Transcript The Hunger Games

What’s in a Name?
Panem is the setting of The Hunger Games, run by a single-party dictatorship led by
President Snow.
The NAME Panem comes from the Latin phrase panem et circenses, which literally
translates into “bread and circuses” or “bread and games”. The phrase itself describes
entertainment used to distract public attention from more important matters. By the
government providing ample food and entertainment, the citizens would give up their
political rights.
"Bread and Circuses" is a metaphor for a superficial means of making the people “fat
and happy”. It was the basic Roman formula for keeping the population content and
politically ignorant.
This formula offered a variety of pleasures including the distribution of food, public
baths, gladiators, exotic animals, chariot races, sports competitions, and theater
representation.
It was an efficient instrument in the hands of the Emperors to keep the population
peaceful, and at the same time giving them the opportunity to voice themselves in these
places of performance.
THE ARENA…
THE COLISEUM…
Caesar Flickerman is the
host for the Hunger Games.
He is famous for turning
any conversation around
for the positive, and is
known to change the color
of his lips, hair, and eyelids
for each Hunger Games.
Julius Caesar(July 100 BC– 15 March 44 BC)
was a Roman general and statesman and a
distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a
critical role in the gradual transformation of the
Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.
Caesar's conquest of Gaul, completed by 51 BC,
extended Rome's territory to the English Channel
and the Rhine. Caesar became the first Roman
general to cross both when he built a bridge
across the Rhine and conducted the first invasion
of Britain.
Cinna was Katniss Everdeen's stylist during her campaigns
through the 74th and 75th Hunger Games. He came from the
Capitol and was different in both looks and demeanor to her Prep
team who, to Katniss, were like "a trio of oddly colored birds
pecking around her feet." Cinna, as it seemed to Katniss, was
more normal than she had expected. He was also a rebel from the
start, which Katniss was unaware of. Cinna is outgoing, with both
his personality, and his designs.
Cinna: There are two guys from ancient
Rome named "Cinna" who are closely tied
to Julius Caesar. One was a politician
involved in the assassination plot against
Julius Caesar (whom many thought to be a
tyrant). The other was a poet who was
murdered following the assassination of
Caesar, having been mistaken for the other
Cinna. (BTW, both of these Cinnas appear
in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.) So what
might this say about Cinna the stylist? He's
certainly an artist, kind of like Cinna the
poet. Does his name indicate that he might
also be a rebel, plotting against the
oppressive Panem?
Portia is obviously a native of the
Capitol due to her creative fashions she
makes and the clothes she wears.
Portia was a newer stylist since the
newer ones get poorer districts. It is
speculated she might've chosen District
12 for the district she works for. It is
possible she rebelled against the
Capitol, but it was never confirmed.
Porcia Catonis, also known simply as
Porcia was a Roman woman who lived in
the 1st century BC. She was the daughter of
Marcus Porcius Cato Uticencis and his first
wife Atilia. She is best known for being the
second wife of Marcus Junius Brutus, the
most famous of Julius Caesar's assassins,
and for her suicide, reputedly by swallowing
live coals.
Cato was the male tribute from
District 2 in the 74th Hunger
Games and one of the main
antagonists of The Hunger Games
due to being a Career Tribute. He is
the leader of the Career alliance
formed by tributes from Districts 1,
2, and 4. Like Katniss Everdeen he
volunteered for the Games.
Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis,
commonly known as Cato the
Younger to distinguish him from
his great-grandfather, was a
politician and statesman in the late
Roman Republic. A noted orator, he
is remembered for his stubbornness
and tenacity (especially in his
lengthy conflict with Julius
Caesar), as well as his immunity to
bribes, his moral integrity, and his
famous distaste for the corruption
of the period.
Octavia was one of the
members of Katniss' prep
team, along with Flavius
and Venia. They prepared
her to be dressed by
Cinna. Once he died, they
helped Katniss dress up for
her role as the mockingjay.
Octavia the Younger was the sister
of the first Roman Emperor,
Augustus and fourth wife of Mark
Antony. One of the most prominent
women in Roman history, Octavia
was respected and admired by
contemporaries for her loyalty,
nobility and humanity, and for
maintaining traditional Roman
feminine virtues.
EFFIE…
Effie is short for Euphemia,
meaning “well-spoken”. St.
Euphemia was martyred for her
defiance of Rome and her secret
allegiance to the Christian faith.
TRIBUTE…
Tribute is from the Latin word tributum,
meaning contribution. One party gives a
tribute to another as a sign of respect,
submission, or allegiance. Various ancient
states exacted tribute from areas they had
conquered or threatened to conquer.
Even today, in a world of skyscrapers, the Coliseum is
hugely impressive. It stands as a glorious but troubling
monument to Roman imperial power and cruelty. Inside
it, behind those ranks of arches and columns, Romans
cold-bloodedly killed thousands of people whom they
saw as criminals, as well as professional fighters and
animals.
A DAY AT THE ARENA:
Gladiatorial games began with an elaborate procession. The
parade and subsequent events were often accompanied by
music; the mosaic depicts a water organ and the curved
horn (cornu).The morning's events might begin with mock
fights. These would be followed by animal displays,
sometimes featuring trained animals that performed tricks,
but more often staged as hunts in which increasingly exotic
animals were pitted against each other or hunted and killed
by bestiarii.
• The lunch break was devoted to executions of criminals The
public nature of the execution made it degrading as well as
painful and was intended to serve as a deterrent to others.
• One form of execution in the arena was damnatio ad bestias,
in which the condemned were cast into the arena with violent
animals or were made to participate in “dramatic”
reenactments of mythological tales in which the “stars” really
died.
• Criminals could also be forced to fight in the arena with no
previous training; in such bouts death was a foregone
conclusion, since the “victor” had to face further opponents
until he died.
• In extraordinary circumstances, criminals might be forced to
stage an elaborate naval battle . Although these were usually
fought on lakes, some scholars think they might also have been
staged in the Coliseum.
• In the afternoon came the high point of the games—
individual gladiatorial combats. These were usually
matches between gladiators with different types of
armor and fighting styles
• There were many rituals in the arena. When a gladiator
had been wounded and wished to concede defeat, he
would hold up an index finger. At this point the crowd
would indicate with gestures whether they wished the
defeated gladiator to be killed or spared.
• The popular belief is that “thumbs down” meant kill
and “thumbs up” meant spare - the sponsor of the
games decided whether or not to give the defeated
gladiator a reprieve. If the gladiator was to be killed,
he was expected to accept the final blow without
crying out or flinching.