime?". A Career Tribute, is a tribute who trains their whole lives to volunteer and compete in the Hunger Games. Though they may seem cruel and menacing, don't you think they enjoy killing because they were taught to believe killing was okay?

             Careers tend to come from the districts 1,2, and 4. These districts are the wealthiest out of all the other districts. It is said in the book that these tributes train their whole lives to compete in the Hunger Games, and it's because they think it's honor to do so. But these children are born with a mindset to kill. A mindset to commit bloodshed. Relating to child soldiers, these children are brainwashed. They're basically brainwashed by the Capitol into thinking killing is good and entertaining to watch. And not only that. They think it's an honor to do such thing.

         That's not true. What's honorable about going into a game where you have kill 23 kids that could be either the same age as you, older, or younger? They do it for glory and because of what they're taught. Don't you think some of these children could've possibly been forced to hold a knife at the age of 7? And begin to learn how to use it to kill someone. Just like child soldiers, these children are forced, and also lured by the chance to represent their district in a game in which you could possibly win and get fame and fortune(Child soldiers aren't forced to participate in a fight to the death but they're forced to join an armed force and kill).

       Careers are victims of these games, too. Not just the tributes that come from the other districts that aren't allowed to train. And I don't even think the Careers are prepared for the horrors to come after winning the games. Would they be able to live on with guilt of taking the lives of 23 children? Honestly, I don't think so.