Capitol in Control In George Orwell’s famous dystopian novel 1984, one of the primary political beliefs is: “He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past”. This is stated many times by the totalitarian government Oceania, who believes that if they have control of the past, they will have control of the future, and if they can control the present, they can control what their subjects believe happened in the past. And if they do this, they will have total and absolute power. In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and the film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire directed by Francis Lawrence, similar ideas exist. The party in charge, The Capitol has total control of the citizens of Panem by presenting
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The games are portrayed as festivity. They are covered by the press, televised, and celebrated. Victors receive mass media attention, they are given rewards that include their own private home and large amounts of food for them and their district. They even go on a tour throughout the nation, where they are praised for their “great achievement”. All of this is very ironic, because, In reality, the true purpose of the games is to keep the people under control. The primary reason the games began was to punish the districts for their uprising during the “Dark Days”. In The Hunger Games, Katniss explains: “Taking kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch - this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion” (Collins 18). The games remind the people that the Capitol has so much power they will take innocent children, and sacrifice them in the games, and nothing can be done to stop it. The districts are completely powerless and are under total control of the …show more content…
They do this in order to keep the people under control, to keep them from trying anything. For example, the man from District Eleven who publicly demonstrated his support for the rebellion by whistling and putting up the Mockingjay symbol, was subsequently shot. This serves as a demonstration of the power of the Capitol, and what happens when one rebels against them. Also, Katniss sees for herself what the Capitol does to people who speak out against them. She sees a girl who is serving her cake who seems full of terror and does not speak. Effie then tells her that this girl is an Avox, and Haymitch explains what one is: “Someone who committed a crime. They cut her tongue out so she can’t speak. She’s probably a traitor of some sort” (Collins 77). Also, when District 13 tried to rebel against the Capitol some seventy-five years ago, the Capitol claims that they completely destroyed the district. They do this to flex their muscles and prove they are the most powerful and should not be messed with. All in all, the Capitol has total control over Panem in multiple ways. They disguise The Hunger Games as entertainment, when really it is there to keep the citizens in order. They force the citizens to live in oppression, and they maintain control through instilling fear. The nation of Panem is ruled by the Capitol, and no one
The games are portrayed as festivity. They are covered by the press, televised, and celebrated. Victors receive mass media attention, they are given rewards that include their own private home and large amounts of food for them and their district. They even go on a tour throughout the nation, where they are praised for their “great achievement”. All of this is very ironic, because, In reality, the true purpose of the games is to keep the people under control. The primary reason the games began was to punish the districts for their uprising during the “Dark Days”. In The Hunger Games, Katniss explains: “Taking kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch - this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion” (Collins 18). The games remind the people that the Capitol has so much power they will take innocent children, and sacrifice them in the games, and nothing can be done to stop it. The districts are completely powerless and are under total control of the …show more content…
They do this in order to keep the people under control, to keep them from trying anything. For example, the man from District Eleven who publicly demonstrated his support for the rebellion by whistling and putting up the Mockingjay symbol, was subsequently shot. This serves as a demonstration of the power of the Capitol, and what happens when one rebels against them. Also, Katniss sees for herself what the Capitol does to people who speak out against them. She sees a girl who is serving her cake who seems full of terror and does not speak. Effie then tells her that this girl is an Avox, and Haymitch explains what one is: “Someone who committed a crime. They cut her tongue out so she can’t speak. She’s probably a traitor of some sort” (Collins 77). Also, when District 13 tried to rebel against the Capitol some seventy-five years ago, the Capitol claims that they completely destroyed the district. They do this to flex their muscles and prove they are the most powerful and should not be messed with. All in all, the Capitol has total control over Panem in multiple ways. They disguise The Hunger Games as entertainment, when really it is there to keep the citizens in order. They force the citizens to live in oppression, and they maintain control through instilling fear. The nation of Panem is ruled by the Capitol, and no one