After I read your comments (and because we were having the annual mounted Easter Egg hunt today at the barn), I did ask my 11- and 12-year-olds some basic questions: if they knew of the sports played in the Roman coliseums (gladiators, feeding Christians to the lions -- sorry, couldn't resist), or if they had seen movies that show extreme forms of entertainment (Russian roulette in the Deer Hunter, hunting humans in Supernatural, cock fighting, cobra and mongoose fighting - James Bond), etc, to get a sense of how aware they were of what went on in the world (and always has, for that matter).
I also asked them what they thought the book was about. Almost every one of them pointed out that lack of humanity in the governing capital.
They didn't immediately make the connection between the dangerous games (sexual in some cases, murder in others) and the book but after we talked about it for awhile they did.
What I loved about the book was that instead of focusing on death, the tributes focus on staying alive. In no small part, this depends of the sponsors. So they will say, "I'm small but don't rule me out because I'm faster than the rest!" etc.
The capital is an extreme version of Rome - where the opulent lifestyle contrasts sharply with the dire poverty in the outlying districts. Emphasis is on pleasure and looks (looks like/sounds like -- Amerika!) and total self-indulgence. No one in the capital has to fight. They live off the fat of the land.
There are districts who are better off and can hire people to coach the children from a very early age so that they are at a strong advantage (think of the traditional delineation of German schools and the preparatory work that went into the Gymnasium students).
There is so much in that book! I continue to be wowed by how much Collins packed into it.
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I also asked them what they thought the book was about. Almost every one of them pointed out that lack of humanity in the governing capital.
They didn't immediately make the connection between the dangerous games (sexual in some cases, murder in others) and the book but after we talked about it for awhile they did.
What I loved about the book was that instead of focusing on death, the tributes focus on staying alive. In no small part, this depends of the sponsors. So they will say, "I'm small but don't rule me out because I'm faster than the rest!" etc.
The capital is an extreme version of Rome - where the opulent lifestyle contrasts sharply with the dire poverty in the outlying districts. Emphasis is on pleasure and looks (looks like/sounds like -- Amerika!) and total self-indulgence. No one in the capital has to fight. They live off the fat of the land.
There are districts who are better off and can hire people to coach the children from a very early age so that they are at a strong advantage (think of the traditional delineation of German schools and the preparatory work that went into the Gymnasium students).
There is so much in that book! I continue to be wowed by how much Collins packed into it.