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Hambik Gamburian
English 114B
Professor Lawson
Project Text: Final Draft
30 April 2014
Word Count: 1, 696
Violence, Tyranny, and Economic Inequality: How The Hunger Games Links to Modern Day
Society
Much violence, tyranny, and economic inequality revolve around The Hunger Games, by
Suzanne Collins. This portrayal of violence, tyranny, and economic inequality is present in
modern society. Such violence takes place every day in the streets, schools, and work
environments of society. Many follow one leader who arises out of nowhere, and as this one
leader gets more and more followers, he starts to portray the characteristics of a tyrant, although
does not officially call himself a tyrant. Next, the media in such a society of ours plays a big role.
Whether it is for news around the world, in our nation, sports, or whatever it is, the media
regulates it. The media regulates television, radio, and etc. Economic inequality is all over the
place today. Certain ethnic groups are treated unfairly, and are looked down upon. Just because
one might not have much wealth, they are frowned upon as if they are less human. People are
very poor, or very rich. In the West, there exists a Middle Class, which refers to people who
are not very rich nor are they poor. The way the Armenian Genocide is treated today, is simply
unfair, how it does not get much recognition, as any genocide should get recognition and the
perpetrators should be upheld and are to be blamed. Although she is just a fictional character,
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Katniss Everdeen portrays many characteristics and faces many difficulties, within themes in The
Hunger Games, that many Armenians face in modern day society.
Within the abundance of violence occurring throughout The Hunger Games, Armenians
would be a perfect example to be compared within modern day society. The violent Turks
invaded the lives of many in the Genocide of 1915. While genocide occurred, many Armenians
fled their home country to escape the ruthless, brutal, cruel, and callous Turks. Armenians
wanted a place where they could live in peace, expand their families, and give their children
many opportunities, just as any other parent of any other culture would.
Food shortages, near starvation, and oppression that Katniss and the rest of the Districts
of Panem face in The Hunger Games relate very closely to the starvation and brutality the
Armenians faced in their torture by the cruel Ottoman Turks. An example where Katniss knows
she can starve to death if she does not hunt and provide for her mother and her little sister Prim
is, District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety, I mutter. Then I glance quickly
over my shoulder (Collins 6). The fact that the Capitol brainwashes the citizens of District 12
that it is safe just portrays the opposite, that it is not safe. Which state would be a safe state if
their citizens rely on themselves to find food, and if they do not, they die of hunger? The
restricted food supply from the Capitol towards the Districts is interpreted as to keep them so
busy trying to find food, that they do not even have time to think about revolting. The same
principle could be interpreted towards the Armenians during the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
These Turkish perpetrators would go throughout the night, torment families, take any weaponry,
and trap the men from all the families in one place. They would then go to capture the wives and
children of Armenia. After doing so, they raped the women in front of their husbands and
children. They then made these poor Armenians march all throughout Armenia to the deserts of
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Syria, where they were imprisoned or killed. All of these extremely horrible actions would occur
while they starved these poor people, to the point where one little piece of bread had hundreds of
thousands of eyes on it. Much evidence exists to substantiate these statements, such as the bones
and skulls found in the deserts of Syria.
Just as the citizens of the Districts in The Hunger Games had no freedom of speech and
were constantly afraid of being heard since they would be tortured publicly or killed; Armenians
had no freedom of speech in and after the year of 1915 in the country of present day Turkey. The
lack of freedom of speech in The Hunger Games is taken very heavily into consideration when
Katniss says, Even here, even in the middle of nowhere, you worry someone might overhear
you (Collins 6). The citizens of the Districts were oppressed in a variety of different ways. One
oppression method was of speech. Nobody could speak ill of the Capitol, and the Peacekeepers
are there to make sure nobody did. This is similar to Armenians in Turkey in 1915. After the
genocide, much oppression against Armenians in Turkey arose. If one was to speak of the
genocide, they would be either killed in front of their families, or they would be publicly
executed in front of many other Armenians, in order to scare them and to show them what
consequences will happen if the genocide is to be spoken of again. They couldnt freely discuss
the government nor talk about Turkish politics after 1915. They had no freedom of speech. In
and after the year of 1915, in the country of Turkey, everybody targeted Armenians. Neighbors
were bribed by Turks to sell out other Armenians. Armenians would sell out other Armenians in
order to protect their own family. To this day, the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide still do
not want to admit that they are guilty of attempted genocide nor do they want to recognize the
Armenian Genocide.
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There is much tyranny throughout Panem in The Hunger Games because President Snow
is more of a tyrant than a president, just like the Turkish Sultans. For example, So far as we can
see, the state, under the beady gaze of President Snow, seems to own everything. It exerts its
power directly, via an authoritarian police force of white-uniformed Peacekeepers (Fisher).
President Snow takes the position of a tyrant or a dictator. He has the Peacekeepers working for
him and watching the District citizens. Everything is in his power, and it is very ironic that he is
referred to as President Snow. He is nothing of a president, and displays a dictator figure.
President Snow relates with the Sultans of the Ottoman Turks. The Sultan was the president
or dictator of the perpetrators. Everybody was under their command, and everybody had to
obey him as their leader. He organized the mass murders, starvations, deportations, burnings,
death marches, exterminations, and etc. He acted as a tyrant in order to gain land from Turkeys
neighboring country, Armenia. One massive piece of land that Turkey tried taking was Mount
Ararat. According to the Bible, Noahs Ark landed on Mount Ararat, in present day Armenia.
This was rich land and soil, in which many plants easily grew. Much blood was shed over this
land and they managed taking half of Mount Ararat by murdering many Armenians and
depriving them of their families, land, food, water, and life. President Snow holds his power to
punish the Districts because of a past rebellion, and the former Sultans held their position in
1915 in order to try to exterminate an entire population, which they failed to do so at the end.
There is such economic inequality throughout Panem in The Hunger Games; when
comparing The Hunger Games with the economic inequality for Armenians in and after the
genocide, many similarities arise. In The Hunger Games, much economic inequality is present
when looking at who participates in the Games. Two citizens from every District must
participate annually in the Games. Those citizens from poorer districts are looked down upon,
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because they are from a poor district, but they still have to participate in putting in their ballots
for the Games. However, the Capitol citizens do not have to participate in the Games, they are
exempt from the Games because they are from the Capitol. Thus, economic inequality rises.
There is no middle class in Panem. Either the citizens are very rich (the Capitol citizens) or they
are very poor (District 12, and etc.). This loss of the middle class relates somewhat to the United
States, the American middle class is heading for a downfall in the living conditions (The
American Prospect). The loss of the middle class means a rise in economic inequality. There is
going to be a very poor class of citizens and a very rich class of citizens. That affects the
economy of the state and relates to the way Armenians are looked at. For example, if an
Armenian is talented, he is acknowledged and his nationality is known about, but if an Armenian
is not as talented, he is not even looked upon. Those Armenians living in Turkey around 1915,
were harassed. Although the talented ones were acknowledged about as a part of Turkey, but the
other non-talented ones werent even looked at.
Once aware about Katniss and Peeta and the love they portray for each other, the citizens
watching the Games supported them in order for the two young couple to be successful; once
Armenians see each other struggling, they try to help one another in order for the culture to
continue to strive for success. For example, Katniss, the character narrator, explains the return
to a new normal in her life, including romantic love and security with Peeta (Cadden). Katniss
and Peeta portrayed love for each other in order to gain followers, and so they did. When they
got followers, they were supported, whether by materials or by votes by the citizens watching the
Games occur on public television. Although somewhat different, when Armenians see each other
struggling, they support each other. This is crucial for any culture or subculture.
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Violence, tyranny, and economic inequality are present in The Hunger Games as well as
they are present in societys past. Many of these themes have taken place in our past, specifically
throughout the Armenian Genocide. Although she is just in a book, Katniss Everdeen has shown
many characteristics and has faced many difficulties, within themes in The Hunger Games, that
many Armenians have faced in societys past.


















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Annotated Bibliography
Cadden, Mike. "All Is Well: The Epilogue in Children's Fantasy Fiction." Narrative 20.3 (2012):
343-56. JSTOR. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
This article talks about the epilogue of Katniss in the final book Mockingjay, in The
Hunger Games Trilogy. Love is such an important aspect/issue/motif in The Hunger
Games Trilogy, and the portrayal of such love Katniss and Peeta have gets them through
The Games. Although they display that they love each other and that they are together,
Katniss doesnt truly know her feelings towards Peeta up and throughout the first and
second books. Its in the third book, Mockingjay, that Katniss felt love and romance
towards Peeta. This whole game of love that Katniss and Peeta played was for the
Capitols eyes, and for love and support from the audience of The Games. This article
compares the epilogue of the series Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. The ending
speech/dialogue is compared in that of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. I found this
article on JSTOR accessed through the CSUN Oviatt Library. I searched for The Hunger
Games. When I read into it, and it talked about the love of Katniss and Peeta, and I
thought it will be helpful to me. It is an academic article so I knew it would be
trustworthy. It will be useful for my essay because it discusses and analyzes the love
Katniss and Peeta have for each other.
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print.
This novel is about a teenage girl, named Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a dystopia
named Panem, which is ruled by President Snow, and every year The Hunger Games is
held. The Hunger Games is when two teenagers from each District is taken to fight to the
death, the winner gets food and essentials for the year; there is only one winner, but not
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in Katnisss case. There is a shortage of food, controlled by the Capitol (the government
building of Panem, where President Snow resides), and each year every citizen, starting
from the age of 12, has to input their names at least once in the raffle of the Games. In
order to get more food and essentials throughout the year if food is low, citizens can input
their names more than once into the raffle (raising their chance of getting chosen). It is
also illegal to hunt. Katniss takes the place for her younger sister Prim, as Prim gets
unluckily chosen (with only 1 input of her name). Katniss must battle for her life with her
opposing tribute Peeta from her own District, which they later make a team together.
Faux, Jeff. "The Hunger Games Economy: Most Americans Face a Future of Lower Wages and
Job Insecurity. Liberals Need to Offer More than False Hope." The American Prospect
23.5 (2012): 40. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
Americas middle class is slowly vanishing. The middle class is essentials to American
culture, but the living structure is dying because the middle class is slowly going away.
The middle class helps everything a lot. It takes the tension of too rich and too poor
away from society. It creates a normal living structure. We need to bring the middle
class back to standard American lifestyle. I found this article on Opposing Viewpoints in
Context accessed through the CSUN Oviatt Library. I searched for The Hunger Games.
When I read into it, and it talked about the economic situation of The Hunger Games,
and I thought it will be helpful to me. It is an academic article so I knew it would be
trustworthy. It will be useful for my essay because it discusses and analyzes the economic
standpoints and views of The Hunger Games and America.
Fisher, Mark. "Precarious Dystopias: The Hunger Games, in Time, and Never Let Me Go." Film
Quarterly 65.4 (2012): 27-33. JSTOR. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
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This article compares three different films/novels that are based off a dystopia. One of
which, would primarily be The Hunger Games. A dystopia is described as a self-ruling,
total-controlling, totalitarian government, where they make the decisions for the people,
instead of having people decide. It is the opposite of a utopia, which is known as a
perfect society. These three novels are based off the dystopian society of which one
superior peoples rule a country. A president owns everything. I found this article on
JSTOR accessed through the CSUN Oviatt Library. I searched for The Hunger Games.
When I read into it, and it talked about the society of The Hunger Games and how it is a
dystpia, and I thought it will be helpful to me. It is an academic article so I knew it would
be trustworthy. It will be useful for my essay because it discusses and analyzes the
dystopia of The Hunger Games.