Author: Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic

Number of Pages: 374

Vocabulary

arduous:

· Could even make the arduous task of filling my family’s table enjoyable.

· Involving or requiring strenuous effort.

· He made an arduous effort.

emaciated:

· What’s left of Foxface’s emaciated body is lifted into the air.

· Abnormal thinness .

· The african child was so emaciated you could see his bones.

deluge:

· Then I’m deluged in lemony foam that I have to scrape off with a brush.

· To overrun; overwhelm.

· She was deluged in the heavy rain.

apothecary:

· They ran an apothecary shop in the nicer part of District 12.

· A druggt; a pharaist.

· The apothecary prescribed the drug.

racketeer:

· Most refuse dealing with the racketeer but carefully, carefully.

· A person who engages in dishonest and fraudent buisness dealings.

· The man refused to do business with the rackeeter due to his feer of being a victim of fraud.

tenuous:

· Clearly hoping to contain her tenuous hair situation.

· Very weak or slight.

· The tenuous link between intrest rates and investment.

banal:

· Efie makes me say a hundred banal phrases staring with a smile.

· Devoid of freshness or originalitly.

· Blunt language cannot hide a banal conception.

gossamer:

· Rue, who is dressed in a gossamer gown complete with wings.

· A fine, film of cobwebs.

· The spider’s gossamer web glistened in the morning sun.

plait:

· Who brushed and plaited my mother’s hair before we left for school.

· To fold, braid or possibly pleiten.

· The girls took turns plaiting one, anothers hair.

teeming:

· Although, against the sterile bandage, the hem of his undershorts looks filthy and teeming with contagion.

· Full of.

· The forest was teeming with wildlife.

tureen:

· Best of all, a tureen of that incredible lamb stew on wild rice.

· A deep covered dish from which soup is served.

· She drank the soup straight out of the tureen.

swathe:

· The final swathe of my leg hair is uprooted in a painful jerk.

· A piece or stip of material in which something is wrapped.

· There was a 15 meter swathe of land.

iridescent:

· The valley teeming with summer life, greens to gather, roots to dig, fish iridescent in the sunlight.

· Showing luminous colours that seem to change when seen from different angles.

· The iridescent paint job on the car changed colours as we looked at it from different angles.

meager:

· Each tessera is worth a meager year’s supply of grain and oil.

· Lacking in quantitiy or quality.

· The meager wage was not enough to live on.

repentance:

· It is both a time for repentance and a time for thanks.

· Remorse for your past conduct.

· Due to his lack of repentance, the heretic was banished to the iron maiden.

Describe an experience you had that was like the experience of a character in the book.

“I volunteer!” I gasp. “I volunteer as tribute!” –Katniss (pg.24) Seconds after prim was selected to be a tribute, Katniss volunteered to take her place. Why? She couldn’t bother seeing anything happen to her dearest little sister. Sweet little Prim going into the arena, the thought was inconceivable. I personally have had many experiences like this for I have a little brother and never would I let someone harm him in front of me. As much as we fight, I love him more then anyone else. He’s not exactly very “street-smart” and is often getting into fights, but whenever he does I drop whatever I’m doing and go. Because we have each other’s back. We have a brotherly bond, which no one can penetrate. If anyone wants to so much as lay a hand on him, they must go through me. The only one allowed touching him his me. As Astrid Alauda said, “There’s no other love like the love for a brother, there’s no other love like the love from a brother.” I would kill for him as well as be killed for him. Katniss is the exact same with Prim.

Journal Entry #2 (EXTENDED)

A character analysis based on a quote

“Here’s some advice. Stay alive.” -Haymitch Abernathy (pg.55) Haymitch starts off being possibly one of Katniss’s worst enemies and this is due to either how straight forward he is (shown in the quote) or due to the simple fact that he’s always drunk. But behind his tough outer skin Haymitch is actually a lot like Katniss. Weather she accepts it or not. Like Katniss, Haymitch is actually quite smart, he is also a winner of the hunger games and lastly is also very temperamental. But Haymitch is also a reminder of how terrible the games really are, because despite the fact that he won them he’s still very lonely and has the terrible task of coaching tributes, which usually results in watching them perish.

Journal Entry #3

Write down a passage or quote that appeals to you and describe why?

Caesar: “Handsome lad like you. There must be some special girl. Come on, what’s her name?”

Peeta: “Well, there is this one girl. I’ve had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I’m pretty sure she didn’t know I was alive until the reaping.”

Caesar: “She have another fellow?”

Peeta: “I don’t know, but a lot of boys like her.”

Caesar: “So, here’s what you do. You win, you go home. She can’t turn you down then, eh?”
Peeta: “I don’t think it’s going to work out. Winning…won’t help in my case”

Caesar: “Why ever not?”

Peeta: “Because…because…she came here with me.” (pg.132)

This quote appealed to me immensely and I had the biggest grin on my face when I read it. This is when Peeta first openly admits his love for Katniss. Thus drastically changing the rest of the games for both of them. Not only did I enjoy how he presented that it was Katniss, but I also enjoyed the fact that he loved her making the entire story so much more attention grabbing. Slowly Katniss’s love for Peeta would grow also but in the mean time this came as a shock to everyone. It added so much depth to the story and made it much more relatable in the process. Had it not been for this simple conversation, I don’t believe this book would have been as amazing as it was. In fact it may have just been down right bad. One of the biggest issues Katniss faces is choosing between life and love and had Peeta never confessed his feelings, the choice would have been made a whole lot easier, ruining this book in the process. That is why I found this quote so pleasing as well as interesting.

Journal Entry #4

If you had to choose one of the characters to be your friend who would you choose and why?

If I had to choose one of the characters to be my friend I would probably choose Cinna. Cinna was Katniss’s designer and in my opinion one of the most honest and sincere characters in the book. Both qualities I look for in a friend.

Cinna: “When you’re asked a question, find me, and answer it as honestly as possible.”
Katniss: “Even if what I think is horrible?”
Cinna: “Especially if what you think is horrible.” (pg.124)
This quotes shows how comforting and loving Cinna is as well. In my opinion, Cinna is one of the only characters that is kind, compassionate and truthful. Not only is he an amazing designer but also he’s very down to Earth. He chose to design for district 12 to show his talents rather then wanting to go for district one or two like the rest of the designers. Cinna is one of Katniss’s only true friends going into the games and I can see why they would be friends. Cinna is honest, kind, loving, and genuine. Which is why he would be my friend.

Journal Entry #5

Describe a problem faced by the main character. Explain how the main character deals with the problem.

“Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! I give you- the tributes of district twelve!” (pg.345) This quote was actually played a huge role in the story, because it was the result of Katniss Everdeen’s plan working. One of the largest problems that the main character faced was finding a way to survive the arena but at the same time keep the boy she cared so much about alive. In essence forcing her to choose between life and love. So when there was only the two of them remaining they decided to fake that they were going to kill themselves by ingesting the poisonous berries, the Capital needing a victor, decided to end the games and announce that there would be two victors.

Journal Entry #6

What is the setting of the novel? Is the setting important or could the novel be happening anywhere and why?

“In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts.” (back cover) As this quote states, the book takes place in North- America, but it leaves out the fact that this is post-apocalyptic North America. It is now known as the great nation of Panem and is broken into twelve districts. Now the book is mostly about the different districts and so could the book be happening anywhere? In this sense, no. But as for North America, this is in no way vital to the book. It would have been more or less the same if it were Europe. However the book does most definitely needs Panem and the twelve districts. For without the Districts there would be no Panem, there would be no Capitol and there would be no Hunger Games and if there was no Hunger Games, this book wouldn’t exist.

The Hunger Games

Monday 11 April 2011