*This is a post I wrote three years ago as a guest author for another Orthodox website. I’m re-posting it on Illumination Learning for those of you who have children currently interested in The Hunger Games series or would like to use it as a framework for a discussion with Jr. High or High School students in your church schools or youth groups.
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A long drive is ahead of us. Audiobooks have been downloaded to our various electronic devices and we’re ready to melt away hours of monotonous cross country driving. My kids are all too familiar with drives lasting hours and even days. This has long been a part of our lives – partly intentional and partly just the hand we’ve been dealt. Audiobooks are not the only form of entertainment we have used to pass the time on these trips but it is the primary form for this journey. I had planned to listen to children’s books and write lesson plans in my mind during the drive but at the last moment I decided to follow along with the book my teenage daughter was starting – The Hunger Games. Once again, as in years past, it was the perfect catalyst for a discussion.
For many years now, I’ve used books as an avenue to have discussions with my daughter about naturally sensitive or tough topics that most teenagers would rather not ever hear pass through their parents’ lips. Books have provided an opportunity for me to talk about potentially embarrassing subjects within the context of a story with characters instead of randomly out of the blue or trying to play damage control after learning about an incident with friends.
So, where are the teachable moments in The Hunger Games? What do I talk about with my child? How do I approach this book with them?
“What did you think of this story?”: This is an intense book – 24 children are chosen on Reaping Day each year and forced to kill each other in the weeks following in an arena during the Hunger Games. The last one standing is the victor with not only promises of a lifetime of wealth for themselves but also a year of gifts (mostly food) for their entire district. It is the first fictional story that has left me choked up and on the verge of tears. Asking this first question can tell you where your child’s thought process is leading and where you need to direct or guide the discussion.
“What historical references did you see throughout the story?”: The author sets the main part of the story within the framework of a futuristic colosseum. Focus on the Family has a list of discussion questions available on The Hunger Games. Two of which are: Does a scenario like this — where people are forced to fight each other to amuse a crowd — seem far-fetched? What has happened like this in history? Christian martyrs were forced to fight in the Roman colosseum and were ripped apart by wild animals or tortured to death for their professed faith in Christ.
“Why were the Hunger Games created?”: Firstly, the book explicitly tells us that the government created the Hunger Games in order to show their dominance over the districts. We are also told that the 13th District was obliterated at some point before the beginning of the first book because of their defiance against the Capitol. The Hunger Games are a yearly reminder of the Capitol’s dominance over all the districts.
Secondly, the games are a form of entertainment for the citizens of the Capitol. Each district struggles on a daily basis for enough food. There are strict rules against hunting and gathering outside the walls, fences, or boundaries of each district – punishable by whippings and even death. In contrast, the citizens of the Capitol lack for nothing. They have elegant parties laden with fancy, gourmet delicacies. They have constant electricity to support the latest technology while the people in the districts are lucky to have a few hours of electricity each day. The people in the Capitol spend most of their time beautifying themselves with plastic surgery and beauty treatments and engrossing themselves in the latest fashions. They do not worry about where their next meal comes from. They worry about where their next entertainment will come from. I think this is one of the main points we can gain from this series – as parents, we are appalled that our children what to read a story about children killing other children but the fact of the matter is that we are all looking to be entertained. We’re also looking for ways to be heroic in an age that we feel lacks opportunities to make a difference in defending what is right. So where are our opportunities today to be heroic and defend the underdog? What is the ultimate goal in life?
“Who am I in this story?”: A priest once told me, “When you’re reading the Gospel, you should always ask yourself, ‘Who am I in this story?’ “ Now…I often do this when I’m reading other books as well. Are we the citizens in the Capitol who never worry about getting enough to eat? Do we long to be entertained in our free time? Do we watch tv longing for the latest fashions, hairstyles, electronic devices, vacations, etc? Do we fill our shopping carts with items to add to our ever growing collection of something – sports, electronics, clothes, make-up, jewelry, video games? Do we have cupboards filled with food waiting to be eaten on a whim when we feel even the slightest bit hungry? “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” – Matthew 19:24
Or…are we the citizens of the districts whose main daily focus is getting enough to eat? Do we regularly go to sleep with little or nothing to fill our bellies? Are our children a significant financial supporter of our family? For most of us reading this article online, the answer is no. We found access to an Internet connection and had enough free time to sit and read for leisure instead of diligently working to get food for ourselves and our families.
“What can I stop purchasing in order to buy food for someone else?”: We all have our little indulgences with the extra money we do not need to spend on bills. Do we buy a cup of coffee on the way to school or work? Do we buy the latest video game? Do we go out to eat instead of making something cheaper at home? Do we save every last penny without sharing our bounty with someone who goes to sleep at night, literally hungry?
Ask your child, “How can we as a family feed those who hunger?” It is for you to decide with your child and family to what degree you want to help someone else out. Do you want to share a loaf of bread with someone? Do you want to raise money to help a group of orphans have clean water to drink? Do you want to donate food to your local food pantry? How are you going to feed the hungry? This is another lesson we can share with our children as we read and then discuss The Hunger Games with them.
“Why do we fast?”: This is an excellent introduction to fasting. Here are some additional thoughts on fasting with children.
“Where is God in The Hunger Games series?”: There is not any mention of God or religion throughout the books. I do not know whether or not the author did this intentionally or not but it does leave a message none-the-less. When we take God out of our daily life, we lose focus and direction. What do we have other than the desire to make ourselves “happy”? Where do we draw that line? Because what one person defines as, “Do what makes you happy” is completely inappropriate to the next person. When someone is struggling with what to do about something, you’ll often read online (through social media) or overhear others giving advice that, “You should ignore nay sayers and do what makes you happy.” But…this thought process can also be applied to someone who steals, abuses, and murders – “I did it to make myself happy.” So, how do we define what is appropriate and not appropriate to fill ourselves with confidence, peace, and joy? It’s our belief in God. It’s the direction and goal He provides in our lives. It’s the comfort He provides when we struggle. When we remove Him from our daily life, we are left with the opinion that as long as we do what makes us happy then that is what is most important in life. But, when we spend money on ourselves to such an extreme (for entertainment and relaxation) that we ignore the needs of our neighbors, is that okay…as long as it makes us happy? Is the goal and purpose of life material wealth, happiness, and entertainment or is there something more that we should be seeking?
“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink…” – Matthew 25:34-35
