This is my final entry for The Hunger Games blog. In this class I have learned how to apply many different philosophies and ways of thinking to The Hunger Games. From gladiatorial fights in Ancient Rome to the nature of Appalachian culture, I learned just how much has influenced the writing in The Hunger Games. Personally, I loved all of the material that we covered, I thought it was all extremely interesting and thought provoking. My favorite aspect of the course was how the guest speakers educated us on a subject and then we, as students, would apply what we learned to The Hunger Games. The course was very challenging but I feel like I got so much out of it. The course was definitely worth taking and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone thinking about taking it in the future.

I will critique the presentation given by Aisha Ghodbane. Aisha’s topic was very interesting to me because she took Freudian psychology and applied it to The Hunger Games. I did not know much about Freud’s ideas on psychology previous to her presentation and I feel like I actually learned a lot in the short amount of time in which Aisha presented. Her presentation was very informative and kept me interested the entire time. Aisha did a fantastic job on her presentation and I very much enjoyed seeing how Freudian psychology can be applied to The Hunger Games.

I attended an event where a holocaust survivor came to speak in McDaniel Lounge. This experience was very unique and evoked a lot of emotions for me. The survivor told his story and gave a firsthand account of the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime during WWII. One of the most interesting things to me was his loss of faith in God. Someone asked him if he was still a religious man after the holocaust, and his answer surprised me. He said that he had lost all faith in a higher when he saw the horrors that men were capable of committing. This lecture was special for me because in just a few short years, all of the remaining holocaust survivors will have passed away. I feel very lucky to have heard a firsthand account of a holocaust survivor.

 

I believe that this lecture can also be applied to The Hunger Games. The atrocities committed by the Nazis can be equated to those being performed by President Snow and The Capitol. President Snow rose to power much like Adolf Hitler did, through the events of a devastating war. They used the war to fuel their political campaign and gain followers. Once they had their power, they used fear and intimidation tactics to keep opposition to a minimum. Both Hitler and Snow also commit crimes against humanity. Hitler started the mass genocide known as the holocaust and Snow destroyed an entire district that showed opposition to him. Not only did he destroy a district, but he also uses the hunger games a tool to keep the remaining districts in check.