While The Hunger Games isn’t likely to garner the sort of opposition we’ve seen from the Harry Haters, it seems it was just a matter of time until the novel upset some angry parent somewhere. A mother in New Hampshire is kicking up a fuss over her daughter’s school assigning The Hunger Games. She is convinced that the book is giving her daughter nightmares and that it is “wholly inappropriate for her daughter or any other student.” Check out the whole article here, where the mother rails against the book because “Twenty-four children are pitted in a life-or-death struggle with each other. The reason? Entertainment. That’s sick….You guys don’t want Columbine, but you’re putting forth material that will totally desensitize the children to murdering other children.” No kidding, that’s what she said. [Read more…]
Hunger Haters on the Scene: Is America Incapable of Understanding Satire?
Student Guest Post: On The Hunger Games as Contestant in the Required Reading Arena
In my English 113 classes, my college students have several topics from which to choose for their first essay. One is an argument for the book of their choice to be assigned reading in school (or, in the case of a controversial book, for it to be permitted for students to read). One of my students, Jordan Hutchins, decided to argue for the Hunger Games as an addition to the required reading list for high school students. The essay was so nice that I asked if we could post it, and Jordan has graciously agreed. I hope everyone enjoys the essay as much as I did and that you’ll give this student scholar some great feedback. Thanks, Jordan!
The Hunger Games: Contestant in the Required Reading Arena [Read more…]
Professor Sprout Goes to District 12 and the Arena: Some ‘Hunger Games’ Plant and Berry Thoughts
As I’ve mentioned, I’m using The Hunger Games this year in my ENG 111 (Expository writing) classes. I was just puttering about finding some images to use in class discussion when I came across some interesting material on Katniss’s namesake. So I thought it might be fun to flip a few pages of the treasured family plant book to ponder why Katniss’s name is both symbolic and prophetic while also looking at a few other pertinent wild botanical samples that crop up as people and themes in the books.
A Curious Cat: Mockingjay’s Tigris As More Than Just Another Freak in the Capitol Circus
Last week, when our esteemed headmaster, John, sent along his amazing three-part series on Unlocking Mockingjay, I was, like John, and several others, still puzzling over Tigris. She’s a peculiar character, and not just because she has had more plastic surgery than everyone on the cover of the latest tabloid put together. In order to get beneath the stripey surface of this intriguing safe-house keeper, it seems we need to look at three possible purposes that she represents outside her mechanical function as plot-propelling individual who takes in Katniss and the remnants of the Star Squad. [Read more…]
Unlocking Mockingjay: The Complete Set of Posts And a Round-up of the First 30 Discussion Points
HogwartsProfessor’s three mavens have devoted the better part of three weeks to discussion of Mockingjay, the third Hunger Games novel and, now that we have reached 30 posts and I have completed the third and last part of my ‘Unlocking’ series on the more esoteric, allegorical meanings of the trilogy, it seems a good time to return to our regular programing. This is not the end of our Hunger Games conversation or even the beginning of the end, but just the end of the beginning.
To mark this transition and to provide a ‘one-stop’ location for the HogPro Mockingjay Discussion Collection, here are links to the complete ‘Unlocking’ set and, below the jump, the first 30 Discussion Threads as well as the pre-Mockingjay posts. Thank you to everyone who has joined us these last three weeks, especially to our Guest Post writers; tomorrow I’ll be announcing our next HogwartsProfessor adventure. Stay Tuned!
‘Unlocking Mockingjay: The Spiritual Allegory’ On Katniss as a Soul Seeking Perfection and Iconological Reading
‘Unlocking Mockingjay: ‘The Literary Alchemy’ On Literary Alchemy and Peeta as Postmodern Christ
‘Unlocking Mockingjay: Katniss’ Apotheosis’ On the Alchemical Arena and Katniss’ Perfection in the Inner Sanctuary [Read more…]
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