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Government Control In The Hunger Games, The Giver, By Suzanne Collins

Decent Essays

I have chosen to explore the theme of “Government control.” This theme is evident in the novels The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Giver by Lois lowry and in the film Minority Report directed by Steven Spielberg.

In the novel The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, “Government control” is emphasized through the Capitol being prosperous financially which enables them to have control over the poor districts. An example that shows this is “Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there is nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you...” This shows that the Capitol will emphasize that they are better than the districts using The Hunger Games and that since the districts …show more content…

For example, Tris mentions that in her fraction history book she was taught through school “faction before blood” and that “more than family our fractions are where we belong.” This demonstrates how powerful the government in Divergent is and how much control it had, considering it made people believe that the authorities and their rules were more important than their own families. By brainwashing the citizens to think the same the Government can ensure that there are no ‘divergents’ who are the special few who cannot be controlled because they are different. The divergents are able to break the barrier the authorities have put on their society by being able to control their simulations, meaning that they cannot be brainwashed. Veronica Roth wants us to understand that the power and control relationship between the government and society must be balanced, so that one does not simply dominate the other. The government will fail if too much power is in the hands of the people, and equally the government will fail its people if it is to abuse its power when given too much …show more content…

An example that shows this is the mid-shot of Anderton’s flight scene where Anderton escapes in his vehicle, but the control of it is taken over by Precrime in order to take the protagonist to police premises. This shows that in this futuristic society everything is under surveillance even our command over vehicles is lost. Not only does the government have control of the vehicles and mass surveillance, but it also knows practically any given moment where each person is. As a result, the government has the power to control the citizens using extreme surveillance and take away any freedom or privacy that they have. With this in mind, Steven Spielberg wants us to understand what the future can lead to if power is taken advantage of which results into extreme control. As the citizens give up some of their freedom so that the government can protect them but as the government gains more control it would undoubtedly abuse its

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