#6 The Hunger Games Reflection

Since the last post I have finished the book and it was a fantastic finish.  It came down to 2 people.  Katniss and Thor were the remaining 2 and it came down to a nice bloodbath.  Katniss and Thor met at the end but Thor decided that Katniss deserved to win because she was friends with Rue and didn't want her to die.  Thor told Katniss to kill him and she took her bow and shot him through the heart and killed him.  The games ended and Katniss was sent back home to her family where she had to face Peeta's family but the story ended happily.  Peeta was killed during the games when foxface killed him with her stealth and her weapon.  Foxface was then killed by Thor and then it came down to Katniss and Thor.  In my opinion, I loved the book.  I loved the book because it reminded me of a movie called, Death Race.  I loved the movie and the book was similar so I decided to read it and I wasn't disappointed.  The book was never boring and always had something new in the next chapter with suspense and even death.  I hope people read this book because it truly shows how inhumane people can be and how far kids will go in order to stay alive and return home to their family.   

#5 The Hunger Games Reflection

Since the last post, I have read almost the entire book with only a few more chapters left.  Since the last time, Katniss and Peeta are still alive and Peeta is healing from his wound.  The gamemakers had a "feast" where in a backpack were supplies that the tributes desperately needed.  3 districts remain with all of district 1 and District 12 where Peeta and Katniss are from.  The District where Roe is from, the male tribute is still alive and saved Katniss from death at the feast.  He killed the girl from district 1 who was trying to kill Katniss for her backpack.  Katniss wanted the backpack because it contained medicine that would heal Peeta's infected leg and Katniss needed him to stay alive.  So the tribute count is 5 and I think it will come down to Foxface and Katniss because Katniss is the main character and she is such a good hunter with the bow and arrow.  Foxface will be in the final 2 because she is such a sly girl and is very good at hiding but will show her will to win when she has a chance to win and be free from the Hunger Games.   

#4 The Hunger Games Reflection

Since last time I posted, Katniss has entered the Hunger Games!  Not suspending the novel any longer, the author starts out with a boy being stabbed by a knife and blood splatters all over Katniss.  Gross but that is one less person Katniss has to fight.  When I stopped reading there were 6 people left including Katniss and Peeta who she thought betrayed her but now realizes that he is with her 100%.  There is a new twist on the games that the game-makers have added and it is that if the remaining two tributes are both from the same district, then they both win and can return to their district.  This is good because Katiss' friend in the games, Rue died during the games and Katniss got her first kill when she killed the boy that killed Rue.  The new twist on the game is good and bad because Peeta is badly hurt and may pull Katniss down but at the same time its good because it Peeta can get healthy then they have a good chance at making it out of there together.  I believe that the games will come down to 2 districts with each haveing both tributes remaining and Peeta will die before the games end and Katniss will be the victor and will return safely to her District.  We will wait and find out in the next post. 

#3 The Hunger Games Reflection

Since last time I have posted, Katniss has entered the Hunger Games!  It hasn't gotten very exciting with people killing each other yet but I can't wait to read more.  This book reminds me of a movie i watched recently called the Death Race.  The movie made me interested in reading this book and thats why I ultimately chose the book.  The movie Death Race is about a man that is framed for killing his wife and is sent to prison.  This prison is different than other prisons because they have a "death race" where criminals race cars with weapons and whoever isn't dead by the end wins freedom.  The main character is framed because the show is losing viewers and they need a good drive to bring viewers back.  This movie is similar to the book so far because they both involve people fighting for freedom and their lives.  The movie and the book are also broadcasted on T.V. so people at home can enjoy people getting mutilated.  The movie and the book are different in that the movie is a race with cars and the book is a game where people have to find weapons, food and kill each other by hands instead of guns and cars.  The Hunger Games deals with innocent children fighting other children for their lives, whereas the movie Death Race deals with convicted criminals who have nothing to lose but everything to gain if they win the race.  (except for the main character who is wrongly accused)

#2 The Hunger Games Reflection

Since last time I have only read 50 pages but so much happened in those 50 pages.  Katniss and Peeta took a train to the capital city where they are put in a large practicing facility before the games begin.  The relationship between Katniss and Peeta can be described as unpredictable and manipulative.  I use these words to describe their relationship because and example of unpredictable is when Peeta is very quiet and non responsive to Katniss and the first thing out of his mouth, "You look pretty".  This is funny because he says nothing and out of nowhere he tells Katniss she is pretty.  Its also an unpredictable relationship because one minute they are friends and the next Katniss thinks of ways he is trying to get her to like him and then he will kill her in the games.  The same with Peeta because he believes she is only being nice so he is an easier target in the games.  

The relationship is manipulative because since they both believe the other person is only being nice to make them an easier target, they begin to manipulate the other person into different situations.  For example, a man named Max is a drunk and one night on the train he throws up all over himself.  He needs cleaning up and Peeta surprisingly volunteers to help clean him up.  He only did this to make Katniss think that he is a good person and wouldn't kill her in the games.  She realizes this and is smart enough no to give into his charm and keeps a clean head.  This is an amazing book so far and a very well written novel, I can't wait to read more.

The Hunger Games Reflection

A major quote in the book so far is when the main character, Katniss says, " I love Prim more than anything" (35).  This is a major quote because Katniss volunteers herself for the hunger games and replaces her sister, Prim from going to the hunger games.  Prim is only 12 years old and Katniss knows she has no chance of survival at the hunger games.  This quote shows how much she loves her younger sister and what she will do in order to keep her safe.  Katniss also shows her love towards Prim when their father died and their mother went into a downward spiral and Katniss had to take over as the head of the family.  She hunted for food and traded with people so she could feed Prim and her mother.  She risked being caught or eaten while hunting but did it anyways because she knew her sister and mother would starve to death.  Her love towards Prim is stronger than anything because she will risk her own life before she allows Prim to risk her life.  Katniss does this because Prim is only 12 and she believes that Prim hasn't had the chance to live yet and Katniss wants her to live to a very old age and that wouldn't happen if Katniss didn't volunteer herself for the hunger games instead of her sister.    

Child Overcomes Odds

Today I read an article about a little Iraqi boy that was severely burned and almost died but he overcame the odds and survived.  The 3 year-old boy was the victim of a stove fire which burned 45% of his body and was struck with 2nd and 3rd degree burns.  This is a miraculous story because under the best care and conditions the mortality rate is 70 to 80 percent and this cild did not have that.  Air Force Medical Staff saved his life by flying the boy to a hospital in Cincinnati but the worry did stop there because when the boy arrived medical doctors labeled the boy as "expectant," which means that they could probably only give him pain medication and nothing more could be done and the child would likely die.  This did not happen due to the doctors great skill and their choice to give the boy a chance and the boy returned the favor by fighting for his own life and overcoming the odds and living.  This article really struck me because my brother is in the Air Force and he has told me all these stories of innocent children dying due to the carelessness of Americans and this article shows that not everyone is careless and they do try and help the people that need it.  Spilinek, Lisa 1st Lt.  "Little, but strong: Burned Iraqi child overcomes odds with 729th help."  Air Force Reserve Command.  14 April 2008.  21 March 2009. < http://www.afrc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123094164 >