入圍
姓  名 古宜臻 學  校 中央大學附屬中壢高中 年  級 二 年 一 班

 

 

To Kill or to Be Killed ? : Love and Insistence on Oneself in The Hunger Games

“Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!” Twenty- four tributes suddenly go into a blood bath with all kinds of weapons flying in the air and people trying to kill each other. This is a game in which only one person may live. Some of the tributes enjoy this kind of activity and are determined to win, while some of them are desperate and still hanging on their most simple wish ─ to live and go home.

The Hunger Games is a punishment for an uprising which the thirteen districts brought against the Capital seventy-four years ago. After they were beaten and the thirteenth district was obliterated, each district must choose a boy and a girl whose ages range from twelve to eighteen to participate in the games as tributes every year. These twelve districts will draw lots to choose tributes, and anyone who has the qualification and wants to participate in the game can volunteer. The tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena while there is no one except their mentors, former victors from the same district, can help them. The tributes must fight until only one survives lives and people in this country will be watching them.

In such a vicious game, Katniss, one such tribute, plays with her own rule. She shows the Capital that she is more than a piece in their game, and so does Peeta, the boy tribute from Katniss’ district. So when Katniss encounters the new rule which is beneficial to them and has been revoked, she defies the Gamemakers by trying to get Peeta and herself killed when they are the last two survivors. Because she knows the residents in Capital will not be satisfied if there is no winner in the game. After they are stopped by the Gamemakers, they both become winners. This is the first time in the history.

After finishing reading The Hunger Games, I am stunned by how the Capital works to prevent another rebellion and how these districts react. With no justice in this country, most people choose to be silent and endure things that are wrong. But Katniss, a simple girl who comes from the lowest district in this country, just does something she thinks is right. This kind of insistence is both for her life and for the welfare of the whole country. This is the spirit we should learn and the virtue we should have. Although we hardly face this kind of extreme situation, we do meet something that is wrong or unfair in real lives. Instead of being cheated by others or even ourselves, we should be true to our own hearts.

No matter it is in this novel or in our lives, love always works powerfully. It gives us hope and strength when we are depressed and reminds us that we should not be defeated easily. When Katniss is in the game, it is not only the love from her family but also the love from Peeta that make Katniss strong. Katniss must need courage very much when choosing to sacrifice herself for her sister and district in the beginning, and fighting against the Capital in the end. She achieves her goal because someone is supporting her with no regrets. This is the part that touches me the most. There is nothing more important than finding our own value and having love that supports us. This is why love is so precious and unforgettable because we need it so much and it gives us what we need. We should always be grateful for the love that our family and friends give us.

We are the ones who create our own destiny. When things go bad, we should try our best to make them good before we give up. As the proverb goes, “Where there is a will, there is a way.” We should never give up as Katniss always does and go through any obstacles wherever they may be.